Sonic Mania (August 15th 2017, Christian Whitehead, PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch) - The New Classic

[Mark1]

Hard to believe how surreal it is to have so much faith in a Sonic game again. Have so little in terms of concern in comparison to anything else in the past 15-20 years. 

I truly believe this game will get some GOTY nominations. I really do, and this is going by how little we've seen of this game.

Just waiting to see a boss fight plus special/bonus stages now, so I can hopefully have faith in those aspects of Mania as well.

Sake. When are we getting that release date announcement....? ?

[CleverSonicUsername]

1 hour ago, Kintor said:

Calling one game a rehash and the other a clear message is largely a matter of perspective. Not that the nuances of such a discussion seems to making much of an impression, only the blunt message 'reimagined level = bad' seems to be gaining traction. It's actually darkly amusing when you think about it. The negative rhetoric used against Sonic Forces in some corners is starting to backfire; when the same ideas can just as easily be applied to Sonic Mania by anyone who wants to do so, now that those sorts of value judgement arguments are being freely used. It's a dangerous situation when the majority of Sonic Mania's levels are apparently reimagined zones, there's no telling how the always crazy Sonic fanbase will react to the next Sonic Mania trailer if it's another 'rehashed' stage.

I don't see how. Force's take on Green Hill feels souless, clunkly, and audibly poor. Mania seems to have thought, care, and attention to detail. Forces seems bland and uninspired, whereas Mania feels vibrant and dynamic.

And even if you don't agree and think the reverse, that's fine too, because that would be your opinion and it's every bit as valid as people believing the disparity sways the other direction.

[Chris Knopps]

Guys...

You see how hell is breaking lose here...?

Pause for a moment...

Now imagine this happening in Flying Battery when the whole thing starts falling apart in the second act...

Run hog, run.

Run thread, run.

Let happy times be here again.

[Zippo]

E3 is a sure bet for the release date announcement, among other things. I'm sure we'll get new stage reveals, nee details and a new playable demo. If there is a physical release coming, i also see it being announced next month. They probably gave us that new Flying Battery footage as a sampler of all the news to come at E3.

 

[molul]

3 minutes ago, Zippo said:

E3 is a sure bet for the release date announcement, among other things. I'm sure we'll get new stages, details and a playable demo. They probably gave us that flying battery footage as a sampler for all the news to come at E3.

 

Totally agree. E3 is The Right Moment to launch the definitive announcement (date, number of stages, maybe that new item, etc). One month from now.

[CleverSonicUsername]

5 minutes ago, molul said:

Totally agree. E3 is The Right Moment to launch the definitive announcement (date, number of stages, maybe that new item, etc). One month from now.

From the Flying Battery post on the Sonic tumblr page:

Quote

Tagged: #We know the wait is pretty grueling. #we don't even have a release date yet #but when can we talk about that? #the answer is soon friends

So yeah, probably slightly before E3, during, or right after.

[TheOcelot]

30 minutes ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

So yeah, probably slightly before E3, during, or right after.

Perhaps the release date might be announced a day or two before E3. Then they show-off a more up-to-date build with footage of some of the acts we've seen at E3 (hopefully we get to hear the full GH act2 remix) and also reveal the new zone they teased at SXSW, which I like to call "Clockwork zone" XD

 

...and the release date will be the 23rd June; the 26th anniversary of Sonic 1. Would be a rather fitting date to release Mania  

 

Of course they might announce the release date on the 23rd June....

[CleverSonicUsername]

June is still Spring, so that's not happening. July would be the earliest possible time, August seems the most likely to me.

I do think we'll get one probably just before, since a lot of announcements tend to predate the actual conference by a few days now. I don't know about them showing off the new zone, but they did mention a few times that we'd see Green Hill Act 2's boss at some point, so I think we'll probably get a playthrough of a more current build that showcases that and bonus stages/special stages.

God willing we actually get a motherfucking level count too. That's the other big thing I want to know before going on a full media blackout.

Edit: As an aside, I do think they announced Mania too early. I get why they did since it was a big anniversary party (complete with Totino's pizza rolls!) They don't want to reveal much, and I'm grateful for that, but we're nearing a full year since the announcement and there's still a lot we just don't know about this game. I imagine they've been sitting on a lot of info they've wanted to drop, but couldn't because the release date was uncertain.

[TheOcelot]

15 minutes ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

June is still Spring, so that's not happening. July would be the earliest possible time, August seems the most likely to me. media blackout.

Actually Spring officially ends on 21 June when Summer starts. So, 23 June is a Summer release date!

...but yeah, a July release seems more likely.

15 minutes ago, CleverSonicUsername said:

God willing we actually get a motherfucking level count too. That's the other big thing I want to know before going on a full media blackout.

I don't think we will. Gens & Sonic 4 were exceptions of course but normally the level count in Sonic games is not revealed prior to release. Personally, I hope they don't reveal the number. I want to be surprised when I play the game. Already knowing I'm near the end would weaken the experience. A level count isn't needed IMO.

It's more exciting this way. 

[Salamander]

11 hours ago, Gemster312 said:

Please re-read the quote. You aren't promised that all the classic levels will be "almost completely unrecognizable".

I never said that they did.  I'll break this down for you more clearly: We know that there will be levels plural which will be "almost completely unrecognizable".  Therefore, any classic level which has yet to be revealed has the potential to be among those almost completely unrecognizable levels.  If a person is more interested in the prospect of almost completely unrecognizable levels, they will be disappointed by the reveal of a classic level which is almost completely identical.  The reverse also applies; I do not deny the existence of people who would be legitimately disappointed to see an old level changed almost beyond recognition, and nor have I ever indicated they would be wrong to feel that way.  Both responses are legitimate and evidence-based.

I will go further, though.  Even if the evidence I presented in my previous post did not exist, then in the absence of a hypothetical statement to the effect that "all classic levels will be more or less identical to the originals," it would be legitimate for people to be disappointed in identical levels so long as the possibility had not been ruled out.  I will go further still: Even had such a hypothetical statement existed, it would be legitimate for people to express disappointment at the choice of direction for the Mania project.

As an entirely personal note, I will say that it is fortunate that no such statement exists.  I have been guaranteed multiple "almost unrecognizable" levels, and I look forward to experiencing them.  Until then, I am within my rights to be disappointed by their absence, just as other people are within their rights to appreciate the material presented.

[Blue Blood]

You know, I really have to wonder what state the game was when SEGA approved a delay. I've absolutely no doubt that the delay is going to be worth it and am glad that the team don't have to rush it, but I'm just curious about how much extra work needed doing. 

[Blue Wisp]

3 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

You know, I really have to wonder what state the game was when SEGA approved a delay. I've absolutely no doubt that the delay is going to be worth it and am glad that the team don't have to rush it, but I'm just curious about how much extra work needed doing. 

After what happened the last time they released a game without delaying it, I'm sure SEGA would spare no expense to delay a game even if the amount of work needed is minimal.

[Blue Blood]

10 minutes ago, Ariel the Blue Wisp said:

After what happened the last time they released a game without delaying it, I'm sure SEGA would spare no expense to delay a game even if the amount of work needed is minimal.

Are you talking and RoL or '06? Both games were pretty rotten to the core, and delaying then would have been akin to polishing a turd. You know, like when they delayed S4E1. Mania on the other hand is clearly going to be a fantastic, fairly sizeable game.

[TheOcelot]

20 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

You know, I really have to wonder what state the game was when SEGA approved a delay. I've absolutely no doubt that the delay is going to be worth it and am glad that the team don't have to rush it, but I'm just curious about how much extra work needed doing. 

SEGA's change in policy to start delaying games instead of rushing out content is the best decision they've made in years.

At this point in the development cycle I'd have thought a delay would be more towards ironing out any glitches/game breaking bugs. It's too late to add new level content etc. Maybe the delay is partly to do with the alleged custcenes? Or just to add some unlockable extras? 

Spoiler

Unlockable Sonic CD, 1 & 2 remastered pretty please 

Wonder if the art Naoto is working on was planned from the beginning or is a late decision because of the delay?

[BubbleButt TV]

10 hours ago, OcelotBot said:

...and the release date will be the 23rd June; the 26th anniversary of Sonic 1. Would be a rather fitting date to release Mania  

 

Of course they might announce the release date on the 23rd June....

Considering that the Crash Bandicoot remakes release on June 30th, I think it'd be pretty neat if the game released in late June/early July. That way Sonic can finally compete with Crash in a way that he never got to back on the SEGA Saturn.

[Blue Wisp]

15 minutes ago, Blue Blood said:

Are you talking and RoL or '06? Both games were pretty rotten to the core, and delaying then would have been akin to polishing a turd. You know, like when they delayed S4E1. Mania on the other hand is clearly going to be a fantastic, fairly sizeable game.

I forgot Rise of Lyric even existed. Was talking about 06.

While it looks like a fantastic game, I would wait until the actual game releases. Sure, it probably WILL be a great game, but I'm not taking risks until I can play Sonic Mania by myself.

And bingeplay it non-stop for a week of course.  

[Pawn]

12 minutes ago, BubbleButt TV said:

Considering that the Crash Bandicoot remakes release on June 30th, I think it'd be pretty neat if the game released in late June/early July. That way Sonic can finally compete with Crash in a way that he never got to back on the SEGA Saturn.

I don't think they're going to appeal to the same audience, though. Many people prefer 2D or 3D over the other and both games are aimed at very specific fanbases as well. They'll be some crossover I guess, but I'd have thought it would be minimal.

[Blue Blood]

10 minutes ago, Ariel the Blue Wisp said:

I forgot Rise of Lyric even existed. Was talking about 06.

While it looks like a fantastic game, I would wait until the actual game releases. Sure, it probably WILL be a great game, but I'm not taking risks until I can play Sonic Mania by myself.

And bingeplay it non-stop for a week of course.  

Fair enough. I've seen enough of Mania and know enough about the history of the developers to say that I've got 100% confidence. Unlike Sonic Team and Dimps, Tax and Co' have an unblemished track record. It's only really matter of how amazing the game is going to be, not if it's going to be amazing at all.

But that's all subjective, obviously. Normally I wouldn't be so optimistic about any upcoming game, not would I advocate it. 

[BubbleButt TV]

5 minutes ago, Pawn said:

I don't think they're going to appeal to the same audience, though. Many people prefer 2D or 3D over the other and both games are aimed at very specific fanbases as well. They'll be some crossover I guess, but I'd have thought it would be minimal.

You're right, they're very different flavours now that I think about it

[Zippo]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

You know, I really have to wonder what state the game was when SEGA approved a delay. I've absolutely no doubt that the delay is going to be worth it and am glad that the team don't have to rush it, but I'm just curious about how much extra work needed doing. 

They apparently needed quite a bit of extra help, going by Iizuka's quote, they have added some new staff members to come in and help with development. 

[Blue Blood]

27 minutes ago, Zippo said:

They apparently needed quite a bit of extra help, going by Iizuka's quote, they have added some new staff members to come in and help with development. 

Erm, what quote? If we're thinking about the same thing, what Iizuka said was basically that he's giving advice here and there, but the team is basically doing their own thing. Don't recall anything about more staff bring brought on board.

[JezMM]

I wouldn't be able to find a source but I'm sure I remember a general sense of news that the team had been expanded - just literally for lack of a better term, lackeys to be bossed around and help finish up the game.

[Jango]

I don't think they're going to appeal to the same audience, though. Many people prefer 2D or 3D over the other and both games are aimed at very specific fanbases as well. They'll be some crossover I guess, but I'd have thought it would be minimal.

You're right, they're very different flavours now that I think about it

 

But they both taste delicious.

[molul]

It would be cool if the delay was in part to add sone extras, like a Sonic 3 skin for Sonic

[CleverSonicUsername]

1 hour ago, Blue Blood said:

Erm, what quote? If we're thinking about the same thing, what Iizuka said was basically that he's giving advice here and there, but the team is basically doing their own thing. Don't recall anything about more staff bring brought on board.

I think it was an interview in a japanese magazine where it was said that more staff was brought on board. But that's not unlike a game nearing the end of development and I think people are probably reading too deeply into it.