man like, I've beaten the game several times and I still come really close to time-overing act 2. the boss being really long doesn't help that.
Yeah, it's easy to avoid the Bonus Stage entrace. But, I enjoy having sub-games in the checkpoints, as optional pace-breakers; specifically, when I can get rings, items, etc. in them, as part of the larger gameplay loop. It's one of Sonic 3's strengths in my eyes. Mania launched with Blue Spheres in this role, and not only am I absolutely beyond sick to fucking death of Blue Spheres, but it doesn't integrate into the larger gameplay loop by letting me dip in for a shield real quick, for instance. I don't always want or need to, but sometimes it's nice knowing that I have the option. It was a glaring oversight that particularly bothered me, and I was glad to see it fixed. I could give a shit about level transitions that have 0 impact on gameplay, in comparison.
I think it's a stretch to call Blue Spheres optional. They are literally signposted for the player to enter and it's very easy to go into them by accident. They aren't like hidden rooms or secret areas, they are in the player's path. Considering they are so integrated into the main level design I think it was a major blunder to use Blue Sphere. But then considering that I think the Pinball bonus stage in Plus is also pretty bad I don't really have a preference between the two.
You have to cross the checkpoint with enough rings, stop, wait for the stars to appear, and jump toward them. I don't think that's something easy to do by accident in most instances, especially in a game like Mania where you're on the move most of the time.
In my own experience, I can only think of one instance in Mania where I regularly enter the bonus stage whether I mean to or not. It's in Studiopolis Act 2. You get launched through a platform and into the air, hitting a checkpoint on the way up. By the time you come back down, the portal is open and you land in it. Gets me almost every time providing I have the rings, and... well, I've always got the rings. The bonus stages are entirely optional technically. But they're still designed for you to be able to enter them whenever you feel like it, and you're encouraged to do so. And whether they're optional or not, I always think it's a design problem in games when you avoid certain optional content every time its presented to you. So saying "you don't have to go in them" is kind of missing the point. It's a part of the game, it tracks your progress, it unlocks a few secrets and, provided you have the DLC, will eventually unlock an entirely separate minigame with more immediate rewards. So... I feel like I've said a lot of "Mania sucks" lately in this thread. Just to be clear, Mania does not suck. Mania rocks. Mania is a brilliant game and I love it. I'd played S1-K by the time I was four or five and Mania came out when I was 24. I waited 20 years for it and it did not disappoint. It was worth that wait. But it's not perfect, and since I'm done gushing about everything now, all that's left to talk about is what could have been better. FWIW though, I really don't think that anything much could have been done to improve my initial experience of Mania. I liken it to games like BotW, in terms of my own personal enjoyment levels. Perfect? No. But I don't think that I could have enjoyed it much more when I first played it. The only things that bugged me were missing stage transitions (now fixed) and the over-abundance of Blue Sphere. I was a few zones into the game and suddenly I was like "this again?" so I stopped entering them. The game is just so good otherwise. It's got problems, but nothing big enough that stops is being one of my favourite games of all time, Sonic or otherwise.
Oh ya no don't get me wrong, I do love Mania. Hell maybe I'll play through it tonight it's been a bit. It has some flaws and def leaves you wanting more, but it's an overall great time. It's the only game that came close to rivaling S3K (those two are basically tied for my fave, they have different pros and cons, also Sonic 3 AIR let's me have the best of both worlds via mods)
Yes it's that area. And I know you can dodge it, but you have to make a effort to do so. I don't normally hold any buttons when going through the tubes because any would I? The game is on auto-pilot at that point. It's like those areas of S4 where you'll go off a spring and and die if you're not holding right (except obviously not as egregious for a dozen reasons).
Then that might just be a matter of differences in how we play the game, I guess, since there's some goodies on the right that I tend to get.
I asked previously and I will ask again. Is Mania Plus discontinued (for anyone who knows for sure)? It is a very apposite question. I can only find previously owned copies online from eBay, Amazon, etc.
I'm not going to say that the Classic Sonic bosses are paragons of engaging gameplay or anything, but fwiw, there are two bosses in the very first game that directly correlate with gameplay (Labyrinth and Star Light). There are other somewhat fascinating bosses in the classic games sprinkled around here and there, and while they aren't always great imo, they do show an attempt to do something more interesting than wait-and-bonk Eggman on the head (Casino Night's boss comes to mind, since you have to use the stage flipper gimmick or physics to reach and hit Eggman). For as much conveyance issues the Mania FBZ2 boss has (I was very surprised that hitbox/flashing issue wasn't fixed in Plus), I'd take that boss any day over say, the CPZ1 boss. I think the spider boss was great, conceptually, but I wish they ironed out some of those glaring execution issues (it sucks that you can get crushed in this boss, as the way it's designed makes it feel unintentional). Mania's HCZ2 boss was pretty cool as well, but it definitely overstays its welcome for me when it tacks on the original HCZ1 boss on at the end. It was fine by itself!
Even though that phase felt unnecessary, I liked how it tied in with the idea of Mania swapping the HCZ acts. 1st act had the BG and boss of S3K!HCZ2, 2nd act had the S3K!HCZ1 BG and boss. It might have worked better if they had swapped the Mania!HCZ2 boss' phases, though. Fighting Eggman after defeating Big Shaker would have felt more fitting and climactic.
If you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Just checked Amazon and they have new copies available. Seems like Best Buy, Walmart and Target have some too. I've also seen those places carry it in stores along with the double pack with Team Sonic Racing.
That's not Sonic Mania Plus though, meaning the dlc is not included. I think the plus release has been out of print for a while
Are we talking about the double pack? Because I know, that's why I said stores around here have Mania Plus along with the TSR double pack. It is probably out of print, but it's not that hard to find a new copy online or in store (in the U.S.) for its original price. That's why I was wondering where he lived.
Off the top of my head there has been -The Sonic Mania Collectors Edition that was the statue, card, cartridge with ring and game code. -Sonic Mania Plus -Double pack with Sonic Forces and Sonic Mania Plus -Sonic Mania base game -Double pack with Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Mania (so Encore DLC not included) Not sure why the last two are just the base game though. Edit: Forgot to add that there is a standalone physical copy of non-Plus Mania.
Just to add to this, it appears that Sonic Mania (without Plus/DLC) as a physical release is an American exclusive thing. In the UK here, we haven't got any Sonic Mania (without Plus/DLC) anywhere; it's all copies of Sonic Mania Plus. I just wanted to ensure people weren't making assumptions that it's like this everywhere.
Yeah, here in the States I started seeing Sonic Mania base game in Walmart, Best Buy, etc. I get dropping the slipcase and booklet, but it's so strange that it reverted back to the non-Plus version.
