re: digital distribution if you guys would like, I could show you how to create a bootable USB 3.0 drive with windows on it that has steam set to offline mode, and can infinitely revert to that state, to create a permanent physical copy. So long as you have steam in offline mode and the game authenticated, you can make an image of your drive and even store it on the same drive to revert to in case steam ever gets online and needs authentication. It's a permanent authentication state. You'd only ever need to go online once to download the file and authenticate.
As much as I'd love this to become the beginning of classic Sonic renaissance I divine this game a moderate rather than overwhelming success. General audience sadly is not that much into classic Sonic gameplay/aesthetics these days. Can be wrong though.
I've got similar expectation about it. It has for sure a lot of potential to sell enough copies to be considered as success in its kind... With strong emphasis on "in its kind" - title created withsmaller amount of resources, distributed only as digital release, and rather aiming into buyers of platform/indie* games (or people with similar preferences as fans of these "types" of games). Plus oldschool fans of the franchise (the smallest group from all mentioned :P). When sum it up, it's definitelly basis to have some "limited commerciall success" and having something more in this kind. Which is definitelly a positive perspective.
I also have similar expectation about the game. I do plan to get the PC edition of the game, but if I don't get a better computer, I'll get the Xbox One edition instead. Editions aside, it certainly has to sell well. With the positive reception that we have right now, it HAS to be a good game, especially with Christian Whitehead on the roster. It will probably appeal very well with the oldschool players, with the gameplay and the references. At the same time, the graphic quality will appeal to newer fans, as well as those used to the newer games. When SEGA realizes that the fans are better than them.
What both fans and Sega need to realize is that the classic games don't appeal to older fans because they are classic. They appeal to older fans because they are good. The Genesis Sonic games are objectively good games. Sonic 1 sold 11 million copies (albeit it shipped with the genesis but still) Sonic 2 sold 6 million copies. This was in a time when video games were a niche thing. Now that video games are a multi-billion dollar industry, a sonic game is considered a hit if it sells a million copies. That seems a little off considering the past. We (and gamers as a whole) don't like classic Sonic because he's short and cyan; we like it because the Genesis games are empirically good. We old Sonic fans are a niche small market, but gamers in general like good games and the classic sonic games are good games. Presumably Mania will be as well.
Hell if Sonic 4 can sell well enough to ensure a sequel then I don't see why Mania can't be a sufficient enough sales success to ensure a series. There's a 50-page thread on here, another 50 plus page thread on NeoGAF - there's a lot of hype and buzz surrounding this game so I think its sales potential is looking bright, positive and promising. Hardcore gamers are pretty excited for the game so I can see the game selling extremely well. I'm not expecting millions of sales here but with a small development team and presumably limited budget it should sell well enough to break even and generate a profit for Sega thereby ensuring at least one sequel. It'd just be amazing if this does well enough that we get a Mania II. I'd love to see this become a successful series. Hoping for the best.
I think there is something to be said for Classic Sonic to appeal to older fans simply by nature of it being classic. Mega Man 9 is an example where it sold well based on novelty alone, especially when MM10 bombed hard. The idea of returning to a simpler time when games were 16-bit 2D sidescrollers and didn't have cutscenes, 3D space and having more than one button to have to press would appeal to the crowd that stopped playing games after 1995. I know saying "Make Sonic Great Again" feels good and dismissive of anyone who actually likes boost gameplay, but let's be real here. This is such a niche title that even if it WAS successful, there's no guarantee a sequel would be as well.
I guess the word "objective" is losing its meaning about as quickly as the word "literally" when it comes to people's opinions about video games.
I later clarify with the word "empirically". If you take public opinion, as seen by sales, One must conclude that they are good. You can have your own opinions, but some opinions are wrong e.g. "Superman 64 is a good game"
what no literally only facts can be wrong also i just used literally correctly go me (anyway "objectively" being used wrong is just one of my biggest pet peeves we shouldn't turn this thread into something about this carry on plz) (wait no i guess i might have used literally wrong depending on your perspective but whatever this has gone far too off-topic and also this isn't a discussion i am willing to have and oh god what have i done here)
There's a time and a place for pedantry. You can like Superman 64, but it is not a good game. You can dislike Sonic 1/2/3K, but they are not bad games. Fight me.
I'm not arguing with you about the definition of facts and opinions (It's actually a pet peeve of mine too). I did graduate elementary school; I know the difference. I'm just trying to say what Aerosol said.
The games reviewed extremely well at the time. They're good games and were received well critically. As well as of course being massive commercial successes too.
I think Mania would actually do quite well to out-sell Sonic 4, at least in the short-term. I mean, Sonic 4 was released on a lot of different platforms and Mania has only been announced for three so far. I've no idea what Sonic 4's sales figures were like, but it looks like both episodes sold pretty decent, right? Even if Mania turns out to be a vastly better a game I think releasing it on other platforms like; Nintendo NX and iOS/android would be the right thing to do to help boost sales, to ensure a sequel. I'd assume iOS & android should be able to handle Mania easily enough that it wouldn't be restricted high-end mobile devices?
Okay then lets be real. Modern Sonic games outweigh the classics in terms of quantity with Sonic Advance 1 really being the last time a Sonic game stayed true to it's roots. That's five games in total. Now while the 8bit games can inflate that, it's worth pointing out that these games were released along side the main series and are seen as demakes for low powered hardware. When the 8bit games went off in their own direction they started to become successively worse gameplay wise, so in a sense they gradually moved away from the roots of Classic Sonic. When Sonic 4 was announced, most of us thought that we were finally going back to the classic roots which had been slowly erroded away but it turned out to have appalling gameplay that missed the point of Sonic's classic roots, it was also creatively bankcrupt. So it's not a case of classic Sonic being a niche title. The truth is that when it comes to classic Sonic gameplay, recent Sonic team and offshoot companies that try to make classic Sonic games just suck at it and have been gradually getting worse doing it since early 2000.
Nowadays when most people say 'literally' they literally mean figuratively and use it for a logical fallactic impact. They literally do not know what literally means, and use the phrase 'i could care less' like they have ever cared for anything in their life? 7.8/10, Too Much Water. P.S. on the opposide spectrum is saying 'No pun intended' every fucking time you notice that there is a dual meaning in the sentence, and even when the pun WAS intended.
If you were hoping to get a chance to play Sonic Mania at PAX West, it's not looking likely. For those out of the loop, SEGA Europe is really distancing themselves from traditional SEGA properties, focusing on PC strategy games, and handing publishing duties of Japanese IPs to Deep Silver. Looks like I backed the wrong con to go to this year.
Recalling it now I believe Sonic 4: Episode 1 sold extremely well but Episode 2 sold a lot worse thereby causing the cancellation of Episode 3. Remember Project Needlemouse was initially planned as a trilogy but Episode 2's sales were insufficient to ensure the production of the final game. I think people evaded Episode 2 after being burned by Episode 1 which is a shame because Episode 2 is a much improved and superior game. And yes you're right more platforms will give Mania a better chance. The game really needs an NX port to capitalise on the NX launch and mobile would be great too. I would have thought Mania would easily run on most phones given it's the Retro Sonic engine that was used in the mobile ports that run on a lot of wide ranging mobile hardware. If Taxman and/or Stealth are reading this they should push for more platforms. We need this game to be a sales success to hopefully ensure a series.
