Review: Sonic Origins is a tragic example of good classics ruined by greed

Enlarge / Sonic Origins comes with a few brand-new, nicely animated sequences. But do they tilt the scale to make this compilation worth $40? (Spoiler: nah.) (credit: Sega)

Here's a gamer version of "guess how many gum balls are in the jar": How many times has Sega re-released the very first Sonic the Hedgehog game?

If we don't ignore six-in-one carts from Sega Genesis and Mega Drive in the '90s, then the answer is somewhere near 30 launches. That count includes a port of the home version for early '90s arcades, the Sonic Jam compilation for the Sonic-starved Saturn, versions on various mobile platforms, multiple plug-and-play TV boxes, and a version exclusively playable in Tesla automobiles. Many of these releases came with other 16-bit Sonic games, as well.

Each game gets its own entry in the Sonic Origins menu interface. (credit: Sega)

Should you have missed any of the other 30-plus ways to play the series over the years—or have kids who want as much Sonic content as possible after seeing the series' live-action films—Sonic Origins launches later this week on PC and all console families. Sadly, I'm reviewing this $40 (or, honestly, up to $48) compilation of 16-bit Sonic games not because it's great, but because it's weird.