Sonic Origins ‘standard’ edition slammed for missing basic features

SEGA’s upcoming Sonic Origins collection includes faithful recreations of the series’ most definitive titles – but as part of the package, basic features are being locked behind a paywall, enraging gamers.

Sonic The Hedgehog is one of gaming’s quintessential mascots and is as iconic as they come. The speedy, blue hedgehog has been around for the better part of 30 years and has appeared in a ridiculous number of video games.

Sonic Frontiers is an upcoming adventure that aims to bring Sonic more in line with open-world games such as Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring. On the other hand, Sonic Origins is a remastering of the franchise’s most famous early iterations.

Its unveiling has been shrouded in controversy though, as it appears the standard version of the game is missing some aspects that would otherwise be considered foregone conclusions.

Sonic Origins DLC dilemma

A picture showing off the various editions of Sonic Origins has stumped many fans of the series, making them either ready up their knuckles in protest or tuck their tails between their legs and walk away from the game altogether.

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There are five different versions of Sonic Origins, and each one contains one or more of the following features:

• Main Game
• 100 Bonus Coins
• Mirror Mode unlocked
• Hard Missions
• Letterbox Background
• Character Animation In The Main Menu
• Camera Controls Over The Main Menu Islands
• Character Animations During Music Islands
• Additional Music Tracks From MegaDrive/Genesis Titles

If you pre-order the standard edition of the game, then you get the Main Game, the bonus coins, Mirror Mode, and a Letterbox Background. However, other features like Hard Mode and animations seem to be tucked away behind the other editions.

Chris Scullion, Features Editor at VGC, lamented SEGA’s decision: “This is so stupid. Standard edition is $40. Deluxe edition with DLC modes and throwaway stylistic s**t like character animations on the main menu costs $45. Why not just charge $45 for the thing and not look like you’re nickel and diming the fans?”

These sentiments were echoed by other disappointed fans, with @BroskiBae saying: “Sonic Origins is looking GREAT, but maaan, I do NOT like this… Locking basic features such as higher difficulty, extra character animations, even additional camera controls and music behind paywalls comes across as so sleazy to me. This stuff shouldn’t be a privilege to own.”

The reality is that it’s an extra $5 to get the more ‘complete’ edition of Sonic Origins.

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But with the never-ending debate about microtransactions, DLC, and the way in which modern-day games have geared more towards trying to grab every penny they can from loyal consumers, it makes one wonder: Should a beloved franchise like Sonic be asking this of players?