Sonic Mania Plus: Official Trailer

[TheOcelot]

44 minutes ago, Depression Kong said:

 

Edit: Oh, this is a Megamix screenshot.

Being able to switch characters ala Sonic Heroes & Classic Sonic Heroes style is so damn cool!

Mania Plus looks like it's gonna have insane replay value.

[Tracker_TD]

1 minute ago, TheOcelot said:

The item box icons at the bottom right is a reference to Knuckles Chaotix and the score, timer and ring tally at the top left have also been redesigned to match the color and style of Chaotix.

Being able to switch characters ala Sonic Heroes & Classic Sonic Heroes style is so damn cool!

Mania Plus looks like it's gonna have insane replay value.

The screenshot you've quoted there is Sonic Megamix. 

[Sonicka]

11 minutes ago, Miragnarok said:

 ...and Splash Hill. Will we finally get references to those?

Egh.

Just place a sheet of celophane over the TV screen for green hill zone in encore mode and BOIYA! 

[Ashwalking Bat]

Good to see Mighty and Ray back in lime light again. Though at the same time, I'm anticipating the newer gen fans to think they legit are entirely new and never thought up before. Either way, I know this is going to get the blood pumping with hype for fans that have been with this series for a long time. And in general the old school style look of the genesis stages couldn't be more fitting. Which makes me wonder what else they got in store with Mania Plus.

[TheOcelot]

8 minutes ago, Tracker_TD said:

The screenshot you've quoted there is Sonic Megamix. 

I want my Mania Plus Megamix, damn it XD

[Multikaris]

9 minutes ago, Marcello said:

Let's not forget our favorite game:

It seems we’ve forgotten Sunset Hill, which that itself is a homage to. And I think that the Encore Mode should have more and more modern references as it builds up to an epic climax:

 

A climactic Super Mode Duel With Infinite for the Phantom Ruby and the fate of all three worlds and beyond. Undoing the damage of Forces completely in the process of victory, Classic strikes one last pose before returning for the Adventures to follow.

 

That would be a great climax for the whole saga, although they could keep it open for a third game in the Phantom Ruby saga. 

[Johnny Boy]

Won’t lie, when Sonic shook Mightys hand in the trailer I legit cried.

[Zaysho]

Seeing Mighty and Ray in animated form made me so fucking happy. I was already excited for their inclusion, but they look like they'll be a lot of fun.

[Celestia]

It is kind of weird the Encore Mode clips didn't show off any (noticeable?) layout changes. One or two brief clips wouldn't have spoiled too much, I'm sure.

Ah well, that's my only issue really. Mighty and Ray's abilities seem like nice additions. I wonder how Mighty's Hammer Drop reacts to slopes, actually...

[Ryannumber1gamer]

3 minutes ago, Celestia said:

It is kind of weird the Encore Mode clips didn't show off any (noticeable?) layout changes. One or two brief clips wouldn't have spoiled too much, I'm sure.

Ah well, that's my only issue really. Mighty and Ray's abilities seem like nice additions. I wonder how Mighty's Hammer Drop reacts to slopes, actually...

It'd be cool if Mighty's hammer drop acted like Sonic's roll in Sonic 1. If you hammer drop down onto a slop, Mighty picks up a ton of speed.

[Jar Jar Analysis 1138]

I'm not really as hyped because the content doesn't contain anything to exhibit mass hysteria or excitement. Other than me being absolutely happy for the team, this doesn't bring up my gears that high. 

However...

I fucking called it and I'm sure others did too. Mighty would get the bubble shield/stomp powers and Ray would get just be a Super Mario Tanooki suit. I'm far more interested in Mighty though...Stomping is one of the best mechanics to come out of Sonic so I'm glad they are using it. Only issue is; What is the future going to look like now for Sonic? The game sold 2 million across all platforms correct?(I'll check my sources later) but the popularity seems to be highly positive(no surprise). I expect Sega to continue to capitalize on the nostalgic 90's aspects of Sonic until further notice. 

But I do have a complaint; How are they going to balance out all of these characters in the future? I can see the problems of Tails and Knuckles arise yet again from S&K3 and Sonic having his abilities being spread out too thinly due to the big roster...Might have to expand from that out-of-date one button philosophy!

[Sonicka]

For Encore mode - will they actually have the giant Titanic Monach mech as a Doomsday type boss finally? 

It was my only real gripe with Mania’s Original ending because (and now with the added cutscenes) it feels like that was always the intended final showdown for Super Sonic. 

I don’t tally Egg Reveire as a final FINAL boss in the same league as Doomsday - it was a bit of a letdown after the TM Eggman Boss, and I felt constantly like a lot of the hits I got in were by chance rather than skill making it all the more frustrating to beat, so much so I don’t actively look forward too it on replays so never really bother all that much with emerald collecting - which is weird for me.

So yeah, if they fixed that or did something to that boss like with Metal Sonic i’d Be more pleased.

Speaking of Super... Ray and Mighty Super Forms???!!

[TheOcelot]

 

It was Tyson's idea for the bromance between Knuckles & Mighty. Quoting from Tyson's post on Retro:

 

Quote

That was me, lol. There wasn't a lot of time for character stuff in this one, but I wanted to do a little bit of subtle acknowledging who has met who before. 

 

 

51 minutes ago, Jar Jar Analysis 1138 said:

What is the future going to look like now for Sonic? The game sold 2 million across all platforms correct?(I'll check my sources later) but the popularity seems to be highly positive(no surprise). I expect Sega to continue to capitalize on the nostalgic 90's aspects of Sonic until further notice. 

SEGA will obviously keep re-releasing the classics.

Like so many fans I want SEGA to green-light a new branch of 2d games (with all original content).

[Sonic Fan J]

26 minutes ago, Jar Jar Analysis 1138 said:

But I do have a complaint; How are they going to balance out all of these characters in the future? I can see the problems of Tails and Knuckles arise yet again from S&K3 and Sonic having his abilities being spread out too thinly due to the big roster...Might have to expand from that out-of-date one button philosophy!

I find a different solution without bogging down one of the simplest control schemes around is to approach Sonic's aerial options. Sonic is the only character who truly lacks any and what aerial commands he is given are taken from him the moment he picks up an element shield. Useful as they are there Sonic only auxiliary abilities are rather inconvenient. If I was tasked with making a sequel and had to improve Sonic's Aerial options and add Amy i'd take this route;

 

For Sonic - Keep his Drop Dash but allow it to be released while airborne in the direction the player is holding to give sonic a short range aerial direction change (kind of like in the Sonic CD opening when he blasts through that one boulder). To keep it balanced, and to challenge the player's skills, have Sonic uncurl and immediately re-curl to build the charge creating a moment of vulnerability which Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, and Ray all have with their aerial options.

 

For Amy - Since I affiliate her hammer with her Modern version and not her Classic version, while jumping press jump again near a badnik to grab onto and ride it where ever it goes. Push jump again to jump off destroying the badnik in the process and the vulnerability aspect is present for as long as she is clinging onto the badnik she is vulnerable to everything else in the environment including any deployable spikes or other barriers the badnik she is clinging to has making some enemies (like orbanuts before firing their projectiles) impossible to grab.

 

Taking this route you open up further platforming opportunities without adding additional button inputs (which I have been told is not a good idea when designing a game) and use elements affiliated with the characters (Sonic's spectacular aerial acrobatics and Amy's tendency to grab things - primarily Sonic). The only thing you sacrifice this way are the Shield Powers, but since they are optional and non-permanent I'd rather have this simple abilities that slightly tweak how I play each character rather than each character starts feeling like they are built for totally different games with the primary gameplay being regulated to a unifying element instead of the main dish.

 

Legal Disclaimer: All ideas presented by myself are fully available for SEGA and all associated affiliates to use without my prior consent or notification in any way that SEGA deems applicable without any and all reservations.

[Tracker_TD]

21 minutes ago, Sonic Fan J said:

For Sonic - Keep his Drop Dash but allow it to be released while airborne in the direction the player is holding to give sonic a short range aerial direction change (kind of like in the Sonic CD opening when he blasts through that one boulder). To keep it balanced, and to challenge the player's skills, have Sonic uncurl and immediately re-curl to build the charge creating a moment of vulnerability which Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, and Ray all have with their aerial options.

 

For Amy - Since I affiliate her hammer with her Modern version and not her Classic version, while jumping press jump again near a badnik to grab onto and ride it where ever it goes. Push jump again to jump off destroying the badnik in the process and the vulnerability aspect is present for as long as she is clinging onto the badnik she is vulnerable to everything else in the environment including any deployable spikes or other barriers the badnik she is clinging to has making some enemies (like orbanuts before firing their projectiles) impossible to grab.

 

Real talk, as you've said stripping Amy of the hammer would basically defeat the purpose of adding her - next to nobody remembers Amy for 'grabbing onto things'. She grabs onto Sonic bc she's in love with him. I get Amy's supposed to be a slower-paced character too, but I feel like constantly hopping onto enemies would just wind up being a pace-breaker more than anything.

The Sonic changes also miss the point of the shields - the shield powers are Sonic's benefit in-line with Tails and Knuckles, with the Drop Dash sliding in as of Mania to give Sonic an additional tool to better stand on their level. It's true from the get-go he doesn't have any kind of aerial-focused ability, but that's why you go for the shield stuff that Tails and Knuckles can't (with them in returning having more aerial adeptness).

[Waveshocker Sigma]

Man, can you imagine how much everybody would be losing their minds if back at SXSW they had only said two characters were coming but didn't say who they were and THEN we saw this trailer today? Seriously, imagine how absolutely insane people would be over he hype from Mighty and Ray suddenly showing up and being back from the moment Mighty stops the elevator doors. It'd be pretty hilarious and kinda heartwarming.

The Archie comics made me into a huge Mighty fan and while I'm bummed out that he won't be in the IDW comics, I'm SO glad to see him here. Also can't wait to try and break the game with Ray's glide.

It really does look like Mania Plus might just have the extra edge it needed to finally beat Sonic 3 & Knuckles for me, but only time will tell. Looking forward to July 17th.

[Sonictrainer]

GameXplain tries to analyze the new trailer.

 

[Ashwalking Bat]

22 minutes ago, Sonictrainer said:

GameXplain tries to analyze the new trailer.

 

 

Honestly, they don't bring up anything that were aren't already aware off, really. And they do provide a lot of questions which add a lot of speculation. I will admit that I am excited to see Angel Island being used as more than just a mere set piece, though that's what it still seems to be for the most part. Kind of a place in the game, but not a focused upon environment.

[SSF1991]

Ray playing like Cape Mario in Super Mario World is absolutely genius. And considering what Mania's levels are like, this ability isn't game-breaking at all. So it works!

[blueblur98]

i'm totally gonna get this for my switch. well, when i get a switch.

[StaticMania]

17 minutes ago, SSF1991 said:

Ray playing like Cape Mario in Super Mario World is absolutely genius. And considering what Mania's levels are like, this ability isn't game-breaking at all. So it works!

Well, it's a good idea they went the Sonic 3 route in level design otherwise these levels could be glided right over...

[Dr. Detective]

Classic Sonic's doing great again. The people who like Mighty and Ray got to have them back for another round of fun. There's a good comic series out focusing on fleshing out the world of Modern Sonic. And we may have another Sumo Digital Sonic racer over the horizon. They even have a cute couple of shorts on Youtube that are really good.

Literally, all they'd need to do to make this perfect is to accomplish that miracle of fixing the 3D Modern Sonic games. Ironically, that's also the biggest thing they need to do too. 

It's weird. 2017 left me feeling so dead inside when it came to the series but four months into 2018 I'm feeling super jazzed about Sonic again. I'm not even a Classic fan but all this stuff makes me so happy. Seeing you guys so happy is infectious. 

Just one last miracle. Come on. Everyone get on your hands and knees and pray to Galactus or whoever. 

[Skull Leader]

Saw the Mania plus trailer and can say that I’m definitively NOT impressed with Mighty and Ray’s gameplay, which in essence is just more of the same stuff that has been done over and over: Sonic’s abilities which everyone and their mother’s can copy plus one or two extra abilities.

Really don’t see what exactly people see as great with this unimaginative, lazy and dated way of making playable characters when Advance with Amy was just starting to scratch the surface of how to do characters with alternative gameplay that, unlike the attempts of the 3-D home console games, was actually fun, worked and added some extra depth without altering the gameplay fundamentals.

[Sonic Fan J]

17 hours ago, Tracker_TD said:

Real talk, as you've said stripping Amy of the hammer would basically defeat the purpose of adding her - next to nobody remembers Amy for 'grabbing onto things'. She grabs onto Sonic bc she's in love with him. I get Amy's supposed to be a slower-paced character too, but I feel like constantly hopping onto enemies would just wind up being a pace-breaker more than anything.

The Sonic changes also miss the point of the shields - the shield powers are Sonic's benefit in-line with Tails and Knuckles, with the Drop Dash sliding in as of Mania to give Sonic an additional tool to better stand on their level. It's true from the get-go he doesn't have any kind of aerial-focused ability, but that's why you go for the shield stuff that Tails and Knuckles can't (with them in returning having more aerial adeptness).

I never anywhere say that stripping her of the hammer would defeat the purpose of adding her. I only, if anything, have probably over pushed my dislike of the hammer and have provided avenues of exploration that exclude it to demonstrate that my POV does have potential. As for pace breaking, I feel that way every time I grab a wall with Knuckles or exit his glide because I'm too high, or even have to land as Tails from a great height. When I've got a good pace going and effectively have to stop and wait to continue because I can't just tap down to quick land as Tails and Knuckles climbs so slowly even the vaunted abilities of those two break the pace. If those two can be allowed to break pace if our skills at using them aren't up to snuff then I think my Amy suggestion isn't too bad. Even from what I've seen of Ray's gameplay his Air Glide can completely destroy a players rhythm if the mess up.

 

As for the shield powers, my argument isn't particularly strong but I side with the camp that sees the shields as limited compared to Tails and Knuckles who always have full use of their abilities plus nearly Sonic's entire moveset. My suggestion keeps Mania's drop dash which gives Sonic a speed advantage after jumping as well as opening up a short range aerial option that he would have full time access to like Tails and Knuckles have with theirs. I won't deny that better options could be put together but at least I address that particular problem when comparing Sonic to Tails and Knuckles (the old vanilla vs vanilla with sprinkles or vanilla with chocolate chips with peanuts argument - with Sonic just being vanilla with the shields as dipping sauce which occasional come by on a conveyer to sample with you vanilla).

 

Now that comic,

Spoiler

I find it strange whenever Amy's hammer is brought into an argument with being affiliated with her Classic self as much as her Modern self that I am given Fighters as the example. As an Amy fan I would like to be shown examples from CD, Drift 1&2 , R, Gameworld, and anywhere else she might have shown up in an accurate SEGA representations that have nothing to do with Fighters. I expect Mega Drive to show up in the arguments from anyone who takes up this challenge but I won't be convinced if I'm not shown anything from before Adventure since content made after Adventure already has her modern versions affiliation as the starting point of the hammers all around affiliation starts there and not Fighters. So there's my off topic challenge for anyone who feels my inability to affiliate the hammer with Amy as iconic pre-Adventure is strange nonsense; find me every appearance of the hammer pre-adventure outside of Fighters. 

EDIT: That last paragraph is off topic and I meant to spoiler it to respect the topic. Some how I ended up putting it in quote tags instead.

Edited April 26, 2018 by Sonic Fan J
Corrected Quote Tag with Spoiler Tag

[MegasonicZX]

2 minutes ago, Skull Leader said:

Saw the Mania plus trailer and can say that I’m definitively NOT impressed with Mighty and Ray’s gameplay, which in essence is just more of the same stuff that has been done over and over: Sonic’s abilities which everyone and their mother’s can copy plus one or two extra abilities.

Really don’t see what exactly people see as great with this unimaginative, lazy and dated way of making playable characters when Advance with Amy was just starting to scratch the surface of how to do characters with alternative gameplay that, unlike the attempts of the 3-D home console games, was actually fun, worked and added some extra depth without altering the gameplay fundamentals.

Outside of using her hammer to get a good boost off of springs and the fact that you had to manually attack with her jump, what exactly was there that isn't provided here? Yeah, the advance games added more options to the characters but a lot of it was just neat little extras you could use that were pretty much all inferior options to just doing the basic run, jump and roll (and sometimes glide/fly) that the series has always done. About the only real useful addition was Sonic's jump dash, otherwise everything else was just there to use for varieties sake.

The tricks were good though, but I don't think they'd gel all that well with the design philosophy of these games since they aren't AS focused on always moving forward.