stealth wanted to hang out once but then a floating shirt and pants showed up instead it was bullshit
I don't know if anyone else has caught it yet, but after rewatching the Polygon video, Sonic appears to have an interstitial run cycle between walking and wheel-of-feet, which looks a bit like his Sonic 2/3 run cycles. There aren't too many places where you can see it, but pay attention as Sonic gains speed. He leans forward, but doesn't have the spinny feet to go with it. Here's a frame: There's also a good example at 2:12.
I think the new sprite is awesome! It's like how Sonic would look on the 32X. I know Taxman has said Mania is Saturn inspired more than anything but the new sprite and Studiopolis are giving me serious 32X vibes. The machine probably couldn't run Mania but the game looks very similar to Knuckles Chaotix both in colours and vibrancy. I wonder when we'll hear more about the game? I'll be following this avidly. Love everything about this game.
I wonder if the sprite isn't the color it is to match "modern" Classic Sonic, though. I forget if this has been confirmed or not. EDIT: Not that that's bad or anything. Just curious.
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/4/4b/Sonic_artwork.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110913143307 This "modern" blue for classic Sonic is actually closer to original concept art than anything. Never did prefer the more purply shades in the original games.
Good point. That's the current prevailing theory going around at the moment - that the sprite is designed to match modern Sonic's look to complement Project Sonic and modern Sonic's general character appearance. However to be honest I think that the vibrant blue used is simply for artistic effect - Sonic stands out much more and is easier to track and see. It strikes me more as a creative and artistic choice more than anything as opposed to Sega demanding the sprite match modern Sonic for synergy. This is why I wish Stealth and Taxman could talk about the game here - I know they probably aren't allowed to do so but it'd be lovely to see them post. Wow thanks for posting this! I didn't know that at all - it's really interesting to see! Perhaps shifting closer to the concept art was the artistic choice made.
I gotta listen to more of Tee Lopes's stuff. Studiopolis Zone is one of my favorite tracks in the Sonic franchise and I listened to it for hours when I first heard it. I don't hate Sonic 4, but, man, this appears to be so much more deserving of the title. I really like the addition of the drop dash and the return of shield powers. I felt that the shield powers made playing as Sonic more fun than playing as Tails (who was practically easy mode) or Knuckles. I was always disappointed that Sonic never has his own exclusive paths and I had a difficult time thinking of ways to use his shield powers to access routes in ways Tails and Knuckles couldn't. With the drop dash mechanic (assuming it's exclusive to Sonic), I can easily see paths being exclusive to him by requiring a character to be moving at a certain speed to access it before it becomes blocked off. Most people probably won't agree with me here, but I sincerely feel that Lost World's wall run would be a cool ability for Sonic to have in a future 2D title to further set him apart from Tails and Knuckles. I can see it being a means for Sonic to travel further vertically than either of them would be able to. Anyway, I know that signs seem to be pointing to the contrary, but I'm hoping for the Insta-Shield to return in some form and for a hammer wielding classic Amy.
A wall run ability would be pretty cool, but I'm guessing that would have to be for a future 2D title with levels made around that idea. Insta-Shield options and Amy certainly sound reasonable for this game, though. :v:
I think he meant "the Classic Sonic in Generations", when he said "modern Classic Sonic". Personally, I think they're just trying to follow the official Classic Sonic coloring guides that SEGA also uses for merchandise.
You know what could make this new Green Hill perfect and less tame? The round trees from 8-bit Sonic 2 instead of the palm trees. . We don't need whole 8-bit levels recreated in this 32-bit style, just little nods of recognition like this would be nice. Also seconding the return of Fang, and hopefully the 8-bit "Silver Sonic" as the penultimate boss, in all his liquid metal, tentacle chest claw glory. Seriously, that 8-bit boss is the most memorable doppleganger battle in the entire franchise. It's much more satisfying for the combatants to ricochet and rebound off each other, rather than the instakill used in the 16-bit battles. You had to earn your victory.
I just hope that this game sells well enough to ensure a sequel or series. Hell, Sonic 4 sold well enough to guarantee a sequel - and Mania has garnered a storm of overwhelmingly positive and glowing attention since its announcement. NeoGAF's Project Sonic thread is about 10 pages whilst Mania's thread is 50. There's a similar discrepancy here. People are super excited for Sonic Mania so I'm hoping that'll convert to stellar sales. I'd love to see more games like this. A Sonic Mania 2 would be wonderful so I hope the game sells extremely well. It'd be beyond amazing to see this become a long-running series that consists of multiple games. Early indications are that people are enamoured by this project so I'm assuming it'll sell extremely well. Here's hoping.
While Sonic Mania is the game people are more excited for, it's also the game we know more about. There's not much to say in a Project Sonic thread yet.
Sonic 4 also had a lot of ports to support its sales. I expect them to port this game to mobile devices later on.
I'm almost certain this game will be the start of a series of 2D Sonic games. Why? Sega would not have green lighted this game without an expectation of a minimum financial return. If early expectations are fulfilled, especially from the unexpected positive reaction garnered from the typically hard-nosed media/reviewers, then this game ought to at the very least surpass Sega's minimum expectations. At the moment all signs point to this game being critically acclaimed, and greatly surpassing Sega's expectations. You put that together with the sheer amount of classic Sonic marketing we've seen recently... There is like a 95% chance of this game getting at least a sequel. This could very well be one of the highest scoring Sonic games, by reviewers, in a while. Unless this game manages to severely underwhelm audiences, there is almost no chance we won't see a follow up game. Now, considering the talent behind this game, and the quality so far, I feel comfortable with my assessment of the 95% likelihood we'll see a follow up game.
Excellent post. I highly agree with much of what you've said. A sequel to this game and potential series is an exciting prospect so I hope to God it happens.
What I would love to see return ever since the (Bad) Sonic 4 is Hyper Sonic. While I don't see that happen is because what Stealth has said earlier that Sega greenlights all their added stuff. Seriously though. Lets go on topic. I think this game will be big. Sega may sell this game alot more then Boom atleast. Truth to be told I think this game may florish Sega to let Taxman and Stealth to make more 2D Sonic games.
I think going by the current barometer of the overwhelmingly glowing, adoring and positive buzz it has already received (50 page thread of excited comments on NeoGAF!) this game is destined to sell well. It's the game that everyone wants - some since Sonic 3 and Knuckles in 1994. It'll sell well and Sega will see that and hopefully green light a series.
I know I'm planning on buying as many copies as I can justify, and convincing as many of my friends as possible to do the same.
Speaking of Super/Hyper forms, I've always been disappointed by how they've been implemented outside of final boss fights. The player goes through a lot to get access to them, but, while they do require 50 rings to activate and the player's ring count is constantly decreasing, I've always seen them as a glorified easy mode. I'd love to see some Super/Hyper exclusive sections/stages that take advantage of the greater/additional capabilities of these forms.
Isn't Eggman usually going after the Chaos Emeralds, at least as far as the plot goes? Why do we never actually see that in-game, not including the one instance he steals the Master Emerald? I've always liked the idea of Eggman tearing his way into the Secret Stage dimension through some kind of machine, and incorporating some kind of set of bonus boss fights during the Special Stages. You could claim that if the player loses, the Emerald vanishes away during the fight, to explain why you can get a second chance at it later on. Also, it would make a nice change from the typical half-pipe "collect Rings" format, at least superficially. Sonic collects Rings to build up speed to approach Eggman's mech, while Eggman is the one laying out the bombs that normally trip you up. You're still collecting Rings/Spheres/Whatever in a time limit, but it feels a bit different to the player.
