I love Sonic Origins last year because it gave me a newfound appreciation for the classic 2D Sonic games, and now Sonic Origins Plus adds even more. Available either as a $10 DLC expansion or $40 if you buy it as a complete package with the original game. And it adds 12 Game Gear Sonic titles along with new ways to play the existing classic Sonic games by adding Amy as a playable character to Sonic 1,2 & 3 and CD and Knuckles in Sonic CD. Unfortunately, while the baseline game remains great, there are some issues with the added content. Playing as Amy and Knuckles are great additions as they give you more ways to experience these classics. Amy is pretty much a re Skinner Sonic with one edition a melee hammer.

Sonic CD

She didn't really change my gameplay experience all too much, but it's nice for fans of Amy so they can finally play as her in these games. And Knuckles and Sonic CD are similarly nice to have, especially since they added a few new routes to best Uses powers. Although as nice as it is to have them here, it wasn't enough to change my mind on Sonic CD in general. Because it's still my least favorite of the Genesis games, the meat of the new content found in Sonic Origins plus is the 12 Game Gear titles, which I imagine will be brand new for a lot of players given how old they are and the fact that the Game Gear wasn't exactly a huge success in the 90s. Unfortunately, they're missing all the that the other games benefited from, like smoother frame rates, widescreen support, unlimited lives, and the addition of the drop Dash instead of just straight up emulations. And it makes some already rough games pale in comparison to the upgraded games that the rest of collection has at the very least, they allow for save stage would save me a lot of frustration. That aside, I've always been fascinated by handheld ports of games, especially since I was often relegated to the handheld system while my older brother hugged the consoles.

Sonic 2, Sonic Chaos

So it's nice to have them all here in one collection, and I have to say that even now, Sonic One on the Game Gear is a solid title. Sure, it's essentially A pared down version of the Genesis game, but it still features some unique elements like different levels and bosses. And it was easily my favorite of the Game Gear titles. Partially because it felt more like a typical platformer rather than focusing heavily on speed, which becomes a massive issue in the other three-game Gear Platformer, Sonic 2, Sonic Chaos, and Triple Trouble. Because the added speed makes them borderline unplayable for two reasons. One is just how cramped the screen is, making it near impossible to see what's ahead. As I picked up speed, I could barely see what was in front of me and I fly off into pits I didn't even know existed. So even with stay of state it was pretty frustrating. And two, there is frequent slowdown. Unfortunately, I don't know how much of this was a problem with the original hardware or how much is due to how they emulated them for the collection. Every single one of the 2D platformers suffers from slow down at different points.

Handheld Sonic Games

Sonic One Bridge Zone is awful, and then since Sonic 2, Chaos and Triple Trouble are significantly faster gameplay wise, the slowdown becomes even more noticeable and annoying. Outside of the core handheld Sonic games, there are a good few spin offs too. I was never a big fan of Sonic spin ball, and the Game Gear version feels like a worse version of the Genesis game, suffering from the same slowdown that I mentioned with the other games. Whereas I love Dr. Robotnik's meme being Machine, even if it's only a re-skin Puyo Puyo, but I've been hooked on it next to our Sonic Drift One and Two and these games are fine. Drift One is bare bones with only four characters and a handful of tracks. Drift 2 adds some more tracks and characters and Mario Kart like power ups, but both of these are completely inoffensive and I had no desire to go back after playing them for a little while. I personally never liked these two D cart raisers and these games lack any really unique factor that would entice me to come back.

Castlevania Games

It's really least favorite games of the collection are Sonic Blast, Sonic Labyrinth, and Tail Sky Patrol. Sonic Labyrinth is an isometric game where you have to explore basic levels to collect tree keys, but Sonic walks at a snail's pace so you have to spin dash everywhere. But it's floating and you bounce off walls like you're in a pinball machine. Tail Sky Patrol is just weird. It's kind of an unreal shooter, I guess, but the mechanics are just confusing. You fly through shooting and dodging enemies and you can pick up different items with the ring that tails carries and after the first level or two I turned it off. Now I saved the worst for last and that is Sonic Blast. This is a normal Sonic game but with pre rendered graphics. And not only is it ugly, I mean very ugly. Sonic feels awful to control. The most unique game in the collection is Tails Adventure, which is a bit of a Metroidvania. You play those Tails and you slowly explore levels and fight enemies. What random gadgets that you find along the way. It is slow, Tails isn't very capable at platforming, and fighting enemies is kind of cumbersome like the old Castlevania games.

Genesis Games

But at the very least it's charming and it stands out amongst A slew of mediocre games. Overall, Sonic Mania Plus is a bit disappointing. I understand that this is merely a $10 DLC. Packed but the lack of care given to the Game Gear ports definitely stands out, especially given the emulation issues pressed. If you were the most die hard Sonic fan and want to have loads of games in one place then I guess go ahead, but if you already own Origins, they don't add too much worthwhile it doesn't take away from the overall package. I mean, more ways to play the Genesis games are always welcome, but even the best of the Game Gear titles are only possible at best. At the very least, they provided a nice history lesson by having a ton of classic Sonic games I'd never played before all in one place. But the new games themselves aren't all too fun and slow down and cramp visuals ruin some of them. So ultimately I'm mixed on Sonic Origins. Plus, on one hand, it's included in the full price of the original game now and I did love that game so I won't take anything away from the experience. But on the other hand, I'm not sure if it's worth the $10 unless you're dying to play his aim. So there we have a review for Sonic Origins Plus, do you have any interest in picking this up? Let us know in the comments down below. I really appreciate your time.