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

I'm also disappointed in the new zones to remixed stages ratio. I was hoping for a substantial amount of new content - however Taxman has stated it's a long game so perhaps we'll still get a decent host of new zones to go with the remixes. I'm still super excited for this but my hype has dwindled a little with the recent revelations.

Hopefully Mania will be super successful and Taxman and co will get more creative freedom with a Sonic Mania 2.

 

You know, I'm sure that Taxman and Stealth are fully aware of how overused Green Hill is, and how most of us are tired of seeing it again. You think that's why Act 1 ends in a cavern? This way, they can technically keep it as an expansion or re-imagining of Green Hill, but can use a good chunk of Act 2 to revisit some gimmicks that were used in underground-type levels?

I mean, Green Hill is known for the spinning logs and totem poles. You could potentially use the totem poles to reskin the level gimmicks from Aquatic Ruin. The underground setting could open up the minecarts used in Underground Zone, which would work because it was from the first level of its game as well. The GG/MS Green Hills glider could be used as well, although possibly re-tooled to work similarly to the grab-able mushrooms in Mushroom Hill Zone. (Mainly because I'm sure that I can't be the only person who could never figure out how to work the glider well)

This would knock out the general re-visits for both grass-type and underground-type zones, as well as possibly the underwater zone if they go in an Aquatic Ruin direction with Act 2, and leave the rest with the more unique settings to work with.

 

If the second half of each re-used zone is radically different, then that still means that even the reused zones will be at least 50% new... Add that to the first half having new content, and the inclusion of some totally new zones, and we are talking about a large majority of new content.

 

I just hope we get another trailer/update soon. I'm excited to see what new zones they're creating and how they're going to twist the other returning levels.

Besides, it feels like the marketing has been relying on Green Hill/Studiopolis Act 1 for awhile now.

 

I think now or during October is possibly a good time to see another level. I'd like to see another Classic stage to show off just how much things are being shaken up.

 

Also definitely disappointed in the remix:new ratio. Pretty sure Sega/Sonicteam is to blame. Because they sure know how to screw up something good. I mean, let's be honest. Everyone is way more excited to play Studiopolis than they are to play Green Hill Zone 50.2.

Anyway, I just hope the other remixes really are drastically different from the originals. I know it has been said that Green Hill will be the tamest.

 

Approximately since release of Alien: Isolation* Sega's game have region lock on steam keys sold in third-party shops/services, except some worldwide services like Humble Store. Since Amazon has various local branches (and region-locks on part of the steam-keys sold on Amazon.com - depending on the publisher), it's IMO highly probable that steam key inside Collector's Edition will be also region locked.

I'm guessing that it'll be rather lock on activation than on playing the game (I know that some games in russian and brasilian(south america?) region has this kind of lock, but never heard about other than activation lock on US-region keys). But in my opinion it's still not worth to risk (with activation via VPN), because Valve can simply remove such game in any moment from your account.

*First case with game released by Sega about which I've heard that it has region lock, but it's not impossible that there was some title earlier

 

I don't understand the worry regarding this new:old ratio of levels, personally. We've only seen 2 Acts so far; Green Hill Zone Act 1 and Studiopolis Zone Act 1. In Green Hill Zone Act 1, we've got Green Hill Zone Act 1's original layout merged with Act 2's original layout, and a new miniboss at the end. We still have a full, new, Green Hill Zone Act 2 that we have seen nothing of so far. (and maybe even an Act 3? I doubt it, but who knows?) Even if it's a re-imagining of the original Green Hill Zone Act 3, that still leaves us with half of an act of new content, in the 'tamest of the re-imagined levels'.

To be honest, I'm more annoyed in general at Sega/Sonic Team/whoever's in charge's behaviour regarding the collector's edition being announced for the US, and no mention (again) about even a consideration for the UK and European fans. I know it's not the fault of Taxman, Stealth, etc. but this attitude is really beginning to grind my gears.

 

Ahh, that's annoying. I might still go ahead and import the collectors edition anyway but maybe try and sell the code to someone in the US for cheap. Then just buy a local steam key.

Thanks for the info!

 

I don't think the scenario you're outlining really applies to Mania for a few reasons.

- Unless Sega reveals otherwise, the game is strictly downloadable content. Unlike Sonic 2017 or the Sonic Boom games, most general or "casual" gamers outside Mania's target demographic won't be aware of this game, they won't be seeing it on shelves at their local stores, or seeing mainstream advertisements for the game (i.e. television, promotional displays/tie-ins, most printed media, etc.). The only people who will be buying Mania will be those who venture PlayStation/Xbox/Steam's online stores (and for what it's worth, retro-styled games comprise a significant percentage of games available for download on these stores in the first place). If these people aren't retro gamers outright (part and parcel of Mania's appeal and visual design), they will be gamers who skew towards the (for lack of a better word) "hardcore" end of the spectrum.

- The classic games have been available on a variety of platforms for years (consoles, handhelds, PC/Steam, smartphones, etc.), separately and in retro-themed compilations; and can still be obtained even on current platforms like the 3DS, Xbox One, and Wii U (via Wii BC). They're not exactly games that have historically been MIA for quite some time; and I'm sure the aforementioned retro and hardcore-skewing gamers that will be interested in Mania will be aware of those titles, if not own them already.

- We haven't exactly been seeing relatively new material for mainline (i.e. not Boom-related) Sonic games, as (Colors notwithstanding) we've seen four (five, if you want to include the mobile game Runners; seven if you include the handheld titles) titles that have each played up the Genesis nostalgia card to some extent over the past six years. One/two being a franchise-specific celebration game, and two of them in particular were another attempt at being a sequel to the Genesis games (albeit its approach at a sequel is the complete antithesis to Mania's direction, and then some).

I understand the argument being made here, and under other circumstances, I would be inclined to agree; but I don't buy the notion that Mania is a game that really "needs" to be yet another game that heavily relies on nostalgia concerning the main titles to score points with the general crowd. Of course, all of this isn't to say I think the Genesis games shouldn't get priority in representation; I just want to see Mania give its dues to other areas of the classic era outside the iconic games they are formed around. I'll also say that I'll readily recant my complaints if remixed / later zones shown later prove my assumptions otherwise.

 

I'm thick. What's even being said here?

 

Haha, okay that's actually quite awesome. Makes you wonder how other stages might be shaken up. Personally, I'd really love to the world outside those huge windows in Hydrocity. That would be very interesting!

 

Don't be - Takashi Iizuka has been talking garbage for ten years or more. You could guarantee from the outset that the game would be nerfed if he was around.

It strikes me that Taxman/Stealth are probably trying their best not to just create "Sonic 1: 2". I've no doubt in my mind that Sonic Team are the ones demanding that classic zones are in there, and they'd have happily settled for vanilla layouts too. The man works on a different wavelength to the rest of the world.

 

So I went to EGX today, got a chance to play Sonic Mania. It was the exact same demo from the Sonic Anniversary event and PAX, so there's literally nothing I can add to this thread regarding the game. It sounded great, played exactly how I expected it to. Very excited to play the full thing next year.

Though, waiting 40 minutes in the queue to play the game gave me much time to reflect on the quality of Sonic fans in the UK these days. Not sure if it was always this bad, but man... Talk about stereotypes. Shouts out specifically to the guy behind me who spent the whole 40 minutes humming Sonic stage tunes loudly to himself while rocking back and forth like a crazy person. If you were that guy that was waiting around midday behind a bearded man in a claret jumper and a woman who looked like she really didn't want to be there, congratulations, you are that guy. There were also several people in the queue trying to play 3DS with each other and couldn't work out how to Download Play Mario Kart. Video games used to be fun...

 

It's a bit like with the PSP: Backbone came up with the idea of Sonic Lightning, which was supposed to be an old school style 2D platformer game and then Iizuka got involved and turned it into a rival racing game.

But I think this time round Sega knows how important Mania is going to be, so I don't think it will disappoint.

 

Being a rival racing game isn't a bad thing. Like most Backbone projects, the problem isn't the idea, but the execution.