Sonic Mania - Can you feel the sunshine?

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, Serebii said:

 It's a 2D Sonic game done well, but nothing amazing and doesn't really do much new

I think that's the appeal, at least it certainly was for me. For years we've had to put up with gimmicks being shoe horned into various Sonic games, so it was nice to finally take the series back to the basics, where most of us fell in love with the little blue hedgehog.

[Serebii]

7 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

I think that's the appeal, at least it certainly was for me. For years we've had to put up with gimmicks being shoe horned into various Sonic games, so it was nice to finally take the series back to the basics, where most of us fell in love with the little blue hedgehog.

Yeah, and that's great but the way people have been going on about it is as if it's the second coming. People were even making things about what Mario could learn from it

[Hero-of-Time]

3 minutes ago, Serebii said:

Yeah, and that's great but the way people have been going on about it is as if it's the second coming. People were even making things about what Mario could learn from it

In a way it is. It's the second coming of 2D Sonic.

 

[Serebii]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

In a way it is. It's the second coming of 2D Sonic.

 

If you can trust Sega to continue it properly

[Glen-i]

9 minutes ago, Serebii said:

If you can trust Sega to continue it properly

Well, seeing as it wasn't technically Sega who made it, I wouldn't bet on that.

Quote

Yeah, and that's great but the way people have been going on about it is as if it's the second coming. People were even making things about what Mario could learn from it

I saw that thread on GAF, it was full of stupid. Mario's level design has been consistently good. Mario has nothing to worry about from this game.

Edited August 25, 2017 by Glen-i

[Blade]

14 hours ago, Serebii said:

Yeah I'm feeling the same. It's good, but it's not amazing nor is it worthy of the amount of hype. It's a 2D Sonic game done well, but nothing amazing and doesn't really do much new

Of course it doesn't really do much new. That is the point!

I disagree, its not overhyped. Read the feedback from the fans. This is the Sonic game we have been waiting for since S&K. 

I have all the emeralds now. To be honest I didn't think much to the UFO special stage. I much prefer the ones in the Mega Drive games.

[Dcubed]

I've finally started playing! Just beat the first three levels and had a big fat stupid grin on my face the whole time (literally couldn't stop smiling ) What a pure joy this game is!

 

I waited 23 years for this and it absolutely hits the nail on the head! This is absolutely the SEGA Saturn Sonic we never got! It's so on point it hurts!

 

And for those saying it does nothing new? What a bunch of bull! Even the remixed classic stages are loaded with fresh ideas, new never-before-seen gimmicks and gameplay we've never seen before in a Sonic game! (like the chemical mixing in Chemical Plant Zone and the ziplines in Green Hill) My biggest fear was that the old stages would just feel like re-treads, but that's absolutely not the case here! There's tons of new ideas that spice up and re-invent the classic stages, especially in Chemical Plant Zone (Oh and BTW, they were right.  The end stage boss absolutely lives up to the hype!  )

 

Speaking of which, I can't believe that every stage has a boss! Even Act 1! And the bosses themselves are absolutely outstanding! Some of the very best in the series for sure!

 

The visuals are a perfect representation of what a Saturn Sonic game would've been like, right down to the low poly/low res 3D parts! I love it! And the new special stage is great! Right up there with blue spheres and the Sonic 2 ring tunnel!  Oh, did I mention that the soundtrack is amazing? 'Cause it is!  I've never been a fan of the Sonic CD soundtrack (US or JPN), but this takes all the good bits about it and uses it to craft something that sounds so perfectly 90s pop, yet perfectly Sonic.  This is going on my iPhone soundtrack list for sure!  

 

The sheer love overflowing from this game just brings joy to my heart!  I can't do justice to how happy it makes me to finally see it come to life! It's something very very special to any fan of the blue-blur's TRUE classics!

 

A true successor to S3&K and Starfox SNES in the same year!? Pinch me I must be dreaming! 

 

58 minutes ago, Blade said:

Of course it doesn't really do much new. That is the point!

I disagree, its not overhyped. Read the feedback from the fans. This is the Sonic game we have been waiting for since S&K. 

I have all the emeralds now. To be honest I didn't think much to the UFO special stage. I much prefer the ones in the Mega Drive games.

 

Completely agreed.  It's worthy of the hype and then some! I came in with sky high expectations and it has still blown me away! And it absolutely does bring plenty of new ideas to the table, fitting perfectly alongside the MD classics!

Edited August 26, 2017 by Dcubed

[Jonnas]

Meanwhile, we PC users are like

3 whole days to go...

Edited August 26, 2017 by Jonnas

[nekunando]

I currently have Sonic Mania suspended at the beginning of Act 2 of Hydrocity and while I'm still enjoying the game a lot, I fear it may be heading in the same direction as the Mega Drive classics for me with stages becoming less appealing the further I progress. I have no idea what is ahead (I'd rather keep it that way ) but the last handful of stages haven't enthused me as much as the start of the game.

Hopefully the next level gets everything back on track

Edited August 27, 2017 by nekunando

[Glen-i]

2 hours ago, nekunando said:

I currently have Sonic Mania suspended at the beginning of Act 2 of Hydrocity and while I'm still enjoying the game a lot, I fear it may be heading in the same direction as the Mega Drive classics for me with stages becoming less appealing the further I progress. I have no idea what is ahead (I'd rather keep it that way ) but the last handful of stages haven't enthused me as much as the start of the game.

Hopefully the next level gets everything back on track

You have the same issue I do with the Mega Drive games. The further I get, the less fun I start having. I put it down to the increasing amount of times you inevitably run into an ememy/spikes/etc with absolutely no chance of you seeing it coming.

[nekunando]

21 hours ago, Glen-i said:

You have the same issue I do with the Mega Drive games. The further I get, the less fun I start having. I put it down to the increasing amount of times you inevitably run into an ememy/spikes/etc with absolutely no chance of you seeing it coming.

That could well be a large part of it but, with the older games at least, I generally found the visual themes of the levels progressively less appealing throughout each game with only a few exceptions.

In Mania, there are times when the foreground and background make it unclear what platforms you can actually walk on. I'll get used to it on subsequent playthroughs, I'm sure

One other minor criticism is that while I enjoy Blue Sphere, it's almost constantly breaking up the flow of each stage.. and I can't just ignore those sparkles!

[Jonnas]

Finally here!

Beat 4 levels in a row. Loving this. Game of the year. Of the decade. 12 out of 10. I spent so much time exploring a level, I died of Time Out. I'm a child again, I still have my Blue Sphere skills. The music for Chemical Plant Act 2 is better than Act 1 which I thought to be mathematically impossible but Sonic Mania breaks laws of physiscs confirmed. The composer is Portuguese so that's why. He made a samba version of Green Hill. Studiopolis is everything I wanted from this game and why am I crying. There's more stuff but I need a spoiler to hide them and I can't right now. Freedom Planet step up your game.

Should I be in the drunk thread?

[Glen-i]

I think Jonnas likes this game.

[Jonnas]

Ok, I sobered up relaxed a bit, then played 4 more levels today, and now I'm hyper again and I still want to gush because this game is something special. I'm so giddy. There are so many details harking back to the original trilogy.

Spoiler

Flying Battery and Wing Fortress are the same ship! Act 2 just seamlessly switches between the two and it's such a nostalgia rush! And the reminder in Mirage Saloon that even then, Sonic had useless friends! Stardust Speedway is just a gigantic reference to Sonic CD and it's so fun to blaze through! Hydrocity is the stage closest to the original, but this time is like 1000x cooler and has boats! And now I just entered Oil Ocean, and I'm mesmerized because I thought I was the only one in the fandom that liked that stage, but it's here! I'll leave it for another session, though.

Also, the blue sphere stages are getting more creative, and I love it!

(Also, I died of Time Out again )

13 out of 10

Edited August 30, 2017 by Jonnas

[Dcubed]

On 30/08/2017 at 0:06 AM, Jonnas said:

Finally here!

Beat 4 levels in a row. Loving this. Game of the year. Of the decade. 12 out of 10. I spent so much time exploring a level, I died of Time Out. I'm a child again, I still have my Blue Sphere skills. The music for Chemical Plant Act 2 is better than Act 1 which I thought to be mathematically impossible but Sonic Mania breaks laws of physiscs confirmed. The composer is Portuguese so that's why. He made a samba version of Green Hill. Studiopolis is everything I wanted from this game and why am I crying. There's more stuff but I need a spoiler to hide them and I can't right now. Freedom Planet step up your game.

Should I be in the drunk thread?

On that topic... Christian Whitehead actually has some involvement in Freedom Planet 2! (as a Unity engine programmer on the game); so that should instantly spark your interest in the sequel  

Edited August 31, 2017 by Dcubed

[Jonnas]

I finished it earlier today. With all the Gold Medals, but only 5 Emeralds (but then I went back, got them, and saw the complete Ending).

How can this game just keep on giving? It's so good! I expected to suffer fatigue in these last few levels (either because they're long, difficult, or both) but no, I had solid fun throughout. And I haven't even played as Tails or Knuckles yet!

Spoiler

AAAAAHHHH, Oil Ocean becomes Sandopolis Act 2?!! Holy shit, I love that level too, I can't believe they did something so good. And I was just lamenting the fact that Sandopolis wasn't in the game! And the boss is a straight up reference to the original Oil Ocean boss! So that's what the tentacles and laser were.

Lava Reef is so gorgeous. They could've had the original there and I would've been satisfied, but they made it better. And the Rider Heavy was the best Heavy.

Metallic Madness Music This level just joined all the best parts of previous "industrial" endgame levels into one (I saw signs of Scrap Brain, Metropolis and Death Egg) and then some. My jaw dropped when I got sent to the background.

Titanic Monarch is a pretty cool concept, though I was disappointed to learn that the rematches with the Heavies were optional. Still, that true final battle was so goddamn cool! Two villains fighting for a macguffin that distorts time and space, within one such distortion where you must stay Super just to survive, and you're dealing with both guys at the same time? That's metal as fuck! That has to be the first time I've seen a Triple Threat Match as a final battle.

Games like these restore my faith in humanity. I'm in bliss.

On 31/08/2017 at 9:31 AM, Dcubed said:

On that topic... Christian Whitehead actually has some involvement in Freedom Planet 2! (as a Unity engine programmer on the game); so that should instantly spark your interest in the sequel  

I didn't know about his involvement, but I'm already hyped for Freedom Planet 2, as I still have the demo in my PC  I can already tell the game's gonna bring its A-game (the panda girl is fun to use). These are good times to be a fast-paced Platformer fan.

[nekunando]

I cleared Sonic Mania last night, albeit with only 3 chaos emeralds! I didn't even realise I was playing through the final stage until the credits rolled.. but I didn't feel that stage, or the boss, were a fitting end. It was somewhat anticlimactic

For me, the game is good but shares most of the high and low points of the original classics on Mega Drive, as you might expect.

[Kav]

Just bought this for the Mrs and the little'ns.

I'm not much of a Sonic fan but I'll play it on my commute after I'm done with Shovel Knight.

The Mrs is buzzing for it though as she loved Sonic as a kid.

[Ike]

 

[Jonnas]

So, here's a cool thing I found out on my own

Spoiler

I played through Knuckles & Knuckles mode to unlock the secret ending... and I ended up fighting the true final boss as Super Knuckles! You can't actually do this in the main story mode, as it cuts straight to the ending if you play as Knuckles. Such a cool secret!

From what I understand, it doesn't work with Tails. if you don't have the emeralds, the Knuckleses escape the Titanic Monarch with help from a third Knuckles Made me chuckle.

Maybe you were already aware of that, but it came as a surprise to me.

[Ike]

Patch is actually available now.

[S.C.G]

Here it is...

n-europe Review

I know, I know... I took Ages.

But then so did Sega in letting this game be made so...

Special Thanks to @Kaepora_Gaebora for contributing to the review.

Enjoy!

Edited October 11, 2017 by S.C.G

[Ronnie]

I just don't understand the appeal of Sonic. Trying to play through Mania and it's a frustrating mess. I'm sure the designers did a good job with this game but when their work is built on such an awful foundation I feel it doesn't amount to anything. 

3D Sonic is terrible and I've tried to give 2D a go and it just isn't for me. The gameplay is frustrating, imprecise, and just not fun. 

I never feel as though I'm going the correct way, cheap hits by enemies you haven't a hope of spotting, cheap deaths by platforms that fall on you, stop start speed, floaty platforming etc

Edited October 14, 2017 by Ronnie

[Glen-i]

2 minutes ago, Ronnie said:

I just don't understand the appeal of Sonic. Trying to play through Mania and it's a frustrating mess. I'm sure the designers did a good job with this game but when their work is built on such an awful foundation I feel it doesn't amount to anything. 

3D Sonic is terrible and I've tried to give 2D a go and it just isn't for me. The gameplay is frustrating, imprecise, and just not fun. 

I never feel as though I'm going the correct way, cheap hits by enemies you haven't a hope of spotting, cheap deaths by platforms that fall on you, stop start speed, floaty platforming etc

And people thought I was harsh.

The best way to play Sonic is to not go fast. Yeah, it's weird, but that's how it is. The Mega Drive games were way worse for sudden enemy and trap appearances.

Edited October 14, 2017 by Glen-i

[Ike]

On 10/12/2017 at 12:42 AM, S.C.G said:

 

I know, I know... I took Ages.