Sonic Superstars: A New 2D Sonic Game (Fall 2023)

I mean, it really depends on what we even mean when we say "Mania 2". I think we would have to question whether a Tax/Stealth game with these visuals, or an Arzest game with pixels, would still be considered fair game for being "Mania 2". I feel like that game was "whatever 2D Sonic platformer Thomely and Whitehead would make". And that's good! I'd love that game. But clearly they are not the only people capable of making a good 2D Sonic. I like those guys and want to see them do well, but I also...just like good games? It's perfectly fine if SEGA makes their own game and it's good, and we need to remember that this game is not to blame for whatever plans they had falling through in 2019. There's always next game.

 

A game like Mania, but with all new stages is basically top of my wish list, and always will be. The original classics and Mania are a winning, foolproof formula that doesn't need to be fucked with - like a sunday roast dinner.

 

tbh my greatest desire for this game, before we knew that Taxman/Stealth weren't involved and especially now that it's been confirmed, is that they aren't involved and it's still an excellent game. I'm just getting really tired of the online discourse every time a new Sonic game is announced where there's a million comments like "unless Taxman's involved I'm not interested." As much as I love the Retro Engine ports and Mania, and would love to see a proper Mania 2, Sega's not going to just hand the keys to a billion dollar franchise over to one dude who's still trying to carve his mark as an indie developer. The franchise will be in a much healthier position if Sega is just able to make better Sonic games internally rather than relying on outside creatives to bail them out every single time.

 

Okay but this is part of my point, what does "like Mania" mean. This game is a lot like Mania. It doesn't have pixels and it's not made by Mania's devs, but if we're saying the classic games have a formula, this game follows that formula to the letter, chaos emerald powers or no.

 

For a 2D entry, Superstars is looking to be just about what I'd want. I'd have liked to see a sort Advance in 3D/Modern Sonic take with animation made explicitly to look good in pure side-scrolling levels, but the quality of the classic aesthetic is very nice here. I'd have also wanted it to be more in Sonic Team's hands, but what we know cements that the most important parts were and are in their hands: The initial concept was pitched by Iizuka's side, the foundation of the game's movement was established from the beginning and the gameplay looks good, and ST is involved with design and some other elements, however vague that may seem.

Overall, I'm quite happy with what I've seen, though I will say that it'd have been a valuable long-term investment for Sonic Team to have made this in-house using HE2 to make future entries far more easily developed, more easily portable, and ensure that their own staff can easily be interchangeable between projects and not have to onboard with a different toolset. Maybe they'll get on that eventually. Perhaps things are more in line with that than we know.

 

Mania has a lot of sections with "automation", you just hold down and watch Sonic roll several seconds in a path that the game wants you to take.

 

More impressions, again mostly positive:

https://www.pushsquare.com/features/preview-sonic-superstars-hands-the-blue-blur-a-hot-streak

https://www.vg247.com/32-years-late...ves-that-new-2d-sonic-games-can-still-be-good

One negative point:

"My only real issues with the game from the demo are the bosses; they’re either retreads of old Robotnik encounters that fall apart in a few hits, or predictable ‘I’m gonna make you hurt yourself!’ fights that don’t really add anything to the series, and feel more like roadblocks than climaxes".

Also:
https://techraptor.net/gaming/previews/sonic-superstars-preview

 

Casino Forest is really good too, the instrumentation is just bad.

 

I don’t believe Sega has acquired Arzest unless you know I don’t .

 

"Like Mania" - at least to me, means nailing not just the obvious fundamentals of Classic Sonic, but the thousands of other small and twatty details that many of us sperg out over. Whitehead and co just "get it" in a way that the Superstars team don't, judging by the visuals and level design thus far, there's still a bit too much Generations/Forces 2d influence in it for me to ever put this over new stuffs by the Mania guys, or consider it a worthy successor. That being said, Superstars is the first Sonic game I'm at least keen to try out in years.

 

https://www.sonicstadium.org/2023/0...ars-but-were-once-in-talks-for-next-2d-sonic/

Well, Iizuka here confirms that he was ready to work with Chris on another retro title, so whomever led to the demise of a "Mania 2" it wasn't him.

I hope we can start laying off the poor guy now a bit. More and more lately, it's been clear that he is not the classic hating monster this forum treated him as for so many years. He may say some silly things, but he is not the issue. Chances are, the issues that prevented a Mania 2 were either financial (contractual issues with non-employees), issues from the top executives (something Origins troubles hinted at), or... Whitehead's own personal desire to simply move on with his life. (He has gone mostly quiet on socials over the years since Mania dropped)

 

2018 was around the time Evening Star was formed. It's likely they had already started work on their original game by then.

 

Some interesting comments from a hedgehog engine modder:

Does anyone here know what Balan’s performance was like on PCs and laptops? Particularly mid to low end ones. I’m really hoping that denuvo and lack of (technical) polish doesn’t prevent me from getting this on steam

 

Guess we can add "the bosses are kinda lame" to the list of things this game shares with Sonic CD

 

I think our best hope for a “Mania 2” is that stealth is able to build a new team centered around Headcanon. I would particularly be thrilled to have Noah Copeland involved as a level designer. Tbc I’m not trying to lay the blame at whitehead for Mania 2 not happening. We don’t know the details. My gut just tells me that once evening star’s 3D game comes out, taxman isn’t going back to sonic… and that’s okay. I’m fairly confident that evening star’s game will be great!

 

It's not like Superstars can't set the ground for future 2.5D games with good classic-style physics, gameplay and level design.
Or at least I want to believe SEGA learned from Taxman & Stealth and are starting to nail the classic style for future games.

 

And 99% of every Sonic game ever

 

I don't know but this game looks much better than CD to me. By a mile.

 

Yeah, I'm not advocating anyone here blame Whitehead either if it was his choice to leave. Even the best of designers/engineers need to move on and create new things to be happy, and that's his every right. And ironically, if Sonic Team doesn't feel comfortable using his engine extensively without him, I can't fault them for that either. At least now with Superstars they seem to be getting as close to the classic physics as we've ever seen with their own internal engine, and that's no small feat.

 

Arright, well at least that's something. Personally, as long as I feel like what I'm playing and looking at and hearing is solid, I don't need it to be ruthlessly authentic. But I get it!