That is exactly what I wanted to communicate! So basically, yes, the STH world is loony, weird and has considerably more human influences or hints(way more than I clearly remembered) but this game did feel much sillier. I by no means think that Mania is a bad game or even worse than the original games, I just think there are somethings that can be done better in the (hopefully) following sequel or follow up title. If I can clarify some of my comments on why I feel that Tee Lopes dropped the ball a bit on some of the tracks, lets compare the Super Sonic boss battle in Mania to Dooms Day zone. When considering that both are used for the Super Sonic battle, do you really feel that the Mania track really works? In Doomsday zone you're flying above the atmosphere of Mobius, blasting through debris and the music fits that perfectly. It's dark, heavy, foreboding and makes your adrenaline rush and is a perfect fit for the climax to the game. Then we have Mania, you just beat Robotnik, stuff blew up a bit and then you're in this arena where Robotnik and the Heavy King are fighting for the Phantom Ruby. It's obvious that you're in some weird zone out of Mobius and things feel pretty intense... and then the music starts up and I don't feel like the song really carries the intensity of the moment as well as the previous track does (which, I actually think is the best track out of all the boss tracks, I also love the bits of the final fight from Sonic 3, really a nice touch). I wish I was able to put into better words but I'm certainly not a musician by any sort of standard. I think Lopes other tracks are really phenomenal but I think the boss tracks really could've been improved before release. Also, for any one who hasn't realized, the mini boss track really sounds a lot like the AOSTH Robotnik theme; so that might be why it feels out of place to me considering how goofy that track alone was.
Your post did make me realize there's a sort of progression though! I think your natural zones all start early on and the further in you get, the more Eggman's influence is apparent. This is in like every Sonic game even this one and it's really neat. Like, Emerald Hill Zone is natural and untouched, but once you hit Aquatic Ruin it's clearly an ancient civilization but Eggman's smeared his face all over the ruins and they're shooting arrows and oh my goodness! Just really neat. I think Mania does this too if you look carefully. You start in Green Hill, and then like Sonic 2 you go straight to chem plant and from there on it's Eggman everywhere. Though I think it goes on and off in Mania because of how the level theming is (considering they have to mishmash between games.) Mirage Saloon was probably just a regular Desert area until Eggman got there and made it into a mock caricature of the Wild West. As far as the setpieces being too goofy goes, I think it's just a matter of hardware limitations not being present here. Stuff doesn't gotta be small anymore so they're a bit more creatively inclined, so I guess the reason I don't feel like the cartoony nature of the new stuff is out of place is cause it's usually just stuff we've seen before but on a grander scale.
I think It's been difficult for me to view the title as an anniversary celebration but when viewed under that lens a lot of things do make a bit more sense. I hadn't really thought of the lack of hardware limitations either and who knows how different the classics would've been if they were made with the technical capabilities that Mania was.
TBH it's hard for me to view it as one too even though it is, because it's so good. It's better than like, every other anniversary game we've gotten ever, so I can actually understand glossing over it cause it's just....really well put together, even compared to like Generations and stuff. That being said I do want them to make a fully original game because I think they'd be able to put together a much more cohesive world by nature of the consistency they'd have in terms of narrative. Basically I'm just echoing the sentiment of the thread, a fully original game by this team is a salivating premise. Please SEGA and Sonic Team, let it happen, the Mania team has proven themselves!
With the popularity that Mania has seen in both the media and from the consumer... I think Sega would able to be really ignorant and stupid (more than they have been in the past) to totally pull a move like not allowing the Mania team to make another title. When they do make a fully original title then I think it'll be even better than Mania as well considering they will have already gotten a feel of things and know where and how they can improve over Mania.
You can tell that the fanbase was ready for this. Collecting the gold medals was rough though. a follow-up to mania would be great thanks BUT here's the thing: Do you really want to shake up the formula by adding Saturn-like graphics to blue spheres?
http://boards.4chan.org/v/thread/388219654 I don't know if it's okay to post 4chan links even if it's safe for work, but I really think you guys should take a look at this. There's a lot of... questionable "official" information being tossed around by someone.
9 times out of 10 anything said on a chan board is usually bullshit. It's a good ride to watch though.
I doubt anyone from the mania team would be silly enough to risk posting this kind of information. I wouldn't be surprised to hear if a lot of ideas didn't make it to the table, or got cut later on, but that's just games development in a nutshell.
I keep hearing people talk shit about Hydrocity 2 and I don't just get it. What is it guilty of that Oil Ocean 1 and Flying Battery 1 aren't as well?
I think it's just a weird placebo effect as a result of how the stages are usually constructed. Hydrocity Act 1 feels more like the remixed Act 2 levels you come to expect from the zones prior, whereas Hydrocity Act 2 is really close to the original layout. I think it's (visibly) thrown a lot of people off haha. Act 1 is a giant departure, but I think that's weird to people. I definitely didn't mind or anything though, I'm kinda glad they kept Hydrocity Act 2 as I think it was definitely the best part of that zone as opposed to the Act 1 in the original.
Unless the user posts very, very convincing proof (like the Bloodborne trailer leak), or unless there's like outside confirmation from better sources, never even consider trusting 4chan rumors.
Mania sets up a trend is the Classic Act 1s being true to the originals, and the Act 2s shaking things up. Hydrocity does it the opposite way around for some reason - so you go in to Act 2 expecting something incredibly new but it just isn't. There's not even a lot new on the visual size of things for the zone - both acts just increase the fidelity of the original backdrops. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is disappointing. You're really set up for something new and exciting that doesn't materialise. You go from new to old in zone, and that isn't the way to do it. Plus you get that awesome Act 1 boss and first half of the Act 2 boss, and then suddenly you end up in the exact same boss from S3 Act 1, except now it's bigger. It ends on bum note. I guess there's a bit of personal bias here cause HCZ is pretty much my favourite zone ever. It was at the top of my list for wants in Mania (and Generations before it) but the end result was so tame. I'd have loved to have seen an outdoors area, somewhere with more machinery or selling deeper in the cathedral-esque look of it. All off the other Classic stages brought new visual themes. Put it this way - I think Hydrocity in Mania is the amongst worst of a really, really good bunch.
Mania sets up a trend is the Classic Act 1s being true to the originals, and the Act 2s shaking things up. Hydrocity does it the opposite way around for some reason - so you go in to Act 2 expecting something incredibly new but it just isn't. There's not even a lot new on the visual size of things for the zone - both acts just increase the fidelity of the original backdrops. It's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, but it is disappointing. You're really set up for something new and exciting that doesn't materialise. You go from new to old in zone, and that isn't the way to do it. Plus you get that awesome Act 1 boss and first half of the Act 2 boss, and then suddenly you end up in the exact same boss from S3 Act 1, except now it's bigger. It ends on bum note. I guess there's a bit of personal bias here cause HCZ is pretty much my favourite zone ever. It was at the top of my list for wants in Mania (and Generations before it) but the end result was so tame. I'd have loved to have seen an outdoors area, somewhere with more machinery or selling deeper in the cathedral-esque look of it. All off the other Classic stages brought new visual themes.
The last big 4chan Mania "leak" had someone who claimed to work on the Switch version post in the thread and claim it was false. They also said one of the levels was called Press Garden. So technically there was accurate information once!
What terrifies me is that Sonic Team will see Mania's success and say "I told you the classic zones were what everyone wanted! Sonic Mania 2 must be all remixed stages! None of this original stuff! Yuck!"
I could definitely see Izuka doing something like that, since he seems to be so obcessed with nostalgia. I hope that if a mania 2 where to come out it would be all original.
If that were true wouldn't he have just insisted on being all remixed from the start? For my first post I have to say that IMO Press Garden is one of the most original and cool levels in the entire game--hell, the entire series. The concept is wonderfully surreal, the two acts both have incredibly music and their own unique gimmicks and backgrounds, and they're just fun. Act 2's ice mechanic in particular is so good, they must reuse it for Mania 2, I swear, it's so much fun. I've seen some people say it looks "fangamey" and I do think that Act 1 in particular is very unusual looking as it doesn't feature much in the way of geometric repeating designs as most stages in classic Sonic do (such as the checkerboard pattern of GHZ). Also, I don't think any Classic Sonic stage has such massive moving background elements taking over the whole stage like the flying newspaper reels do. Still, I think it looks gorgeous and hope that Mania 2 (which has to exist, please Iizuka gain some sense for two seconds) retains that level of originality.
