Just when I thought this game couldn't look any better.....holy moly! Longest couple of weeks that I'm ever going to have to live, I wager. I really dig the look of the special stages. Really pushes this game's Sega Saturn-esque aesthetic which I REALLY REALLY like. I was wondering what they'd be and I am certainly not disappointed.
I really hope the 3D sections still stick to the Saturn screen resolution and don't look too HD 'upscaled', although I feel that might risk people thinking their game or TV has broken :v:
You say that Iizuka doesn't count the GameGear games and then go straight to Chaotix which he also says doesn't count. Also, don't ever take that stuff seriously.
I don't think Iizuka has ever talked about Chaotix, other than saying that he felt Espio, Charmy and Vector were 'new' characters in Heroes. In some of the more recent interviews, he (indirectly) talks about Chaotix being part of the classic world. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but trying to see how the games fit together can be a lot of fun! Although I do agree, it's best not to take it too seriously, otherwise it goes from being an enjoyable 'detective' game into a frustrating nitpicking exercise. Iizuka has said that they do toss in references to link the games together, but they don't want people to over think them.
I am so hyped for Sonic Mania, it feels like life is on hold until August 15th. :P One thing that confuses me though is they said Sonic Mania started work in 2016. But I could swear I saw the beginning of Studiopolis graphics as far back as 2014.
I figure it was in development way before 2016, as they said they had a proposal demo with Studiopolis to show. 2016 is likely when Sega officially green lit the idea.
Sonic Mania Special Stage music has been uploaded: Spoiler http://youtu.be/OLcblxrrE0Q Sounds pretty rad!
I've already said this, but this is really good. This song has actually made me much more optimistic about the rest of the OST! I'm wondering though... will the opening cutscene be the one from the trailer, just in colour, maybe a little longer? I'm pretty sure these kind of animations take a lot of time and effort, especially when they're being done by a single animator.
I'm really digging this theme. And the Special Stage itself looks like it pulls from every one from Sonic 1 to 3D Blast Saturn while still being it's own entity. Just over 3 weeks! + - I think it sounds even better at 95% speed god damnit don't you guys crucify me again over a minor nitpick.
Well, didn't they say they did the preorder trailer 2 weeks before it came out? (Sources from the panel weren't too clear about this.) If this is the case then I'm sure the opening it's going to be different. Most likely going to be using that animation of Sonic against the Hard Boiled Heavy that people found a while back.
I can't get over how good the Special Stage theme is. It's definitely my favourite jam so far. I really have nothing to contribute at this point aside from hype overload. Felik's sig is more-or-less how every reaction's been since the pre-order trailer. Although this summarises how I've felt reading all the news yesterday and today. Yeah, I remember the time around Heroes when Team Chaotix were being considered as "new" characters. A lot of people took it quite literally to mean "Chaotix isn't canon". I can't remember the wording used, but it seemed quite clear that they meant more of a 'soft reboot' type approach for the casual audience, so no-one would feel like they had to play a 32X game to understand who Team Chaotix were, which was definitely understandable.
Every time I learn more information about Mania....the love being put into it, the obvious high standard of quality, the style the charm....and then the overwhelmingly positive reception by everyone, not just Sonic fans.... It makes me more and more "angry" in Sonic Team's direction. Not "angry" as in its any consequence in my daily life mind you, but rather I wonder why they have not been fired yet. I've supported this franchise for its entire history, most of my natural life and these clowns are outdone by a ragtag group of programmers who have like a tenth of the resources they do. There is absolutely no excuse for this. If Forces doesn't sell well, they definitely need to be fired but they probably need to go anyway. They do not understand Sonic much at all. They've spent so much time trying to make Sonic something he is not. Mania is like a giant wake up slap to their faces. This is Sonic, morons.
That special stage music......is a lot. Like, overwhelming. Its almost like he was trying to out do Sonic Heroes. Although trippy, it still contained a sense of familiarity in some parts.
Am I the only one who got this bizarre Triple Trouble vibe from the image associated with Dimension Heist's youtube upload? Spoiler Clearly the predominant inspiration came from CD and 3K (with that presumed 3D Blast model) for the stage itself. Musically it seems to pull more from CD which I absolutely dig. Though I also hear elements of Chao in there. I also couldn't help but notice that the stage looks to be above Studiopolis. Perhaps the backdrop changes depending upon where you entered from?
The idea of racing and using spheres to boost speed sounds like they're creating a classic version of the Heroes special stages, except actually good :P
I just hope they make the special stage fun. Sonic CD's special stages is by far my LEAST favorite out of all of them. Just unnecessarily frustrating. I love the other special stages. Edit: Also, Special Stage music is pretty much perfect. Man, Lee is just an incredible choice for this. He just gets it. They all just get it. I hope this is the wake up call Sonic Team needed when it comes to what the fanbase actually wants.
On the plot side of things, it certainly goes 1 CD 2 3K...or wherever you want to place CD as it is timetravel after all. I am curious as to whether Mania comes before or after Chaotix and 3D Blast though. The plot for Chaotix indicates that Eggman developed Newtrogic High shortly after the events of 3K due to the appearance of a Chaos Ring. Mighty had gotten there just before Eggman, and the Chaotix proper arrived just as Eggman had set up shop. Knuckles appeared in the knick of time after. Obviously, Sonic and Tails where nowhere to be seen. Sonic just happened to be visiting Flicky's Island at the time that Eggman observed a Dimensional Ring there and began his machinations. I'm not sure if Knuckles or even Tails were truly present for these events. Knuckles was likely still dealing with Metal Sonic Kai. Tails doesn't always tail Sonic, so he may have been out vacationing elsewhere when he came across the mysterious force that kicks off the events of Mania.
Can we not have this sort of smug, spiteful hyperbole around here when both games launch? I won't say criticism is a bad thing, it's part of this fandom's strength. But is figuratively biting the hands of SEGA and Sonic Team, who greenlit Mania in the first place, really necessary? They listened, they know what longtime fans want, and they're letting the best people for its development do it instead of themselves. (Which a lot of you would argue is a no-brainer.) The stars aligning for something like Mania was so unimaginable years ago. A good deal of us are still floored it's coming. Suggesting hundreds of internal employees be fired, regardless of what you think of them, won't contribute anything positive to seeing more of what you want from this series. It can't be that hard to set aside the salt, cheer on the Mania team from the sidelines, and hope more things like it appear in what looks to be a Good Future™ for Sonic. One thing that makes me happy about Mania is how so much of the fandom's bitterness has faded away as a result, or it gets sidelined because everyone's beyond excited for the game. I think you might be a little happier for it to join in on the outstanding levels of positivity Mania is generating.
Well, at least I'll have weekends of cleaning my elder brother's house to tide me over until August 15th, if I don't end up waiting until spring to go back to college.
