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

I doubt they pitched Metal as a playable character since he's an enemy, but yeah, I think they must have considered using Amy.

I wonder if they considered making Espio a playable character, as he was originally gonna be the main star in Chaotix, before that role was given to Knuckles.

 

May or may not be a direct result of Mania Plus' announcement on Friday, but Mania squeaked back into the weekly Switch eShop charts this recent weekend at #19. This marks its 26th week on the eShop since release--half of an entire year. We'll see if this is just a one-shot resurgence or (after being absent for weeks) the game going to reclaim a semi-permanent spot on the charts once again.

On that note, I briefly touched on it back in my first post in the thread; but the Mania Plus announcement / physical release (finally!) does also allude to some seriously good things about how Mania performed in sales. Sega not only made a physical release, but made it a bells-and-whistles package. An artbook, a retraux reversible cover (even with corresponding region-specific Mega Drive/Genesis variants), and holographic packaging; and that's before the Plus DLC that's included with it as well as the tie-in Adventures miniseries. All a year within the game's release.

Still a bit bummed though we still don't have any hard numbers from the panel; and short of Mania surpassing a milestone unprecedented for Sonic titles, it seems Sega will keep those numbers close to their chest (as they have done for most of their games since the restructuring). Though when it finally goes retail, we can at least know how well that performs from outside sources.

Speaking of which, anyone's thoughts on how the Mania Plus retail release could perform? I hope it does really well, due to its budget price, the added DLC, and especially for its reviews/quality (as well as those --myself included-- requesting a physical release). Something in the vein of Mega Collection Plus' performance (sold roughly two million in its first year and continued to sell years after release, ultimately having a cumulative 3-4 million in sold units) would be great. I think we've seen some good glimpses of how the game could perform on retail on the Switch --considering its great eShop performance-- and in the UK (the game "technically" --according to Sega-- the best selling game of its week in the UK does hint towards some good things nonetheless).

 

The aesthetic has been returning to SegaSonic roots, so the decision is probably "Who else can we cameo that we haven't already?" Metal is in there and his moveset in this game wouldn't make a ton of sense as a PC (as much as I would love that.) Not sure with Amy.

Though, if they are throwing in Ray and Mighty, they need a level that is just a ridiculously long and comedically sadistic death trap like SegaSonic Arcade.

 

I'm actually hoping they get their own death animations where they grow wings and fly off-screen, looking suitably pissed off

 

The developers can make them play literally however they want. The "moveset" isn't a factor because it is up to them.

Yeah, Metal is a boss fight in the game, but these are the same people that put the Death Egg Robot in Green Hill Zone. If they really wanted to I believe they would have no problem subverting our expectations by reversing the roles of the fight having you control Metal while racing/battling Sonic.

 

After 3 and a half games of putting up with Sonic's shenanigans, I'm surprised he didn't just nuke the whole area.

Metal as a character......Give him the midas touch where in instead of robots, he's jumping on regular animal critters who turn into machines. Make him Robotnik's Herald.

 

Just thinking about other things I'd love to see in Mania Plus, or maybe hear

1) Extended Credits theme music, maybe with a Medley to match the other games
2) The pre-order theme 'Time Trials' to actually make it into the game. (seriously, this song still gets me going way more than Friends did)

Also an additional thought. Will we see a variation of the animated intro for PLUS to include Mighty and Ray? (Tyson I know you're out there shitposting somewhere, just give me one blink for yes and two blinks for absolutely yes)

 

Is that referring to Alex the Kidd there, or did that actually happen when you die in SSA (never actually played SSA)?

 

Nice nice nice... seems like Sega are backing the Mania route 100% which is great news.

Looking forward to it. Interested in this 'encore' mode

 

In a situation like that, I would rather have it so that whenever Metal Sonic jumps or spins into an animal he uncurls and quickly waffles stomps the creature 3x before moving on to the next one.

 

I just had a thought. Since they're doing some fixes and additions to Mania, I wonder if they'll finish Super Sonic's sprite set? It'd be nice to finally have a complete set of sprites.

 

And speaking of that, I hope they fix the top speed animation threshold for Super Sonic, which is kinda bugged. Ever since I read that post by Neo I can't unsee it while playing -_-

inb4 can we please open a bug thread again *shot*

 

Credit to BlueBlood posting this over at SSMB.

A factsheet for Sonic Mania Plus has been sent out for Europe. It clarifies that Mighty and Ray will have their own special abilities (and thus won't be reskins) and that another developer--"Hyperkinetic Studios"--will be assisting in the game's production in some form. Also confirms the European release date for Mania Plus will be Summer 2018.

Spoiler

Sonic Mania Plus™
Publisher Name: SEGA
Developer Name: Hyperkinetic Studios, Christian Whitehead, Headcannon and PagodaWest Games in conjunction with Sonic Team
Genre: Platformer, Action
Platform(s): PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Number of Players: 1-4 players
Global Release: Summer 2018

Game Overview:
Sonic Mania Plus is the definitive retail enhanced version of the original Sonic Mania's digital release, presented in a pristine collectable physical release. Building off its momentum and critical acclaim as one of the best platform games of 2017, the nostalgic pixel-perfect visuals and fresh gameplay will deliver a classic experience to gamers across the world! See why Sonic Mania was declared as the “Best Sonic game ever!” by Gamespot, and a blazing example of why Sonic the Hedgehog continues to break barriers over the course of 25+ years as one of gaming's most iconic characters of all time!

Key Features:
A true, classic Sonic experience: Gorgeous pixel graphics featuring a variety of new Zones with iconic favorites from Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic The Hedgehog CD
Definitive version: Pixel-perfect HD visuals, 60 FPS gameplay and all new content in one package! Join Sonic and his friends as they face off against Dr Eggman and his new robo-henchmen the Hard Boiled Heavies!
New playable characters join the fun with Sonic: Seen in past Sonic titles, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel join the Mania each with their own unique abilities!
All-new Encore mode: A new mode that adds a fresh look to familiar locations while challenging new and veteran players alike
New and improved features including Competition mode

Also released the Mania Plus announcement poster shown at SXSW, except with the reversible European Mega Drive boxart:



The emphasis on the game being released to "gamers across the world" and Summer 2018 being touted as a "global release" intrigues me. I wonder if that means Mania Plus will also get a physical release in Japan? Granted, Sonic historically has been a footnote in terms of popularity; and the few people there who do like Sonic seem to prefer the modern half of the series more than the classic half (case in point: Forces, despite otherwise tanking in Japan like Sonic games usually do, still the best opening week for a Sonic game in the region in years). But Mania arguably did quite better in that region than what you'd normally expect (the game ranked as Japan's #17 most-recommended Switch game in a Nintendo-published survey, and was overall the #22 most-downloaded eShop exclusive Switch game in Japan for 2017. Sega (of Japan)/Sonic Channel also the first to promote Mania with physical materials (outside the Collector's Edition); such as the billboards in local malls and Sonic-themed trains/cafes as well as merchandise such as the neckerchief and hoodie.

 

Unique abilities... I'm very curious about what Mighty will do. I started coding this for Mighty years ago, an ability for him to pick up and carry/throw items. I never did finish it outright, but if we got it in Mania, I'd mark out big time. Here is my earliest WIP I recorded back in 2013. Thinking of seeing this in Mania makes me giddy.

 

The game is up for preorder on Gamestop and Amazon so buy 10 copies plz.

 

I checked Amazon earlier and it wasn't up for pre order but I just went ahead and pre ordered the Switch version from Game Stop. The placeholder date for release is August 28th, but of course it'll probably change. I'm really looking forward to playing as Ray and Mighty! :D

 

Yakuza Kiwani 2 comes out on August 28th. Maybe the date for this is right.

 

Planning to preorder at Gamestop after my dentist appointment tomorrow.

 

Preordered for PS4. I've bought this game 4 times now, one of which was the collectors edition.

god dammit sega