Sonic Mania - Special stages, Bonuses, Time Attack (plus more music)

I must have died and gone to heaven, because there's no way this can be real. Special stages programmed as if they were running on genuine Saturn hardware (confirmed at SDCC by Taxman himself), the return of Blue Spheres, a dope time attack mode with a Daytona USA like congratulatory voice, and oh yeah, a soundtrack that seems to be going for G.O.A.T status in a series which is heavily praised for its music? It's like a dream come true.

Only 12 days away until the Mania begins!

That looks dope.

Looks better than Mario Adventure.

It looks good. :)

I'll pick this one up.

This is my most anticipated game right now since Red Dead got pushed back.

CANNOT wait. This is my most anticipated game of the year. Been playing Sonic Generations in anticipation for it. Really pumped. I plan on copping the PC version.

A sonic game finally has a shot at GOTY.

I'm ok with this.

Cool cool, my copy is paid for, I'm skipping on the Mega Man collection 2 though, I barely touched the first collection and the Mega Man titles just dont hold up very well for me, but that's just me....I played them too much when I was young I think.

I hope they do a GreenHill theme remaster in this Sonic compilation, that's my favorite theme from the series

Same. I've been eagerly anticipating it since the game was announced. I plan on starting a classic Sonic marathon in a few days where I'll be going through Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD (SEGA CD w/ the US soundtrack), Sonic 3 & Knuckles (first as as Sonic & Tails then as Knuckles), Knuckles' Chaotix, and then finally Sonic CD (PC version w/ the JP soundtrack). I want to be able to pick up on every little reference and easter egg. For example, even in the new special stage, I noticed that the humming birds and fish were references to the Sonic 1 special stage.

Here's Green Hill Act 2 if you haven't seen it yet.

But yeah, Mania isn't a compilation; it's basically "the real" Sonic 4 in every sense.

@Renegade_Fury: Cool that sounds good, looking forward to hearing it in game. Good to know its nearly a Sonic 4, as I already own most other Sonic games . I barely did any research on this, to be quite honest I just like the Sonic games and when I noticed people talking about it and when I saw it in the store, I just read the description quickly and figured I need to get this, preordered it. Also, the fast-paced nature of Sonic is something that is missing from my current library of platformers, so that will be a nice change.

Honestly didn't like the special stages from the Genesis games. It was frustrating to have to do them after carefully trying to collect alot of rings. In Sonic 2 it wasn't as big of a deal atleast since IIRC you didn't really need the chaos emeralds to get a good ending.

The special stages in Sonic Mania look like the controls could become a pain in the ass, but maybe I'll be wrong on that.

Cannot wait to get my hands on Sonic Mania! I wasn't sure what system to buy it and now, I have decided to just get it on PS4 to build up my Trophy collection.

Now then, Sonic Forces on the other hand,,,,

@Alucard_Prime: This video does a good job of summing up what Sonic Mania is:

So yeah, if you loved the originals and want that next (SEGA Saturn) step, then you'll be very happy with Mania.

@Renegade_Fury: Are you planing to pick up Sonic Forces at launch?

@davillain-: Yeah, I will. I'm nowhere near as excited for it, but I imagine it'll be ok at least. From the footage that I've seen, it looks way more fun than Lost World was, so that's a plus.

This one is like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, so all you have to do is find a giant ring, and if it's the same as the Sonic 1, 2, and CD remakes that Taxman made, you'll probably be able to quick save whenever you want.

looks fun.....

what is it 20$?

Yeah, $20, and $18 on steam if you pre-order.

There's a collector's edition too, but I'm not sure how much it goes for. The one I pre-ordered off of Amazon is down to $40 with all the discounts, but I think it originally went for $20 or so more than that.

Cant wait for this it looks brilliant. I wish they went with the invincibility power up music from Sonic 1 + 2 instead though.

Definitely looking forward to this. Haven't quite decided if I want it on PS4 or Switch yet. PS4 I get trophies and a theme/avatars by preordering and with Switch it's also portable, hmmmmm........

And those special stages look neat, I was expecting to go with the half-pipe again.

The Switch doesn't have a real d-pad when you use it as a portable right? That would be a deal breaker for me, because I need one for 2D games.

If it was anyone else but these guys making the game, then you better believe we would have gotten the half-pipe for the billionth time, lol.

Well that sounds alot better.

Yeah, and even if it doesn't let you quick save, you could always just use the level select after you beat the game and get all the remaining emeralds from any giant ring that you remembered. I used to replay Angel Island and hoard them that way in Sonic 3 when I was younger.

True, I didn't think of that. I think what it has is good enough for Sonic but the placement also kinda sucks. On the other hand I like the pro controller's dpad more than the DS4.

I'd just get it on the Switch then if you plan on using the pro controller. Even though the Switch is technically getting a port of Mania, there shouldn't be any technical limitations since it's just a platformer in the end.

I'm getting it for the PC so I can use my Genesis and Saturn controller adapters, but I'll double dip if Mania ever gets a physical release.

This game should be great.

I'm definitely picking this up. Just waiting to see what the differences are between PS4 and Switch. I'm leaning towards Switch as I need a new game for it.

I love how they are going all out with this.

This game will destroy every previous Sonic game.

I'm already penciling it in as my second favorite Sonic game. It'll take a lot to beat 3 & Knuckles though *cough Ice Cap* *cough* Hyper Sonic *cough* but yeah, they are going all out, and it's why I've been so hyped from the start, because I knew they would. These guys are the most hardcore of hardcore fans of not just Sonic, but SEGA games in general, so they know exactly what to do. It's like the slogan they've been internally using: "By the Mania for the Mania."

looks wonderful

What's stopping Nintendo from releasing a left joycon with a proper d-pad anyway ?

The 4 buttons are fine for me as a d-pad... It still feels better than the XB1/PS4 d-pad.

Well I say this because I have high expectations. I love S3&K but that game came out over 20 years ago and there hasn't been a Sonic game that has surpassed it. Now I want to see a Sonic game that improves from S3&K.

I also hope it is more polished then the Genesis games.

As long as there is no barrel of doom... :P

Well if there's a game that's going to surpass it, it'll be Mania (or Mania 2 *crosses fingers*). Mania is definitely going to be more polished though.

I could see them bringing back the barrel just for the laughs. Supposedly, there's even a Dr. Robotnik Mean Bean Machine/Puyo Puyo boss at the end of Chemical Plant, so I wouldn't put it past them, lol.

I already pre ordered the game two months ago wich is something I barely ever do so that tells you how much I want to play Mania.

You know,Ice Cap is cool and all but I never quite got why so many people love it so much. I mean the music is good,sure(especially act 2) and the level design is good(again,especially in act 2 with the upper part and the lower,under the cave section),but it was never close to my favourite classic sonic levels. Then again,I really dislike shit like Spring Yard,Casino Night and Carnival Night but most people love those,so I guess my Sonic preferences are the weird ones.

The music, snowboarding, and the fact that it was the level that came after the barrel, so it had sort of this mystic quality to it. I like snow levels in general, so Ice Cap is naturally my favorite. Hydro City is the stage rumored to represent Sonic 3 in Mania though, which is fine by me, because that's my second favorite zone, and it's my favorite water level in any game period, especially Act 2.

I really like Spring Yard Zone, but I'm not very big on Casino Night and Carnival Night. The latter two I recognize as being iconic, but I don't particularly enjoy playing them compared to most other zones.

Man,I always tought that whole barrel thing in Carnival Night was mostly people exaggerating or some kind of internet meme/myth/urban legend of sorts,but did people really had an issue with that for real? It's kind of unreal to me tbh.
I mean,yeah it´s a mechanic that is used only for that barrel in the whole game but I always felt it was pretty simple to figure out,considering how simple the controls are and all the action buttons doing the same,only leaving the dpad to figure out and if it doesn't work left and right...

I didn't know Hydrocity was being rumored to be in Mania but if that's the Sonic 3 level we get then that's great,it's pretty much a water level done right. Love it,probably my favourite level of Sonic 3.

@KungfuKitten: The dpad on the ps4 is near perfect IMO, can't see how the four buttons on the joy con could be better.

No, it's real, lol. I remember dying there at least two or three times because I couldn't figure out what to do before the timer went out, but I used to suck at most games except for Streets of Rage 1-3 when I was a kid. I imagine most people faced a similar experience, because you're right, it should be simple to figure out, but I guess you can't underestimate the stupidity of most players, lol.

Yeah, the momentum for Hydrocity has really picked up in the last two weeks, because we know that one of the brand new zones is going to have an ice gimmick, so by process of elimination, it only makes sense for Hydrocity to return since we don't have a dedicated water level yet. Plus, who wouldn't want to hear a remix of this awesome track?

You know,maybe I did have an issue with the barrel back when I first played it but since it was a long time ago that I don't remember it lol. It could get annoying when Tails was with with jumping on it,same for those spring like things in Ice Cap.

Man,that's such a great fucking track,I would love to see what Tee Lopes would do with it.

Yeah, and don't forget those platforms that levitate when you jump on and off of them in Carnival Night. I love Tails, but sometimes he was a nuisance, especially in the second to last boss fight in 3 & Knuckles. Even today, he can screw me up and end a no death run.

He's made one in the past, but it'll probably sound way different this time around.

What I'm really hoping for is an unlockable 16-bit soundtrack for Mania, because Tee Lopes is already teasing us with remixes of his own songs. It has to mean something right?! Probably not, lol.

Most sonic games are TRASH, sorry. Is this by the same people as the old ones? Same musical composer?

@heirren: This is the most obtuse thing I've read on here. It shows a complete lack of understanding of Sonic Mania and why it exists. I mean I could try to be this obtuse on purpose and I'd fail, over and over.

@DocSanchez:

Nah I think most would agree the series has been trash for the most part. This is the first one in a long while that fans of the classic sonic seem to be excited about, it's why I ask about the music--one of the series' strong points. It's kind of like sega gave up at some point, sold the rights to some hillbilly and these chumps thought "jeez I don't know bully maybe sonic should play tennis with Mario?"

@heirren: Well nobody needs sonic shoehorned into a cheap lazy spin off like mario tennis on that I agree.

Finally a good Sonic game, only took 23 years.

@heirren: I think most could agree that your post are trash.

@omnichris: they just forgot what made sonic good. Although the kart games were good, for kart games at least.