Late to the Party: Sonic Orgins

orgive the clichéd sentiment, but even after 31 years of blazing across all manner of screens, SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog does show any sign of slowing down. Riding the hype train of the recent film’s success at the Box-Office in the same year the little guy turns 31, the folks at SEGA and Sonic Team in collaboration with the talented folks at HeadCannon took to the task of releasing yet another Classic Sonic Collection, Sonic Origins. The collection features Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic CD, and the first re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles in over a decade; each one optimized with the same Retro Engine Sonic Mania ran on, enhancing these cult-favorite titles with a sizable HD upgrade for the current generation of gaming.

Despite the number of times some of these titles have been re-released, Sonic Team and company have boasted that this new arrangement will come loaded with more passion and fandom than we’ve seen from the likes of Sonic Jam or Sonic Mega Collection. While some of those claims are founded, I can’t quite help but feel like Sonic Origins struggles to live up to the potential it had, let alone the hype going into the whole thing.

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PPR 141

ven though some Video Games that are so good that you just want to play them over and over again, you can’t help but wish for them to get some tinkering under the hood to supe’ them up with the times. Luckily, there are plenty of titles getting new life again for the High Definition screen and a slew of other improvements for audiences both old and new, especially for some of those “Deep Cuts” that didn’t get their fair shake the first time around like Klonoa Phantasy Reverie or Pocky & Rocky Reshrined.

Still, there are a ton of other titles that could use the Remaster treatment, and we each have our own little personal wish list of software that we want to get a fresh coat of paint to share with y’all here on the latest episode of Press Pause Radio. Join Ed, Ren, and George as they go over a rundown of some cult-classics and sleeper-hits primed for the Ninth Generation of gaming!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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PPR Presents Limelight: Knuckles' Chaotix-26th Anniversary

wenty-six years ago this week in Japan, the Edgy Echidna in red who won the hearts of SEGA fans across the world decided to push his luck with the crowd even further with a brand new solo outing, Knuckles’ Chaotix, the flagship title for the new SEGA Genesis add-on console, the SEGA 32X.

As ambitious as it was, the 32-bit spinoff was a commercial flop, a flop that hasn’t seen a re-release since the ill-fated GameTap subscription service. Anyone who’s listened to the show the last twelve years knows just how much I love this damn game. For as obscure as it is, it’s legacy has carried on through the years with its colorful cast, and influences across a number of games, including the recent masterpiece that is Sonic Mania Plus. While the odds of getting an HD Re-release are as likely as SEGA announcing the Dreamcast 2,  I thought it would be nice to show this quirky little game some High-Definition love with an impromptu stream later tonight! Join me Saturday night, 04/24/2021, 5:45 PM Pacific Standard Time on our Twitch as I try to play through ith the best ending, and open that faithful door into Summer.

QCF: Sonic Mania Plus

fter less than a year from its initial release, the folks over at Head Cannon, Pagoda West, and some other new faces at work have released a new expansion to the critically successful Sonic Mania, with Sonic Mania Plus. The extra content includes a new arranged campaign mode with remixed levels, a four-player split-screen competitive mode, and the inclusion of two more playable characters, (both of which haven’t been seen a commercial sonic title in over 20 years,) and more.

While Sonic Mania proved that it was more than just a simple throwback release for the fans, however, the added “Plus” to the title’s re-release ironically struggles to augment the core package with any upgrade significant enough to differentiate it from the same game that casual players have already played all those months ago.

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PPR Presents Play Play: Knuckles' Chaotix

onic Mania is fast approaching, and while we don’t have our review ready just yet, we do have a few special looks at some choice cuts from the Blue Blur’s past that we think have influenced the direction seen in the new 2D throwback.

The first game in this little mini-series of ours is Knuckles’ Chaotix for the SEGA 32X. While this one is particularly obscure, it’s certainly notable for being the only 2D Sonic title that was developed for a 32-bit platform, as paltry as the 32X may seem to that distinction—and weirder enough, Sonic isn’t even playable in it.

Join Ser and George as they wax some nostalgia with equal parts trivia over may arguably be one of the most bright-ass games you’ll ever see in this latest Play Play!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

PPR Presents Lime Light: Knuckles Chaotix

We’re doing an impromptu Limelight tomorrow night! The game on the green spotlight this time around is Knuckles’ Chaotix for the “tumor” of Sega hardware, the 32X! The game that first featured Vector the Crocodile and all of those other Sonic friends you guys know and hate are here, but you know—are actually cool in this game. Tune in around Sunday, September 8^th, at 8:00 PM pacific time and join us in the chat on our Justin.TV account or settle in for the stream right here where George and surprise guest/friend of the show get drunk and play a game that might end up making them hate each other.