What YOU think of Sonic Mania

[BlueFlare]

Personally, Mania is more of what I've wanted for a long time. Many have wanted it for years. There's very little that actually bugs me about Mania. I wished for more originality, but that's not a huge deal after all, since the entirety seems to be on point.

 

[Alienrun]

16 hours ago, Azure P said:

Will play it. But will be insanely bored whilst doing so.

 

As some one who grew up with the classics and played Sonic 3 and Knuckles more than out of any game in the Sonic franchise. I just have been spoiled by 3D and don't want to go back. The 2D plane is just not interesting any more. I've came to realize this ever since they've been shoehorning it into the 3D games.

 

As mentioned in a previous thread. Just feels like a fan game. Like some thing a fan could put together for free. And it actually is fans who've made this. Which can be considered good or bad depending how you look at it.

Are you like...a fan of 2D games in general? Or do you like 3D games more?

It's just hard to believe that someone passionate about something would get sick of it AND be willing to play it if its boring.

That's just weird to hear, considering its the opposite for me, and I also grew up with Sonic 3!

Hmm...

[Irish David]

I am very excited for Sonic Mania. Since the reveal last year and seeing every bit of the new stages and the old ones with a different wee twist leaves me very happy. With every reveal, it has made me more and more excited. Getting to play as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles is something I have waited a long time for (I didn't pick up any of the Sonic Boom games) The staff have looked after this title so well and I can't wait to get my hands on the Collector's Edition when it arrives in a few weeks time. I hope if everything goes to plan, they may be given another title. I would wonder if they would want a crack at a 3D game but that might not be on the table but will wait and see. Just over 3 weeks to go until the Mania is Unleashed!!!!

[Chris Knopps]

I officially haven't cried this much since my Grandmother passed away back in 2000.

Mania is doing THAT much to me, only these tears are for the polar opposite reason yet are just as endless.

[Chris Knopps]

Can I just say even the enemy AI is superior in this game to Forces?

That game is as generic as you can get. But the enemies friggin' CHASE YOUR A$$ through the stage using your OWN moves against you in Mania, and relentlessly at that. You don't need a mini-boss to get a chase going. I'll take that over a dozen things standing/floating in straight lines waiting for you to homing attack any day.

(Sorry for the double post/bump but this was well worth pointing out and/or bumping for)

[BlueFlare]

My favourite badnik is the Roller seen in Mirage Saloon. I was amazed by the fact that it can roll the loops just like Sonic, that's pretty impressive to me. I've rewinded that part from the preorder trailer million times.

[EzSonic01]

This game is great. As an old-school fan who grew up with games such as Sonic 2 and Sonic 3K, Sonic Mania is just too exciting. The levels, the enemies, the music, the bosses... Everything I've seen so far is perfect! I see no big flaws in this game at all. I would personally like to see Amy as well, but if it's gonna be a true representation of the classics, then it's pretty accurate to have the classic trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as the playable characters only, since it was like this back then.

If the game turns out to be a huge success, then I would like to see a sequel as well. Sega would have no problems with it since they have worked with Christian Whitehead and co. several times now.

Overall, I'm looking forward to buy this game and have endless fun with it.

[Natie]

I'm definitely excited as, in my eyes, this is the first time in years a Sonic game has come out that actually feels like Sonic (the 3D games have always felt like a different franchise to me, except for Sonic Adventure). Instead of just taking the things from the genesis and and copying them, Mania's team clearly understands the tiny details of the art direction, level design, music, ect., and made a game that if you told me was a lost game from the Saturn made by Sonic Team, I'd have a hard time not believing you. 

It's wonderful to see Sonic's old, unique and intriguing universe come back in such a genuine way. 

[Zippo]

In my opinion, it's shaping to potentially be greatest Sonic game of all time. It's fundamentally improving on the classics. The game is in widescreen, meaning there won't be anymore unseen collisions, which was a major problem for some in the classics. The physics are exactly like, nay, even better than what's been featured in the classics, Sonic even feels even more responsive then he did back in the day. The drop dash feels like a completely natural addition to Sonic's moveset. Sonic needed something more substantial than the instashield to set him apart from Tails and Knuckles, and the Drop Dash does just that. The level design is reaching Sonic 3K's level of excellence, and it has CD's and Chaotix's amazing visual fidelity without those games' straight up repulsive level design. It's a wonderful mix of old and new and I'm counting down the days to play this beauty. 

It's down to Mania and Odessey for my game of the year. Either way, 2017 is going down as one of the greats. No question. 

[molul]

I agree. Mania will be the best classic ever. It does right everything Sonic 4 did wrong, and also adds a lot of new cool ideas. Heck, even the new move is way better than Sonic 4's "new" homing attack.

This game is a gift not many franchises have had. Look at Mighty No 9, for instance.

[TheOcelot]

Yeah, Mania is doing everything right. The special stages look like they're gonna be a fun challenge (and Tee's music track for them is so rad).

We're about 17 days from release and I'm starting to get more and more excited. These last few weeks are gonna feel like torture. A game like Mania has been a dream for so long.

[SpongicX]

I don't think Sonic Mania looks bad, but I don't think it looks like anything new either. People are giving Sonic Forces too much of a hard time for reusing assets from previous Sonic games, yet Sonic Mania is mostly about controlling Sonic, Tails and Knuckles through locations from the original 4 Genesis games,  and already confirmed most of the the game would be revisiting past levels, with visuals and audio that sounds too similar to those old games as well. At least Sonic Forces has a different art style, a new story, and some new gimmicks to make it feel a bit new, while Sonic Mania relies on nothing but nostalgia. I'm still looking forward to Sonic Mania, but I feel it's getting far too much praise, while Sonic Forces seems to be getting too much biased hate.  I still wish Sega would make a more faithful game to a Sonic Adventure 3,  that adds a good mixture of old and new content. I'm getting so sick of them focusing on either nostalgic 2d, or having the boost focused gameplay. I want another 3d Sonic game with a hub world, actual 3d exploration with loose speed, yet easy to use controls, and multiple playable characters with unique abilities, except I'd prefer they all share Sonic's same gameplay structure of race to the finish. 

[Diogenes]

8 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

At least Sonic Forces has a different art style, a new story, and some new gimmicks to make it feel a bit new, while Sonic Mania relies on nothing but nostalgia.

Mania is also relying on actually being fun.

e: seriously though, the idea that Forces is getting biased hate and Mania is getting a free pass...just isn't true. Pretty much everyone agrees that Mania's reused levels aren't a great thing no matter how much they're into Mania otherwise, and for Forces, reusing GHZ is just one problem among many. Plus there's the angle that Mania is actually paying proper tribute to the Genesis games while Forces is pretty sloppy in how it's using nostalgia.

[SpongicX]

On 7/22/2017 at 8:58 AM, Roger_van_der_weide said:

I'm sure it'll be a great game and achieve everything it sets out to achieve spectacularly.

The one thing I'm worried about is that in the end, it'll leave me with the same thoughts as Sonic Generations left me with, and that is
"Hey that was awesome! Can't wait for them to make an Actual game like this!"
Which sounds a bit weird and mean-spirited, but despite me loving the hell out of Generations, it never felt like a full blown adventure, it felt like a bunch of (Amazing) levels on a pile with an ending glued on. The diffrence between great gaemplay and fun levels and a full blown awesome Sonic experience is a sense of adventure, of journey. A grande finale that leaves you breathless.

Of course I don't know yet. But so far, Sonic Mania is presented without such a thing, and will be like Generations, a compilation of great levels with little to no lifeline connecting them.
This isn't bad perse, Sonic Genrations is still easily in my top 3 favorite Sonic games. But it's that sense of grand adventure that will be the diffrence between a great game and a GREAT game for Sonic Mania. That will be the diffrence whether I'll remember this game is a fun well made diversion ,or genuinely among the great Sonic games.

Well put. 

[RedFox99]

@Roger_van_der_weide You mean like how Generations didn't really have too much of a story? 

[Cornelius Fudge]

The complaints against Forces was never really about reusing assets in the first place, it goes far deeper than that.

Based on what I've seen, Sonic Mania does a lot of things similar to the Genesis games, but strives to do something new and have plenty of diverse, new game mechanics to show for it. Forces in comparison does nothing new and its usage of "reusing assets" with new gameplay styles haven't done it any justice. Classic Sonic from what I've seen is literally sloppy, there's literally no thought or soul placed into the game whereas that clearly isn't the case with Mania where they're trying to recreate a legitimate experience that people cherished so much whereas Forces is just nostalgia pandering simply because they have nothing new to bring to the table.

TLDR; Mania reuses assets and expands on what we've seen before, Forces literally does nothing new and reuses assets poorly.

[Salamander]

Added to that, Sonic Mania isn't strictly speaking reusing any assets at all; concepts or ideas, yes, but the graphics are all completely redrawn to appear at a higher level of detail than in the original.

[Roger_van_der_weide]

4 hours ago, RedFox99 said:

@Roger_van_der_weide You mean like how Generations didn't really have too much of a story? 

Well, it's not about how much story, but how it's told.
Sonic 3 and Knuckles and Sonic CD didn't have much of a story, but it was worked really well in the levels, your activities.

Generations story would have been great if the levels were worked more into context, with the Time eater going in and out of levels screwing with things, and the levels getting crazy twists. I mean, the plot is about Eggman manipulating time to defeat Sonic, right? So why make Sonic go trough the exact same challenges a second time. Not only should Eggman know Sonic can already deal with the horrors of..Err, Green Hill Zone with ease, but Sonic has the added advantage of hindsight and extra experience this time on top of that too.

But have the Time Eater throw in, say, the Death Egg robot into Green Hill zone, Sonic Mania style, and it starts to feel a lot more like Sonic's genuinely going trough Eggman's challenges and going on a journey to stop them, rather then it's just a sightseeing collection of random levels.
Hey, what about NOT ending the game on Planet Wisp, a weird final stage, and instead have a 10th zone that's basically a nightmarish time vortex with all the bosses and level hazards of Generations thrown together in one intense Frankenstein monster of a final stage. Eggman's final desperate attempt to destroy Sonic by throwing everything and the kitchensink at him at the same time. Can even throw in a couple easter egg references to the Advance/ Game Gear/ Chaotix games that didn't make the cut.
And you don't need cutscenes or dialogue or anything for this. It's purely done trough gameplay and presentation.

It's pretty much what Lego Dimensions did. Altough on a smaller scale.. As it is now, everything feels a little detached and disconnected so Generations feels like a series of museum exhibits instead of an adventure to me. Awesome Museum exhibits, I love Generations a lot, it's one of my favorite games in terms of gameplay but it's missing a little magic.


That said, about Mania, I made that statement before they confirmed the game having Sonic 3 and Knuckles style bits and the animated opening appearing .So I suppose that means my last concern has been likely eliminated. So, bring it on Mania.

[Sega DogTagz]

4 hours ago, Roger_van_der_weide said:

and instead have a 10th zone that's basically a nightmarish time vortex with all the bosses and level hazards of Generations thrown together in one intense Frankenstein monster of a final stage. Eggman's final desperate attempt to destroy Sonic by throwing everything and the kitchensink at him at the same time.

People tend to wet themselves whenever someone even mentions Eggmanland... so the kitchen sink strategy may not be seen again for some time.

_{(I would be all for it tho)}

 

I can only imagine what Mania will do with its final level. There are so many good ideas floating around in the game that I imagine they saved the best for last. I want to say that I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a nod to Doomsday Zone... but as long as its something that knocks my socks off I think I will be okay with it ^^

[Chris Knopps]

Again folks...

Forces is probably a boost game being made on pennies at this point with an additional two game play styles thrown in.

It's not going to be good.

I know it's a hated argument with no evidence, based purely on thoughts/feelings, but that's my reasoning and I'm sticking to it.

[Clewis]

24 minutes ago, Chris Knopps said:

boost game being made on pennies

Sounds like an oxymoron considering what Sonic Team has said in the past about developing games with the boost gameplay. You're also ignoring the fact that the game has been in the works nearly four years now (apparently) and had a new graphics engine developed alongside it as well.

Doesn't sound like a project that was made on pennies. In fact, I'm beginning to think Forces might have ended up sucking in more resources than necessary during its development.

[Chris Knopps]

3 hours ago, Clewis said:

Sounds like an oxymoron considering what Sonic Team has said in the past about developing games with the boost gameplay. You're also ignoring the fact that the game has been in the works nearly four years now (apparently) and had a new graphics engine developed alongside it as well.

Doesn't sound like a project that was made on pennies. In fact, I'm beginning to think Forces might have ended up sucking in more resources than necessary during its development.

I think it's a matter of having spent foo much time on this supposed "Hedgehog Engine 2" and actually putting the game itself together at the last minute, combined with a smaller budget thanks to past mistakes making the company less "generous" toward Sonic Team projects, and because of this, the majority of the budget has been squandered on thematic backgrounds as well as a ridiculous amount of voice actors covering who knows how many lines.

It's like "Hollywood On A Budget" with Forces, that random off brand of something that's just "meh" all-in-all.

Note that "meh" is better than outright terrible, granted, and "meh" is a quality pretty much per-the-norm nowadays in this franchise.

Which is why Mania is so wholeheartedly shocking and at the same time insulting in its own way as a consumer that has bought supposedly "professional" products after all these years only to find fans besting these "professionals" on their first attempt...

I feel ripped off.