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Sonic Mania (Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC...Netflix?)

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by TimmiT, Jul 23, 2016.

  1. kyasarintsu

    kyasarintsu

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    I was lucky enough to be pretty in the dark about this game beyond the premise. I knew Green Hill came back but that's pretty much it. I got the game as soon as I was able to, with my brother getting a copy at the same time so we could play through the game together. We played simultaneously and gushed about all the cool things to each other.
    The level design was pretty much what I've been wanting out of a 2D game, with the bosses and storytelling being disappointing. After beating the game we both got to work speedrunning Oil Ocean 1, of all levels. We had tons of fun finding and sharing improvements with each other.
     
  2. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

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    My Mania story's an interesting one: I thought it looked incredible, but I decided not to get it initially. I had an Xbox One so I could've, but I was still a disc guy at the time. I didn't feel like going digital. I made a conscious effort to avoid watching playthroughs, however; I still wanted to play it, and I'd heard it was best going in blind so you'd be surprised by the references.

    Jump forward to early 2019: I had a Switch now, it was mine so I could get anything I wanted. So one day I just said why not and played it. Immediately, I was hooked. Sonic Mania is a magical game. It feels so refined, so polished, so... just... FUN. It's not all that original, and it certainly has some issues, but it's by far the best Sonic game of the 2010s. It's a beautifully crafted game, and one of the few that gets close to recreating the wonders of Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

    I think Mania 2 is inevitable, but if it never happens we do still have mods. Playing older levels in the Mania engine is awesome because the controls and physics are so refined. And that's not even getting into some of the total conversions that are being made that turn Mania into a completely new game. Mania will remain one of the series' best and most important games for a long time, no doubt.
     
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  3. Sid Starkiller

    Sid Starkiller

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    For myself and most people I've seen, yes, we want Mania 2 to be 100% new. Great as Mania was, it was (or should be) basically just a proof-of-concept that classic Sonic is still fun, and will resonate with modern audiences. Mania 2, if we get it, is the big "Well, now what?" moment where we see how far fresh blood can take the franchise.
     
  4. Overlord

    Overlord

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    [​IMG]

    I still don't own an Xbone. =P
     
  5. Lilly

    Lilly

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    As with all things in game development, you can't really announce something until you're six months (or a year) away from releasing a game, or you're starting a Kickstarter pitch with a game that's at least in a playable/presentable state. Even with my recent fan game project, I kept a tight lid on it for four years. Four years of complete radio silence, and it was so hard!

    So, we likely won't see what they're working on until it's ready, and I'm confident that no matter what it is, we will be pleasantly surprised. (Heaven knows they are excited to share it with us, too!)

    Taxman and friends achieved something that most of this fandom has only ever daydreamed about. They not only produced an official Sonic game, it was the best selling title in the series in 14 years; they did the impossible. Their work joins the legacy they built on.

    I think it's important to remember that, on the day of Sonic Mania's anniversary. This is the day that the stars aligned and something special happened. Even if Whitehead feels like he has contributed enough to the pop cultural icon that Sonic is, he is shooting for the stars with an original project, and what that might be, I have a mania-induced curiosity for.

    The only way to go from here is up.
     
  6. Starduster

    Starduster

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    What’s your price for one of those posters? :v
     
  7. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

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    It's the best Sonic game since 1994. It really took a while to happen.
     
  8. Overlord

    Overlord

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    Not for sale. Sorry =P
     
  9. Starduster

    Starduster

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    Bugger. SXSW and such have never been accessible to me as a Brit or 21 so I never got my chance to bag any of the related goodies.
     
  10. Blue Blood

    Blue Blood

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    Those posters came with pre-orders of Plus from ShopTo. And Overlord is also a Brit!

    I've got two of the posters (also not for sale) but as you can see from Overlord's example they're in crappy condition as they came folded instead of rolled. They're permanently creased, and in some places even have white marks from the heaviest creases. It's really a huge shame.
     
  11. TheOcelot

    TheOcelot

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    I also bought three copies of the "Plus" physical release (Switch, PS4 Eu & PS4 Jp).

    It's amazing to think it's been 3 years since this gem of a game came out, and just over 4 years since Mania was first announced. Think I enjoyed the hype leading up to release just as much as playing the game itself! And of course I was one of the lucky players who manged to get the leaked 1.04 version (which appeared briefly on PS4 before being pulled), which allowed me to play the changed Metal Sonic boss, experience the newly added cutscenes, glitch into Angel Island-Encore mode and discover the new seven special stages (exclusive to Encore mode) by accident, which kept me hooked ;) I will always treasure the excitement this game brought because we may never get another game like it.

    Of course I hope we do! I'm craving a new 2d game.
     
  12. Laura

    Laura

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    Stealth is bankrupt and has confirmed on live streams that he'd like to work on Sonic again, but hasn't had any offers.

    I think it's likely that the rest of Team Mania formed their own studio precisely because they weren't offered more work on Sonic. Several members of the team werre publically job hunting after Mania's completion.

    I know it's romantic to think that Team Mania smashed it and then decided to do new and fresh things, but I don't think that's likely. SEGA probably think they got all they wanted out of the team with Mania and don't require their services anymore.

    Honestly I think a sequel to Mania is unlikely and it's looking moreso every year.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2020
  13. Sid Starkiller

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    Laura, I wish desperately that I could disagree with you, but...I can't. That's what sucks about this franchise: every time it seems like Sega's finally learned their lesson and corrected course, they prove it to be a fluke. Mania was the only thing keeping me coming back after Lost World spit in my face. Maybe it's time to finally truly give up. I'll always have the good old days, but this seems to be the end.
     
  14. Prototype

    Prototype

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    I recall Stealth was vocal about SEGA adding Denuvo bullshit to the PC release, and that it wasn't anything to do with the game developers.

    I can imagine this pissed the SEGA higher ups off, because they're all about petty compartmentalized pride than making good products.
     
  15. Xiao Hayes

    Xiao Hayes

    Classic Eggman art Member
    So one makes noise, no one gets a job? Situation didn't seem that bad when Sega took the team to Japan and let them make the Plus DLC. I'd guess they're just indies, and that Sega could call at some point, but they won't wait until that moment to do new games.
     
  16. Laura

    Laura

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    Stealth was one of the few Mania devs to work on Plus so I think that's doubtful. SEGA just probably don't want any of their services for the time being.
     
  17. Prototype

    Prototype

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    Fair.

    Still, what a weird business decision when you keep on groups of people that consistently produce rushed shitty games for decades, and don't immediately contract the people responsible for the best work in decades for more work.

    In fairness, Sonic Team would probably produce better work if not constrained to rushed production schedules that are out of their hands, and it seems SEGA are refocusing their efforts to alleviate that, it's entirely possible that the next Sonic game we get is from a Sonic Team not constrained by unrealistic production schedules, so I feel like with the restructuring, it's fair to give Sonic Team a chance.

    But if that's not the case, does it just come down to some sense of Japanese pride based around seniority? Or is it just poor business practice?

    I mean, they've obviously recognized the success of the game and it's dev team, as well as the success of the work of people like Aaron Webber to the point he got promoted. So what's the deal?

    It still feels like some sense of compartmentalized pride.
     
  18. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

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    I don't think Sega just completely left the Mania team in the dust. For instance, Tee Lopes has been doing a ton of work with Sega since, to the chagrin of Richard Jacques.
     
  19. Prototype

    Prototype

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    Is that a purely SEGA thing though, or the fact that Jun Senoue just has a shit ton of fun just jamming with the dude?
     
  20. Antheraea

    Antheraea

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    huh?