I think another way of putting it, Sega’s spent the last couple of decades putting the focus on the character of Sonic, but in Sonic Mania they instead focused on the gameplay and more importantly and especially the level design, and that was what made a great Sonic game.
You know the Transformers games have had a lot of similarities with the Sonic games. Most of them are crappy, and it’s because they focus on the gimmick of transforming from a robot to a vehicle. The handful of them like the 2 “of Cybertron” games that put making a fun game first and then added in transforming as a secondary feature are awesome.
Yet, in a lot of the 3D Sonic games, the focus isn’t placed on Sonic’s gimmick (his super speed) but instead placed on some secondary gimmick that was never associated with the character to begin with (being a werewolf/a knight) which itself moves away from the core mechanic of what makes it a Sonic The Hedgehog game. (Fast, fun, tough and colourful.)
The game play and level design are supposed to play off Sonic’s strengths (his super speed and jumping abilities) and, by rights, everything should revolve around those core mechanics, level design included, no awkward walls to get stuck on and nothing that interrupts flow too much. (This is why Hydrocity is returning as opposed to Labyrinth Zone, as it was a water level that kept the speed and pacing of regular levels, which will always be the main draw of a Sonic game.)
A lot of the 3D games went too far astray from what made the original games so popular and some of them felt as though they should have been created with another character in mind for the lead role. As an example using a game everyone here has played, imagine Orchid in a Barbie style horse riding simulator game, it just wouldn’t work so well, would it?
I’m not arguing what game is better. I’'m just expressing disappointment around the fanbase.
3D Sonic games have always gotten hate, that’s not the problem. The problem for me is it has somehow gotten more obnoxious with the release of Sonic Mania.
Also, while I would love another Adventure game, I actually thought Lost World had something good going with the gameplay and some of the levels. If they improved the level design, threw out the many dumb gimmick levels and smoothened the controls, that could be an awesome game.
Yeah, speaking of “all the modern games are buggy messes and the classics were perfect,” this game has reminded me that said statement is ■■■■■■■■■
While it doesn’t happen enough for me to dislike the game, I have been hit with very questionable bugs throughout it.
The game gave me a “course out” in special stage 4 although Sonic bounced back on the track.
I’ve been crushed in ways that have been around since the genesis days and I don’t know why the collision isn’t better in those sections, mainly the final zone.
And more than once have I accidentally clipped into a wall or floor and forced to restart the level from the beginning.
Sonic Mania is a modern game though.
However, a lot of the classic games were indeed buggy as well.
Difference is, now we can get patches to fix those bugs.
If you mean modern games made in classic style, then yeah…
But the people who say that even those games are without bugs, glitches etc… are just plain stupid, pardon my Russian.
The aesthetic style of a game has nothing to do with whether or not a game has bugs in it. Bugs happen because of programming, not pixels. And I’ve seen time and time again in the classic games I grew up with that even pixels bug out and glitches, changing colours, stuff appearing where it shouldn’t be etc.
This, this right here has happened more to me than I care to admit. I have questioned the crush detection multiple times in this game, and the final zone is the exact same point where it happens MOST.
I also got soft locked once when the zone boss got beaten and I managed to get a ring box using the spinning stage sign. I decided not to use it and wanted to keep it for act 2. Unfortunately, the game had a transition cutscene between rounds, but Sonic was on one side of the ring box, eternally struggling to push the immovable object with no means of allowing me to control him and breaking, nor returning to the in game menu. I had to quit game and restart.
Also, I don’t know why, but every now and again, the game stutters and the frame rate drops like a stone in a river. The incident is random as far as I can tell, and while it passes after a moment, it becomes annoying. I think however, it’s mostly due to extended play sessions somehow.
Does anyone else experience random slowdown? I’m playing on Xbox One and it’s really distracting. Without warning, the game will slow to a crawl. This typically lasts for a few seconds then goes back to normal.
Other than that, I’ve really been liking the game. Great music and animation. I kind of wish they made an all new 2D Sonic game with completely re-drawn HD sprites and non-recycled zones/ special stages.
Yeah, I do. I mentioned that a few posts ago, but yes you aren’t the only one. I’m not sure what really causes it either, as it seems random but just fades.
