The original Sonic the Hedgehog is, quite rightly, a genuine classic. The speedy little blue hedgehog’s breakthrough release has since been released in just about every classic compilation on every console Sega could think of, including – now – the PlayStation Network.
That’s a big problem, and Sonic is not worth buying again. Enough is enough, and anyone who actually pays to download this is getting a raw deal considering you can get the game, and a whole host of other games on the retail (or PSP download) release Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection. As part of a compilation, you’ll be paying a fraction of the asking price of this here download.
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| Here we go around the bend. Again. |
So this review is not a criticism of the game itself. After all these years Sonic the Hedgehog remains a compelling platformer. There’s something about speeding through levels, learning routes and pulling off impressive leaps of faith that keeps bringing people back. It’s the ying to Mario’s more measured yang – a free flowing pakour experience before pakour become cool.
The problem is we’ve played it, replayed it, and everyone who reads this probably owns at least three different versions somewhere. Most Sega fans probably already have the Ultimate Collection. Yes, the PlayStation Network release has a very few bonuses – a trophy set that won’t take veterans long to earn, the ability to save your progress for coming back to later (not that this game takes that long to play through), and online leaderboards for showing off awesome high scores.
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| This exact same game is literally on every device known to man. Here is the Apple version |
They’re nice additions, but not worth paying any money for. I can’t help but compare to Square Enix’ management of Final Fantasy. Equally you can buy that game on just about every platform but from difficulty level, to visual updates, to additional dungeons, there’s always tweaking going on. The differences aren’t huge, but if you own three versions of Final Fantasy, chances are each has something different about it.
That tweaking puts off the faithful, but then they already have the original game to play. The updates, remakes, and digital download rereleases are there to appeal to a more modern audience, and introduce newcomers to a more relevant game than a straight retro release.
Except if you’re Sega and trying to gouge for a few extra pennies.
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| This review hurt to write. How about a little fan service for a change, Sega? |
If Sega took the time and effort to reorchestrate the music and bring the visuals into the 21st Century, it would easily be an essential title, if only to see how the classic game looks with a modern coat of paint. THAT would be worth the small asking price. As it is, PlayStation Plus members (at least, those in Australia
This isn't a Review as much as it is you crying about paying for it again.
This isn't a Review as much as it is you crying about paying for it again.
Hi there Shendow.
I'm sorry you didn't think much about the review. When I wrote it, I took the liberty of assuming that everyone already knows this game – after all, who hasn't played it?
As such, I thought it more important question was 'is it worth buying again?' and given there's already better games collections that have this game on the PS3, I felt the answer was 'no'.
As such, when it came to scoring the game, I scored it as I would every other game not worth buying, I.e very low.
If by some miracle you haven't got the game already in some form, then absolutely, go for it – that goes without saying.
I hope this clarifies why I wrote what I did.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
Hi there Shendow.
I'm sorry you didn't think much about the review. When I wrote it, I took the liberty of assuming that everyone already knows this game – after all, who hasn't played it?
As such, I thought it more important question was 'is it worth buying again?' and given there's already better games collections that have this game on the PS3, I felt the answer was 'no'.
As such, when it came to scoring the game, I scored it as I would every other game not worth buying, I.e very low.
If by some miracle you haven't got the game already in some form, then absolutely, go for it – that goes without saying.
I hope this clarifies why I wrote what I did.
Thanks for reading!
Matt
I'm with Shendow on this – you should really have split the review into two sections. Not everyone has played Sonic 13 times over (indeed, a useful thing to do would have been to review Sonic for the younger generation – Sonic was released over 19 years ago now, and simply assuming everyone has played this game is not the safe bet it was 10 or 15 years ago).
Reading this 'review', I get eight lines out of 30-odd talking about the actual gameplay, with the rest talking about what I don't get with the game. At the end of the day, if your assumption is correct (that everyone has already played it, so knows what they're getting) then all you need to write is "however, outside of the extra additions, it's exactly the same game you've played before. Whether that's worth $X to play again is up to you." Assuming that everyone has the purchase preferences and gameplay experience as yourself means that this review is fairly useless to people who have played Sonic (as they already know what it's like, they don't need a review) and pretty limited to those that haven't (as it doesn't talk about the game in much detail at all).
Just trying to help run through the logic, it's not a personal attack. Keep up the reviewing 🙂
I'm with Shendow on this – you should really have split the review into two sections. Not everyone has played Sonic 13 times over (indeed, a useful thing to do would have been to review Sonic for the younger generation – Sonic was released over 19 years ago now, and simply assuming everyone has played this game is not the safe bet it was 10 or 15 years ago).
Reading this 'review', I get eight lines out of 30-odd talking about the actual gameplay, with the rest talking about what I don't get with the game. At the end of the day, if your assumption is correct (that everyone has already played it, so knows what they're getting) then all you need to write is "however, outside of the extra additions, it's exactly the same game you've played before. Whether that's worth $X to play again is up to you." Assuming that everyone has the purchase preferences and gameplay experience as yourself means that this review is fairly useless to people who have played Sonic (as they already know what it's like, they don't need a review) and pretty limited to those that haven't (as it doesn't talk about the game in much detail at all).
Just trying to help run through the logic, it's not a personal attack. Keep up the reviewing 🙂
There are two ways to play Sonic on PS3. One is in the Genesis Collection. The other is this. I don't know about over there, but in the US, the Genesis Collection costs $20 and Sonic alone costs $5. Yeah, the Genesis Collection is a better value if you want what it offers, but if you are only interested in Sonic, it's not.
$5 is more than fair for Sonic. If there is a deal that might be better, you should certainly tell people that, but you should leave that up to the reader to determine which is the better deal for them.
Dead Space 2 on PS3 comes with Extraction. Would you rate the 360 version lower just because it doesn't include it?
There are two ways to play Sonic on PS3. One is in the Genesis Collection. The other is this. I don't know about over there, but in the US, the Genesis Collection costs $20 and Sonic alone costs $5. Yeah, the Genesis Collection is a better value if you want what it offers, but if you are only interested in Sonic, it's not.
$5 is more than fair for Sonic. If there is a deal that might be better, you should certainly tell people that, but you should leave that up to the reader to determine which is the better deal for them.
Dead Space 2 on PS3 comes with Extraction. Would you rate the 360 version lower just because it doesn't include it?
Hi both, thanks for the comments! I appreciate that you've taken the time to provide feedback, and shall definitely keep it in mind for next time 🙂
I'm glad the review has provoked discussion, and it's even better that it's a different view to mine.
Hope to see you both back at a later date!
Matt
Hi both, thanks for the comments! I appreciate that you've taken the time to provide feedback, and shall definitely keep it in mind for next time 🙂
I'm glad the review has provoked discussion, and it's even better that it's a different view to mine.
Hope to see you both back at a later date!
Matt
PS+ Users in the US got this for Free too. 🙂
This is one of my favorite Sonic titles. I absolutely love the way the game feels like a platformer compared to all the other entries in the long series.
Fantastic game, and I'll never tire of it!
PS+ Users in the US got this for Free too. 🙂
This is one of my favorite Sonic titles. I absolutely love the way the game feels like a platformer compared to all the other entries in the long series.
Fantastic game, and I'll never tire of it!