Yeah, Gens did have it as a track along with Angel Island and Marble Garden, so I think Hydrocity is safe. If we had to have any water level repeated, I would pick Hydrocity, no contest. ...Actually, thinking about it, it's interesting that the first 3 zones seem to be safe from the musical mess. Kinda makes you wonder how late Jackson and Brad were on board. Either way Tee Lopes remixing Hydrocity would be MMMMMMMMMMMM.
Hydrocity over Aquatic Ruin any day. I also just thought of a potentially unique spin on underwater levels- in the same way that elemental shields can now be used to influence gimmicks like burning bridges and attracting the player to magnets, what about a Lava Reef esque zone where if you have the fire shield, you could submerge into the lava and find alternate routes and secrets that way?
I always felt like this might have had something to do with the change of level order as well. Sticking the MJ music stages into Sonic 3 kept all the legal issues localised on one cartridge, whereas potentially Launch Base could have been later in the game otherwise. (now to wait for a much better informed historian to come and correct me, haha) Controversial corner: I would actually be fine with Mania using the S3&K Collection PC tracks instead. I prefer Carnival Night and Launch Base's compositions more than the Genesis tracks (of course, nothing will top Ice Cap's original score) Of course for the sake of celebrating Sonic 3 in it's purest form, I understand why Mania wouldn't resort to the PC tracks, but it's a damn shame they've been ignored all these years.
It's a long shot, but I'd like to see something from the Advance/Rush games. I feel like those games are often overlooked despite being pretty good.
I think the chances of Hydrocity are really strong at this point. Also, if we want to jump on the music conspiracy train, Hydrocity has more chance than Ice Cap or Launch Base. The only factor I can see for Ice Cap is that the devs have picked the most popular levels so far; Green Hill Chemical Plant, Stardust Speedway etc. I also hope some games have two levels, but I have to admit it's unlikely for all of the games to have multiple levels.
Honestly why not both? They're different enough and there's no rule that says only one water level. Also, a Sonic Advance or Rush level showing up would definitely be cool (in before Neo Green Hill :specialed: ) , I'm still suspicious of that one cathedral screenshot being a harbinger for Rooftop Run though I am more inclined to believe that's a new version of Egg Garden.
Or how about both at the same time? Bits of stages have been mixed in what we've seen already. We've seen things like parts of Metallic Madness in Chemical Plant and such, so it wouldn't be much more of a stretch to just completely mash up two similar zones. I imagine the zone would be called Aquatic City Zone and it would have two very different acts. One mostly above ground like ARZ and the other completely underground like HCZ. It's probably not gonna happen, but I can dream.
If we are talking stages, I don't think we will get more than one per game, but I am really hoping that they pull from more than just S1, 2, CD, 3&K. It was mentioned somewhere that Mania is based on the idea of "What if the Saturn had released a main Sonic game". Because of that, I don't think we will be seeing anything from the Dreamcast onward. They also have to play to nostalgia with the levels they pick, so more obscure games might get a pass. My guess is they won't use any levels from the Game Gear/Master System games, as they would have to basically re-make all assets to fit within the Genesis/Saturn look of the game. The advantage of having returning classics means there is less work put into when compared to a fully new level. The one possible exception to this might be 3D Blast, as I think it being the last released Sonic game on the Genesis holds some significance. If I had to pick the returning levels based off of what we've seen, they would be as follows: Sonic 3 - Either Hydrocity or Ice Cap. Just echoing what most people have agreed on. Hydrocity is the fastest water level the series has had to that point, and the use of vertical corkscrews and water slides really make the level unique. Ice Cap on the other hand is rather simple with its gimmicks, but it was the only Ice themed level to that point in the series. The music is what makes it a stand out, but Hydrocity is not that bad either. Sonic Spinball - Toxic Caves I would have to argue that Toxic Caves is the most iconic stage in the game for the unfortunate fact most people who played the game never got past it. The other part is the level would be a perfect base to add elements from Mystic Cave. Not only would you get Pinball gimmicks, but also Minecart stuff. The music is also great, despite using a different sound engine than the other Sonic games. Sonic 3D Blast - Rusty Ruins For the most part, Rusty Ruins is a blank canvas of a level with no background and a visual theme that is mostly just large stone bricks. The level could easily become a Aquatic Ruins type of level, but I would be more interested in it becoming a castle level after seeing those Sonic 2 documents. The level could also utilize a fog effects similar to the Saturn release. For gimmicks it would have that spintop pad, but it would also have those booster pads, similar to how Hydrocity's that hold the player in place to charge before being sent off. The music is also arguably the best in the game. Knuckles Chaotix - Techno Tower? This one was the hardest for me to decide on, as for the most part all the Chaotix stages are either familiar tropes or just uninteresting. I would ideally like Techno Tower as my choice since it describes and shows off the verticality of Chaotix, but visually it is the most un-interesting stage out of all the classic games. Isolated Island is basically just Green Hill, Botanic Base is unique that its in a Greenhouse, but it feels too similar to Stardust Speedway Past. Speed Slider is obnoxiously colorful, but doesn't do that much different from the already shown off Studiopolis. Marina Madness is unique with the floating boats, but there is not much there. Amazing Arena is the only stage that has a clear gimmick with the clock statue thing, but I didn't find it fun and the level visually is a pastel mess. Maybe the various gimmicks could come together to form one solid level. The music is this games saving grace.
I'm starting to think Hydrocity is less likely now that Chemical Plant's been confirmed because both stages are similar in design. For me the dream would be to have either Carnival Night or Ice Cap. CN's design is pretty rad in Sonic 3 and I want to see the dreaded barrel again! On the other hand Ice Cap's level design was by far the weakest in Sonic 3, so would be the perfect opportunity to make it better. Still think we'll get around eight re-imagined levels, so two from each game feels about right. Each game should get equal representation.
I think Carnival Night is a great level, and would love to see it remastered, but I think it's unlikely with Mirage Saloon and Studiopolis pulling the Casino gimmicks. Also, if we factor in the music conspiracy theory, Carnival Night is totally fucked from a music standpoint, it's heavily involved in the Jackson team and I don't believe it's ever been remixed since. Ice Cap has a better chance, because while the music is probably done by Buxer, it's been remixed fairly recently. I honestly think Ice Cap's the most likely, since it's the fan favourite, and that's what the team seem to be aiming at with the remixed levels. The only problem I see is that Hydrocity is by the Japanese team and has been remixed in Sonic Generations so there's clearly no problem with the music. In short, I like Ice Cap and Hydrocity are think both are equally possible, but Hydrocity might win out if the music conspiracy is true. And while Chemical Plant is a water level, it's very different to Hydrocity. Chemical Plant only occasionally uses water as a death trap, while Hydrocity is actually a full water level AND doesn't suck :v: . FYI, Chemical Plant is great, that was a jab at Labyrinth :v:
Yeah I totally agree - Ice Cap and Hydrocity are the strongest candidates and both equally possible. Ice Cap is definitely the most popular Sonic 3 zone amongst fans whilst Hydrocity is universally loved too - and with Taxman and Stealth at the helm, some pretty hardcore Sonic fans - I can see them pushing for either. I'd be happy with either to be honest, though I'd love Ice Cap specifically just to hear Tee Lopes' rendition of the Ice Cap music. Can't believe we're just over a month out. Can't wait to play this game!
I know I'm a minority with my opinion, but I would like to see Sonic 3's Azure Lake as a full fledged zone. Mix Oil Ocean and Aquatic Ruin together and ta-da! And the musical score for it is really good! If Ice Cap can't be used, I would like to see Diamond Dust Zone from 3D Blast, or even Gene Gadget (though Flying Battery's electricity/magnetic gimmick might rule out any chances of it)...and the musical score for both those levels are amazing in their own right. *Genesis version of course*. I'd be ok with Rusty Ruin as well, but prefer 1 of the former. As a side quip: shouldn't the 1-up theme be S&K based instead of Sonic 3's? I also like the original Sonic 1 & 2 Act Clear themes and invincibility themes over the ones that came after. Ok I hush now.
You're not the only one. Fully fleshed out Sonic 3 2 player stages is definitely something I'd like to see, particularly Baloon Park, Endless Mine, or Chrome Gadget. That was originally one of the things we were told might have been done for S3&K remastered. If it's here, I will be pretty happy. If not, we need a full hack version of the stages someday.
That list was really to highlight my process of elimination. The only game I think will actually be represented by more than one zone is Sonic 2. Of course I wouldn't mind double-dipping for other entries though. To stress again, I think it will be Aquatic Ruin, but I'd prefer Mystic Cave. Hidden Palace I really didn't think of as a contender due to it being a highlight of the wonderful S2 remaster, but I wanted to show it as one of the options not discounted by other zone selections. Also, yeah Sonic 2 only has 11 zones, so low-ball at 12+ zones basing off of that. Iizuka wasn't very clear though, so I'm not about to discount the notion of 3K's 14+. --- Now onto the notion of zones from the other Genesis titles. If I had to pick only one other game to be represented, I would want Chaotix. I would really want Botanic Base since its beautiful, but with that trope being eliminated my vote would go for Techno Tower. Assuming that there is no overlap of primary tropes, the pool we have left to draw from are Ruins, Jungle (?), Cave, Space, Aquatic, and Lava. Naturally, new stages could shirk these tropes, though so does Techno Tower.
Honestly it should be neither. Somehow, Sonic 3's has been the official 2D jingle since Sonic 4 and now we have a pattern established with Mania. It should be modeled after the games main theme.... Which was also established in Sonic 3. I remember hating S3's act clear theme, but only because I want expecting it. Its now become very consistent in the series and I get extremely pissed when it's not present in certain games.
Yup. I've not been a fan of each game having a unique level-clear jingle when 90% of the series has gone for some sort of consistency, and I wonder if it's some misguided logic at Sonic Team, "since Sonic 06 used the S3 level clear theme, and Sonic 06 was bad, therefore the S3 level clear theme is now bad." Funny thing is I can imagine Forces now going back to having the classic Stage Clear theme just to cause further confusion.
Actually Forces goes back to the Modern Sonic trend of having an end of act theme based on the game's theme song. However I would prefer they just stick with the Sonic 3 end of act theme for Sonic games, as there are very few consistent tracks in the series so it's nice to have some things stay the same. Only consistent sounds I can think of really are the ring noise and the drowning theme. I always preferred the Sonic 3 one over the Sonic 1 & 2 one, but they were good too. Shame they'll likely never be used again due to licensing issues (although I'm surprised they didn't use that for Classic Sonic in Generations), but they managed to slip that theme into Sonic R somehow.
I wonder if that's a Tomoya Ohtani thing more than a Sonic Team thing. This is a thing the Modern Sonic games have been doing since Ohtani became lead composer, with only the Senoue-led Sonic Generations bucking the trend, along with the Senoue-composed Sonic 4 and the Tee Lopes-composed Sonic Mania. Tomoya Ohtani was never a part of the Genesis crew, and even in Sonic 06 the rendition of the Sonic 3 clear theme was not done by him. So I'm thinking Sonic Team still appreciates the Sonic 3 clear theme on some level but Ohtani doesn't. I can't elaborate why without projecting though.
