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

[Zippo]

Sorry for getting this up late but PSX and the Capcom Cup were keeping me busy all night. So Sonic Mania, like everyone has said, feels and looks fantastic. Seeing it on YouTube or a stream just does not do it justice. It is lovely, lively and gorgeous. The sound direction is just like the good old days, every sound and item is there and accounted for. Sonic controls 1-1 like he did in Sonic 3&K, there's no speed cap, his weight, momentum and jump height are all pulled straight from 3&K. He's actually even faster than in the old games, seeing him go at full speed is very short but dazzling. This was an older build but there's still a lot to see. These levels are gigantic, Green Hill is essentially a new level, with an entirely new bottom half. Studiopolis was even bigger. The drop dash feels like a completely natural extension to Sonic's moveset and it makes him a lot more unique now, in comparison to Tails and Knuckles. Honestly, everyone has said the same thing, but it's so true. This is going to be an incredible game. 2017 cannot get here soon enough.

[Psychicmoose103]

Now that we are getting close to 2017, where we will be closer to the release date, and where Taxman said that we wont be seeing any more news until, what kind of zone would you like to see next? A new one or a re-imagined one? Personally, I would like to see a new re-imagined one. If Green Hill is the tamest, i'm curious what the others will be like!

[Salamander]

If there are more reimagined zones than new ones, and we've presently seen one reimagined and two new, then I would agree that another reimagined zone would be next on my list.  It'd be nice to get a look at a zone we haven't seen for a very long time, as opposed to familiar old Green Hill Zone - and anyway, I would rather be surprised by the game itself than by the previews, so I'd hope for as many of the new zones to be kept secret as possible.

[TheOcelot]

I also want to see another re-imagined zone. Preferably one from Sonic 2. With both Mirage Saloon & Studiopolis giving off more of a Sonic CD vibe it will be interesting to see how the team goes about redesigning a level from Sonic 2. I'd like Aquatic Ruin, Casino Night, Mystic Cave or Oil Ocean to be one of the chosen.

In terms of bonus content, along with time-attack, debug mode and a boss-rush mode, I'd like a developer diary with detailed insight into how Mania came about (how it was pitched) and design choices including why they chose each specific classic stage to re-imagine.

[Psychicmoose103]

If I was picking the zone to see next, I would love to see something from Sonic 2, or 3&K. If 2, I would love to see a remastered IOS Hidden Place Zone, or a remastered Mystic Cave Zone. If 3, I would love to see Hydrocity, or Ice-cap, and from K, I would like to see either Flying Battery or Lava Reef!

[TehLenovoSpartan]

Well... we just need to wait for 1 of january 2017...

[Slingerland]

i hope they bring back white park.

white park.

[FriendBot]

I can't believe we forgot to consider Sonic 4 in Mania, not gonna happen at all but it would be pretty cool to see levels like Lost Labyrinth or White Park in Mania's artstyle. That would be SICK! (in the cool 90s slang way, not the common disgusting way)

 

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

48 minutes ago, Soni said:

I can't believe we forgot to consider Sonic 4 in Mania, not gonna happen at all but it would be pretty cool to see levels like Lost Labyrinth or White Park in Mania's artstyle. That would be SICK! (in the cool 90s slang way, not the common disgusting way)

 

Eh, Lost Labyrinth kind of looks like a more mediocre Labyrinth Zone to me, so personally I wouldn't bother even if I was okay with Sonic 4 levels being in Mania.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I was curious.

So I went to YouTube to see if there was anything from PSX.

 

Looks like it's the same demo that's been popping up the last few months, which isn't a bad thing, it's a good demo. 

And then Sonic turns up and puts the player off.

[Linkabel]

Mania is getting merch in Japan as well.

[Milo]

^ Out of curiosity, do you have the source for where you found these?

EDIT: All three were posted on the Sonic Channel website. (Thanks to @VEDJ-F for mentioning it in the statuses.)

[Tracker_TD]

New footage from IGN:

Studiopolis:

http://uk.ign.com/videos/2016/12/11/sonic-mania-gameplay-studiopolis-act-1

Mirage Saloon:

http://uk.ign.com/videos/2016/12/11/sonic-mania-gameplay-mirage-saloon-act-2

Notable in the Mirage Saloon footage; our first look at Speed Shoes (that music is kickin') and...

Knuckles-exclusive routes confirmed. These were already pretty obviously in (Knuckles' start point in MS Act 2 is different to Sonic's) but it's cool to see definite confirmation. 

Now we just need Spring to hurry up...

[TB100]

I like the fact that Sonic has a trail behind him when he gets the Speed Shoes. Such a small & minor detail, but yet so effective at the same time. (Seriously it just keeps getting better everytime we see this glorious game.)

[TheOcelot]

Studiopolis; we got a good look at the "Tails assist" move. Looks pretty straightforward to get Tails to carry Sonic. Wonder if they've tweaked this move from the remasters. You could easily be fooled into thinking that was 2-player co-op; the way Tails appears to move independently from Sonic, haha.

Mirage Saloon; yeah, really liking the fast-shoes music. Sounds slightly better than the invincibility music. It was funny watching the chicken badnik chase Knuckles! Knuckles you're2slow  It's pretty awesome a badnik has the drop-dash move. Would love if they give another badnik the spindash or super peel-out.

When Sonic was flying through the air (after being fired out of the gun) I was impressed with how easy it was to use the drop-dash move to change direction.

The overall design of Mirage Saloon (act2) is looking really good. 

I need this game in my life

 

[Marcello]

Gotta say, I don't like the speed shoes music.

[Plus]

As a struggling collector of bandanas/scarves, I need that red one in my life. It's not often you see bandanas that catch your eye like that. 

 

But google gives me nothing, anybody know where I can find it?

[Jango]

I would rather have a speed-up version of the level's music rather than a single jingle, you know, like in the classics.

 

But this is fine, this games does so much right that it's pointless to complain about such a small thing they've changed.

[TB100]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

I would rather have a speed-up version of the level's music rather than a single jingle, you know, like in the classics.

But Sonic CD, Sonic Chaos And Sonic Triple Trouble all had different music for the speed shoes, and those are classic games? sooooo....

(I know the Game Gear games are generally not regarded in the same area as the classic's, but they are still generally classic games.)

[Indigo Rush]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

I would rather have a speed-up version of the level's music rather than a single jingle, you know, like in the classics.

You're making Sonic CD cry.

 

[Jango]

Sonic CD has the right to do so because its soundtrack is a master f***ing piece. ?

ALSO I'M GONNA THROW SOME WOOD IN THE BONFIRE AND SAY THAT EVEN SONIC 4 GOT THIS RIGHT ?

[Marcello]

Sonic CD is the only one of the Classics to do it, and it's the worst of them. =P

I'd have preferred sped up music, but I'd have been fine with a speed shoes jingle if it had been good.

[TheOcelot]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

ALSO I'M GONNA THROW SOME WOOD IN THE BONFIRE AND SAY THAT EVEN SONIC 4 GOT THIS RIGHT ?

nah...........Sonic 4 didn't do anything right :V

36 minutes ago, Marcello said:

Sonic CD is the only one of the Classics to do it, and it's the worst of them. =P

Don't make me sit on you, Marcello XD

Sonic CD is godlly and I won't hear a word against it especially it's level design

Oddly enough I'm not such a fan of Mania's invincibility theme. Don't know why, just doesn't quite feel right.

[Indigo Rush]

1 hour ago, Jango said:

ALSO I'M GONNA THROW SOME WOOD IN THE BONFIRE AND SAY THAT EVEN SONIC 4 GOT THIS RIGHT ?

Not exactly - it plays a separate track rather than truly speeding up the music. It's a unique track that breaks the progression of the original music.

It's the worst of both worlds. Generations got this wrong, too.

50 minutes ago, Marcello said:

Sonic CD is the only one of the Classics to do it, and it's the worst of them. =P

[RLS Legacy]

Well hey, at least it ain't pulling a Lost World and lazily ripping the Heroes and Colours theme songs for the invincibility/speed shoes. That was cheap.