Tenko

My PC version of the collector's edition has shown up via Amazon today, due delivery date was the 30th so it got here pretty fast. Looking forward to trying the PC version once it unlocks to see if there are any updates or changes from the console release due to the delay.

1982 and perhaps that's tainted my bias some considering I grew up during Sonic's "Golden Age", when his 2D games were king and he was plastered on every conceivable product known to man, which was great for a kid in primary school. I've been with him since the start, own and have played every game that was publicly released, as well as used emulation for things that weren't in my country like Sega Sonic Arcade, Popcorn Shop etc. While I had a Mega Drive/Master System/Mega CD and even 32x etc via my parents and grandparents, birthdays and such, the first console I saved my lawnmowing money for was a Sega Saturn and Sonic Jam combo which was one of my proudest purchases. I was on the hype train for Sonic Adventure and got a Dreamcast originally just for that game, while I have enjoyed a fair few of the 3D games I could never honestly say I ever liked them more or even equal to the 2D outings, especially the original Mega Drive saga which I have gone back to and played far more than any other Sonic title. I also prefer his original look more than the modern counterpart to be honest too, especially the Sonic CD style which I'm so happy they went with in Sonic Mania.

https://mynintendonews.com/2017/08/19/sega-discusses-all-things-sonic-mania/amp/ This seems to be the bulletpointed translation from the recent Mania interview done in Japan with Izuka. Some interesting statements in there. Apparently Izuka wanted Flying Battery in due to a personal like of the music and level design going in and out of the ship. Blue Spheres wasn't originally meant to be used and was a place holder but got left in. But what's odd is it mentions Sega/Mega CD being the targeted hypothetical system for the game not the Saturn as Tax/Stealth etc mentioned?

Seems like The Completionist really enjoyed his time with Sonic Mania. It got his highest rating too. It seems the fans aren't the only one noticing the random missing zone transitions near the end of the game either, it was one of the few negative points he brought up. Im really glad Mania is doing so well with fans, reviewers and the general public. I hope Sega decides to let Tax/Stealth and the rest of the crew, if they are up for another so soon after, have a crack at a totally original game. Even if just to tie up the lose ends, such as where the HBH ran off to.

I wonder if anything will be done with the "missing" transitions, or if it will just be minor bug fixes etc from here on out. Seems a shame to not fix what most perceive to be a bit of a flaw on an otherwise brilliant game. Clearly they aren't afraid to do a bit more tinkering, the PC version is proof enough of this, and Taxman has mentioned certain things being fixed in the next patch they are working on, so I wonder if it's not out of the bounds of possibility to throw those in with one of the patches that are incoming. Would certainly add more reasons to replay to see the added scenes, not that most of us won't be revisiting as often as we do with the other classics anyway haha.

With the game hitting 86/87% on Metacritic, 91% for the Switch version, it's gotten a lot of positive vibes from the press and the public, likely the highest rated Sonic game in a long time, 15 years, if not longer. Job well done to all involved. But it does make me concerned for Forces and Sonic Team as a whole. If Forces fails to come close to Mania in popularity, if it ends up another mediocre romp with a Generations twist that doesn't really impress, if a basically indie crew can put out a much more well received game on a lower budget, how is that going to reflect on Sonic Team itself? Will Mania end up the catalyst for change in Sonic Team or will they just plod along as usual afterwards? Do you think it might prompt change, possibly spawn a new branch in the franchise or just be ignored by the higher ups because it wasn't a main studio game?

Now that it's started releasing officially in certain territories I wonder if Taxman/Stealth might start commenting on certain things, perhaps let us know what's up with the presumed missing transitions or if there is a patch planned etc.

Likely 6 hours as it's 6:16pm here in NZ and we will hit the midnight timer first as far as pacific territories. But it all depends on if the game is set to go live on the stroke of midnight or if we will have to wait for morning as sometimes happens.

Sadly Steam doesn't use local dates/time for releases, which is ass, I'm in New Zealand and before the PC release date being changed it was using the American release date for its unlock timer, so a day later than it should have been by our local date. The console versions, PS4 and Switch etc, they should in theory be out on the stated launch date but local time, so early to everyone else.

Haha that and Voltron came to mind. Then my brain moved into Eggman armour territory, using each bot as a piece of his new battle suit/mech.

If the HBH's get away after whomping them in their respective stages then perhaps they come back for a large scale fight at the end. Or turn into a bigger robot...

Well that and it's a saloon, which did often have stages for dancing shows etc

So being that the intro is missing that scene with what appears to be the leader of the HBH unit, does that possibly mean there is an as yet unmentioned animated ending scene too then?

Haha I wouldn't celebrate until I saw visual proof. I would be over the moon were it true tho. VEDJ-F might not be so happy about it, would ruin her research and theories on Sonic Team avoiding non-Sonic Team created characters. I hope it's true tho, I really do.

Like certain cut scenes you don't see unless your playing as Tails or Knuckles and they all link to make a bigger story?