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

Omg I'm not alone lmao

Mania was incredible, but it kinda felt like people beat the game day 1 and went "now on to mania 2!!". Frankly I'd like a good break between 2d releases rather than releasing every year or 2- helps them to feel more special and exciting

 

It's been over 4 years now with nothing in sight, so it's a moot point. This is the longest the series has ever gone without a new 2D platformer.

 

It was 5 years between S4Ep2 and Mania. Did I miss one?

 

Yeah you missed All Stars Racing Transformed, which is another game sorely lacking a sequel.

 

They used to shove all the 2D affairs onto handhelds, but now that those aren't really a thing like they were back in the 00s, they probably don't see the need.

Although let's be honest there's less of everything Sonic game wise these days. Sega's all but moved onto Yakuza, that's the series that shits out releases now not Sonic.

 

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal and Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice were released in the interim.

 

Looks like you missed quite a few.

 

I see my criteria of console-first, traditional 2D platformer was too narrow.

 

Perhaps you should've, I dunno, mentioned those were your criteria? The post you responded to said this:

I don't see the words "console-first" or "traditional" there at all.

 

I legit just missed that and making a joke about Sonic games we'd rather forget in that time period, being everything except Mania and ASRT.

 

Sorry to dredge this topic back up, but I'm curious:

On PS4, the pinball bonus stage lets you press L1/R1 to hit the flippers alongside Square/Circle. Using the latest version of the game on Steam, pressing LB/RB on an Xbox-style controller does not. And I wouldn't even know where to begin with keyboard equivalents.

Anyone dare to compare other versions too?

 

On Switch:

Flip Left..... West Face Button (Y)
.Left Frontside Shoulder Button (L)

Flip Both.... South Face Button (B)

Flip Right.... East Face Button (A)
Right Frontside Shoulder Button (R)



Left Stick and the D-Pad control character movement, Plus (+) pauses, and nothing else seems to do anything.
On single sideways joycon, the Left/Right Inside Shoulder Buttons (SL/SR) do move their respective flippers like you'd expect.

 

Using a PS4 controller with the Steam version let me do so...but I was somehow worse with it so I used the X button instead

 

For me at least I saw it as a case of "more time passing = less chance of a sequel". Everybody was all lined up, if Sega didn't strike while the iron was hot then they risked the others moving on to other projects (which is what happened, basically).

If we actually got a Mania 2/Sonic 5 right after I doubt that I would have been concerned about it being "too soon", I would have just been excited to play the game. That would have been a much better situation than nothing happening at all.

 

Yeah... consider that the entire classic trilogy, plus Sonic CD, & Knuckles, and a cavalcade of spinoffs and handheld versions were all released in just 3.5 years. Given that precedent, plus the fact that Mania far exceeded Sega's expectations, it was hard to fathom how it WOULDN'T have at least some kind of sequel within a year or three. Actually, I think that's one reason you didn't see people make a lot of noise about it until recently... following up on Mania seemed like SUCH an obvious slam dunk, I almost felt like I could take it as given.

 

All fair points.

We can only hope we get something soon- post Origins, most definitely.

 

I sometimes wonder why is it that Sega doesn't allow classic-styled private fangame projects to be pitched to them one they are more or less finished so they can decide if it meets their criteria and how much they're willing to pay for the package instead of the usual pitching that would probably go nowhere and would sound like too many risks and too much money to to them. I know it wouldn't be a fair situation, more like underpaid efforts, but it could work as a way to test waters for them and ensure some occasional release, and for these people trying their luck to become actual Sega devs if everything goes right and they want to keep on making Sonic games. Mania Team were seasoned devs willing to do their own projects so probably they wouldn't have made the next classic game anyways.

 

Maybe SEGA wants to release the Origins collection first, and only then release some Mania 2 or Sonic 5 (or Sonic 4 Episode 3?). You know, because "it's an opportunity for the new fans to know the classics".

 

I still think it's so frustrating that Sonic Generations and Mania both were great games that reused existing levels.

If Mania had entirely new levels it would really stand apart as its own game.

I don't know why Sega feels the need to have us constantly replay green hill zone over and over again.

I'd love a Mania game with it's own levels if a new 2D Sonic ever comes out.