Sonic Mania Plus (Consoles Physical; PC Digital) - Non-Leaks Thread

Me too, I'd like a great non-anniversary Sonic game for a change.

Something like Sonic Mania but with original stages only, not a drastic change (if it works, don't fix it).

 

Add Mania 2 to the list of things that fans will be asking for, for decades:

- Sonic Adventure 3

- Sonic 4, Episode III

- Knuckles Chaotix Re-release

- Sonic Mania 2

 

I think a major difference is that while people wanted the first 3 like years after the fact, people want Mania 2 now. So at least this is still fresh on their minds.

Besides we all know Mania just replaced Sonic 4 anyway :v: And if you need a conclusion to Sonic 4, look to Sonic the Fighters.

 

What? No Sonic Chronicles: Part 2? :v:

 

Aren't you forgetting SONIC 3 REMASTERED?! The one game which some fans want even more than Sonic Mania 2 at this moment in time. Well, I do XD

I think fans need to be very careful when asking for "Sonic Mania 2" because SEGA will probably interpret this as "oh, the fans just want another game with four new zones and eight re-imagined classics", which I'm pretty sure about 99% of fans don't want.

Team Mania did a fantastic job with the re-imagined content. Mania shows exactly how re-imagined content should be done, putting Gens and the ever so disappointing Sonic 4 to shame. However, it was disappointing that their creative talent was restricted to only four new zones and they deserve the opportunity to work on a game with all new content. Whether they could surpass Mania (and Mania Plus which is looking great so far) is anyones guess because they have set such a high standard.

Lets be honest, SEGA are never gonna get tired of the nostalgia angle. I mean, we're already getting the SEGA Mega Drive Classics collection at the end of this month with all the MD classics (minus 3K) and the SEGA Ages Switch version of Sonic 1 later this year. This is nice and all, but they really should keep to re-releases of the classic games from now on and stop shoving classic references down our throats with every new game they make.

There's also no need to rush out a new 2d game. I'd be happy to wait until 2020/2021. If a sequel is ever greenlight, then I think a longer development cycle (and hopefully a bigger budget) is a must.

In the meantime SEGA could play their trump card and greenlight a remaster of Sonic 3 (they know how desperate fans are for this game to be remastered). Make whatever changes they need to make to the original content - i.e. a new soundtrack - to allow for a new release. This would be all the nostalgia we need until we get a new 2d game.

 

Now now, Generations may not have been the most accurate physics wise but it still did a lovely job reimagining the levels. It was just disappointing how many of the same damn trope they brought back (And that there was no Eggman themed last level that was a combo of Scrap Brain, Death Egg, Metallic Madness, Final Egg, ARK, Egg Fleet, and Eggmanland ). Plus Generations was beautiful. Mania's pretty too but those were some pretty looking levels in Generations.

But yes, Mania did a lovely job re imagining levels and it absolutely puts Sonic 4 to shame. But if Mania's my favorite Sonic game now then Generations is like, 3rd for me (after S3K which has been dethroned after 20 years).

 

I'm sure there's a bit of cross-purposes communication when people talk about a hypothetical Sonic Mania 2 - some people seem to literally mean another Sonic Mania, reimagined existing stages and all, while other seem to just be referring to the idea of another new Taxman/Stealth-developed classic Sonic game. Myself, I'm firmly in the latter camp - I love Mania to bits and can't wait for the Plus DLC, but to my mind for a sequel the dev team should be given free reign to flex their creative muscles with a full set of totally new stages. Reimagining existing stages was fine for the anniversary, but I wouldn't want it to become the de facto approach for any further classic Sonic games, should they materialise in future.

 

As long as we get Canada Zone next time, it's all good.

 

Honestly thinking what Iizuka meant is that the exact Sonic Mania project, as in an anniversary title with remixed and new stages - is complete and done with no direct sequel planned - but that absolutely does not rule out a pixel-art Genesis-era sequel that focuses on entirely new zones which given how vocal us and the fanbase has been (and the reviews for Mania indicated this too - the lack of original stages) Sega clearly knows and has heard everyone by now. Ultimately he said that plans are still up in the air without really confirming or denying anything at this stage - as in it's still to be decided - but I think it's important to note that Sonic 4: Episode 1 also sold north of a million units and that resulted in a rapidly green-lit sequel with greater ambitions and expanded budget that was different (and arguably much better) than the original. So ultimately this is the route I think they're likely to take. Team Mania contracted to work on a new game but it won't be an exact direct sequel - which I'm certain is what Iizuka was attempting to say.

They're clearly not oblivious to Mania's success hence Adventures and Plus. I'm almost certain some kind of follow-up is inevitable based on Mania's rave reviews and sales - I just think it'll potentially be something new. Perhaps the all-original game we're hoping for. Also of note is that at SXSW Aaron heavily inferred (though went short of outright stating it) that they intend to work with Taxman again in the future.

So maybe not right now - but eventually. So have hope everyone.

 

I agree with this interpretation. Case in point?
The Sonic racing game unveiled just last month.
Aaron said on Twitter that the rumors about Sumo were false, that they would not be announcing another sequel to All Stars Racing.
We still got a teaser for a racing game, didn't we? A direct All Stars continuation was ruled out, but clearly SEGA realized that fans liked the racing spinoff formula and decided to do something fresh rather than just another installment in an existing series.

It's very possible that this will be the same case and we could end up getting a new classic Sonic game altogether, rather than just a Sonic Mania 2. Being part of the Mania series implies that it'll follow the same formula of remixing old content and putting in new content “by the mania, for the mania”. Honestly, if there's another classic Sonic game coming in the future I'd rather it not be part of that lineage, because even Iizuka is realizing now that it's not just the mania that likes these games. It's lots of school aged children who weren't even alive for the death of the Saturn, nevermind the Genesis. I think it makes a lot more sense for them to start from scratch on a genuine successor rather than just preemptively announce a direct sequel.

That being said, it's also possible that the dev team needs time away from the series for a while, or that Sonic Team is going to wait a little bit to contract them again so they can promote their own projects. I'd love to see a truly new classic game, but at the same time I'm not too worried about what SEGA does next. If they announced a sequel I think I'd be more worried than excited, so there's definitely a bright side to this.

 

Children these days weren't even alive to see the death of the Dreamcast, let alone the other two :v: To them, SEGA is like Atari was to us.

The next round of nostalgia will now provide for 2,000 versions of Studiopolis and Mirage Saloon. Congrats.

 

The Famitsu interview has been translated by SonicJPNews on Twitter and is available here. You may or may not need to have an account to view it though, for some reason tumblr forced a safe mode on it that can't be turned off unless you are registered on the site. I don't have a tumblr anymore so someone else will have to take a look.

 

Pretty much the exact same info we already got from the poor auto-translation.

This part was much more clearly stated: "In stage design, there are some challenges by added characters: the need of blocking upper region of the stage to prevent Ray from flying too high, and arranging objects and gimmicks newly in the same stages in Encore mode to make them more enjoyable with new characters’ actions--such as breakable ground with Mighty's Hammer Drop. These are mundane yet important works, and the team was aware of it as they decided the new actions."

Makes me hopeful they purposefully aren't showing changes when it comes to object/badnik/gimmick placement in promotional media for "Plus." That way our first playthroughs will be more interesting due to it being our first time noticing the changes. Still not expecting anything major or new (aside from the sections Mighty can break down into), though.

 

Copying and pasting the translation because Tumblr:

Wait. So the open ceilings are solid in every level now??

Can somebody check if this is true in the leaked update, so that I know whether I should chill or write a letter to Iizuka in all caps?

 

I think it would probably work the same way that Tails' flight works in the remakes in which I believe the ceilings are solid for when Tails is flying but not solid for anything else. (Not saying this will affect Tails in Mania. I'm just using it as an example.)

 

Sure, that's how it should be done. But now he mentions "blocking the upper region" as something new, for some reason, and I fear the worst.

I swear, if this is another one of Iizuka's brilliant ideas, I will... stare at a picture of him with defiant eyes.

 

It's like that in Sonic 3 (& Knuckles) too, but not in CD 2011 for some reason.

 

Remember how piss-easy Cape Mario made 80% of SMW's levels? This is probably for the best.

Not that I didn't have fun breaking that game with Cape Luigi, but still.

 

But they just have to reset Ray's X speed when surpassing the top of the screen, like has happened with Knuckles since forever.

 

I can't believe you guys are arguing over some fan translated interview with Takashi Iizuka. I mean, he said a lot of misleading things in the past and this is Team Mania. Be reasonable.