Sonic The Hedgehog

[Foggle]

I agree with your opinions mostly, but I honestly adore the modern Sonic gameplay in Colors and Generations. Sure, it doesn't have a lot of depth to it, but I just find the act of running, jumping, and avoiding obstacles in those games to be exhilarating. I have no idea if Forces will be good or not, but I think Mania is going to be one of this year's best titles.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I enjoyed them to an extent, but the shallowness of the design became an issue for me when I looked to Generations for replay value, personally. That's when the difference between that and the Genesis-era games truly became clear to me.

[gunswordfist]

I just hope Sonic Forces is not going to be a boost fest. The little bit of footage I've seen suggests it well. Well at least for modern Sonic. Either way, I have no expectations and I have Sonic Mania so it's not going to matter to me unless Forces turns out great and then I'll have to kill my wallet to buy two great Sonic games. (not really, because Bundlestars, but still)

[Spark Of Spirit]

I like the modern style, but there isn't much you can do with it. They sort of went as far with it as it can go with Colors and Generations, and nothing Forces has showed so far has given me the impression that there's a point in continuing in this style. To be fair though, the Adventure formula went through the same track (SA1 through 06 is a downhill slide away from physics-based platforming) so it might just be that Sonic Team needs to find a better bedrock to build the series off of.

The original Sonic Adventure beta was an attempt to get the classic Sonic formula into 3D. You can play some of these levels, too. They're bigger, more open, and give the player lots of freedom. Sonic Team abandoned this approach, understandably, because they didn't have the time or budget left to forge a whole game around it. That's why we have so many different playstyles in Adventure 1. The problem is that after Adventure 1 they got further and further away from the point where they got to the pile of crap known as 06.

They need to go back to basics. Look at Sonic Utopia. The classic Sonic formula can work in 3D and is worth trying. Sonic Team has been taking physics away from Sonic and the player for years. They need to give it back and give the player a true 3D classic Sonic game.

All that said, Forces will probably be decent. But the Sonic series should be better than decent.

[Rynnec]

The only time I've enjoyed outright rock music in this series was in Adventure 1 because it was in tandem with so many other styles. It was also very '80s and I feel Sonic music works best when its modeled after '80s pop, rap, and rock, just like the original games were.

Sonic Adventure 2 also had some really good rock tracks. Eggman's theme!!

That theme alone is the reason I'll always prefer the name "Eggman" to "Robotnik". Live and Learn was godly too and is easily one of the best Sonic tracks ever. I'll even go as far as to say that all of Shadow's themes are great except for the one that bears his name. Honestly rock music fits this franchise perfectly more than pop music does, not to say that the pop can't work for certain characters like Amy and Silver, but hard rock just fits a series starring a free-spirited rebellious character like Sonic.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Mania's Stardust Speedway Act 1 remix.

Very chill.

Also, an accidental slip might have revealed with the Sonic 3 stage is going to be.

Spoiler

It's Hydrocity!

[close]

Two weeks left!

[Spark Of Spirit]

And this is the last reveal until the release in under two weeks.

The Special Stages and Time Attack Mode.

One of those special stages was a pleasant surprise!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Here is what the heavily rumored returning stage list is for Sonic Mania:

Spoiler

Green Hill Zone
Chemical Plant Zone
Hydrocity Zone
Lava Reef Zone
Oil Ocean Zone
Flying Battery Zone
Stardust Speedway
Metallic Madness

Needless to say, I'm beyond excited. Hydrocity and Lava Reef are perfect!

[close]

Those are all the spoilers I am engaging with until I play the game.

[Spark Of Spirit]

For a non-spoiler, Sega revealed the Opening Cinematic for Mania.

This is not helping the wait for this game.

[Nel_Annette]

Here is what the heavily rumored returning stage list is for Sonic Mania:

Spoiler

Green Hill Zone
Chemical Plant Zone
Hydrocity Zone
Lava Reef Zone
Oil Ocean Zone
Flying Battery Zone
Stardust Speedway
Metallic Madness

Needless to say, I'm beyond excited. Hydrocity and Lava Reef are perfect!

[close]

Those are all the spoilers I am engaging with until I play the game.

That's a PERFECT level list. Holy crap. I mean, I'd add Ice Cap if I could, but none of those are losers.

[Spark Of Spirit]

And I beat Mania. Sonic & Tails and I missed 3 emeralds, so I haven't gotten the final zone yet.

Impressions below.

Spoiler

General stuff: this is the best Sonic has controlled since S3&K. The controls are spot on and the physics are ripped right out of the old games. It feels exactly like a classic Sonic game should.

The music is amazing. As for new zones, Studiopolis Act 2, Mirage Saloon Act 1, and Press Garden Act 2 are my favorite new tracks though the boss theme is definitely up there. For remixes, Flying Battery Act 2, Stardust Speedway Act 2, Hydrocity Act 2, Lava Reef (BOTH acts, but Act 2 is out of this world), and both Metallic Madness (both of which beat the original hands down) are all top notch.

The special stages are difficult to find and beat. I'm still missing three of them. Blue Spheres contain a lot of the stage from S3&K which means a lot of easy gold medals, but the new ones are tough.

Level design feels just like a classic Sonic game. You need practice to master them, but they are full of great gimmicks and variety in speed and platforming. Some people say there's a high difficulty spike, but I didn't notice one. Game was pretty challenging the whole way through.

Best levels would be Flying Battery, Stardust Speedway, Hydrocity, Mirage Saloon, Oil Ocean (coming from me, that's saying a LOT), and Lava Reef.

Worst levels? There aren't any. Some levels do feel like they are very long, though it might be due to me still figuring them out.

Now for the negatives.

There are only four new zones, and one of the heavies is never fought (I'm assuming he does in the final zone, so I can't say for sure) and that there are level transitions missing. There is no transition from Stardust Speedway to Hydrocity or Hydrocity to Mirage Saloon, and in several other places too. It's very jarring and I have no idea why they're missing. I hope they are patched in.

That's it.

If you've been waiting for an outright excellent Sonic game, this is what you've been waiting for. This is the best game in the series since the Genesis, and Sega really needs to keep this team around.

5/5, would play again, possible GOTY. Go play it.

[close]

As you can tell, I liked it.

[Foggle]

I hate Oil Ocean in Sonic 2 so much. No matter how many times I play that game I still get lost in it. It's really the only thing holding that one back for me.

Good to hear that the new game is as amazing as promised, though I'm pretty bummed about there being only four new zones (does that include the final one?). It's awesome that they re-imagined so many old favorites but it does feel a bit disappointing to me that we haven't had a truly great 100% original Sonic game since Colors in 2010. Still, the level designs are completely different from in the classics, right? If that's the case, it's kind of cool to imagine it from a story perspective, with Sonic revisiting places he's been to before and seeing how they've changed as part of a new adventure.

Anyway, I can't wait to play it, but unfortunately the PC version got delayed until the end of the month and I can't cancel my pre-order, so I'm going to have to wait until then.

[Spark Of Spirit]

There are 12 zones total, 8 of which are old zones, though I haven't unlocked the final zone yet. I assume that will be brand new. All the level designs are completely new. A few acts like Green Hill Act 1, Chemical Plant Act 1, and Flying Battery Act 1 include most of the level design from both original acts in the original game but they also contain a lot new in them. You will not breeze through this game. I know the original games really well and it didn't help me at all.

I forgot to mention the bosses. They are possibly the best in the series. You'll see when you get to them. I really don't want to spoil them.

I played a bit as Knuckles, and he has whole sections and acts dedicated to his path just like S3&K. The game has it all. I just wish all the transitions were here.

These guys better be put on a sequel ASAP.

[Foggle]

Oh wow, the Acts are that long? Nice. Good to hear about the bosses too. I'm super hyped!

The lead developer on this project was the guy who remastered Sonic 1 & 2 for phones and Sonic CD for modern systems, right? Sega needs to get all of those out on PC, Switch, etc. Hopefully this will be a reminder for them.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I got all seven Chaos Emeralds and beat all the Blue Spheres. There are quite a few nifty little unlockables and the final boss is inventive. Really can't wait to get through it all again with Knuckles.

Definitely a 10/10 game.