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Sonic Mania |OT| Dreams Come True

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
Sweet, not only did I get Super Knuckles in Mirage Saloon Act 1, but also managed to get all gold medals in Blue Sphere. Hoping I can get it earlier as Tails.

Also yes, please patch it so I can still glide as Knuckles despite having 50 rings.
 
Sweet, not only did I get Super Knuckles in Mirage Saloon Act 1, but also managed to get all gold medals in Blue Sphere. Hoping I can get it earlier as Tails.

Also yes, please patch it so I can still glide as Knuckles despite having 50 rings.

What blue sphere did you have a hard time with??? I had with the 4 spheres took me forever
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
What blue sphere did you have a hard time with??? I had with the 4 spheres took me forever
Yeah, that one was an annoyance because I found out you gotta go around via jumping over a ton of bumpers.

Some are super easy to clear, but then hard to get a gold, while others feel like if you manage to beat it, it's an automatic gold.
 

Aki-at

Member
Hey now, it's a sorta advertised feature!

Who knew Robotnik's greatest trap would have been bear traps hidden within the floor!

Yeah, that one was an annoyance because I found out you gotta go around via jumping over a ton of bumpers.

Some are super easy to clear, but then hard to get a gold, while others feel like if you manage to beat it, it's an automatic gold.

This was the hardest one for me too and I want to know if that method is the way you're meant to complete it or is there some other way? Sonic got way too fast to control thanks to the bumpers.
 

DNAbro

Member
Ended up getting the rest of the chaos emeralds and beating the final boss. Uhh honestly not worth doing. Was kind of boring.
 

Zonic

Gives all the fucks
This was the hardest one for me too and I want to know if that method is the way you're meant to complete it or is there some other way? Sonic got way too fast to control thanks to the bumpers.
I feel like because of the layout, maybe it was. I can't think of any other way that you could do it since it seems the game wouldn't let you go back the way you came.

Kind of a bummer that there's no real reward for all golds aside from a trophy (which isn't even gold, it's silver), but oh well.
 

Kinsei

Banned
Wasn't implying they weren't. Nor have I ever experienced a time over that it became a detriment to my enjoyment of a sonic game. I've just been thinking about it, seeing other (small amount of) folks experiencing it. Classic sonic isn't something like a metroidvania, but with a higher emphasis on playing with the physics, exploring these types of big level and the penality for it being hardly anything, I don't know if there's any need for time overs.



Do they really need that? The counting timer wouldn't go away and we have ample examples of what makes a good and bad length for an Act.

I think they do. Think about how jam packed the stages in this game already are. It would be very easy to go overboard if they didn't have to worry about a time limit.
 

13ruce

Banned
Finally got the chaos emeralds for the first time ever in S3+K time to head for doomsday zone wich i only saw online never did myself, i have beaten the game before can i safely game over myself and select the final zone or do i need to play through the current game on this clear file again?

I luckily got the more easier blue sphere stages with those emeralds.

After Mania i finally wanted to try the true final part of the game.
 
Finished the solo runs for all three characters. Got all emeralds as Tails.

Now playing as Sonic and Tails, got all emeralds and heading into Titanic Monarch again.

I don't think I've ever finished a sonic game 4 times in less than a week but here we are. All blue spheres got too.

Obsessed is a strong word but an accurate one. I'm in love with the game even though I can see some flaws.
 

jooey

The Motorcycle That Wouldn't Slow Down
Conspiracially: They're holding off to pack in the physical copy of Mania with the physical copy of Forces and sell it for $60 for the 2-pack (psyche?)
I could actually see this happening a year or so after, as a budget rerelease.
 

ChrisP63

Member
Finished the solo runs for all three characters. Got all emeralds as Tails.

Now playing as Sonic and Tails, got all emeralds and heading into Titanic Monarch again.

I don't think I've ever finished a sonic game 4 times in less than a week but here we are. All blue spheres got too.

Obsessed is a strong word but an accurate one. I'm in love with the game even though I can see some flaws.

Which character's playthrough was your favorite overall? So far I've personally done both Sonic and Tails and Knuckles
 

Tron 2.0

Member
So Hydrocity Act 2 boss is destroying me :(

This is my first Sonic game. I'm just playing with Sonic, and feel like I don't have the controls down 100%. How do I
avoid the boss when he comes into the water and how do I attack him when he's getting ready to shoot his rockets? He's a little too high up for me to hit by jumping
 

Sami+

Member
So Hydrocity Act 2 boss is destroying me :(

This is my first Sonic game. I'm just playing with Sonic, and feel like I don't have the controls down 100%. How do I
avoid the boss when he comes into the water and how do I attack him when he's getting ready to shoot his rockets? He's a little too high up for me to hit by jumping

Build up speed and jump at an angle. It's kinda tricky tbh, I usually get hit a few times.
 

Sami+

Member
Yo how the heck are you supposed to fight the TMZ Act 1 boss as Knuckles? I can't jump high enough to hit him lol.

Edit - died but I ended up just cheesing it. That was kinda dumb.
 

Atrarock

Member
Yo how the heck are you supposed to fight the TMZ Act 1 boss as Knuckles? I can't jump high enough to hit him lol.

Edit - died but I ended up just cheesing it. That was kinda dumb.
Get a running start while the spheres are being dropped. I can usually hit him at least twice without too much trouble. Always be sure to hold jump and glide at the tip top of your jump if you have to.
 

AniHawk

Member
first off this game has a deceptive amount of content. this is the sega saturn 2d sonic that sonic team was probably going to make and then didn't. i'm finding it absurd at how just perfect it is as a sonic sequel to the genesis era.

with that, i think it's an absurdly good deal at $20. as a consumer, i can really appreciate how little it costs to get a game this good. on the business side though - i think sega undervalued their product. this could have easily been a $40 physical package at retail and worth every penny, with sonic forces reworked as a sonic boom tie-in with all the same gimmicks it currently has.
 

rekameohs

Banned
Beat it with Sonic+Tails. What a great successor to the originals. I think the bosses were a little weak after the fun surprise Green Hill Zone boss and the amazing Chemical Plant Zone one, especially the lame Super Sonic one at the end, but the level design was immaculate. I loved basically all of the Act 2 twists and the new levels. We absolutely need a full game of new content from these guys! And that god damn soundtrack. Get this guy on 2D Mario or something.

I liked that the UFO special stages were pretty easy this time around. The Sonic 2 half pipe was brutal and at least the Super Emerald Blue Sphere stages are super easy to retry now compared to 3&K, and optional.
 
I beat the
puyo puyo game
in CPZ and thought the game froze but guess it was a glitch since it went back to normal after a minute. Almost shit myself at the thought of playing that again.
 

Blindy

Member
I must be really bad at the UFO chases because the 6th emerald is driving me mad. I continue to get coursed out after hitting Mach 3, the UFO still goes faster than you. Its crazy.

EDIT: Got it, I finally smartened up and stopped jumping on the early ramps after getting Mach 2, it slows you down immensely. Just winged it with perfect jumps over the obstacles and got it!

EDIT: Why is Emerald 7 so much more easier than 4,5 or 6?
 

xMaster

Neo Member
Anyone who is playing this on PS4 experiencing a game crash every time they check the leaderboards in Time Attack? I've been trying to beat Rockman from here's time on TMZ Act 2 (only a few seconds down) but once levels get over 100 times posted they crash my game when I check the online times, so now I have no idea where I am ranked. Hopefully a patch is coming soon
 
Anyone who is playing this on PS4 experiencing a game crash every time they check the leaderboards in Time Attack? I've been trying to beat Rockman from here's time on TMZ Act 2 (only a few seconds down) but once levels get over 100 times posted they crash my game when I check the online times, so now I have no idea where I am ranked. Hopefully a patch is coming soon

Every attempt I've made to look at the leaderboards has crashed my game on PS4 too. I guess it's a widespread thing?
 

Sixfortyfive

He who pursues two rabbits gets two rabbits.
Beat it with Sonic+Tails. What a great successor to the originals. I think the bosses were a little weak after the fun surprise Green Hill Zone boss and the amazing Chemical Plant Zone one, especially the lame Super Sonic one at the end, but the level design was immaculate.

This is the first 2D Sonic game I've played where I felt that the bosses were consistently interesting.

Lots of creative ways to deal damage to them. For that matter, most of the time it's necessary to do so instead of just relying on damage-boosting for easy hits.
 
This is the first 2D Sonic game I've played where I felt that the bosses were consistently interesting.

Lots of creative ways to deal damage to them. For that matter, most of the time it's necessary to use those methods instead of just relying on damage-boosting for easy hits.

oy 645, where was that video of you beating knuckles & knuckles?
 
first off this game has a deceptive amount of content. this is the sega saturn 2d sonic that sonic team was probably going to make and then didn't. i'm finding it absurd at how just perfect it is as a sonic sequel to the genesis era.

with that, i think it's an absurdly good deal at $20. as a consumer, i can really appreciate how little it costs to get a game this good. on the business side though - i think sega undervalued their product. this could have easily been a $40 physical package at retail and worth every penny, with sonic forces reworked as a sonic boom tie-in with all the same gimmicks it currently has.
From the business side, I doubt Sega wants anything to do with Sonic Boom at all going forward. Fire & Ice being merely average probably didn't help the series' reputation much.
 

Skel1ingt0n

I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
Wow.

Sonic Mania is the perfect example of why I play video games. Period. As someone who has little affinity for the franchise and whom's most played entry is Sonic Adventure 1 - a title that my older self would happily proclaim as mediocre at best - I am utterly blown away by the brilliance that is this little $20 digital-only title.

The last Sonic games I played were Generations and Colors - two titles I picked up because I heard they were better than expected and worth playing. Which, I'd happily agree to. The thing is, though - while they were entertaining romps and I certainly had a bit of fun, they were nothing special. Nothing stood out. Nothing was worth remembering. It was the perfect example of "by the book," and they've sat on my shelf (well, Generations in my Steam Library) collecting dust ever since. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I only got through about 50% of the latter. They just didn't stand up to the scrutiny a platformer must - its level design wasn't up to snuff versus the best in Mario. The art nowhere near Rayman. The challenge not as fair as Donkey Kong. It's fine. It's okay. But in a sea of brilliance, neither Colors or Generations could stand out.

And I didn't even bother with garbage like Sonic 4. Ignoring the ugly (UGLY) graphics, it just lacked soul even from the trailers. Reviews didn't convince me to change my opinion.

But, immediately upon viewing its first trailer, Sonic Mania grabbed me. It had that "soul" that I just mentioned. Something felt authentic. Real. Full of love and passion. It didn't just seem to check the boxes, it felt like it was designed to pull at your nostalgic heartstrings and make you appreciate that it did. But, in fairness, that's just marketing. And with each new trailer or detail, I was still interested.

But a text I sent my best friend a few days before release likely summarizes the early opinion of many in this thread: "I want it to be good... but it's Sonic. And I know in my heart of hearts it will disappoint." And can you blame us? Over and over (and over, and over) again, we've been disappointed.

So with hope - but great fear - I started up Sonic Mania. And from the first Act of Green Hill Zone, it was a revelation. Minutes in, I'm thinking to myself, "wait... Sonic actually feels right," then a few minutes later "this is... this is right." And its these earliest impressions that are the most boring but likely the most important. Sonic is all about feel - moreso than most any other platformer in a genre that lives and dies on "feel." Getting this fundamentals - those critical basics - just right are make it or break it. The jumps have to feel controllable. The momentum empowering. The weight of your character just right. Enemy placement must be fair and challenging. Paths must be prescriptive. Responsiveness needs to be exact. Pixel precision is the name of the game and only the best win - but Sonic Mania was getting it right.

But how many times have we all played GHZ Act 1? I mean, shit, it's the Tetris of character-based games. But I continued playing. And that's when one can just rattle off superlative, gushing praise for all the things it gets right. It's just firing on all cylinders:

- The music is just sublime. It's perfect. There's no better praise I can give. It's punchy. It's catchy. It builds atmosphere. It's fun and it's perfectly balanced with the sound effects of Sonic, the team, and dangerous obstacles.

- The pixel art and overall "graphics" are exactly what I want from a 2D Sonic. Animation is second to only over-the-top Metal Slug/Vanillaware/etc titles that are recognized for their art oftentimes first and foremost. But in regard to fast-moving, character-based platforms? This stands at the top. Sonic is so damn expressive - a different animation for falling forward than backward. The face he gives on the
rocket carts
in the last zone. The backgrounds are bursting at the seams with detail. And that's all great - but what's even better, is it's never visual overload. It's never attacking your senses. I can follow Sonic. I can appreciate the level and enemy placement. And all the while, I have a very definable since of "place" in the world.

- The challenge: I believe difficulty goes hand-in-hand with pacing. Too much difficulty at the beginning, and one gets frustrated and possibly quits. Save it for the end, and the player hasn't had a chance to grow to the challenge in many cases. Keep it in the middle and we'll all bitch about "difficulty spikes." A good challenge is defined by its fairness and the tools you have been equipped with to overcome. And somehow minds brighter than mine have found a system that allows for difficulty to make sense - when you die, you know why. And if you die again, you typically know how to win next time. Some Acts challenge some individuals, some Acts challenger other individuals. But what I loved best, is the "challenge" always felt different. sometimes it was beating the clock. Sometimes a boss. Sometimes regular ol' hazards. Sometimes the labyrinth you're placed it. Every obstacle felt "new," which brings me to my last point - and arguably the most important...

- VARIETY. Sonic Mania has it in spades. I don't know if I've ever - in 20 years of gaming encountered a title that threw more new stuff at the player and disregarded previous stuff as quickly, as regularly, and with as much success as this one. Every single Act of every zone had new enemies, a new boss, a new stage gimmick, a new animation, and new obstacle, and new way to make me think. I'm always wanting to keep playing because I know there's always something new to experience in just a few minutes. The moment I feel I've got a grasp on my tools and what I'm facing, I'm surprised. And it's never overbearing or frustrating or confusing or wrought with half-baked gimmicks. Sure, some of these "new things" are small. Sometimes, over course, they have little impact on the title as a whole. But small things add up to an experience, and Sonic Mania's experience is defined by variety. It's always new and fun.

In almost 10 years on GAF, I don't think I've ever written such a long-form review on a game. And truth, I wouldn't begin to argue this is the absolute best game that I've played in that time. But, Sonic Mania does so many things just right that I do firmly believe it deserves more praise than most games I play.

Now, that's not to say the title is without flaw. No, absolutely not. I thought the second zone
Chemical Plant
was way more challenging than it should have been; which, admittedly, is a strike against one of my compliments above. But I do chalk that up to my unfamiliarity with the series since I haven't replayed a 2D Sonic in over a decade - maybe a decade and a half. It also felt misplaced in the list. Which is similar to another complaint - no boss encounter matches the high of the mid-game
Metal Sonic
fight - not even close. Not only was that fight exhilarating and just damn cool, it also felt the most like our long-lost "2D Saturn Sonic," due to the
3D models
in the background. I would have loved to see more things like that to enhance the feeling of scope or, I hate saying this, "epic-ness."

Moving on, the story here is presented a tier below the presentation of everything else. I don't need much more - but the lack of transitions - the lack of mid-game cutscenes - the lack of a thread on which to follow beyond the opening cinematic would have been very much appreciated. And my biggest complaint: I get that the "pinch" and you die mechanic is a staple of Sonic and necessary to present challenge in some of the environmental hazards and enemy placement - but this game has more than a couple moments where it felt absolutely unfair. Whether it be launched into the air only to hit a moving platform and die, or an enemy knock you into something that kills you - or hell, a boss that is displaying its "death" explosion and yet you get pinched in the middle of it - definitely made me mutter a curse word or two under my breath. And maybe a little nip and tuck there would have made for a slightly more positive experience.

All those negatives out of the way, let me say this: I would much prefer a game that tries as hard as Mania does to burst at the seams with creativity and fail on rare occasion than play another by-the-book game that we all get more times than we care to each year.

I don't necessarily think Sonic Mania will break my Top Ten of All Time, which - for anyone who cares - I've posted below. But it is without a doubt in the Top Four games of this generation, sitting with the likes of Blodborne, Breath of the Wild, and Overwatch.

10. Jet Grind Radio
09. Phantasy Star Online
08. Metal Gear Solid 2
07. Pokemon Yellow
06. Zelda: Majora's Mask
05: Bloodborne
04: Final Fantasy IX
03: MGS: The Twin Snakes
02: Halo 2
01: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Sonic Mania is a crowning achievement for video games that aim to appease our nostalgic side. I'm 28 years old, and this game made me feel like a kid again. I was smiling ear to ear through the vast majority of my play through and that's the greatest compliment I can give a game. It gave me something that I just cannot find anywhere else, no matter how hard I look: childlike wonder. Huge credit to Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, Pagodawest, and, in fairness, to SEGA for letting this come to be.
 
Yo how the heck are you supposed to fight the TMZ Act 1 boss as Knuckles? I can't jump high enough to hit him lol.

Edit - died but I ended up just cheesing it. That was kinda dumb.

It's possible to do without taking damage, but pretty hard.

When the balls are on the ground, you run and jump and hit the boss, and you should safely bounce back outside the balls range. However, you'll only fall safely if the balls aren't extended, so you have to time it right. And you also have to jump at a precise location in order to hit the boss.

This boss fight with Knuckles is the hardest boss in the game, IMO. There isn't really anything else in the game that requires that much precision.
 

Neiteio

Member
This game is so addictive. O_O

I sit down to play, pick a level (usually one I feel I haven't played in a while), and then I end up playing all of the other levels right after it. Just when I think I'm tired of, say, Studiopolis, I'll clean my palate with the other 22 levels, and then Studiopolis will be good as new again.

A fun note about about PGZ: I belatedly realized it's a
newspaper plant creating Eggman propaganda... The oriental garden must've been there originally, but then Eggman set up his factory.
 

Ristifer

Member
This game is so addictive. O_O

I sit down to play, pick a level (usually one I feel I haven't played in a while), and then I end up playing all of the other levels right after it. Just when I think I'm tired of, say, Studiopolis, I'll clean my palate with the other 22 levels, and then Studiopolis will be good as new again.
Hah, this is exactly what I do. I fire up the game to just play a level or two. Three hours later, I'm playing every single level, sweating over blue spheres, etc. It's like a brand new experience each time.
 
Hey now, it's a sorta advertised feature!

tumblr_inline_o1rdrqWHPb1r8z4qq_400.png


Worth mentioning that I did get flung safely out of the ground/scenery in Marble Garden so no harm done, it was just jarring.
I always call getting stuck in walls "eggman traps" because of that message from the sonic 3 manual lol
 
My best friend just bought a switch and mania because he was so thirsty for the game despite having a CE PC preorder.

We spent like a an hour talking about how much this game means to us as gamers, as people who grew up with the Genesis. It was especially interesting hearing his perspective on Taxman, Stealth, and the music guy I always forget his name. :/

Anyway, we always wanted a sequel to S3&K, even though Sonic CD was good(it was never bad), it wasn't completely there. He is also a diehard Sonic fan and pretty much never gave up on the fandom in a sense, he hoped that one day the series would return to its glorious past. Except for Sonic 1 because we both agree that game is trash, sonic2, 3 and Knuckles and even CD are far better games.

The only real complaints he had:

1. Less remakes/remixes of old zones even though these were incredible
2. 80% new zones 20% remakes/remixes of old zones, or 100% new. An entirely new Mania 2 would be incredible we both agreed.

I had to agree with him even though, so far I don't mind the remakes as much. Except for
FBZ
, fuck that.

I had flashbacks to sitting in my room in the sweltering california heat frantically trying to beat that shit back in the day.
 

Demoskinos

Member
"I have to get up at 5:30 am so I'll just do one final level" turned into.... "Oh well its 2am and I'm at the last stage now... might as well finish this...."

>_> Oops. Time flies.....
 
So another bug I managed to take a pic of. Very circumstantial but also a guaranteed bug. I hit the sign post and was to the left of the box, didn't break it, the game had a 'scene' to make me go right, and well, got stuck doing this forever.

DHonkosU0AAKO1d.jpg:large
I'm trying to remember what sonic 3k does if you setup this kind of monitor block at the end of a stage, I think you walk through it.

*Edit* saying that I don't remember forced walking after an act in 3k so.
 
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