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Sonic Mania (8-15-2017, SEGA/Taxman/Headcannon/PagodaWest, PS4/XB1/PC/NX)

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What minute and second was supose to be the end of act 1? Dont recall:S

Around 1:15 is when it starts to look different to me. Maybe a little after. Basically when he does that big jump and gets all those rings in the air.

Just did a quick run through of Act 1 on my 3DS and there is a tiny bit more to the original stage after that jump but the jump basically is the end of the level.
 
Kinda have to wonder, if the same game came out and all they said was "SEGA" instead of "Christian Whitehead and Stealth and company", would there still be the "fangame" comments? To me the only reason it seems 'fangamey' is because I know it's by people who got famous for making fan projects. It looks professional, it looks polished, it looks amazing. If that's your definition of "fan gamey" please direct me to your most played fangames :V
 
I couldn't ask for more, this is the type of official Sonic game I've wanted for years. It looks amazing and that wait is going to be killer.
 
It's clear most people here haven't played the Taxman ports if they're questioning the level design too, here's the hidden content over the years in their port...

Desert Dazzle (Unfinished)
https://youtu.be/sbWeIikEi0c

Hidden Palace Zone
https://youtu.be/9cG3ZWCvr38

Egg Gaunlet Zone
https://youtu.be/YSrEAVFnKc0

As for questioning the new art and if it'll fit, well, Tails sprites were completely new in Sonic CD:
https://youtu.be/bHMA7x9Tnao

And don't forget the hidden special stages:
https://youtu.be/R7qbidxNXy8

Give those videos a watch before questioning if these are the right people to be handling a new classic sonic game.
For real. I've played through all of his iOS ports on my iPad with a controller, and they're truly amazing. You really get a sense for how much he respects the source material and understands what made the 2D Sonic games fun. I really have high hopes for Mania knowing he's on board
 
Heh, they're going to have to make changes to this badnik or it will definitely dethrone the Metropolis Zone trio as most annoying badnik:

GrossUncommonAcaciarat-size_restricted.gif


It's a snail that hangs on walls and shoots out a burst of film squares that hurt Sonic when he touches them. They float down slowly and don't disappear until they reach the bottom of the screen. It fires at a rate where it can create a very hard to penetrate cloud of death. There was a video where a player was just trying to progress but the raining film squares was making it unfairly hard to reach a necessary platform.
 
Amazing stuff shown! This is what I wanted from Sonic 4 back then.

Glad the elemental shields are in!

Only 2 things I wonder about:

1.) Are there special stages?

2.) If the above is yes, are there Super transformations for the characters?
 
Its a total bummer they already used the Sonic 4 name for some trashy game.


Will keep a eye on this but its sega & sonic so wont get my hopes up. There is always a big stinking catch.

I don't think there's a catch here. The "fan made" element is the only reason this is as good as it is. Sonic Team wants to make dumb 3d talking xenomorph.. Meanwhile, Sonic's true legacy continues in the Whitehead ports and Sonic Mania. So psyched.

But yeah, what a fucking disaster using the name Sonic 4 on that crap two episode thingy. What a misstep that was.
 
what is really amazing in teh end is that it took sega this long to realize what made people like sonic.

they have the game code, is it that damn hard to just use similar physics and get level designers to make sonic levels/
 
Gamexplain with 10 minutes of gameplay, just uploaded apparently:

https://youtu.be/u1nQxH3kugg

Studiopolis comes off incredibly well here. Lot of unique stage gimmicks integrated into the level, there's a complexity in its alternate paths and movement options but its always very readable and coherent, never dips into Sonic CD cluttered messiness. Lot of opportunity for speed, platforming, exploration, power-ups, extra rings. And we can't hear it in this video but the music sounds awesome. And the physics are just right, the sense of momentum. Love seeing the elemental shields back, the Sonic CD style animation for for vertical springs and the figure 8 legs. All the classic Sega references scattered about.

Everything about it just looks fantastic. I can't believe this shit exists, i had given hope of ever getting a proper follow-up to the Genesis games particular blend of controls/sound/visuals/level design...but here we are.
 
Heh, they're going to have to make changes to this badnik or it will definitely dethrone the Metropolis Zone trio as most annoying badnik:

GrossUncommonAcaciarat-size_restricted.gif


It's a snail that hangs on walls and shoots out a burst of film squares that hurt Sonic when he touches them. They float down slowly and don't disappear until they reach the bottom of the screen. It fires at a rate where it can create a very hard to penetrate cloud of death. There was a video where a player was just trying to progress but the raining film squares was making it unfairly hard to reach a necessary platform.

Couldn't you just use one of sonic's instant acceleration techniques (like a quick spindash) to slip by before they hit the ground?
 
Oh, they're bringing back the elemental bubbles. Nice!

The more it feels like an evolution from 3&K, the more it'll feel like a true Sonic 4.

Kinda have to wonder, if the same game came out and all they said was "SEGA" instead of "Christian Whitehead and Stealth and company", would there still be the "fangame" comments? To me the only reason it seems 'fangamey' is because I know it's by people who got famous for making fan projects. It looks professional, it looks polished, it looks amazing. If that's your definition of "fan gamey" please direct me to your most played fangames :V

How Sonic rotates around loops looks off, because it's real rotation (usual in fangames) and not pre-made sprites that give the illusion of it (classic games).

That's what stood out most for me, but I'm sure others can provides more examples.
 
How Sonic rotates around loops looks off, because it's real rotation (usual in fangames) and not pre-made sprites that give the illusion of it (classic games).

That's what stood out most for me, but I'm sure others can provides more examples.




Disagree. I really love the real rotation, which gives it a modern feel.
 
Kinda have to wonder, if the same game came out and all they said was "SEGA" instead of "Christian Whitehead and Stealth and company", would there still be the "fangame" comments? To me the only reason it seems 'fangamey' is because I know it's by people who got famous for making fan projects. It looks professional, it looks polished, it looks amazing. If that's your definition of "fan gamey" please direct me to your most played fangames :V

Honestly, if all they had said was "SEGA," I wouldn't be excited in the least. Whereas just knowing that they're bringing in someone else, anyone else, to help makes me think things might be different - for the better - this time. And I don't even know who these other studios are.
 
How Sonic rotates around loops looks off, because it's real rotation (usual in fangames) and not pre-made sprites that give the illusion of it (classic games).

That's what stood out most for me, but I'm sure others can provides more examples.

Just complain enough prior to release and maybe they will make it a toggle.

(I know Freedom Planet for example had this exact same discussion)

Wouldn't they have been better off adding some nuance to the experience? Then again maybe they haven't shown everything.

To the neo-GHZ or the new zone?
 
Can't watch videos where I am right now, but reading these comments is getting me really excited. Sounds like Sega really is listening to its fans, by responding to high-quality fangames with a contract and a budget, rather than a C&D. This is the way it should be!

And to all of those who are suggesting that releasing only on non-Nintendo platforms is a bad decision: please remember that the majority of its potential audience* owns non-Nintendo platforms. If you want this game to succeed, it is much more important to release it on the non-Nintendo platforms. I'm not hating on Nintendo platforms, but look at the overall state of the market right now. Please understand.

* The potential audience consists of gamers who own consoles or PCs, and who enjoyed the Sonic games originally made 20-25 years ago, who enjoy retro-style games, and who enjoy 2D platformers. Like it or not, most games of this type are available on non-Nintendo platforms. Heck, the official Sonic CD remaster that came out a few years ago (and was powered by the same dude behind this game) is currently playable on PC, PS3, 360 and X1, as well as Android and iOS, but not on any Nintendo platform. Lastly, let's not kid ourselves...please don't pretend that none of the folks still buying Nintendo consoles don't also buy at least one of the others.
 
I remember reading a few years ago at the Sega Forums, in the wake of the aftermath of Sonic 4, when someone (a guy by the name of Copley Hill Zone) said that the only way to get a classic Sonic sequel would be to make it yourself and hope that it goes official, with Taxman's Sonic CD re-release referred to as the example.

Funny how that works.

Massive respect to Taxman, Stealth, PadogaWest Games, Tee Loops, and everyone else in SoA that got this off the ground. Save for a few personal nitpicks (digital download project, lack of Nintendo console release --so far--, and use of sprites), this is otherwise virtually everything I've wanted out of a Sonic game in years.

I still can't believe it's actually happening to be honest. I'm absolutely stoked.

Between this and Sonic Mega Drive (and maybe what classic Sonic's appearance in Sonic 2017 may entail --emphasis on the maybe--), it feels downright good to be a Genesis Sonic fan.
 
It's nice to see far more hype for this release over the other game they announced. People for the most part know what's up.
 
Disagree. I really love the real rotation, which gives it a modern feel.

Yeah! That really stood out to me. I felt like I was back in the 90s looking at a new Sonic game that would have come out in the Saturn or some unreleased Sega system that never was. I mean it really felt like this was the next Sonic sequel! Had the old look but still looked all new.
 
What could they do to avoid making this look like a fan game?
Stop using touched up sprites from the Sonic prototypes, Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix. The blue leg blur running animation, the fist pump end animation, the score/time/rings text, the life icon, the blue ring box, the CD Sonic sprite with heavier colour/shading - they're literally all staples of fangames dating back to the early 00s. It's not exactly a bad thing, but it comes across as a bit too unprofessional.
 
It's nice to see far more hype for this release over the other game they announced. People for the most part know what's up.

Which one? Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice? Lego Dimensions? Or "Project 2017"?

Well, concerning the latter, it's unfair to think a game for which just a brief CG teaser was shown would generate the same amount of "hype"/discussion as a game that had a playable demo, soundtrack and all.

Personally, I'm very much looking forward to "Project 2017", but there just isn't much to talk about yet (it doesn't even have a real name yet!). As for Sonic Boom: no comment.
 
Yeah! That really stood out to me. I felt like I was back in the 90s looking at a new Sonic game that would have come out in the Saturn or some unreleased Sega system that never was. I mean it really felt like this was the next Sonic sequel! Had the old look but still looked all new.



Yeah, exactly the feeling I got. Like the move from Sonic 2 to 3 for the Sonic sprite.
These animations really makes me feel like this is Sonic using either 32x hardware or Saturn.
 
That makes it 25 year old DLC.

Not what I asked. I'm legit curious as to what he meant by 'nuance'.

It's nice to see far more hype for this release over the other game they announced. People for the most part know what's up.

To be fair, there was barely anything shown of Project 2017. Classic + Modern sonic, perhaps a grimdark setting to begin with, that's it. If they'd shown gameplay, had a demo of two stages and a sampling of the music actually in the game (e.g. what Mania brought to the show floor) you'd have far more discussion on that, and while it might still ring true that Mania commands more attention just because of what it means for the franchise and community, it'd be much more of a fair comparison.
 
Stop using touched up sprites from the Sonic prototypes, Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix. The blue leg blur running animation, the fist pump end animation, the score/time/rings text, the life icon, the blue ring box, the CD Sonic sprite with heavier colour/shading - they're literally all staples of fangames dating back to the early 00s.

I feel like if hey had just straight up cribbed sprites from the (final releases of) the Genesis games, people would still be railing on them for not having enough new assets. Probably wouldn't stop the fan game look complaints, either.
 
Oh, they're bringing back the elemental bubbles. Nice!

The more it feels like an evolution from 3&K, the more it'll feel like a true Sonic 4.



How Sonic rotates around loops looks off, because it's real rotation (usual in fangames) and not pre-made sprites that give the illusion of it (classic games).

That's what stood out most for me, but I'm sure others can provides more examples.

Didn't the Sonic Advance games had real sprite rotation too? I like it and it gives to the "Saturn" feel (with the added animation and color)
 
Stop using touched up sprites from the Sonic prototypes, Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix. The blue leg blur running animation, the fist pump end animation, the score/time/rings text, the life icon, the blue ring box, the CD Sonic sprite with heavier colour/shading - they're literally all staples of fangames dating back to the early 00s. It's not exactly a bad thing, but it comes across as a bit too unprofessional.

All these "stapes of fangames" are just... things inspired by classic Sonic games, which makes sense to include in what is basically a love letter to classic Sonic!

And the overall sprite isn't just a reshaded version of Sonic CD's (which was mostly just the Sonic 1 sprite with new animations anyway), though certainly things like the spring animation and peel-out are inspired by Sonic CD's.
 
Stop releasing games that can work perfectly fine on PS3/XB360.

I am one of those guys that still games last gem cuz there's so many games that came out on PS3 worth playing. I would like to see more consistent experiences on PS4 where you are actually utilizing the power of the system you are paying for. Games like Sonic Mania are the reasons why it took so long for us to jump to this generation.
I thought this was the fastest selling generation (admittedly it's slowed down beyond belief over the last year though)
 
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