Sonic Mania Plus: Official Reveal (Coming July 17th) - NO SPOILERS

[Badnik Mechanic]

4 minutes ago, Blue Wisp said:

but if the DLC for standard Mania is ten bucks for two characters and a new mode...?

And a completely rebuilt networked multiplayer mode and local co-op mode.

Also if you're gonna call it 'new mode' actually include the 'level design has been changed' because that makes it sound like actual effort went in other than 'new mode'

 

[MainJP]

1 hour ago, Indigo Rush said:

Mighty and Ray are finally playable after all these years. I say this is a win. They're effectively blank slates for new abilities. Curious to see how they go about it. Perspective matters here... one would see this as a waste of a character slot. I see this as an opportunity to recreate two fan favorites. Years from now, I don't think anyone's going to mind them being back.

1

That reminds me, Stealth developed Sonic 1 Megamix and in that ROM hack Mighty has the ability to control the elements:

Since he's on the Mania development team they could perhaps work something like that into Mania.

Mighty's also described as possessing "great strength" in the Chaotix manual so he could also have some strength based ability.

[Blue Blood]

25 minutes ago, Blue Wisp said:

New content is great and all but SEGA, I already bought your game full price, if you expect me to fork more money for two characters which might probably be reskins of Sonic and Tails and a new mode which might be just a Hard Mode or something like that, then no, I'm sorry. 

Call me entitled but this should be a free update. 

Yep. I'm calling you entitled too.

This is new content that totally additional to the base game. I don't know why you're assuming that Mighty and Ray are going to be reskins. Mighty, the only one who's appeared in 2D Sonic game, played differently to how Sonic plays in Mania. Ray meanwhile appeared in was can best be described as the 1993 equivalent of Sonic Dash. Expecting him to be a reskin based on that doesn't make a lot of sense. Then there's encore mode which, although vague right now, adds a new way to play each act and has visual changes.

Two new characters who will very likely play differently to any of the existing three, a new gameplay mode "and more". Mania already has a low price point, and this DLC is going to add a significant amount of new content to the game. Expecting it for free is unreasonable. If missing cutscene/transitions are added in, then I'll definitely agree that those should be part of a free update. And arguably the 4-player expansion as well. But everything else that consists of the bulk of this game? Nope. There's nothing wrong with DLC. It's not like they're trying to sell us Super Sonic.

[Sean]

You guys can start calling Mighty and Ray reskins once details of their playstyle are revealed. Until then I'd wait, 'cause this is a good chance for them to introduce new character styles in the classic formula that hopefully gel well with the games' simple nature. I think Mighty and Ray are good choices to try this out.

[Sonicka]

50 minutes ago, JezMM said:

The first screenshot reveal for Sonic Mania Plus showcases the new 4-Player Competition mode, looks great!

I was gunna say, that’s a really humourous mock-up you made there Jez... until I saw Mighty at the bottom.

...no, no, no. This is legitimately a joke screenshot right? If not, that’s just... It’s just complete and utter Mania. XD

Otherwise, I love the reveal. It’s been a good 20 years since I last played as Ray and Mighty on the Segasonic machine in Segaworld! So count me happy ?  

I also wonder what Encore mode is? Something additional to the base game? A harder difficulty? I think the only other thing I’d hope for is the addition of the missing zone transitions (or a rearrangement of zone order to suit).

[Pawn]

It's a pleasant surprise to see new stuff and characters added, yet... I can't say I'm too excited about literal Sonic clones Mighty and Ray. I'd have been super hyped like 16 years ago, but of all the characters... they just seem really boring now.

Not that I was hoping for Amy or Metal Sonic either; especially since the former would take enough work that a sequel feels more appropriate. That said, I'd have much rather seen Fang and Bean as playable characters. Taking control of antagonists would have been so much more amazing than a couple of non-entities. At best, Mighty and Ray as a pair is like... having Sonic and Tails again from a character perspective. Ability-wise, I guess Mighty will have the wall kick which, to be fair, I did really like in Chaotix. What on Earth will Ray have to set him apart?

[JosepHenry]

People who want Metal Sonic but complain about Mighty and Ray being clones absolutely baffle me.

Is more than time to give Metal a break. He has been milked to death.

If Amy AND Honey are in the "sequel" along with the new duo I will die happy. Those are exactly what I want for the sequel. And I know Honey is near impossible but Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, Ray and Amy playable in the same game?! YES.

[PKGaming]

So what exactly is Encore Mode? Two new characters, especially the ones they chose, is really cool. But I was honestly hoping for some new levels or story bits. But if Encore Mode is something like that, then cool.

The physicals look really nice. I'm tempted to re-buy. 

[Silvereyes]

I think the Plus content will be good, although it's not really what I'm looking for personally. I'd vastly prefer new Zones over new characters, not to mention I can't say I'm really excited about Ray or Mighty since they're characters I have no familarity with. Personally, I hope whatever gameplay changes the 2 characters bring is interesting, I wouldn't mind a couple of character who can really add extra flair to Mania. Like saying Mighty being great at one thing but terrible at another, essentially having a handicap the player must overcome, something like Protoman from Mega Man 9.

It is good there is a physical release though. When I was a kid, I played Sonic 1 and 2 with my dad on our Mega Drive, and he's been interested in Mania. However, he has a PS4 but no internet, so couldn't download the game. I'll be giving him a copy as a late birthday present, I'm guessing Plus won't be out til after May.

[JezMM]

9 minutes ago, Son-icka said:

I was gunna say, that’s a really humourous mock-up you made there Jez... until I saw Mighty at the bottom.

...no, no, no. This is legitimately a joke screenshot right? If not, that’s just... It’s just complete and utter Mania. XD

I either have amazing photoshop skills, the nature of the horrific amounts of squishing involved in the gag conveniently also hide how slapdash my edit work actually is, OR my Dad works at Nintendo and it's totally real.

I wonder...

[Celestia]

6 minutes ago, JosepHenry said:

People who want Metal Sonic but complain about Mighty and Ray being clones absolutely baffle me.

Is more than time to give Metal a break. He has been milked to death.

He has? Between Heroes and Generations he only ever showed up in random side games, and he's only been playable in a platformer once. Hell I'd be fine with just a SADX-esque reskin.

Of course with Mania specifically there's the issue of Metal Sonic already being in the game, haha. I'm not at all fussed about Metal compared to poor Amy.

[Razule]

43 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

Re: Plus for digital owners:

 

I sense that the DLC came before making a physical version

[JosepHenry]

2 minutes ago, Celestia said:

He has? Between Heroes and Generations he only ever showed up in random side games, and he's only been playable in a platformer once. Hell I'd be fine with just a SADX-esque reskin.

Of course with Mania specifically there's the issue of Metal Sonic already being in the game, haha. I'm not at all fussed about Metal compared to poor Amy.

In terms of being playable, he was in SA1 and SA2.

NOW appearances...  He has been in Generations (2011), Sonic 4 Ep.2 (2012), Boom (2014), Mania (2017), Forces (2017). He has been in every game minus Lost World since 2011.

[Sonicka]

6 minutes ago, JezMM said:

I either have amazing photoshop skills, the nature of the horrific amounts of squishing involved in the gag conveniently also hide how slapdash my edit work actually is, OR my Dad works at Nintendo and it's totally real.

I wonder...

To be honest, I can’t be sure whether to buy it or not that they actually did it - it sort of feels like a screenshot they’d reveal on their social media pages on April 1st. 

2p mode is still a glorious homage to S2, even if retrospectively the stretchy screen mode should have been a fun optional extra.

4p this way is just nuts. Like a warioware levels of crazy mini game idea. I imagine it must be playable if they decided to do this... but I hope to heck they’ll at least give an option to split the screen 4 ways like you’d expect. I’m trying to imagine playing this on a switch screen at work with 3 friends haha! XD

[Forte-Metallix]

2 minutes ago, Celestia said:

He has? Between Heroes and Generations he only ever showed up in random side games, and he's only been playable in a platformer once. Hell I'd be fine with just a SADX-esque reskin.

Of course with Mania specifically there's the issue of Metal Sonic already being in the game, haha. I'm not at all fussed about Metal compared to poor Amy.

Yeah, even as the biggest Metal Sonic fanboy on this site, I ain't the least bit let down on him not being playable. True, there's a lot you could do to make him more than a reskin (Greater speed at the expense of slipperier controls, Maximum Overdrive in the place of a Super form, etc.), but Mighty and Ray haven't been playable in over 20 years. I say it's time to give them another chance. Plus, it'd be pretty hard to justify Metal helping Team Sonic fight Eggman and other Badniks, so unless you made a completely different campaign with a story, enemies, and bosses built specifically for him, I think he's best left as a boss.

Still would like to see Amy in a potential sequel, though.

[Lord-Dreamerz]

11 minutes ago, Celestia said:

Of course with Mania specifically there's the issue of Metal Sonic already being in the game, haha. I'm not at all fussed about Metal compared to poor Amy.

If they wanted to add him I suppose they could had made it so there was always more then one Metal Sonic.

Or they could had just skipped that boss fight altogether when you played as him.

Anywho yeah Metal would had been my 2nd choice after Amy... I wouldn't had minded to play as Fang either actually.

[Celestia]

6 minutes ago, JosepHenry said:

In terms of being playable, he was in SA1 and SA2.

NOW appearances...  He has been in Generations (2011), Sonic 4 Ep.2 (2012), Boom (2014), Mania (2017), Forces (2017). He has been in every game minus Lost World since 2011.

True but in most of those appearances he's a quick boss fight. Which isn't bad in itself, mind you, but I also don't think it's enough to say he's being "milked." It's like saying Knuckles is being milked because he's appeared in most of those games (even though he's barely done anything in them), or Sonic Mania is being milked because it's getting an update + DLC (even though it's the first new content we've gotten for it since launch which was only last year).

[SSF1991]

6 minutes ago, Son-icka said:

To be honest, I can’t be sure whether to buy it or not that they actually did it - it sort of feels like a screenshot they’d reveal on their social media pages on April 1st.

To be fair, every day is April 1st on the Sonic PR team. lol

[Tenko]

Have any of the Mania crew made any remarks on this announcement? Are they all back to give the game the spit polish and new features/characters...or is this a smaller group of returning people, or heaven forbid a different group of people handling this add-on content? 

[JosepHenry]

Just now, Celestia said:

True but in most of those appearances he's a quick boss fight. Which isn't bad in itself, of course, but I don't think it's enough to say he's being "milked." It's like saying Knuckles is being milked because he's appeared in most of those games, or Sonic Mania is being milked because it's getting an update + DLC even if that's the first new content we've gotten for it since launch which was only last year.

Still, those underwelming quick boss fights made me really sick of him, specially when he is in those games just for fanservice. If you wanna do Metal fanservice right, make him a challenge. I should say that he was milked "badly".

But anyway, I don't like the character that much anyways so... There is bias. The only time I thought he was cool was in the OVA and Fighters.

Mighty and Ray at least have some personality, and I bet they will be based on their Archie versions, just like the Hooligans, which makes me more attached to them.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Hey so...

Are Pagodawest behind this?

Just that, there was no mention of them in the stream, they had nobody there representing them, and the boxart doesn't have their logo on it.

In fact there's no mention of it on their own site or twitter account about it.

[Tracker_TD]

2 minutes ago, Tenko said:

Have any of the Mania crew made any remarks on this announcement? Are they all back to give the game the spit polish and new features/characters...or is this a smaller group of returning people, or heaven forbid a different group of people handling this add-on content? 

A fair chunk of the original Mania Team (Brad, Hunty, Kieran) have been RTing it and posting about it, so I feel like it's a safe bet that at least some of them will be involved. That and Tax and Stealth would likely be nigh required to help with programming in the Retro Engine.

[Pengi]

2 hours ago, Marcello said:

Oh, I just realized that Ray's shoes are from his Archie version:

 

Does anyone know who came up with that redesign for Ray? It first appeared in Sonic Universe #48

[Zaysho]

3 minutes ago, Pengi said:

 

Does anyone know who came up with that redesign for Ray? It first appeared in Sonic Universe #48

Might have been a combination of Ian and Tracy, since the original intent for the new designs was Mighty and Ray were undercover and working with the Sandblasters.

[Sega DogTagz]

Man. Who had those two as playable characters in the money pool? Yikes. Did not see that one coming.

 

Who'd a thunk they would see the light of day so soon after the Archie comics went belly up.