Sonic Origins review — way past cool

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I grew up on the original Sonic games. I liked them then. I like them now.

I’ve also enjoyed them in the various collections that Sega has released over the years, going back to Sonic Jam on the Saturn and the Mega Collection for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox.

So, yeah, we’ve had plenty of Sonic compilations before. But Origins — out on June 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC — still feels specials.

Origins includes the first Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic 3 and Kunckles. You get both “original” versions of these games in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio, but you can also play “anniversary” versions of each game that display in widescreen, give Sonic his drop-dash ability from Sonic Mania and get rid of lives, meaning no more game overs.

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Instead of extra lives, you can collect coins that give you extra attempts at each game’s bonus levels. This makes it easier and less frustrating to collect all of those Chaos Emeralds. It’s a smart switch.

Getting to experience these games in widescreen feels great. Seeing just a little bit further ahead makes stages easier to navigate, especially at Sonic’s signature high speeds.

So these are definitive versions of these games then, right? Maybe! I have encountered a few bugs. Notably, Tails often get stuck offscreen when I’m