Sonic The Hedgehog

[Foggle]

So, would you call it the best Sonic game ever? Been hearing that sentiment from a lot of people.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I have like a 20 year head start on S3&K to say for sure, but it's definitely up there with the classics. All I hope is that they put out a patch to finish the stage transitions.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Top 10 Mania tracks:

1. Mirage Saloon (Wildstyle Pistolero) Act 1

This is the best hip hop track in the series. It hits the classic Sonic groove with a bit of a New Jack Swing touch. It also proves that you don't have to have the music be fast to fit as a Sonic theme. This song just gets lodged in your brain.

2. Metallic Madness Act 1

Whether US or JP, I've never cared for this theme. But I'm guessing Tee Lopes saw something I didn't because he turned the theme on its side and made it incredible. That bass is going nuts. It's now my second favorite factory theme in the series behind Death Egg in S3&K.

3. Studiopolis (Prime Time) Act 2

I really liked Act 1, but Act 2 gives the theme such a major spin that it reminds me of a Good Future theme from Sonic CD. It's so much better than Act 1 that I almost rush to get to Act 2 just so I can hear it. An earworm track.

4. Lava Reef Act 1

This was such a light touch, but all Lopes did was add power to the classic track which gave it more drive and reverb giving it more menace and adding to the mystical feeling of the place. This is one of my favorite tracks in the series as it is, and it remains awesome here.

5. Hydrocity Act 2

This track was left nearly untouched except for the extra layers used to make this even powerful than in S3&K. I should probably rate this lower just because Lopes didn't add much to it, but I don't care. This is still my favorite Sonic track.

6. Press Garden (Tabloid Jargon) Act 1

Whereas Studiopolis Act 2 felt like a Good Future theme, this feels like a past theme from CD. Calm and relaxing, but just mystical enough to want you to press onward and faster. I originally liked Act 2 more, but now I'm not sure. This track is just too memorable.

7. Metallic Madness Act 2

Listen to 0:51. That's all you need to know.

8. Lava Reef Act 2

Act 2 has never been as good as Act 1 in any way, but it was definitely cranked up here. Now it works perfectly in a Tidal Tempest US kind of way. Light and airy, but very adventurous. Way better than the original tune.

9. Hi-Spec Robo Go!

I almost let the Hard-boiled Heavy fights go on too long just because I get into a groove with this theme. Reminds me of the great miniboss theme from Sonic 3 that MJ made.

10. Ruby Delusions (Boss Theme 1)

Best normal boss theme since the Tropical Resort boss theme in Colors and, before that, since S3&K. Perfect amount of menace and whimsy to match the good doctor's personality.

The whole soundtrack is excellent. There's still a bunch of stuff I didn't list that I'm missing, but there isn't one bad track in the bunch. It proves what I said when I meant that 80s pop is the heart of the best Sonic music: it's channeled extremely well here. Tee Lopes really needs to get another crack at a soundtrack in the future.

Also someone pointed out something really interesting about the old zones chosen for Mania:

Sonic 1: 1 zone
Sonic 2: 2 zones
Sonic CD: 2 zones
Sonic 3&K: 3 zones
Sonic Mania: 4 zones

Remember that Sonic CD was originally supposed to be Sonic 2, and you might get what they were doing here.

[Nel_Annette]

Also someone pointed out something really interesting about the old zones chosen for Mania:

Sonic 1: 1 zone
Sonic 2: 2 zones
Sonic CD: 2 zones
Sonic 3&K: 3 zones
Sonic Mania: 4 zones

Remember that Sonic CD was originally supposed to be Sonic 2, and you might get what they were doing here.

Oh, wow, I didn't even notice that. I did notice that S1 only got one zone, kind of wanted Starlight or Spring Yard (or Scrap Brain).

Just got my collector's edition in today. Having a blast.

[Daikun]

Sonic Mania Glitches

[Nel_Annette]

Some of these music remixes are orgasmic. Stardust Speedway Act 1 and Lava Reef Act 2 in particular. Dat guitar! 

[Spark Of Spirit]

The soundtrack is incredible.

Really thinking this is going to be my GOTY. It hits all the marks.

[Foggle]

To prepare for Sonic Mania (and to tide me over because of the PC delay), I decided to play through all the classic games that are represented in it. I also took this opportunity to replay Sonic Before The Sequel and finally finish After The Sequel.

Sonic 1 is a classic. Labyrinth Zone sucks and Scrap Brain kind of does too, but I've played it enough times that I didn't really have much trouble with either. I used save states because I'm a scrub and don't like restarting entire games when I run out of lives, but I actually never Game Over'd on this playthrough. I was very proud of myself! Anyway, the game itself is good. Definitely not as great as its sequels but I would take issue with any of the folks who spout off about it being bad.

Sonic 2 is fantastic for the most part. I don't much like the last few zones, as I find them a bit tedious and frustrating, but overall it's really good.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is, of course, a near-perfect game. My only complaints are that Sandopolis Act 2 sucks and how there are a few too many bosses that amount to tediously waiting extended periods for openings to attack. Overall, I still love it same as ever; might even appreciate it more today than I did as a kid!

I've played Sonic CD quite a few times before and really enjoyed it, but I'd never attempted to get the good ending (without time stones) until now. Let me just say that I fucking hated every second of it. I don't think a single-player game has made me this angry in years. Playing through it like a normal Sonic title is a lot of fun (though certainly on the easy/short side) but trying to go to the past and break every generator is a nightmare. I always liked Wacky Workbench despite its infamy in the fandom but now I resent its very existence. Thank god the 8th zone was cut because I was very close to punching a hole in my monitor by the time I was done. I will probably replay the game again soon like normal because I really do like it but good lord.

The fan games have some major issues but overall I really like them. The soundtracks are seriously on point and some of the level designs are super inventive.

Excited to finally play Sonic Mania on Tuesday!

[Spark Of Spirit]

Once you know the generator locations, playing Sonic CD by going back in time is actually really fun and rewarding. The problem is remembering those locations. The concept isn't perfect but it is probably the best experimental game in the series.

Have fun with Mania. I look forward to your thoughts.

[Foggle]

I think the concept itself is actually brilliant, I just wasn't a fan of the execution most of the time. It does seem like something that would get more enjoyable if you really studied/remembered the level layouts and practiced for perfect runs I suppose. Still, I enjoy just playing the game like normal. The music, graphics, and bosses are some of the best in the series. I would actually like to see them revisit the idea in the pseudo-3D Colors-style, maybe with more of a Metroidvania bent to it.

But yeah, hyped for Mania on Tuesday! The wait has been excruciating, though I'm sure waiting for the two-hour Twin Peaks finale next week will be far worse...

[gunswordfist]

Sonic Mania is the first game I've ever preordered and so far it's pretty good. I got up to Flying Battery Act 2 tonight after a few hours of playing. I got to say that I thought StudioPolis' mini-boss was kind of a pain in the ass.

[Foggle]

Taking a break for now because I Game Over'd on the Egg Spider boss. I... never knew you could hold a direction on those spinning fans to jump that way, always thought you had to time it, so I kept accidentally flinging myself into the wall and dying over and over. Didn't realize how to beat it until my final life but then I made a stupid mistake and it was all over.

I have to say that this is by far the best a Sonic game has ever played. The controls and animations are literally some of the smoothest I've encountered in any game. They're so good that I keep failing the Blue Spheres mini-game because my muscle memory tries to counteract the input lag from the Genesis version and it's not present in this one. The graphics are beautiful and music is amazing too. The level designs are really inventive and I love the extra touches being added to the returning zones in Act 2. The boss fights are pretty great as well. I loved that the first one was an entirely new take on the Sonic 1 first boss instead of just remaking it outright for the fifth time. So far I'm very impressed. This should have been called Sonic 4 instead of that episodic abomination. It deserves a retail release and sequel immediately!

Sonic Mania is the first game I've ever preordered and so far it's pretty good. I got up to Flying Battery Act 2 tonight after a few hours of playing. I got to say that I thought StudioPolis' mini-boss was kind of a pain in the ass.

The jumping physics were a bit wack on that one but the music and animations when you hit the boss made up for it IMO!

[Kiddington]

Hot take; I'm just gonna say it, Mania is the best Sonic game ever. It stacks up pound for pound with the classics, while adding just enough to the formula to keep everything fresh. Quality wise, it's the best title since S3K no question. Sonic Team hasn't been on their game like this in at least 20 years.

One criticism I'm seeing consistently levied is the lack of "original zones". I guess I get it, but the remakes of the classic levels are so completely different from how they originally played that they feel like entirely brand new levels anyway. Flying Battery, perfect example; completely different from start to finish, barely any carryover in level design. Hydrocity had way more underwater sequences than before (an improvement imo). I'm just not seeing where this is a bad thing. They've improved upon all these stages so much, none of it feels stale.

Press Garden is just so good btw, an absolutely refreshing take on both factory and ice levels. It's an instant classic, and hopefully in the spirit of mining from the past we'll see it again in future Sonic titles.

[Foggle]

The layout of Flying Battery's first act is actually pretty similar to the original version, the thing is that they altered the level design in ways both subtle and major to make it feel completely fresh. I haven't played Press Garden yet but Studiopolis was a really wonderful level. Sonic being teleported by beaming from satellites into a television was genius, as was being launched out of a popcorn popper. I also really enjoyed seeing the old-timey cartoon version of Eggman dancing and the concepts/animations of both boss fights. Such a clever game!

I don't mind the reusing of old zones at all since they've done so much to change/improve them. I would prefer entirely new ones, but the thing is, there's only so many unique level theme ideas out there, and eventually "new" zones might start to feel like inferior copies of old ones. One needs only to look at Sonic 4 or the Sonic Advance games to see why it might have been a better idea to return to classic levels than try to invent 12 original ones. Of course, I think these developers could have actually done it, but this way it also has the nostalgia factor to bank on. I really enjoyed Sonic Generations for the thrill and spectacle of the Modern levels but I was never a huge fan of the Classic stages as I felt they were a bit bland compared to the Genesis games; Mania does such a better job with the same concept. I honestly would love to see a Mania 2 where this same team remade levels from the later titles like Sonic Adventure in the style of the original games.

Sonic Team hasn't been on their game like this in at least 20 years.

While I basically agree with this, I still think Sonic Colors is a really good game. If you ignore the cutscenes, it's almost as good as the classics in everything from level design to music IMO.

[Spark Of Spirit]

The original pitch for this game was a 4 zone mini-game re-packaged with the remastered versions of Sonic 1, 2, and CD. It was Takashi Iizuka who suggested instead to remix classic zones to Team Mania, and they instead made this game. I'm glad they got to make this instead because I think it works better as an anniversary game than even Generations did. The zones they picked include all my favorites, too.

I hope with the success of Mania that they are finally given full reign over a new game and allowed to do everything they want. If anything, they've earned it.

The downside (or upside?) to this one is that I now want a 3D game done in the classic style like Utopia is attempting. Sonic Team has never tried to translate that classic formula to 3D, and after this game they're going to have a hard time convincing fans why they haven't done so. We're about due for an actual try.

All in all, I agree. This is one of the best Sonic games ever. Now hopefully they finish the transitions in a future patch. It's the one glaring issue.