Megathread Sonic Origins | MT | General Discussion

[Sean]

Wait, the QQZ conveyor belts DO let you time travel in them. Who was it that said this was based on the Steam port 'cause they actually fixed this in Origins??

Also, Sega REALLY screwed the pooch with the sound mixing in this collection. Some music and sound effects sound really quiet (especially the zone clear music in CD) while others are extremely loud, like the platform crumbling effect. Also, some SEs in CD are entirely different like Sonic's breathing sound and the latch sound when he grabs onto a pole in WWZ.

[Mangoaxe5]

They fucked up the Chemical Plant Zone boss. Originally if you played as Sonic, and ducked, the boss's muck wouldn't harm you. Now it does. 

[Blue Blood]

2 minutes ago, Vampfox said:

They fucked up the Chemical Plant Zone boss. Originally if you played as Sonic, and ducked, the boss's muck wouldn't harm you. Now it does. 

That was a bug, not a feature. 

[Mangoaxe5]

1 minute ago, Blue Blood said:

That was a bug, not a feature. 

Are you sure? I always thought that it was just Sonic's spins protecting him from the muck.

Even if it was a bug they should have left it alone.

[NoKaine]

I was going to post about how my Steam version of the game ran like complete shit but it turns out my laptop defaulted the game to the integrated graphics card instead of my Nvidia card. I changed it so now it plays normally. Cool beans.

[Rabid-Coot]

1 hour ago, Vampfox said:

Are you sure? I always thought that it was just Sonic's spins protecting him from the muck.

Even if it was a bug they should have left it alone.

Its a hitbox thing this vid goes into the details.

 

[Willsy]

Is it just me or does Sonic 1 at least have some form of audio microstutter? Playing the Switch version, not sure if it applies to the other games yet as I haven't tried them. It really could just be me though. 

[Shiny Gems]

I had a friend who tried purchasing the game for Xbox, but apparently, the system is saying he does not own the game. Is this rectifiable in some way?

[CleverSonicUsername]

I paid 45$ for this and must be punished for my sins. 

[DaBigJ]

7 minutes ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

I paid 45$ for this and must be punished for my sins. 

Not diggin' it, huh?

[Tracker_TD]

4 hours ago, Sean said:

Wait, the QQZ conveyor belts DO let you time travel in them. Who was it that said this was based on the Steam port 'cause they actually fixed this in Origins??

Also, Sega REALLY screwed the pooch with the sound mixing in this collection. Some music and sound effects sound really quiet (especially the zone clear music in CD) while others are extremely loud, like the platform crumbling effect. Also, some SEs in CD are entirely different like Sonic's breathing sound and the latch sound when he grabs onto a pole in WWZ.

I was told by a friend the other day that Origins' version of CD is actually based on the most recent update to the Android version; apparently something to do with the animation on the rings is the telltale sign. I'm guessing an update to the mobile port must've fixed the glitch at some point. 

[Conando]

3 hours ago, NoKaine said:

I was going to post about how my Steam version of the game ran like complete shit but it turns out my laptop defaulted the game to the integrated graphics card instead of my Nvidia card. I changed it so now it plays normally. Cool beans.

That's still pretty ridiculous considering they're 16 bit games and should run on toasters.

[YeppersPeppers]

The finger attack on S3's final boss is straight up missing frames of animation. There's no in-between to indicate when they are coming down. They just...come down.

[DaBigJ]

SiIvagunner once again knows how to handle rips. 

Spoiler

The joke is that it uses Sonic 4 instruments

 

[Jango]

So, no day 1 patch?

[Shiny Gems]

Just now, Jango said:

So, no day 1 patch?

Apparently not. Will they even do patches for this game? That is what I am wondering.

[CleverSonicUsername]

43 minutes ago, Jake_LeOFFICIAL said:

Not diggin' it, huh?

I'm still making my way through the story mode, but my take on it so far is that I like a lot of stuff and I think a lot of other stuff is a mess. These are the versions of the games I've been wanting on console since the 2013 remasters but with too many compromises for 45 dollars. This is also on me for ordering the deluxe edition sight-unseen and on a system that doesn't refund pre-orders. 

[DaBigJ]

It would be monumentally stupid to not do patches for the collection. Then again they weren't willing to delay the game, so...

[Sean]

1 hour ago, Tracker_TD said:

I was told by a friend the other day that Origins' version of CD is actually based on the most recent update to the Android version; apparently something to do with the animation on the rings is the telltale sign. I'm guessing an update to the mobile port must've fixed the glitch at some point. 

Yeah I noticed several other bugfixes that were in the mobile versions like the monitors in QQZ actually properly appearing in front of springs this time like in the original version.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I just reached Emerald Hill Zone 1, but to be honest, I haven't really been noticing any problems myself. Granted, I'm no well near versed enough in the Classic games to be able to go into specifics (I barely stand Sonic 1, 2 and CD regularly, so this having the versions of them I actually find tolerable is kind of a boom already). 

Only issues I've noticed on PS5 is that the main menu reuses Forces animations, and the drop dash implementation in 1, CD, and 2 leaves a lot to be desired. Beyond that, the special stage alteration to let you replay stages alone is probably gonna make this the default way I play CD from here on. 

[Roareye Black]

The Xbox achievements issue has largely been resolved. Only thing still not working is in the quick-menu (when you press the Xbox button) the quick-Achievements option will still show "Achievements aren't supported", but if you go into All Achievements the game now appears in your listings and any achievements you've unlocked should still be there. Not quite 100% yet, but more than serviceable for sure.

Not that it particularly matters, but this is my take-away from Sonic Origins (I've nearly completed it already);

Sonic Jam has always been held as the gold standard, even after Sonic Mega Collection+ offered way more ROMs. But Sonic Jam was an actual port of the game, and as such it's the only compilation that can be directly compared to Origins. Mega Collection etc are all just emulators.

The games in Origins are better than they are on Sonic Jam. This isn't just to do with the modern 4K/widescreen/60hz improvements (though they certainly help), but with everything repurposed in a new engine, lessons have been learned from the originals here and there so the games are tweaked with little extras. Not much, but enough to enhance them very slightly. Sonic CD wasn't in Jam, so adding that enhances the package also. In truth all of these games exist playable on Xbox One and Series S/X - Sonic's 1, 2, 3 and Knuckles via emulated XBLA titles and CD via essentially the same version seen in Origins, but the modern porting of the former 4 games mixed with the presentation of them (I love the new intro and outro cutscene movies) really makes them feel like a more robust package.

Talking of presentation, it is incredible. I love the main menu islands, the museum elements are well put together and stylish and most of the extra museum pieces are excellent. Sonic Jam's legendary status wasn't in the game ports, it was in how it handled the extras. Sadly this is one area where I still think Jam has the gold standard. Origins is the best since Jam, but the quality isn't so high. There's something to be said for the lack of a mini Sonic World as a central hub area. While they'd never manage to recapture that moment of seeing Sonic in 3D for the first time, the menus (while very very nice) are hardly a fitting replacement. Origins' museum is less of a celebration of Sonic and more sub-menus that are like more flashy Mega Collection menus. There's no History timeline either, which was a shame - I enjoyed reading that in Jam. However, let's be real, Jam stood out for one major reason; Japanese culture.

For many of us, the extras in Sonic Jam were our first true slice of Japanese culture - undiluted and unapologetic for what it was. This stemmed from the unique video content, the trailer for Sonic OVA years before it was localised into English, some unused animatics that sadly never saw sequels and - most crucially - Japanese advertisements. The image of plasticine Sonic for Sonic 1, Japanese people reacting as if on acid to Sonic 3 etc all laid the benchmark for many of our first tastes of Japanese culture.
Sonic Origins lacks this. No adverts (How I'd love the Sonic Advance ads in higher than Youtube resolution, the Sonic Pinball Party ads, Chu Chu Rocket's musical ad etc), dare we even suggest the new Segata Sanshiro ads with his son? We know Japanese culture sells. The Yakuza series sells so well because it doesn't pander to Western ideals and shows us Japan in it's culturally unique glory. Sonic's western adverts (excepting some like Cyber Razor Cut in the very early 90s) are incredibly generic, but his Japanese ads are hilarious and mind-bending. It's a minor let down that this Japanese culture is lacking in Origins. What's left feels largely sterile due to the menu-only presentation. That being said, what is there is very well done and Sonic Mania Adventures has never looked (or sounded, the bass is incredible) so good! Sonic's Anniversary live orchestral pieces are also a very welcome addition to the title.

Overall the games are the best they've ever been, the challenges are great fun, the achievements easy to grab and the presentation is excellent for the most part. Origins loses some brownie points for losing that wonderfully Japanese flavour that makes Jam still hold it's own and damn near rule the roost 25 years after it originally launched, but what it brings to the table is still great fare - there just needed to be more of it. However the biggest glaring omission from Origins is Knuckles Chaotix. It makes no sense that this game isn't here. This engine runs sublime Sonic side-scrolling platformers, and Chaotix fits that bill - it's notable by it's absence. Let's be clear, Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD needed next to zero work to make it onto Origins - these games were completed for Mobile and console a decade ago (some minor modifications have been done, but they are very minor). Sonic 3&K are the only two games (billed as a single title in Origins) that actually needed to have extensive work done. Some new music composition by Jun (based on the BETA music) for six tracks, the games actually rebuilt in the engine etc - I appreciate the time and effort. However Origins is essentially one (or two) games remade in an existing engine and three barely-modified ports with some lovely menu presentation - and again all of these titles have been (and still are if previously purchased) playable on Steam and Xbox One/Series since their initial release a decade ago - even if S3&K was merely as emulated ROMs. Knuckles Chaotix has been missing from any and all compilations, only existing in it's original cart format. The reason was the difficulty in emulating the 32X, but with this new engine that's no longer a concern. It's a glaring omission, especially as the entire OST is included in Origins along with it's three variant box-arts (Change the boxart in the main options menu to Japanese, North American or European). I can only hope this is planned for DLC, because if it is Origins will go from a "buy if you didn't already have the other releases" to a "must buy regardless".

[Shiny Gems]

Say, in regards to patches, how long does it normally take to finish a patch before releasing it? I am asking so I can get a better idea for when to expect a patch.

[Zadent]

Got it on the switch. I’m really enjoying this. Anniversary mode is great, as i feel like i can really explore and not worry about my lives. And the retries on special stages is fabulous.

 Only beaten sonic 1 so far. Not entirely sure what to do in CD. Cause to be honest…I’ve never actually been 1 or 2, and never played cd or 3 (idk why i missed 3 back then)

[CleverSonicUsername]

46 minutes ago, MightyGems said:

Say, in regards to patches, how long does it normally take to finish a patch before releasing it? I am asking so I can get a better idea for when to expect a patch.

Depends on what needs patching and how many people are working on it. If you mean more generally how long from a patch being complete to going live, it can be pretty quick so long as it's not Xbox. Microsoft requires additional certification of patches so theirs tend to be more delayed.

Unrelated to Sonic, but this has been "great" for the Evil Dead game, since crossplay is effectively disabled for Xbox users every time a new patch comes out.

[DaBigJ]

Really telling thread by Stealth. The team was basically rushed, and SEGA made direct changes to Sonic 3 without the team's involvement.