Sonic Mania First Impressions

[negative1]

sonic 4 was fine.. .only people that can't play it didn't like it.

 

i enjoyed it when it came out, and still play it even now.,.. the new features are very helpful, and the graphics are fine.

sure the physics are different, but you get used to it...

 

 

i never played sonic 3 when it came out, because 2 was my favorite, but i played it later, and found it great, along with sonic cd.

 

i actually am still playing sonic 3-d blast, which is 3rd person isometric... but looks the best compared to the other games,

it also came out for the saturn.

 

will play sonic mania on the pc when it comes out.

 

 

later

-1

[Tanooki]

I have to admit I like Sonic2 best and have a spot for the original. S&K was pretty solid but I never got as much into Sonic 3 as the other in the set. Have to be on the level, I don't hate it, but I really really don't like Sonic CD. I didn't like all that time shifting bs with the present and future stuff. It was just an unnecessary in the way layer of complication that got in the way of the flow for me. I'd rather do any of the Game Gear sonics or SMS for that matter before that game.

[Tempest]

I think I stopped caring about the Sonic series when they tried to make a coherent story from it (I'm going to guess this is a result of the cartoon and comic series). Once it went past the whole 'stop the bad man and rescue your friends' story line I really didn't care.

 

But then I'm also one of those weird people who like Knuckles Chaotix so what do I know?

[Flojomojo]

I thought Sonic3 got dodged because primarily when you see it omitted it's those ATGames boxes that don't want to use SRAM unless they hack it in just for an RPG, and Sonic3 used save chip so it got left out over that.

 

 

That sounds far more reasonable. That and maybe the lock-on thing made it hard to port?

 

The fact that it's emulated on Steam (with Knuckles) lends more weight to that idea, too. If it were a licensing issue with MJ's estate, it wouldn't be there. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Petran79]

 

will play sonic mania on the pc when it comes out.

 

If they add 21:9+ aspect ratio like they did with Sonic CD, it will be a different game

[DJ Clae]

Too many of the initial reviews were nerdgasms. So we made this video as our answer to those:

 

[Rick Dangerous]

My first impression is that it was download only so I didn't buy it. Getting pretty sick of this download only horseshit for good games like this. Plenty of previous (terrible) sonic games got physical media releases so what gives? If I ever see it on a switch cart it will be a day one purchase.

[Bill Loguidice]

My first impression is that it was download only so I didn't buy it. Getting pretty sick of this download only horseshit for good games like this. Plenty of previous (terrible) sonic games got physical media releases so what gives? If I ever see it on a switch cart it will be a day one purchase.

 

Serious question... Why does the download only thing really matter? Assuming there's no other way to play it by then, are you really planning on returning to every game you own in 20 years?

[Tempest]

 

are you really planning on returning to every game you own in 20 years?

 

What if we had said that about the 2600 or other classic system we all idolize now?

[Bill Loguidice]

 

What if we had said that about the 2600 or other classic system we all idolize now?

 

Times have changed. Digital is the future whether we individually like it or not. Can't we play Atari 2600 games dozens of different ways? The original hardware and cartridges are cool, but they're not completely necessary, are they?

[Tempest]

 

Times have changed. Digital is the future whether we individually like it or not. Can't we play Atari 2600 games dozens of different ways? The original hardware and cartridges are cool, but they're not completely necessary, are they?

 

But the only reason those roms exist in the first place is because we had physical cartridges to dump. AFAIK there's no way to copy the game data off someone's system and give it to everyone else (for the most part) by design. When these digital only games disappear they're gone forever.

[Bill Loguidice]

 

But the only reason those roms exist in the first place is because we had physical cartridges to dump. AFAIK there's no way to copy the game data off someone's system and give it to everyone else (for the most part) by design. When these digital only games disappear they're gone forever.

 

Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't put it past enterprising hackers/crackers/pirates. They haven't been thwarted by digital games yet as far as I know.

[NE146]

My primary complaint with digital titles, is I can very EASILY see myself forgetting I paid money for a game as the years roll on, and accounts get lost/changed, etc. Back in the old days I would peruse a shelf, pull out a game I forgotten about and say.. "wow, I got this??"

 

Today when you got libraries from Steam, GOG, Amazon, Origin, Humble Bundles,.. not to mention xbox/nintendo/ps You need a friggin spreadsheet and hopefully you don't lose that either within 10-20 years

Edited August 24, 2017 by NE146

[Bill Loguidice]

Today when you got libraries from Steam, GOG, Amazon, Origin, Humble Bundles,.. not to mention xbox/nintendo/ps You need a friggin spreadsheet and hopefully you don't lose that either within 10-20 years

 

I do in fact have a spreadsheet and I agree it's impossible to keep track of all the titles otherwise. For instance, my digital PC games presently number 1,368 titles. Just my Xbox One and PS4 libraries - each of which only has a handful of disc titles - numbers 114 and 169 respectively, and those will continue to grow indefinitely in no small part to the respective "free" games they give each month. It also helps in all those cases that since I have most of my stuff digital these days on platforms like those, I can play those games on any system I happen to be on (with Nintendo being Nintendo, the Switch does not offer that option, but I hope they get there at some point in the Switch's lifecylce).

 

I guess I'm at an age now and at a point now in my collecting where I'm good on the physical stuff (not to get into it yet again, but my personal collection of vintage computer and console stuff can overfill a museum). I don't really want more physical stuff. I'm good with excessive collections of things being digital now. Considering there are literally hundreds of thousands of games available to me (and all of us) from the beginning of videogames to the present and beyond, the risk of losing one or two games here or there because they're "only" digital is not that much of a concern for me.

[negative1]

i got over the digital download only for games a long time ago.

 

the xbox 360 had plenty of great retro games that were digital only.. sure, some came out on compilations later..

 

but most didn't, so if you wanted to play them, that was your only choice.

 

 

so now, if a game is digital only, and a decent price, i don't think twice about it.

 

i have very few physical discs for games, and more digital. i don't miss the discs. since most games you have to install to the hard drive anyways.

 

it's actually kind of annoying, because a lot of games, you still have to put the disc in the system anyways, even if you own the game..,,

 

later

-1

[omegadot]

Came here for Sonic, found digital arguments.

 

But my first impressions for Sonic Mania were 'oh my god I'm 12 again!' Once that 'seeeegaaaaaaaaa' went off I was already happy. Then I played the adapted levels and was just so happy. I'm currently on the 4-1 as I got stuck near the end of 4-2 where I needed more momentum and wasn't sure how to get it. I benefited from not owning a Genesis back in the day (I got one around age 17 I think and I didn't have a ton of games) so I haven't replayed them nearly as much as many others might have. I also never played the Sonic CD game so those elements are super cool to me. I noted a lot of the same things that the video above did regarding the bonuses. So far I think it's pretty great.

[NE146]

I've only played the first few levels and so far I really dig it. One thing I noticed is the 'retro' graphics look pretty pixelated especially if you're playing it on a larger screen, although I don't know if there's any options to smooth it out that I haven't checked out yet.

[negative1]

still noticing a lot of bugs in the game on the xbox one.

 

you don't consistently get an extra man playing sonic every 100 coins, with tails and knuckles it seems to work.

it doesn't work with sonic and tails either.

 

the save points don't really save your progress, unless you have more men to continue.

if you die, and your game ends, you have to start the level from the beginning.

 

the collision detection with the bosses is pretty accurate, but at times, ti can be off.

 

later

-1

[negative1]

was going to get the pc version, but the steam version sneaked in DENUVO copy protection:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/08/sonic-mania-pc-version-launches-with-denuvo-online-requirement/

 

so i'll wait until they remove and then play it..

 

no point in being online for a single player game.

 

later

-1

[DJ Clae]

If I'd watched more of the videos before the game was released, then I'd have known not to expect new stages. Instead I watched only a couple of the early reveal videos, and decided to keep the rest of the game a surprise.

 

When I played the game, I was disappointed each time a I reached another reused stage. I would have liked to see more Press Gardens, etc. I know the stages are rearranged, and there are new spins on everything, but I mean if I really want to play Chemical Plant again, I'll get out Sonic 2. This game cashes in on nostalgia without providing enough freshness.

[Mord]

"sneak" is the correct word apparently. When the game did launch on steam originally there was no mention on the store page about the 3rd party DRM being in the game. It was added after customers found the DRM on their own and started complaining about it. Then Sega basically went "oops. it not being listed was an error, we'll get it fixed asap."

 

Second time in recent memory for a dev to "forget" to list the 3rd party drm until players helpfully point it out to them. Not that I buy games on launch on steam much at all, but these "accidents" are becoming a bit more common, so I think I'll save myself potential headaches from here on out and wait at least a month after a game launches before I buy it. It only takes 1-3 days for players to call the dev on this anyway, so it should help make sure any "mistakes" about the drm are corrected on the store page before I buy, allowing me to safely check the "Not Interested" box on it.

 

was going to get the pc version, but the steam version sneaked in DENUVO copy protection:

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/08/sonic-mania-pc-version-launches-with-denuvo-online-requirement/

 

so i'll wait until they remove and then play it..

 

no point in being online for a single player game.

[Mord]

i have very few physical discs for games, and more digital. i don't miss the discs. since most games you have to install to the hard drive anyways.

 

it's actually kind of annoying, because a lot of games, you still have to put the disc in the system anyways, even if you own the game..,,

 

After a decade of companies deliberately degrading the quality of physical release discs (bug-ridden discs with large amounts of the game cut out for random DLC and "Expansions", etc), it's not too surprising more people think this way.

 

I still don't see myself ever investing in a digital-only console however.

[+Cafeman]

We played Sonic Mania for the first time last night, PC Steam version on 42 inch plasma screen. We played up to the end of Stardust Speedway. The game zones are quite lengthy it seems, and jam packed with bits and bobs from all the past Sonic 2D games. I did appreciate how the game frequently introduces a classic zone with nearly identical layout as before, but then you keep seeing more and more expansions or tweaks as you go. Act 2 of each zone is usually much newer in design than Act 1 stages. Bonus UFO and 3D Sphere stages were fun and we completed many of them on our first night of play. No complaints!

 

We would have gotten farther in the game, but my laptop using Steam would not play the sounds thru the HDMI out unless the game was in a small box, not full screen, so we fought that and eventually gave up, my son went home to grab his laptop, which worked fine. Stupid driver/ Win10 bugs?

[AE35]

I'm going to get flamed for this

 

First off, I'm a huge Sonic-fan and even made a fan-game myself. I bought Sonic Mania on Steam a day or two after release. I like the splash screen and I like Green Hill zone. However, it is incredibly similar to the earlier Sonic games, which I play often. Especially the 16:9 Android-version of the first Sonic game is very, very similar to Mania.

 

Upon reaching Chemical Plant, I discovered that I wasn't having fun...and refunded the game.

 

I enjoyed Sonic 4 Part II more. (that is PART II, not part I)

[negative1]

well, i got used to the new dash moves and gameplay of sonic 4 also.

 

this game isn't for everyone. some people prefer the new gameplay mechanisms,

others like the older retro style physics.

 

later

-1