Yeah those cases heavily indicate a physical release is happening at least on Switch. Hoping for more physical releases on other platforms.
I'm gonna guess the covers on those cases are fan-art. Still, going by the replies, it sounds like it's happening.
Pretty sure it's fake. Someone at NEOGAF also proved it: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1338264
Seems like that's just used as a placeholder. Going by the Twitter replies the store has a physical release for Switch in their database. And going by some other online store listings, other stores do as well.
If there's a retail release coming, hopefully it's not exclusive to Switch. There's been a clear demand for a physical release of the game on the PC/XBO/PS4 platforms prior to the Switch reveal, many people interested in the C.E. prior to the Switch conference (myself included) expressed disappointment that it was only coming with a digital code and not a physical copy. So for the Switch to be the only platform to get a retail release would be very disappointing.
What's the point? Either Tails is invincible ala classic sonic, so doesn't need a shield, or he has his own ring count, which will be crappy, especially with a younger or less experienced player, think the Bonus Stages of Sonic 2 for the perfect example of that.
It would be absolutely fantastic if Sonic Mania landed to coincide with the Anniversary Artbook. The true Christmas would here at last.
New video here showing a comparison between Sonic 1 GHZ and Sonic Mania GHZ as well as new (I think?) footage from Studiopolis zone. Apologies if this has been posted before. This thread moves so fast!
It's mainly stuff we've already seen. Good to see that Sega Japan got their hands on the Iizuka-san Fan Club shirt though
I haven't watched many Mania videos so far, so some things in that latest video bothered me a bit. That crazy Sonic CD-esque underground layout doesn't match the rest of Green Hill Zone at all, which has an otherwise very sane and believable structure overall. The rings that follow the moving platform also don't go well with the rules stablished by the classic games, it just seemed like a gratuitous showing off of one of the engine's features. I'm sure that I'm very late to the party and these points have been discussed to death already, but I decided to voice my opinion just in case. Still looking forward to the game, of course, I'm sure I'm gonna like it better than anything Sonic related I've tried in the past 15 years, but I coudn't help noticing these little discrepancies. Hopefully these little details won't have much of an impact on the final experience.
I felt the exact same way when I first saw that but didn't feel like it's worth bringing up. The fact that it was only used in one instance certainly didn't help the case.
I wouldn't say it's anything near Sonic CD-esque. If anything, it's a more open version of 3&K. ...And are we really complaining about something so benign? We needn't limit ourselves solely to the conventions put forth by the existing Genesis games.
