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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True

Hard to believe the last 2D sprite based Sonic I've played was Sonic Advance. I've played plenty of 3D Sonic games (and Sonic 4, whatever the heck that was), but it'll be nice to return to sprites.

Pretty excited to play this tonight. Going to be a lot of deep, heavy nostalgia for me. Sonic 2 was one of the first videos I ever played.
 

Branduil

Member
Beat the game, it's fantastic as expected.

I kind of wish they had put more than just Blue Sphere stages in the signposts though, I started getting really tired of playing them about halfway through the game. The giant ring special stages are much better, but extremely hard. I only got
4 emeralds
on my first playthrough.
 

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
The levels have been absolute joy to play, they're so good. The special/bonus stages are frustrating for me, though, and a lot of the bosses are crazy hard. Maybe on a second playthrough they'll be easier for me now that I know the tricks to beating them.

End of the second zone:
I hate Puyo Puyo, LoL. I had to pausescum my way through Mean Bean Machine on the Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360. I lost this boss fight after a several-minute struggle, then handed the controller to my girlfriend, who is a Puyo Puyo MONSTER. She destroyed the boss with ease, it was disgusting how easy it was for her, haha.

End of the sixth zone:
Fuck that Metal Sonic boss, man. Two parts, no less! The second half wasn't bad, but the first half was ridiculously hard. Took a while to even figure out to bounce the little white robot Sonic up at Metal Sonic when he's spin dashing, and even once we figured that out, it was very hard to pull off WHILE dodging the damn constant energy balls. As soon as the next zone started up, I turned it off for the night ... it was past 2 a.m.
I'll pick it up when I get home from work today.


In terms of graphics, I would say this is running on a Saturn. Just so many little things above what the Mega Drive did.

You definitely could not get a port of this game running on a Genesis without severely stripping it down. You'd need a Saturn.
 
I hear sound effects from the Master System Sonics in one of the bosses! :D

Little things like this just show the love and care that went into this game.
 
I think for a sequel they could stick with pixel art but maybe double the resolution eg. The Sonic sprite has twice as many pixels. Would be the best of both worlds.still pixellated but much smoother and more detailed.

If they could go the route of something like Cup Head and make it look all hand-drawn style in the vein of the opening animation, I think that could look cool.
 
I have PS4, xbox, and Switch. I'd really like to get this on Switch but I'm wondering if I should be waiting for a Digital Foundry comparison video. To those who bought on Switch, are there any performance issues?
 

VRMN

Member
I have PS4, xbox, and Switch. I'd really like to get this on Switch but I'm wondering if I should be waiting for a Digital Foundry comparison video. To those who bought on Switch, are there any performance issues?
I have unfortunately not played past Green Hill Zone, but I haven't noticed any issues in either handheld or docked modes.

I really wanted to play more, but I committed to playing 1-3&K before getting deep into it and only got through 1, 2, and about a third into 3&K before I had to hang it up last night.
 

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
60% old, 40% new

But even the "old" stages have heavily changed level layouts and a lot of new art, not to mention remixed music of course. It doesn't feel at all like I'm playing the same old stuff; more like visiting new parts of previously existing areas.
 
My Sonic catalog is on the Xbox.

I feel like this would be more fun on Switch.

Choices!

Both! One for home, one for on the go. Sega gets the message to make another one. Win-win-win. :)

But even the "old" stages have heavily changed level layouts and a lot of new art, not to mention remixed music of course. It doesn't feel at all like I'm playing the same old stuff; more like visiting new parts of previously existing areas.

You could almost consider the old stages to be "Act 3" and "Act 4". But the Act 4 is generally pretty unrecognisable from the previous 3 acts for many stages. Except
Hydrocity
at least which is pretty faithful aside from a few new/borrowed elements.
 

13ruce

Banned
I have PS4, xbox, and Switch. I'd really like to get this on Switch but I'm wondering if I should be waiting for a Digital Foundry comparison video. To those who bought on Switch, are there any performance issues?

Plays rock solid fine only had one screen freeze issue in my playthrough.
 

Robin64

Member
I have PS4, xbox, and Switch. I'd really like to get this on Switch but I'm wondering if I should be waiting for a Digital Foundry comparison video. To those who bought on Switch, are there any performance issues?

None. From the mouth of Taxman himself, it's a full 60fps on every machine out there.
 

atmuh

Member
I have PS4, xbox, and Switch. I'd really like to get this on Switch but I'm wondering if I should be waiting for a Digital Foundry comparison video. To those who bought on Switch, are there any performance issues?
plays perfectly fine, constant 60fps and looks fantastic docked and undocked. The only issue is it takes an extra couple seconds to open the home menu when the game is running
 
I've run into two bugs so far.

After chemical plant act 1's boss, the game straight up crashed... Lame, not a huge deal.

Second bug was after beating Stardust Speedway act 1. After beating the first act my goal post spawned a ring box which I was to the left of, and Sonic just ran into the box instead of running to act 2, so I got to replay that stage also, hurrah...

Other than that the game is fantastic (not done yet) and I suck at the special stages which is fine because yay challenge!
 

Phediuk

Member
Gonna be honest here, this is the best Sonic ever made in pretty much every way.

It is really astounding how on-point every aspect of this game is.
 
It's fun so far aside from the infuriating special stages. I don't see how it's possible to beat any of them. The first zone boss was great, but the chemical zone boss was pretty boring.
 

jobrro

Member
Is it possible to collect them all in GHZ like with MHZ in S3K?

If you clear the game
you can select GHZ, go to the nearest giant ring and attempt the special stage for the Chaos Emerald. When you get the emerald or fail, just exit out and you can head back via stage select to the same giant ring to try again or for the next emerald. Went from 2 emeralds to 7 this way. Cheesy but I was pretty terrible at some of the later special stages.

Anyone knows what
& Knuckles Mode
does?

What you think it does. Sonic and Knuckles (like Sonic and Tails) or Knuckles and Knuckles (yes, lol). Not sure if it works on Tails.
 

Jazzem

Member
I think for a sequel they could stick with pixel art but maybe double the resolution eg. The Sonic sprite has twice as many pixels. Would be the best of both worlds.still pixellated but much smoother and more detailed.

That's fair, I'd love to see that too :) alas I suspect the current resolution is a compromise for resources, given how time consuming pixel art is at that point.

Hopefully you still dig the game's aesthetic all the same! As I say, it'll likely give you Sonic CD vibes
 

cordy

Banned
I've got a question...I was a Nintendo kid, completely skipped the Genesis. Played S3&K at a friend's house once and it was fun but besides that I missed that generation. Missed Adventure 1 but I loved Adventure 2. From that point on I was disappointed with Sonic games until Generations hit where I loved the classic and modern stages, got the highest rank on both. Since then I've had Sonic Rush Adventure and downloaded Sonic 2 which were fun. With that said...

What makes this game great and as someone who missed that era, what will I get out of it? Is it still great if I don't have that nostalgia as others?
 

13ruce

Banned
Gonna be honest here, this is the best Sonic ever made in pretty much every way.

It is really astounding how on-point every aspect of this game is.

Yeah game is so goddamn good the level design is insane best in the series and possibly one of the best ever.

And those bosses... Amazing also this time you can still cheese em but not as easily as 1,2,3 where you could beat most bosses before they even could do a single attack when they spawned in.

And the OST is out of this world i love both
Press Garden
musics the most.
 
we found the one person who doesn't like it
If you want puyo puyo, there's a much better game for that already on the Switch and PS4. It would have been cool if they did something where you had to control Sonic directly to manipulate the mean bean machine, but as it was, it was a quick novelty that got tired immediately.
 

VRMN

Member
What makes this game great and as someone who missed that era, what will I get out of it? Is it still great if I don't have that nostalgia as others?

Good games are good games and great level design is great level design, nostalgia be damned. If you enjoyed the gameplay of Sonic 2, you will probably love this.
 

Danthrax

Batteries the CRISIS!
Both! One for home, one for on the go. Sega gets the message to make another one. Win-win-win. :)



You could almost consider the old stages to be "Act 3" and "Act 4". But the Act 4 is generally pretty unrecognisable from the previous 3 acts for many stages. Except
Hydrocity
at least which is pretty faithful aside from a few new/borrowed elements.

Yeah, that's basically what they are. (act 4 and act 5 for Green Hill Zone, heh)

I haven't played the zone (seventh zone) you have in spoiler tags ... it was just starting when I turned it off for the night. I had work today!
 

jobrro

Member
If you want puyo puyo, there's a much better game for that already on the Switch and PS4. It would have been cool if they did something where you had to control Sonic directly to manipulate the mean bean machine, but as it was, it was a quick novelty that got tired immediately.

It's a super fun reference that barely anybody probably expected and only lasts a couple of minutes.
 

13ruce

Banned
I've got a question...I was a Nintendo kid, completely skipped the Genesis. Played S3&K at a friend's house once and it was fun but besides that I missed that generation. Missed Adventure 1 but I loved Adventure 2. From that point on I was disappointed with Sonic games until Generations hit where I loved the classic and modern stages, got the highest rank on both. Since then I've had Sonic Rush Adventure and downloaded Sonic 2 which were fun. With that said...

What makes this game great and as someone who missed that era, what will I get out of it? Is it still great if I don't have that nostalgia as others?

I missed the trilogy for years i played a bit of sonic 1 and played through cd as a kid but i loved this game it's amazing.

I did however play the trilogy just before Mania's release and loved it tho.

If you enjoy 2d games and platformers you will love this game for sure it's imo the best Sonic 2D game yet.
 
If you want puyo puyo, there's a much better game for that already on the Switch and PS4. It would have been cool if they did something where you had to control Sonic directly to manipulate the mean bean machine, but as it was, it was a quick novelty that got tired immediately.
3e3.jpg
 

ryan13ts

Member
Do the giant rings respawn infinitely after you beat the game (As in you mess up, you can restart and use the same ring again)? If not, this game will drive me absolutely mad trying to get the emeralds. I already don't like the fact you can only use the ring once and reloading doesn't respawn it on the first playthrough, if it's that way even after beating the game.... ugh.
 

cordy

Banned
Good games are good games and great level design is great level design, nostalgia be damned. If you enjoyed the gameplay of Sonic 2, you will probably love this.

I missed the trilogy for years i played a bit of sonic 1 and played through cd as a kid but i loved this game it's amazing.

I did however play the trilogy just before Mania's release and loved it tho.

If you enjoy 2d games and platformers you will love this game for sure it's imo the best Sonic 2D game yet.

Quick responses. I'm sold.
 

13ruce

Banned
Do the giant rings respawn infinitely after you beat the game (As in you mess up, you can restart and use the same ring again)? If not, this game will drive me absolutely mad trying to get the emeralds. I already don't like the fact you can only use the ring once and reloading doesn't respawn it on the first playthrough, if it's that way even after beating the game.... ugh.

Yes you can basically gather all emeralds in green hill zone if you want.
 
It's a super fun reference that barely anybody probably expected and only lasts a couple of minutes.
I'm not saying it ruins the game by any means. I just hoped for more from that fight after hearing about it for a while now.
Edit:
I remember hearing that mean bean machine was in the game in some form for weeks now. That wasn't supposed to be a surprise was it?
 

Falk

that puzzling face
Do the giant rings respawn infinitely after you beat the game (As in you mess up, you can restart and use the same ring again)? If not, this game will drive me absolutely mad trying to get the emeralds. I already don't like the fact you can only use the ring once and reloading doesn't respawn it on the first playthrough, if it's that way even after beating the game.... ugh.

yes
 
Do the giant rings respawn infinitely after you beat the game (As in you mess up, you can restart and use the same ring again)? If not, this game will drive me absolutely mad trying to get the emeralds. I already don't like the fact you can only use the ring once and reloading doesn't respawn it on the first playthrough, if it's that way even after beating the game.... ugh.

I won't have a chance to play until I pick up my CE after work, but from past game, you typically get that one shot. You screw up, you need to find the next big ring.
 
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