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

[Fr0zenanus]

Before this thread got derailed, i was kinda gonna suggest the reused levels in this game. were going to be some lost-levels from the ports. Whitehead/Steatlh were involved in. possibly one's that weren't programmed at all from the start?

i wasn't too interested in this game before, but more interesting zones that get very few references. like Starlight or Marble.  along with others from Sonic CD. would color me a little more interested. maybe for the steam/pc version maybe. don't know the collection's edition, makes me think it's for all available versions of the game >.<

and i do know this is a classic-fan made game, but i also be interested in classic-versions of modern characters in this game. partially as DLC. or Pre-Order bonuses (and i know that's kinda an bad-word for gamers, but that kind of advertisement couldn't hurt. if the pre-orders set as DLC was available at an low price.)

Edited October 2, 2016 by Fr0zenanus
accidently place another "the" in front of another.

[Pawn]

I've noticed a lot of people saying that, with there being less new levels than revisited ones, that we'll likely only see 9 levels in total (including 5 old, one from each classic) or it would have to come up to a massive number with at least 10 classic levels (2 from each), as though the same number has to be picked from each game. I don't think we have any reason to believe that though. We could end up with 2 each from Sonic 1 and 2 and one each from the others, making 7. Add 6 new levels and you end up with 13, which is pretty damn big for a Sonic game and a lot easier to imagine than over 15.

[Pixel]

It's also possible that it could be 75% Classic Levels and 25% new levels. I wouldn't rule out that it isn't a half and half affair.

As in, we could see 10 returning levels and 3 new ones.

[Zippo]

Here's hoping we finally get to see this baby in action.

[Pixel]

I'm also hoping to see more of cut content, given the Whitehead spruce up. It was a shame we never got Desert Dazzle in Whitehead's CD.

[TKD_Tarantino]

I think I may be the only one that would like to see some homages to Adventure or Adventure 2. Maybe in the form of a 16 bit reimagined stage from one of the games, or a reference to the plot of those games in some way.

[Pixel]

I can't say I'm ecstatic to see Adventure get representation and especially not the plot. I'd prefer the games recall Sonic's Classic prime.

[Diogenes]

I expect the game will be set before SA, so referencing things from the Adventures wouldn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. I mean, obviously the locations would still exist, but they don't hold any relevance to the characters before those games happen.

[TKD_Tarantino]

1 minute ago, Diogenes said:

I expect the game will be set before SA, so referencing things from the Adventures wouldn't make a whole lot of sense anyway. I mean, obviously the locations would still exist, but they don't hold any relevance to the characters before those games happen.

But that's exactly what I mean. In my head, there's very little connection between the classic franchise and the adventure series. That makes me wonder if there was any story as to how the main characters first encountered Station Square or started Tails' workshop in the Mystic Ruins. I think I'd like to see some connection to those locations that hint at the future of the series going into the adventure series. Or something along those lines.

[Indigo Rush]

A good chunk of Sonic Adventure takes place on Angel Island, and it's story expounds on the background info in the manuals for Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, so the connection was pretty apparent to me. Sonic even revisits Ice Cap. 

Wouldn't object to seeing a Mystic Ruins Zone, mind.

[Diogenes]

Most Sonic games don't have much in the way of connections anyway, there's basically never any explanation for why Sonic's gone wherever he ends up. And personally I'd prefer that whatever amount of time they spend on storytelling they put towards the game's actual story, not continuity housekeeping.

[Fr0zenanus]

like the game or not, Sonic Adventure 1. had the most inspired levels/environments since Sonic CD. they have potential to look wonderful in an 2D side scroller environment based on the genesis games. and where i'm not putting down Whitehead mind you. but he would be wise to form interesting ideas from sonic games other than the first 3-4 genesis games, like what he's doing with studiopolis. 

[TKD_Tarantino]

6 minutes ago, Indigo Rush said:

Wouldn't object to seeing a Mystic Ruins Zone, mind.

I think you just verbalized what I couldn't haha. But that's exactly where my mind was taking me, something along the lines of that sort of thing. And the level could make reference to the Adventure series using it's stage design.

[Diogenes]

1 minute ago, Fr0zenanus said:

like the game or not, Sonic Adventure 1. had the most inspired levels/environments since Sonic CD.

...SA's level tropes are all pretty tame. A beach, a green hilly area, a casino, snow level, lava level, ruins level, wing fortress again...it's really not anything we hadn't seen before in the series. Studiopolis alone is a more unique setting than anything in SA, so I don't think there's any need to look to it for creative inspiration.

[Salamander]

1 hour ago, Pawn said:

I've noticed a lot of people saying that, with there being less new levels than revisited ones, that we'll likely only see 9 levels in total (including 5 old, one from each classic) or it would have to come up to a massive number with at least 10 classic levels (2 from each), as though the same number has to be picked from each game. I don't think we have any reason to believe that though. We could end up with 2 each from Sonic 1 and 2 and one each from the others, making 7. Add 6 new levels and you end up with 13, which is pretty damn big for a Sonic game and a lot easier to imagine than over 15.

I personally don't want to get my hopes up - but given that we've seen Green Hill an awful lot over the years, then I could definitely see us getting more than one Sonic 1 zone.  That's the only game for which the mandatory revisit isn't really all that special, whereas for every other game it's more a question of there being too many good candidates for a return.

...I don't have a lot of nostalgia for Sonic 1, specifically, but it'd be nice if Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 could be redone as not a Labyrinth recolour.

[TKD_Tarantino]

6 minutes ago, Fr0zenanus said:

like the game or not, Sonic Adventure 1. had the most inspired levels/environments since Sonic CD. they have potential to look wonderful in an 2D side scroller environment based on the genesis games.

I agree that the level design in SA  was a very creative game especially when it came to the levels. There are many levels of depth from the different characters and the objects of their stages. What I mean by that is there are multiple ways to play the same stage and that adds a new layer of depth to the game and makes it feel fresh and new. Especially the differences between the Sonic stages and Knuckles stages where the goal is completely different. I always enjoyed the exploration of the Knuckles level and the fast-paced tone of the Sonic ones.

1 minute ago, Diogenes said:

...SA's level tropes are all pretty tame. A beach, a green hilly area, a casino, snow level, lava level, ruins level, wing fortress again...it's really not anything we hadn't seen before in the series. Studiopolis alone is a more unique setting than anything in SA, so I don't think there's any need to look to it for creative inspiration.

I absolutely agree that there is still the same basic structure to the levels, but I do believe that these stages felt fresh because of the new ideas that the jump to 3D gave the creators. In my opinion, some of the environments would make great Genesis style stages. It would make me really excited to see the whale from Emerald Coast be in a 2D side scrolling stage and the changing of gravity from Crazy Gadget in SA2.

[Pixel]

Yeah Sonic Adventure's levels aren't very exciting in terms of creativity. Adventure 2 is better, but I'd honestly just want to stick to the classics.

Mania is a continuation of the Classic formula, I'd rather see them build upon what the classics established rather than reference the wildly different 3D style.

[Safka]

I understand that Mania would conflict with the timeline to include Adventure callbacks, but hey, who cares :p .

Besides, it could be done in a more subtle way. Perhaps a reference to City Escape in a new city level, like running past a City Escape-esque park of something.

I think a reference to Adventure would be cool, it's always exciting to see sprite renditions of classic 3D titles.

[Diogenes]

2 minutes ago, TKD_Tarantino said:

In my opinion, some of the environments would make great Genesis style stages.

So would a million other things, though, and I don't see any need or reason to pull from them specifically.

2 minutes ago, TKD_Tarantino said:

It would make me really excited to see the whale from Emerald Coast be in a 2D side scrolling stage

Gens 3DS already did it. Honestly I've seen enough references to the whale chase, it wasn't even that interesting in the first place.

2 minutes ago, TKD_Tarantino said:

and the changing of gravity from Crazy Gadget in SA2.

S3&K's Death Egg did it first.

[Pixel]

And just as a sidenote, Diogenes is right, the whale section was never that exciting.

I'd rather see Mania step high above the best parts of Adventure.

[Fr0zenanus]

4 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

...SA's level tropes are all pretty tame. A beach, a green hilly area, a casino, snow level, lava level, ruins level, wing fortress again...it's really not anything we hadn't seen before in the series. Studiopolis alone is a more unique setting than anything in SA, so I don't think there's any need to look to it for creative inspiration.

it's not what tropes they are, it's what they was placed inside the levels.  from they were inspired from. what colors they have. how deep craters are, what loops look like. why there's a watchtower. why tails has an house. trains. an themepark in the middle of an city next to the sea. an bumper-car area in doors with all kinds of metal and bright colors et etc etc.. like i previous said "like it or not" it oozes the same charm squaresoft games in the 90s have

[Cyrus]

The likelyhood of the game referencing anything past Sonic 3 is waaaay low. I'd like to see Wacky Workbench, without the bounciness of course, set between it's "present" look in Sonic CD and its transition to the good future. Specifically Wacky Workbench because I love the pastel-ish neon future daycare design it has in the good future.

[JosepHenry]

Something I really want to see is more Sonic 2 and 3 styled levels, because Sonic CD was a bit too... Jumpy? Like, Little Planet feels more like a amusement park rather than... places. Sonic Before and After the Sequel did that well in my opinion (Even if it was reusing old assets) with stages like Metro Madness, Foliage Furnace and Horizon Heights. Those stages have some nice atmosfere that Sonic CD IN MY OPINION didn't have....

Sure the fantastic music add a lot.

[Sonictrainer]

If a level from Sonic CD is remixed, will it still have the Past and Future Signposts/time travel mechanic?

[Cyrus]

As long as there's no machine hunting, I'd love it.