Gearing up for its launch later this month,Segahas shared some gameplay footage fromSonic Origins Plus. This expanded version of last year’s compilation game has a bunch of new features, but the main pull here is its inclusion of all 12 Sonic games released for the Game Gear. However, it seems that their grand debut on modern hardware isn’t going to be as great as fans had hoped.Early footage shared by theSonic the Hedgehogaccount has come under fire, as fans say that the audio quality is significantly worse than the original release. Some go as far as to say that the new sound is “painful”, as the devs appear to have put the audio in stereo mode, without accounting for the fact that it was originally released in mono. In practical terms, this gives the game a loud, echoing sound - and one that is definitely a lot harsher on the ears.Related:Thank God, Sonic Superstars Understands The AssignmentOver on Twitter, fans are comparing the upcoming Game Gear re-releases to a fan-made emulator. And despite the official version supposedly coming from the most up-to-date release of the games, it sounds significantly worse than the emulations that are already available.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem that this audio issue has been addressed in the final release. A YouTuber claiming to have accessed thePS4version of the game early has shared some gameplay footage, where we can hear this harsh audio once again in the Game Gear releases. Be warned, the iconic “Sega!” soundbite is a real jumpscare.
It’s not clear why Sega decided to change the audio output like this, or if there’s a way to set it back to mono. We’ll find out for ourselves when the game launches properly on June 23, but in the meantime, fans certainly aren’t happy with what they’re hearing right now.
Unfortunately, this isn’t even the first audio-based disappointment from Sonic Origins. When the base game launched last year, the port of Sonic 3 & Knuckleshad a few soundtrack changes from the original due to copyright issues. This meant that iconic tracks like Ice Cap Zone Act 1 and 2 were swapped out for new compositions…and they weren’t great.
This is just another blow for Sonic Origins Plus, which already has a lot to prove. Not only were some frustrated to see this new content put behind a paywall after the initial Sonic Origins faced complaints of not having enough games, but it’s also come to light that the add-ons are download-only. So, if you have a physical copy, you’re actually getting the original Sonic Origins with a code to get the new content. Sega will be hoping that the game makes up for these frustrations, but it remains to be seen if that’s possible at this point. Playable Amy is really carrying this game right now.
