Sonic Origins Promises Nostalgia and Confusing Pre-Orders

Sonic Origins will release on June 23rd to celebrate the 31st birthday of Sonic the Hedgehog and features four 16-bit games digitally remastered for modern systems. The original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD make up the collection, with Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in particular, an exciting addition after its noticeable lack of re-releases in recent years.
 

 

However, when it was announced on 20th April, the game was met with a mixed reaction online. While some fans were excited and thought that the new animated content (reminiscent of the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon) looked exciting and vibrant, others felt that SEGA’s approach to pre-order bonuses and DLC was confusing and unnecessary.

The Japanese company released a chart on their site explaining what would feature in each edition of the game, but rather than clear up any confusion, it instead frustrated fans more as features anyone would presume to be standard have been locked behind a paywall. For $39.99, players can get the Standard Edition, or for $44.99, they can opt for the Digital Deluxe Edition. Pre-orders of either come with the Start Dash Pack included for free, but Standard Edition owners will miss out on ‘Hard Missions’ and certain menu features unless they buy the Premium Fun Pack at a later date.

Features of the Start Dash Pack include Mirror Mode, a game mode that can be unlocked by simply playing the game, and 100 bonus coins which are Sonic Origins’ in-game currency.

Video game developer Devolver Digital even trolled SEGA on Twitter, going as far as mocking up their own content chart for the upcoming samurai title Trek to Tomi. Needless to say, it was received much more favorably by fans.

 

2022 is a big year for the Sonic the Hedgehog brand with the release of the blue blur’s second live-action movie back on April first, Sonic Origins on June 23 and the promising open-world game Sonic Frontiers releasing at an undisclosed point later on in the year. There is a lot to look forward to for Sonic fans, and Sonic Origins should be a great place to experience some classic games for the one hundredth or the first time.

Let’s just hope SEGA don’t get too greedy.
 

Alex David Johnson,
Editor, NoobFeed