Or is it “Sonic the Hedgehog & Knuckles 3”? Either way, Sonic Origins stitches the two games together as $deity intended to make one massive game. And yes, I completed it with all the Chaos Emeralds (and the Super Emeralds). Having finally completed the entire game I feel like something will be missing throughout my day, but to remind me of such a fun process I considered getting my own "Sonic", you'd be surprised if I told you how much does a hedgehog cost.

It’s great, because of course it is. However, there’s something wrong – very wrong – in this version. You see, it’s pretty well known that Michael Jackson was somehow involved in the creation of some of the music tracks in Sonic 3. It has never been fully proven as to what extent, but some of the music does sound very much like some of his work – take the “crash” from both his track “Jam” and Sonic 3’s Carnival Night Zone, for example. Probably related to this, they’ve replaced some of the music with new chiptune music in this release and it’s also the most likely reason why Sonic 3 hasn’t appeared on any Mega Drive or Sonic game compilations in the last decade or so.

This new music is rubbish. Part of it is surely just because it isn’t what my head remembers. It feels wrong playing through levels with the wrong soundtrack. But also, this new music is rubbish. Ice Cap’s new track doesn’t even sound like an ice level music track. The new Carnival Night Zone music is out of tune. Launch Base sounds like it’s in the wrong game. They all make my ears cry. Thankfully, the game itself is as good as it ever was to play.

They made a VERY IMPORTANT change to Sonic 2 on this Sonic Origins compilation. In the original, after getting all the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic has the ability to turn into Super Sonic once he collects 50 rings. Sorry, that might be a spoiler. Super Sonic moves even faster, jumps higher, and is invincible (except for being crushed or falling off the bottom of the screen), but as his rings count down as you use him, you have to constantly collect rings or he’ll run out and you’ll turn back into Normal Boring Sonic with no rings, and invariably die.

Which is fine, except that as Super Sonic, platforming is far trickier as the physics change and he’s much more slippery and quick. So really, you want to be saving your rings until you get to a hard bit or a boss, then triggering The Change. You couldn’t do that, though, as the game decided that the way to trigger The Change was to jump. Yes, just jump. Which, in a platformer, is tricky to avoid doing. UNTIL NOW! Yes, in Sonic 2 in Sonic Origins, you can turn into Super Sonic at will! You still jump, now you also have to press another button in the air. A game changer. No more franticly trying to race to the end of the level before your rings run out, or having to make jumps over pits of doom even more difficult because Sonic acts more like a mouse pointer than a physics-adhering creature. Amazing.

Oh, and the game? Completed it mate. With all the emeralds. That Tails is a git though, especially on the Special Stages.