Sonic Mania (August 15th 2017, Christian Whitehead, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch) - The New Classic

[Auroxen]

1 minute ago, Sega DogTagz said:

Seriously though. I think a GHZ stage where you race through the fallout of some kind of doomsday weapon that you just shot down from orbit would be a blast. That or you could go right for the feels and have the lead up to the final showdown be a jog through the smoking crater of the remains of the most iconic stage in the series.

Now THAT would be a GHZ to remember.

Now that you make me think about it, it would be really cool having Eggman building his new base of operation near or into a Green Hill-like zone (or into Green Hill itself).
It would make for a really cool second-to-last zone, where you see the effects of pollution and other problems that this station would create in this natural zone.

Or heck you could also have Death Egg falling on top of Green Hill and devastating it.

The idea of a ruined natural zone before the end is really cool and it's a shame it hasn't been used yet, it could really show the effects of Eggman's actions.

 

1 minute ago, Chris Knopps said:

How about this?

The final zone is actually Scrap Brain, the final boss taking place where it all began...

With the Whitehead teams creativity, it makes me shudder in excitement thinking what they could do with the concept of the original final boss mixed with whatever original/new things included.

Perhaps chasing Robotnik down a corridor full of crushing pillars while he fires at you?

I dunno... Either way I'm up for Scrap Brain being the final stage.

I would also love to see Scrap Brain brought back as the final zone, it's what I've been hoping since the announcement of the game.
It helps that I love Scrap Brain both in music and aesthetic while I find Metropolis zone greatly overrated.
Also with Green Hill as the (presumably) first zone it would only make sense to have Scrap Brain as the last.
And yeah I'm sure the Whitehead team would do nothing short of an amazing final level.
I also think it fits perfectly with the two acts system, as the original as the first two act very different and the third as a Labyrinth clone so it can be ignored.

So yeah let's hope they'll do that.

[Maxtiis]

18 minutes ago, BubbleButt TV said:

I don't know why but this translation physically brought a smile to my face

"...which is the origin of the 'Sonic...'" Oh lawdy. "With action and gimmick I have not seen before," has to be the best poorly translated marketing blurb to ever grace this franchise. If Mania gets a physical release Sega should have this printed on an alternative "Japanese style" cover for authenticity's sake. 

[Zippo]

https://studioyotta.com

http://pagodawestgames.com

I'm probably (most definitely) reaching here, but the guy that leaked this animation works for Studio Yotta, based in Redmond, yes? And Sonic Mania is being developed by Team Mania (Pagoda West) in Portland, right?

Follow me here, generally speaking, they're in close proximity, the studios are about 2.5-3 hours away from one another. Could it be that Sega commissioned animations to a studio somewhat close to PW's location? Crazy theory here but hey, it's not the craziest idea that's been thrown around. 

Also, let's not forget that he swiftly deleted the animation afterwards. If it was just fan art, then why would he delete it right after if it wasn't at least somewhat official? Also, if it wasn't official, I would think Aaron or Sergio would have issued a denial by now. 

Something is definitely going on here. 

[Jango]

I wouldn't mind Green Hill actually being the LAST zone, as an epilogue.

[TheOcelot]

Latest tweet from Naoto:

I've posted the tweet in this topic because; maybe it's just a coincidence but over the last few days Naoto has been tweeting cells from the Sonic CD animated cutscenes and at the same time we get this:

Coincidence or deliberate?! Maybe Naoto is in on it! He was trying to tell us all along 

Regardless, this Hard Boiled Heavy animation looks so good and lots of HBH boss and Eggman boss animations would look fantastic for Mania. 

[Psychicmoose103]

9 minutes ago, TailsMania said:

Latest tweet from Naoto:

I've posted the tweet in this topic because; maybe it's just a coincidence but over the last few days Naoto has been tweeting cells from the Sonic CD animated cutscenes and at the same time we get this:

Coincidence or deliberate?! Maybe Naoto is in on it! He was trying to tell us all along 

Regardless, this Hard Boiled Heavy animation looks so good and lots of HBH boss and Eggman boss animations would look fantastic for Mania. 

Another thing this proves, this is clearly mirage saloon heavy, with the head fin and scarf type thing (The shoes even match the shadow's shoes)

This means that the shadow cape belongs to him.

Another thing that leads to this being somewhat offical, beside this being taken down, is that how would this person know very accurate details of the heavy without them being given.

Does this mean Mirage Saloon Heavy will shoot lasers and fly in his boss fight?

[Auroxen]

I think this won't be Mirage Saloon's heavy, I think it'll be like the leader of the group.

As it has been pointed out pages before (i'm lurking in this post since it was created in July lol) his portrait is in the zone's second Act which would mean that he's already been destroyed by that point if he really is fought in that zone (the heavies are Act 1 bosses).

So MAYBE, if the animation is real, we can use the background sketches to guess one of the final zones of the game (because if it really is the leader he will likely be fought near the end).

[Zippo]

3 minutes ago, Auroxen said:

I think this won't be Mirage Saloon's heavy, I think it'll be like the leader of the group.

As it has been pointed out pages before (i'm lurking in this post since it was created in July lol) he's portrait is in the zone's second Act which would mean that he's already been destroyed by that point if he really is fought in that zone (the heavies are Act 1 bosses).

Actually, it has not been stated whether or not the HBH will be bosses of the second acts. All Iizuka has said is that they'll be the bosses of the new stages. 

[Gemster312]

2 minutes ago, Auroxen said:

I think this won't be Mirage Saloon's heavy, I think it'll be like the leader of the group.

As it has been pointed out pages before (i'm lurking in this post since it was created in July lol) he's portrait is in the zone's second Act which would mean that he's already been destroyed by that point if he really is fought in that zone (the heavies are Act 1 bosses).

So MAYBE, if the animation is real, we can use the background sketches to guess one of the final zones of the game (because if it really is the leader he will likely be fought near the end).

I get the feeling it wont be a "transitionary" animation between zones.

I think it's like how Sonic CD did the very end of the game.

It shows a bunch of cute random scenes from in the game in animation style. So this would be a quick clip of Sonic finishing studiopolis, then suddenly the next heavy attacks. Much like how in CD, you saw the battle against Metal Sonic even after he was defeated because the animation wasn't identical to what happened in-game, but a collaberation of clips at the end.

[Psychicmoose103]

4 minutes ago, Auroxen said:

I think this won't be Mirage Saloon's heavy, I think it'll be like the leader of the group.

As it has been pointed out pages before (i'm lurking in this post since it was created in July lol) he's portrait is in the zone's second Act which would mean that he's already been destroyed by that point if he really is fought in that zone (the heavies are Act 1 bosses).

So MAYBE, if the animation is real, we can use the background sketches to guess one of the final zones of the game (because if it really is the leader he will likely be fought near the end).

I think you are probably right (perhaps the top hat heavy is the one fought in Mirage Saloon) Also, flying and shooting lasers isn't a western theme.

This could mean a few things

• What if this Heavy Leader is the same heavy from Sonic 3 and Knuckles? After seeing what he did, Eggman realized he would be perfect to lead his new elites. Perhaps he will come back in knuckle's story and replace eggman like the EggRobo in Sonic 3?
• This could also mean that we will be getting 6 new zones (4 for each of the heavies (Gunner, Desert, Knight One, Ninja One) 1 for the heavy leader (perhaps he is defending eggman's new base or stronghold) and the last stage would be a final final stage, perhaps a new creation or upgraded Death Egg.
• Or, the portraits won't appear in Act 2 in the final build, or the Hardboiled Heavies may assist eggman in the act 2 battles (would be weird to introduce these awesome new villains and only have them be a miniboss in 1 act (maybe a boss rush at the end of the game with them))

Also this makes me wonder, we have seen Mirage Saloon Act 2, and know from Studiopolis and Green Hill the backgrounds will change drastically, perhaps Act 1 will at the canyons in the background of Act 2?

3 minutes ago, Gemster312 said:

I get the feeling it wont be a "transitionary" animation between zones.

I think it's like how Sonic CD did the very end of the game.

It shows a bunch of cute random scenes from in the game in animation style. So this would be a quick clip of Sonic finishing studiopolis, then suddenly the next heavy attacks. Much like how in CD, you saw the battle against Metal Sonic even after he was defeated because the animation wasn't identical to what happened in-game, but a collaberation of clips at the end.

This. If this is true, it also means that we will be getting a Sonic CD style opening and ending scene. I love the style, so I really hope this is the case.

[Auroxen]

2 minutes ago, Zippo said:

Actually, it has not been stated whether or not the HBH will be bosses of the second acts. All Iizuka has said is that they'll be the bosses of the new stages. 

Oh, my bad then, I thought it was confirmed.

1 minute ago, Gemster312 said:

I get the feeling it wont be a "transitionary" animation between zones.

I think it's like how Sonic CD did the very end of the game.

It shows a bunch of cute random scenes from in the game in animation style. So this would be a quick clip of Sonic finishing studiopolis, then suddenly the next heavy attacks. Much like how in CD, you saw the battle against Metal Sonic even after he was defeated because the animation wasn't identical to what happened in-game, but a collaberation of clips at the end.

This is also a likely possibility I didn't think of, guess I got carried away with the possibility of guessing material ahah

1 minute ago, Psychicmoose103 said:

I think you are probably right (perhaps the top hat heavy is the one fought in Mirage Saloon) Also, flying and shooting lasers isn't a western theme.

This could mean a few things

• What if this Heavy Leader is the same heavy from Sonic 3 and Knuckles? After seeing what he did, Eggman realized he would be perfect to lead his new elites. Perhaps he will come back in knuckle's story and replace eggman like the EggRobo in Sonic 3?
• This could also mean that we will be getting 6 new zones (4 for each of the heavies (Gunner, Desert, Knight One, Ninja One) 1 for the heavy leader (perhaps he is defending eggman's new base or stronghold) and the last stage would be a final final stage, perhaps a new creation or upgraded Death Egg.

This could fit nicely with the theory I have read on this very post a while ago that Sonic 1, Sonic 2 will each have 2 stages while Sonic 3, Sonic CD and Sonic & Knuckles will have 1 (I think it would make sense as it would result in 3&K having 2 stages and CD, being the less popular one, having less than the main classics).

According to that theory there would be 7 old stages, which would fit nicely with the 6 new you predicted, making the 60/40 ratio statement make sense while making it have more zones than Generations (which would make sense with what was said previously in regards to game length).

I would still hope for a minimum of 14 Zones though (one more than predicted here) because otherwise it'd be shorter than 3&K, maybe the king of the heavies will be the guard of the second to last zone, then there'd be a last regular zone (which I hope would be Scrap Brain lol) and then a Super Sonic final fight.

A man can dream.

[Jango]

I said before and I'll say it again: if Mania features an animated intro like that one (even if it's just 30 seconds long), by God I would pay 60 bucks for it, even if the game is digital only. I love CD's intro and endings so much, it adds to the experience a lot, especially the intro. And seeing that the "leaked" animation uses the Mega Drive comic design for Sonic makes me want EVEN MORE.

 

Please SEGA, invest on it.

[expansivelovestories]

I think this new Green Hill Zone Act 2 video may have been the best possible way to, perhaps even unintentionally? preview the new music!   It doesn't fully reveal the full sound of the track, but it is much better than for example if it was just a few seconds heard somewhere.  The video overall comes close to being a second moment similar to the initial trailer being played last year!   

 

Although there have been many moments similar to that, this has some new aspects to it.   With all of those game boxes and cartridges in front of them, with the Studiopolis music playing as they introduce and describe the game. Somehow one of the presenters is also wearing a boom Sonic costume, both presenters are enjoying the game so much; it must feel amazing for the team to see how their work is blossoming outwards, that it really is the next official Sonic game continuing from the original series, and this is still near the beginning!! 

[Zippo]

I'm sure multiple people have already asked them today, as I'm sure they're aware of the leak, but did anyone here ask Aaron or Sergio about it? "No comment?" or no reply at all?

[Chris Knopps]

I think we now know why Sonic Mania was REALLY delayed.

The game is getting animated scenes thrown in last minute.

I'm all for that.

[CleverSonicUsername]

6 hours ago, Auroxen said:

Oh, my bad then, I thought it was confirmed.

This is also a likely possibility I didn't think of, guess I got carried away with the possibility of guessing material ahah

This could fit nicely with the theory I have read on this very post a while ago that Sonic 1, Sonic 2 will each have 2 stages while Sonic 3, Sonic CD and Sonic & Knuckles will have 1 (I think it would make sense as it would result in 3&K having 2 stages and CD, being the less popular one, having less than the main classics).

According to that theory there would be 7 old stages, which would fit nicely with the 6 new you predicted, making the 60/40 ratio statement make sense while making it have more zones than Generations (which would make sense with what was said previously in regards to game length).

I would still hope for a minimum of 14 Zones though (one more than predicted here) because otherwise it'd be shorter than 3&K, maybe the king of the heavies will be the guard of the second to last zone, then there'd be a last regular zone (which I hope would be Scrap Brain lol) and then a Super Sonic final fight.

A man can dream.

Aaron said on that stream that the team wants to make it comparable to the length of the genesis games. If that were to be taken as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, then it'd shake out to about 12 zones. I'd love to get something closer to like, 16. Two from each game, six new zones. But hey, "a man can dream."

[Zippo]

I checked around social media and forums where Sega employees/developers regularly post. Taxman, Stealth and Aaron have always been quick to dismiss fake info, not this time. Did not see anything, no denials, and no comments from anyone of any sort, Aaron retweeted a picture of the Sonic Team reuniting earlier today and that's it. 

https://mobile.twitter.com/NaotoOhshima/status/853029606592466944/photo/1

They're staying quiet. I'm leaning more and more on this being real. 

[Auroxen]

8 hours ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

Aaron said on that stream that the team wants to make it comparable to the length of the genesis games. If that were to be taken as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, then it'd shake out to about 12 zones. I'd love to get something closer to like, 16. Two from each game, six new zones. But hey, "a man can dream."

I said 14 zones in my post because I counted Hidden Palace and the Doomsday Zone as zones but yeah, 12 seems more like it, MAYBE 12 + 1 Final Super Sonic stage.
Not gonna be sad really, I'm pretty sure this game will spawn a series of sequels if it does well (which I think it will), a "neoclassical" series, probably with all new stages instead of half the game made of old ones revisited, so I'm not gonna be too sad if this game isn't astronomically long (especially with it looking so freaking amazing).

7 hours ago, Zippo said:

I checked around social media and forums where Sega employees/developers regularly post. Taxman, Stealth and Aaron have always been quick to dismiss fake info, not this time. Did not see anything, no denials, and no comments from anyone of any sort, Aaron retweeted a picture of the Sonic Team reuniting earlier today and that's it. 

My hype is going through the roof now, I loved CD's animation and the art style of the leaked animation is just perfect for the game.

[FReaK]

I hope this game features a no save mode. I want to beat it like I beat Sonic 2 23 years ago, when I was 4 freakin years old.

[Auroxen]

3 minutes ago, FReaK said:

I hope this game features a no save mode. I want to beat it like I beat Sonic 2 23 years ago, when I was 4 freakin years old.

It features a 4:3 ratio mode, there is no way they'd forget a no save mode if they included that to make it feel more like the classics.
I think I'll do my first gameplay with the save feature and then a gameplay with a no save mode.

[CleverSonicUsername]

Even Sonic 3 had a no save mode so I'm certain Mania would follow suit. Although worst case scenario, you'd just have to play it in one sitting.

Which I plan to do, because I've waited 23 years for a game like this and I'm going to marathon that fucker into the ground, day one.

[StaticMania]

Sonic 3 featuring an international "no save" mode was always so...thought provoking.

 

What is the point? What was the point, then? What's the point, now?

[pppp]

8 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Sonic 3 featuring an international "no save" mode was always so...thought provoking.

 

What is the point? What was the point, then? What's the point, now?

It's for those who like the challenge of clearing the game without relying on loading saves.

[Psychicmoose103]

Considering that Sonic 1 & 2 remastered as well as Sonic 3 have a no save mode, I'm sure this game will too. It has knuckles lower jump height, 4:3 ratio, sonic 3 hidden special stages, sonic 3 bonus stages, act transitions, different act music, and probably zone transitions too. This game is going to be so good, and I cannot wait. "Reimagined zones" even though they are called rehashes by people, have tons of interesting ideas, and the fact that we have seen 30 seconds of flying battery and all of the most tame zone makes me believe that they will be very different.

And if this game has Sonic CD intro? It will be the best thing ever 

[JosepHenry]

11 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Sonic 3 featuring an international "no save" mode was always so...thought provoking.

 

What is the point? What was the point, then? What's the point, now?

Sonic games are really easy, you can finish them with no problem but in a "no save" mode, you have to get rings and lives as much as possible, cuz you never know when you're going to mess up.

And if your playing Sonic Mania blind, it can add even more challenge, since you don't know where are you going.