I personally think Tails' face looks fine. I don't understand why everyone is hating on it so much. It doesn't really look like a smile to me either. The moment I first saw it I recognized what expression it was supposed to be which has already been explained in earlier posts above. Sonic is heavy and Tails is making a strained expression as he struggles to carry Sonic. It's a more cartoony and exaggerated expression compared to the one seen in Sonic 3. I think it's fine. In fact, I think it's cute and also funny.
Talking about Tails' face Aaron teased this image earlier and it looks like they made new Classic art for the game (at least I think it's new.) And if they did then I'm glad since I felt like the game deserved it instead of using old stock art.
Speaking of Tails, the one and only Sonic 4 feature that I wish was carried over into Mania is the ability to activate Tails to carry you as Player 1. I thought it was genius! We shouldn't need a second controller to be able to do this. We can survive without the crazy "69" super spin but the carrying ability was perfection. It would be a strange downgrade for a game that chonologically takes place after Sonic 4.
You can do this in Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 (2013, iOS and Android) which Taxman and Stealth worked on. If you are playing as Sonic and Tails together, pressing Up and Jump together will start Tails flying. Jumping Sonic up to him will make him grab on. You can then move Left and Right (like you're using Controller 2), ascend by repeatedly pressing Jump and jump off/down by pressing Down and Jump. I don't see why Sonic Mania wouldn't have this as a feature, either.
Mania most likely has that feature, because in this video at 2:25: You can see Tails carrying Sonic as if it was controlled by player 1.
The drop-dash appears to be getting a lot of use. Not really in love with it. - (Whining about the weight of the change it creates.) The amount of use it's seeing means running around will feel quite different to Sonic 3. I think there will be a lot of free, on-tap stop start motion going on now, which isn't really how classic Sonics played. It also means Tails and Knuckles might quickly feel way more disadvantaged than they used to as the player misses that new easy stop start business. - (Whining about how inelegant it seems.) It seems to serve a role as a weaker spin-dash option just as much as - if not more than - whatever jumping-related role it has. Being an alternative spin-dash is one thing, but having jump controls is another. Is it a jumping move? Does its connection to jumping really have that much meaning? I imagine there's a feeling of "Prime a dash as you approach a landing", and that could be cool, but whether it's more about this than it is about "Here's a quick dash regardless" remains to be seen. Watching the player jump on the spot to execute a move when they have no interest in jumping (as can be seen in GHZ2 a lot) seems pretty inelegant. And inelegant controls are kinda out of place in a classic Sonic. I think the drop-dash looks more shoehorned than the peel-out. - (Whining about the drop-dash ditching some of the fundamentals.) It seems to be a cheap way to more or less stop, to boost, and to turn. The spin dash didn't let you even start until you had found a way to control your motion and get to a suitable location. Dropping onto a gradient and taking advantage of it meant playing your angle and speed as best you could. That kind of thing was fundamental; Sonic couldn't click his fingers and snap away all momentum. Knuckles double-tap-jump could, and that was a really clunky thing about him. I don't mind that it's an alternative, weaker spin-dash. What bugs me is more that it presents as a jumping move when it isn't, and doesn't present as a "free way to shed momentum", when it is. I think ultimately the drop-dash will be used 10x more as a kind of tech move than an actual dash from a drop. The decision-free Sonic CD-style rolling jumps are even more reason to just drop-dash whenever. One thing about the insta-shield that doesn't get noticed much is how it matched Sonic's playstyle. It put inertia first. Sonic was the only character whose special move still maintained all his momentum, and you could see that as its 4th perk. Not interrupting flow was a luxury Tails and Knuckles didn't get. While I am in the vocal "insta-shield 4eva" minority this isn't an insta-shield post. I'm just pointing out that the drop-dash also breaks that perk Sonic had that fitted his style so well. Anyway, lets hope the replies don't get too zesty. I love what I'm seeing with Mania and etc etc. Taxman, Stealth, Tee, et al., you guys are literally the saviours of jaded classic Sonic fans and other stuff we've all said a lot already. But those are my thoughts. The move is probably not powerful enough to encourage very frequent use; we will see. But the inelegance factor, and the tech move factor, hmm. Oh and any word on playing Mania on a 144Hz screen?
Sonic Mania delayed, coming out now in "Summer 2017" Announced just now on the stream. Well, more time can only be good for Taxman
Delayed until Summer. Annoying? Sure. Does it bother me? Nope. They can take as long as they need to make this game absolutely perfect. Kudos to the team for not rushing is, and good going SEGA for allowing them to do so.
Panel: Sonic Mania cover art looks awesome, also, looks like the soundtrack is coming out on vinyl? Can't really hear the audio's not too great, but would be awesome if it is... Flying Battery confirmed EDIT NINJA'D
Tough call, but it's probably either going to be Flying Battery or Lava Reef for the S&K rep as my preferred choice. Good shit.
Those translucid clouds. Also, WTF is that debris? The lightning shield make you attractive to the electric magnets. Neat detail! EDIT: Last also: The song uses some instruments from this old video from Tee Lopes.
Re: Flying Battery - Why is the background distorted? (I think it may be supposed to look like it's curved, like the inside of a blimp? What's up with the high note in the background of the music (very similar to the high note in the background of GHZ 2; it's an odd musical element and it's so prominent that I thought it was a sound effect at first). And of course, what's up with the pits of... Looks like broken badnik parts, and Robotnik act-end panels??
@Deef: Well, you have your arguments. After all, none of the Sonic games are perfect (and I presume there are some people who allegedly prefer one of the older games over 3&K), but each of them brings something original (in case of Mania - drop-dash). I guess it's a matter of level design, so I'm really curious about it. I also don't feel bothered about the delay, yet it is better for me. Otherwise, I guess, I would be carried away from my studies.
I wonder if this is how Sonic Mania will be? Act 1s seem to follow the source content (i.e. the original zone) with a bit of deviation and new setpieces/polished design, but as we saw with Green HIll Act 2, perhaps Act 2 is when they get really spicy and change things up? I'm loving what I see though, what a great choice for S&K tbh. It's nice to see this zone come back. Flying Battery's been kinda underappreciated in official games so it's nice that this official game is bringing it back full-stop. Can't wait to see what they pick for the Sonic 3 zone now.
