Sonic Superstars: A New 2D Sonic Game (Fall 2023)

I reserve the right to continue whining if co-op is local only. None of my homies live nearby.

 

If that's the extent of our problems with this title, I'll be glad of it.

 

That just reminds me of Flying Battery tbh, those launchers got you up a 180-degree vertical wall and through a bunch of loops for free. When I see dash pads placed in front of a hill or in front of singular loops, that's when I'll be concernced.

 

It feels so completely weird yet gratifying to have a 2D Mario and Sonic game that I'm looking forward to this Holiday.

 

I mean, they could have made it look like the Classics - but hand drawn... Like Sonic 2 HD, or the new Mario Wonder. That would have been ideal, for me at least. They both look better in my opinion.

 

First they put boosters right before loops, and I did not speak out—

Because Chemical Plant does that too, and because it's a 2.5D game in which foreground/background transitions have to be automated.​

Then they put boosters at the entrance and/or exit of those tubeways, and I did not speak out—

Because Stardust Speedway does that too.​

Then they put boosters right before vertical walls, and I did not speak out—

Because Flying Battery does that too.​

Then they put boosters everywhere—and there was no stage left to speak for me.

Martin Nieröller​

 

Looking at the Modern Amy outfit DLC reminded me of something... when did they start drawing classic Amy's headband wrong? It's just supposed to be a regular, like, plastic headband, like her modern design still has. It ends at a point just past her ears. But at some point they started portraying it as a ribbon that wraps around her head and ties at the back. And now her model in this game does the same thing, which looks weird when I take notice of it. But the modern outfit gives her back the correct headband of course, so when this comes out someone just needs to mod the default outfit to use the head model from the DLC outfit.

Honestly I think all the models could really use a once over to fix minor issues really, but overall Sonic seems to look better than he did in Generations, so it isn't all bad. Tails needs a longer snout though. Character models will undoubtedly get all sorts of mods so I'm sure there will be plenty of options around.

 

Mario Wonder isn't hand-drawn. It has the impression of it but it still uses the same type of models and tiles as the other NSMB games.

 

I'll dare argue that music was even better than the work he did on Mania, which is no surprise seeing as the lack of retro constraints (in creative direction) coupled with an ever increasing expertise would lead to a better flow of creative juices

What's surprising is how given the high quality of these music pieces, SEGA instead decided to -- yet again (and unfortunately) -- use one of those tired, generic and uninspired Hyper Potions-like songs for their own version of the trailer. Just baffling.

 

Really hate how that God awful Hyper Potions track became the main theme Sonic Mania is associated with

 

Full key art:
https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1671675952559198209

 

What a timeline we live in where we have a brand-new, great-looking 2D Sonic game made with modern conventions and brand new, interesting game mechanics.

And then a brand-new 2D Mario game with literally the exact same philosophy. They even both have layer swapping! Platformer fans are feasting right now.

 

Co-op fans are definitely feasting. Dying for new games.

 

I know this is partly a joke, but those are all legitimate responses to immediate concern over boosters that don't actually change anything about the core classic gameplay. We really do have to keep in mind that HydroCity has a hand that picks you up and brings you to a full stop, charges up a burst of speed, and then sends you flying, and these were sometimes placed at the TOP of hills and other places where you didn't even need them.

 

That's rough. Sounds like you could use a booster in this trying time. Have as many as you'd like. More even.

Mmm, I might not describe it that way, considering its almost as authentically classic as it can get down to the movement. The addition of co-op is something, and there are some new mechanics here and there, but I think the most prominent contrast between the two games is that one is finally moving forward after a series of iterative sequels and the other is finally going back full-heartedly after being a segment of other experiences and adopting different movement physics for a long time.

 

The bigger issue is people calling the Magnetic Shield an electric shield.

This distinction is lost on so many people. The Sonic Advance Revamp project even gave it the jump effect the electric shield has and I've seen other projects do the same and even remove it underwater. It's very annoying to me, especially because it's my favorite shield.

I can't tell if you meant Checkpoint or Friends but both are the only tracks that bring good feelings in association with Mania, so I'm obligated to defend them. So here I am. Defending them.

 

It is partly a joke, but also these responses can only be legitimate for so long -- in all these cases, they are like the only stage in the entire game that uses boosters at all, and for a very specific reason: that stage does something with Sonic's core gameplay that no other stage does, evoking a specific feeling related to how speedy they are. If all stages do that, and all basically the same way, then it does change a lot about the core classic gameplay. Same thing with Hidrocity, not to mention the hand things DO bring you to a full stop, which can even make you vulnerable for a little bit of time there (I have a memory of already having been hit by a flying shark because of that before, but maybe this memory is completely fabricated).

Of course, since this isn't exactly core classic gameplay, and neither should it be anyway, this doesn't matter as much. But I mean, you can't just have boosters everywhere and claim Sonic always did that, because it didn't.

 

Yeah but when you say "those responses can only be legitimate for so long" you are insinuating there is an unironic dashpads takeover and there are a bunch of these things hidden in the stages that we just haven't seen yet. Saying "you can't just have boosters everywhere" feels like doomposting because well... they're not everywhere. "But what if they WERE everywhere" isn't really saying anything, because we haven't seen them everywhere.

And while those gimmicks may have a different coat of paint, they do nearly the same thing in all iterations. The launchers in FBZ just thrust sonic forward and he goes flying up a wall and through several loops. The dashpads in Chemical Plant just launch Sonic through loops for free. The dashpads and pipes in SSZ just launch Sonic forward for free. The hands in HCZ just launch Sonic forward, and maybe I had a different experience but I don't think I got hit while on the hand, if anything that's just more of a demonstration that you can even get hit and still just touch the hand and get full speed back.

 

This looks damn good! 12 zones is like the perfect amount, and with them being all original I'm hoping for a really solid, memorable adventure.