Since Sega released the first Sonic the Hedgehog game in 1991, the lovable blue speedster remained a permanent fixture in pop culture. Though it has plenty of nostalgic value, Sonic Team will not be returning to 2017's Sonic Mania. In a recent interview with Game Informer, Sega explained why this is the case.

[caption id="attachment_394447" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

What happened to Sonic Mania 2?

Sonic Mania was a success that sold over a million copies in its first year of release. This might have indicated a sequel could happen, but that hasn’t panned out. In the interview, Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka revealed that the plan was originally to make a new Sonic game in the classic style following Sonic Mania.

"There was a period after the development of Sonic Mania when we worked with them to consider concepts for the next generation of Classic Sonic," Iizuka told GI. "It's too bad that it didn't become a finished game. Still, I'm pleased that the next generation of Classic Sonic that we talked about with them has been achieved with Superstars."

The upcoming Sonic Superstars will be using 3D assets. The team felt that the 2D pixel art style attracts a certain "core" audience. While most of these players may be lifelong Sonic fans, developers also wanted the upcoming game to appeal to a wider audience of new players. Hence, as? Iizuka explains, they “needed to ??use the 3D assets to really give it that current look�

Sonic Team amiably cut ties with developer Christian Whitehead who worked on Sonic Mania. Whitehead went on to form Evening Star, a studio working on its debut Penny's Big Breakaway. But Superstars does look to be using some pieces of Sonic Mania's legacy for the upcoming side-scroller.

//twitter.com/CFWhitehead/status/16??68971982493470720?s=20

Speaking to Game Informer, Whitehead backs up the account. He says Evening Star's goal was to move "beyo??nd" 2D pixel art

"Evening Star did work with Sega to explore possible directions Classic Sonic could go after the success of Sonic Mania," Whitehead told GI. "Sonic Mania 2 was never in ??development, though, because we actually agreed early on that we should try to make something fresh, like hand-drawn 2D o?r 2.5D."

Though the upcoming side-scroller Sonic Superstars won’t look like the classic Sonic games, developers are still dedicated ??to making it feel like them. As Iizuka explains, the “game was created from zero �from absolutely nothing �but we were still looking at all those four classic games and creating physics that are going to match and feel like what the classic series needs to be�

Sonic Superstars is slated to release in late 2023 on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and?? Xbox.

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So says producer Takashi Iizuka

Sonic Mania was a bonafide hit. Sega seems happy with its sales, and critically, it's done far better than the v??ast majority of the Sonic franchise since the first Sonic Adventure. You'd expect the publisher would greenlight five sequel??s right off the bat, but nope -- it seems like they're taking it easy at the moment.

Beyond the upcoming Plus expansion, there aren't any plans to expand Mania. Speaking to Famitsu Sonic series producer Takashi Iizuka explains: "The next project is called Sonic Mania. That was a joke, the pr??oject 'Sonic Mania' feels complete issuing the packaged version 'Plus.' I have not thought about what to do with the series in the future currently."

Iizuka also took the time to thank Sonic fans, stating: "Thanks to everyone who bought the original Sonic Mania, we’re able to continue it to Plus, and we’re really grateful for that. There may be some impressions that Sonic Mania was aimed for people who knew of the Genesis-era games simply because it is a 2D game that feels like the past, but in actuality, people from a very broad age range are playing it. Especially outside Japan, the highest user demographics of digital downloads came from grade schoolers. This time we’re selling it in a form and price that’s easy to obtain, so to those who haven’t got to play this yet, please kindly get this. I can?? proudly recommend this title to Japanese grade schoolers as well."

Its good times for Sega. People have mostly forgotten about the lows they experienced with Sonic Boom and Sonic Forces, and have moved on to looking forward to Plus and enjoying Sonic cartoons again. It's a weird, possibly brief window into my ?childhood where every?one actually liked Sonic and we had two TV shows and a host of good games to choose from. 

Sonic [Famitsu via PlayStation Lifestyle]

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Bring on Plus!

In the latest issue of Famitsu, which also confirms the inevitable release of Sonic Mania Plus for Japan, it has also been revealed that Sonic Mania has reached a new milestone of over ?one million?? downloads worldwide.

Here's hoping Plus only furthers this success and sends a clear message to Sega on the direction fans want the series to be taking. That said, personally, I'm still of the mindset that we can easily have both classic and modern style releases.

Although Sonic Mania was fantastic, I'd still love to see another crack at the Adventure formula -- just as long as it doesn't end up like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

Sonic Mania Plus coming to Japan, Sonic Mania ??reaches one million downloads [Famitsu]

The original Sonic Mania has a?lso achieved over one million sales worldwide :-O

— Japanese Nintendo (@japanese3ds) April 24, 2018

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Instant action

Nintendo Switch players have been putting up with a pesky issue in Sonic Mania no??t found in other versions of the game, and th??is week Sega is issuing a fix at last.

That wonky delay on the home button? As of this update, it should be gone. There's also a new Super Sonic button so you won't need to worry about inadvertently transforming Sonic any? more.

A new Sonic Mania patch is rolling out, adding the Super Sonic button, and fixes the Switch home button and other bugs. pic.twitter.com/SFjk5bAQRe

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) September 25, 2017

I ended up going with the PS4 version, but the delayed home button would've driven me mad. And while I'm not in a position to even have that Super Sonic problem, that button is a smart ??addition.

Sonic the Hedgehog [Twitter]

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Gotta go Online!

Sonic Mania has burst onto the scene to heaps of praise from critics and the communi?ty, who have suffered terrible games featuring the blue b?lur for decades now. Something to celebrate, at long last.

It's not all roses in Green? Hill Zone however, with the recent, and kinda sly, re??velation that the PC version of the game uses Denuvo DRM, essentially blocking anyone who is not connected to the internet from playing the game.

What is doubly annoying to the critics of this practice is that the Steam page for the game never listed that the DRM would be featured in the product, nor that the game would require a constant online connection until after the?? game's launch, which ha??s understandably frustrated some players.

Interestingly, even Sonic's PR manager Aaron Webber took to twitter, urging fans to "Make their voices heard" about the PC-specific requirement, somewhat implying that the development team themselves are unhappy with the DRM situation. All of the above has lead to a recent carpet-bombing of negative reviews on the game's Steam page.

In particular, please do share your feedback on DRM or any issue??s you're having at the link above. Make your voices heard.

— Aaron Webber (@RubyEclipse) August 29, 2017

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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A slight menu delay

In case you haven't heard, Sonic Mania is pretty great. Although I initially reviewed it on PS4 I've also been playing the Switch version, which still feels weird to me as a '90s kid to see a 2D Sonic on a Nintendo system.

Alas, there's a small bug that's exclusive to the Switch edition. Some users have been noting that while playing the game in portable mode, there's a delay (or in some cases, no res?ponse) sometimes when using the screen capture feature or pressing the home button. Developer Christian Whitehead and his team are thankfully on it already though, noting on Twitter that they're aware of the bugs, accompanied by a cute cartoon.

As far as bugs go this one is pretty tame. Meta-UI features should absolutely work as intended, but I'm glad that the actual game isn't completely busted or houses a massive disparity between other versions like several Switch port have done.

Christian Whitehead [Twitter]

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Going fast since 1991

What can you say about Sonic that hasn't already been said?

He's had his ups and downs, and while he started very high up, he's sunk really far down over the past de??cade or so ?and even kissed a human girl. Oh, and he's shown up to races in a car even though he'd be way faster on foot. He's done it all, as they say.

But like many other publishers that can't figure out what to do with their age-old franchises that s?till make a killing on merch, Sega has gone back to basics with the furry legen??d, and it's paid off thanks to some hard work from a few dedicated developers.

Sonic Mania (PC, PS4 [reviewed], Switch, Xbox One)
Developer: Headcannon, PagodaWest Games
Publisher: Sega
Released: August 15, 2017
MSRP: $19.99

Sonic might have a new move (the drop dash, which basically preps ?a mini spin dash mid-air), but this is the same retro mentality you grew to love. It's 20 bucks, you can beat it in an afternoon, and the silly cast st?ill runs fast. There's still one button -- jump -- and it can still spin dash and now, drop dash.

But this time it's not all about Sonic. You can pick any combination of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails (including Sonic/Tails for co-op or a CPU keeping you company) immediately and jump into it. There's no requirement of beating the game to unlock anything or secret modes to sift throu??gh, you just get it. They're all just like their old selves, too. Sonic is a good all-around choice, Tails is floatier and flies around, and Knuckles can climb walls or glide. Every one of them offers something unique and is worth playing a campaign with in their own right.

That's partly due to the masterful level design that emulates, and in some ways surpasses, the legacy titles. There's still that feeling of replaying a level, finding a secret item in a bush somewhere, and grinning like a kid. Acts are also seamlessly linked together by mini-bosses and end bosses to the point where you're not flipping through menus o?r lengthy load screens, which feels like a natural fit with Sonic's rapid-fire nature. This is most evident in the optional time attack mode (which is unlocked along with competitive multiplayer after completing the first act). Most of the zones are re-imagined from prior games, but they're remixed in such a way that they barely resemble their counterparts. Veterans will be able to point and say "I remember that aesthetic," but they'll be pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns that await.

The higher framerate of Mania helps cement the contention that Sonic was never about "holding right to go fast and win." Various gadgets that break up forward motion and the strategic use of bubbles in water sections prove that. Sonic Mania in its own way allows these ideas to breathe, adding in a few alterations and returning gadgets that don't feel excessive but make you stop and ponder the best way to proceed. Its (fun) bonus stages also serve as the same kind of? respite.

What I really dig though is the subtle use of retro effects that emulate the Genesis era but sport clearly improved animation. Seeing Eggman get into his machines manually with a hatch for example isn't something that would have been so elegantly conveyed on a 16 or even 32-bit console. It's the little things, the love and care that keep it authentic without feeling like a re-skin of the first few games. That's to say nothing of its original and fantastically punchy soundtrack.

Don't get too excited about the inclusion of a competitive mode, as there's a few big things that hold it back. For one it's offline only, but the only options include swapping items and altering the number of rounds -- that's it. Think of it like a bonus, a really small bonus that has a giant stretched screen that looks incredibly ugly or "nostalgic" depending on your view. Seeing it on a 4K TV in all its "glory" is hilarious, but not w??ieldy.

Sonic Mania is short but sweet. It even functions as a proper Sonic 4 if you don't count the episodic Sonic 4 (remember that one?). As long as the same team is in charge I can easily deal with one of these every few years or so while Sega tries to strike Sonic Adventure gold again and again with their 3D iteratio??ns.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

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Extra time needed for 'optimization'

As announced this morning on a live stream, Sega is holding back the PC version of Sonic Mania for fu??rther optimization. It's now releasing on August 29, two weeks a??fter the other versions of the game.

Folks who pre-purchased Mania or the collector's edition will get a Steam copy of Sonic 1 for free.

Sega confirmed that the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions are still on track for Tuesday. I wasn't planning on going the PC route, thankfully, but I feel for those of yo?u who were (and are now potentially considering buying elsewhere because two weeks will feel like forever).

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It's out next week

Sonic Mania, so far, has a way of hitting us with a specific chord of nostalgia that doesn't feel desperate. Christian Whitehead, a longtime Sonic fangame developer that eventually started working directly with Sega, knows what he's doing. With him as the backbone of the project Sega has followed suit, with a wonderful original soundtrack and now this adorable opening animation from dire?ctor Tyson Hesse.

It has me pining for the old days when catching the [best iteration] cartoon was part of my morning routine. Sonic Mania is out on August 15? on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Expe??ct our review around then!

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'Danger on the Dance Floor'

My mind still won't accept that we're now firmly in August, which is worrying, but as far as video games are concerned it's a great thing. For instance: I just realized Sonic Mania is less than a week away.

Sega has shared yet another track from the game. This time, it's the mini boss them?e.

If you like this number, you'll probably really like the theme for the Hard-Boiled Heavies.

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The collector's edition is a download code

Sonic Mania was confirmed very early on for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One platforms, but it just had one holdup -- a lack of a physical edition. Sure it had a special edition, a rad one in fact?, but that comes with a download card.

We do have hope though, as a GameStop Italy posting showcases a very convincing physical version on the Switch, which we can only assume will head to other platforms. St?ill, the full game is only a week a?way so if it is confirmed, Sega just needs to share the news already!

Some have already theorized that Sega doesn't want people to cancel their special editions, then e??ventually buy this, which would be disappointing if the listing ends up panning out. We've reached out to Sega? for comment.

Sonic [GameStop.it]

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The spheres are back!

When we got word that special stages would return for Sonic Mania, I tried to name my favorite type and came up short. I couldn't name a winner, even just taking the classic games into consideration. I liked each of the special stages for different reasons. Turns out Sonic Mania is not only doing Sonic CD-style 3D running stages, but also bonus stages that look straight out of Sonic 3. That's so great!

Love 'em or hate 'em, the blue and red spheres are back. They're tricky little suckers, especially when you're only a handful of spheres away from reaching the goal and your nerves start getting the better of you. "Where the hell are they? I've looked everywhere!" It's such a good feeling when you finally track down that ?last set, collect them all, and get the eff out of there. You can breathe again.

As a lapsed fan, it sure is nice to be genuinely excited about a Sonic game.

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Hey, I know those fish

If there's one element of classic Sonic the Hedgehog games I tend to forget about until I go back to replay them, it's the special stages. Favorite? L?east favorite? I like them fo?r different reasons.

Sonic 1's bouncy mazes were mesmerizing to look at, Sonic 2's half-pipe was fun to launch yourself off, and Sonic 3's blue-sphere-touching, red-sphere-avoiding special stages? were satisfying to clear.

For Sonic Mania's bonus levels, Sega is taking some cues from Sonic CD. Here's the announcement from San Diego Comic-Con, courtesy of YouTube user Sollux Captor:

As a bonus (and keeping in line w??ith its recen??t trend), Sega has shared another track.

Sonic the Hedgehog [Twitter]

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'Lights, Camera, Action!'

It's getting to be Friday night around here. Soon enough, that'll mean the rapid consumption of alcohol, a few rounds of Battlegrounds with my dudes, a lil EVO, and the horrible realization that I should've left 20 minutes ago to beat the crowd at my favorite spot. Those tallboys won't order t??hemselves.

Before all ??that gets underway, though, let's slip into this groove.

Assuming Sonic Mania is in any ?way on your radar, you'll have heard this track from Studiopolis Act 1, or at least snippets of it. This video from Sega is the "first in a series of OST releases" for the throwback game and I for one am happy to hear it once more (and give you the same chance).

Sega says it knows the song has been out there but that we should "look forward to what's coming up." I can't vouch for all of Sonic Mania, but everything I've?? played and heard has le??ft me buzzing.

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Something old, something new, something Sonic, something blue

Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces are coming out in a couple of months and the success of either (or both) will be a serious deciding factor in the continuing direction of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Sonic has had a tough go of it the last couple of years with the underwhelming (okay, let’s be real; it was fucking pathetic) Sonic Boom, which almost single-handedly doomed the Sonic brand into a future c??onsisting only of bad ?mobile “runner” games.

Sega shocked everyone with the Sonic Mania trailer last year. We had a real, sprite-based Sonic the Hedgehog game coming out to all the major platforms headed by genius programmer Christian Whitehead, responsible for the amazing mobile Sonic ports, and the excellent release of Sonic CD on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, mobile, and PC. But I noticed something right away that had me a touch worried about this new direction even in my excited optimism for a new, proper 2D Sonic title.

Fucking Green Hill Zone.

Listen; I love winks and nods as much as the last horribly jaded rose-tinted-glasses-wearing manchild thirty-something. But seeing Green Hill Zone, slightly modified (with much nicer looking everything, I might add) immediately put a sour taste in my mouth. It was an endearing callback in Sonic Adventure 2 when it was rewarded to the player for trudging through the rest of that game's sometimes miserable side content. It was a cool treat in Sonic Advance 3. By Sonic 4, seeing some variation of it was starting to get under my skin, and even though it made perfect sense in Sonic Generations, I remember thinking, “Okay Sega, you’ve had your fun. Time to move on now.”

“…Sega? It’s…it’s time to move on.”

Sonic the Hedgehog is about going forward as quickly as you can to the next thing, the next big adventure. But in recent years Sonic has been dragging his ass, taking one step forward and two back. I guess you could say he has been spinning his wheels a bit (har har). Sonic Mania and the recently shown Sonic Forces both have me a bit concerned that Sega maybe just doesn’t quite get it yet. But in order to get a better understanding of what I mean, we have to go back in time, away from the hopeful new titles 2017 is bringing us, way past cool to a much darker period in Sonic history.

Sonic's first real foray into 3D space didn’t come until Sonic Adventure, skipping an entire platform thanks to deadbeat mismanagement and conflict between Sega Technical Institute and Sega of Japan that effectively killed the ambitious Sonic Xtreme, leaving Saturn owners with the snot rag of disappointment that was Sonic 3D Blast, a port of a mediocre Sega Genesis title. Sonic Adventure was a good start from Sonic Team despite being chock full of filler, abysmal second-rate buddy characters, and some annoying glitches and camer??a issues that hurt the playability of the later Sonic stages.

It paved the way for Sonic Adventure 2 which was a far more polished and competent experience. Hell, I thought SA2 was great. Even the bad parts, the God-awful Knuckles levels, those stupid-ass Tails and Robotnik sections, and that dumb-dumb kart racing garbage were still a lot better than any of the side character crap from the first Sonic Adventure. It was pretty clear Sega was generally on the right track, and the multiplatform follow-up Sonic Heroes gave us a more focused experience even if it still suffered a lot of the same problems of throwing Sonic into 3D. No Mario killer perhaps, but Sonic had more or less cemented his place in those ??console generations and created a whole new legion of younger fans.

And then Sonic ’06 happened.

And then after that Sonic and the Secret Rings.

Sonic and the Black Knight...

…

So anyways, being better left unspoken on the whole, the 3D Sonic games were not doing very well at this point. Sonic ’06 was a nightmare to play, and an utter PR disaster. At the same time these games are coming out, Sonic was experiencing a pretty healthy life over on the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS, with several good titles put out on those platforms. Sonic Unleashed would soon follow which was more or less ??two games smashed into one; a half baked beat-‘em-up with a werewolf Sonic who was about as appealing as a beer stein full of liquid sheep shit, and some really visually impressive regular Sonic levels that had a tremendous sense of speed and were generally exciting to play.

Sega realized they had some spark of ingenuity here. So they took the best components of Unleashed and started working on Sonic Colors, a Wii and DS exclusive. And lord, compared to the buckets of pig swill that came before, Colors was a pretty wonderful game. It had unique and original stages (no Green Hill Zone, thank fuck) even if the art style and general aesthetic was a little derivative and clearly a riff on Super Mario Galaxy. The music was fantastic, and the game played pretty damn well. Sonic has never really thrived in 3D space, and like always there were some frustrating stages and the wisp power-ups could be hard to get to grips with initially, but it was a new and fairly original Sonic the Hedgehog game and remains one of the best examples of 3D Sonic to date.

Then Sega announced Sonic Generations. It was pretty exciting. The idea that we could go back through a lot of the best stages of the original games (including Green Hill Zone of course) as both Classic and Modern iterations of Sonic was a cool idea. The game was gorgeous, packed with content, and fun to play. In the back of my mind I was a little disappointed; I kind of wanted to see another unique new Sonic game. But that desire would be met when Sonic Lost World arrived on Wii U (and later PC) OR WOULD IT?

The answer is no.

Here’s the thing; I absolutely adore the aesthetic of Sonic Lost World. It’s a bit like Sonic Xtreme with the rotating worlds, has the color palette and cartoony look and personality of an older Sonic game, including recognizable badniks from older titles instead of those personality-barren drones that started becoming the norm in Sonic Adventure 2. But the game was a lackluster experience. It favors more precise input and execution, so once you really get to grips with a stage, Sonic can get around it pretty quickly. But the style of Generations, Colors, and the Sonic stages in Unleashed ??was just up and abandoned in what seemed like a really strange move, completely antithetical to Sega intelligently taking the best parts of the games up to that point and expanding upon them. They thr?ew away the kitchen sink all over again and tried something new, and it was just perplexing.

Oh yeah then Sonic Boom came out and it was fucking terrible.

What the hell was going on? Diehard Sonic enthusiasts, the kind that draw pictures of Tails pissing in Sonic’s face while giving Knuckles a footjob may have been accepting of new direction, but the more general crowd of casual Sonic fans were just confused and disappointed by now. Sega smashed it out of the park one minute and dropped it on the bathroom floor with a *plat* like an Ikea meatball the next. The popular opinion ??????????????????????????was that Sonic was officially dead in the water, flushed down the drain like so many sleeping Betta fish.

Now, we have two Sonic games on the way. One of them is as old school as it gets, and as exciting a concept it is, seems like a desperate last gasp of Sega to really listen to feedback and rebuild their reputation, embracing the idea of the retro reboot. Conversely, Sonic Forces is following in the wake of Generations’ success so closely that it can smell its farts, inexplicably tossing Classic Sonic into the mix once again, and appeasing the fanboy urge to be able to c??reate custom avatars to ?live out their escapist fantasies.

Both games look p?retty solid. But they also look incredibly safe, almost fearful, as though the mere idea of straying out of the realm of ??what has been successful in past games terrifies Sega.

And it should, perhaps. They’ve fucked it up so many times before. Mania and Forces seem to be a test; they are throwing two things at the wall, and seeing what sticks. And I would predict that whichever is more successful will determine the future of Sonic games going forward. If Mania blows Forces out of the water, expect to see a?? whole new?? line of games just like it, and vice versa.

??That brings me to my last point: the fu??ture of Sonic.

I really don’t think Sonic the Hedgehog can go forward by regurgitating and re-living the glory days. It might work for Mania after the tremendous failure of Sonic Boom, but if it does, we really need to see new ideas consistently replace the safe familiarity of recycled assets. No more older levels, for one. Green Hill and Flying Battery Zone might elicit a giggle the first time through. But if a Mania 2 follows suit and tosses in Mushroom Hill Zone, Hydrocity Zone, or whatever else,?? it’s going t??o get old quick. 

Sega needs to pick a direction and follow through with it, taking it as far as they can and adding in little bits of polish along the way. We could have a decade of really solid Sonic games if they don’t do another incomprehensible 180 after one or both of these titles is a success. What Sonic needs, what he has never really had past his Genesis/Mega Drive days, is consistent refinement. Sega seems to be convinced that reinventing the wheel is acceptable ?with Sonic, but it very seldom works. They need to lock in on ??what does work, and do that - do it better than they ever have.

And they need to stop living in the past at the same time. Putting Sonic in 2D is not necessarily a derivative action as long as they keep doing new things with him. Give us the creativity of the stages in Sonic 3. But don't emulate them. Keep the mechanics the same with the odd change or improvement, but give us all-new content, a new story, and even new characters. And please, for the love of fuck, let this be the end of fucking Green Hill Zone. I'm begging you, Sega. The new stages in Mania look fun! Roll with that, embrace them, don't be afraid to take a vacation from the established locales. It's important.

If they can pull off a success and revitalize the blue blur, and stay on the track, keep their face to the race, there may be a very good chance to break the sound barrier and out of the Sonic cycle. Otherwise they will just be left i??n the dust all over again. Sega needs to send Sonic into overdrive, bur?n rubber, crank the speedometer up to eleven, and run full throttle across the finish line.

And other bad wordplay involving fast things because Sonic the Hedgehog.

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Don't @ me

Little Sibling Syndrome took over big time as I visited Sega's San Francisco office last week. I was there to see Sonic Mania, an upcoming throwback to the hedgehog's glory days. In an attempt to lead the demo, a Sega representative played as Sonic and I played as Tails. God, that was t?he worst.

We were moving through Green Hill Zone: Act 2, a level of Sonic Mania that had not been shown off yet. Helping was almost futile. Sonic would jump on enemies, collect rings, and buzz through secret passages. Tails would get lost, fl??y in at the last minute, try to grab a ring or something, and then be left in the dust again. Playing as Tails is terrible. No one should have to play as Tails.

As for how Sonic Mania's shaping up, this demo did a lot to make me think that Jordan and I were spot-on in our assessment late last summer ??(for those who are wondering, I ?did eventually get to play as Sonic):

Long story short, this feels like a faithful recreation of what everyone loved about Sonic in the Genesis era. That's in part because, well, it sort of is the Sonic of the Genesis era. The Sega rep told us that the game is about 60 percent remixing levels from past Sonic games and about 40 percent using ideas that are new or that were never implemented bac?k then.

It works wonders in execution. It's fast and tight and full of different directions to go. Power-ups from Sonic 3 are right at home against the original's backdrop. The mix of familiar-yet-different old stuff and the ne??w content is enough to make it feel fresh wh?ile still scratching that nostalgia itch.

It helps that Sega nails the detail while peppering in some obscure homages. We noticed a particularly good animation in the Studiopolis zone when Sonic gets launched by some big round balls. Later in the level, we ran into a giant popcorn machine that also sent us flying upwards. The Sega rep explained that's a nod to the Sega Sonic Popcorn Shop in Japan, a famous Sonic-themed machine that dispensed popcorn. Mania&nb?sp;seems like it'll be full of moments like that, whet??her you recognize them or not.

We've only seen three levels so far, but it somehow feels like we've seen so much more. Sonic Mania seems like it just gets it -- so much so that it's almost unfathomable that there'd be a misstep so significant as to derail this project. Understanding what makes a good 2D Sonic game is half the battle and the Sonic Mania team looks like it has it figured out. This is a fantastically good Sonic game in 2017 (as long as y?ou don't have to play as Tails).

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Sonic's my boy!

I'm not overly familiar with Kinda Funny Games, but they uploaded a 26 minute video of Sonic Mania that shows off a new zone along with Tails and Knuckles. I'm really happy to see that both characters look similar to their classic counterparts and I plan on taking Knuckles almost excl?usively.

Along with Tim Gettys playing the game, Sonic Mania producer Lola Shiraishi is present. She gives some comments about the team behind Mania, their goals for recreating the classic vibe? of the Genesis games and what she likes about the older titles. This may not be the most informative piece, but seeing more of the game is a plus.

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No chili dogs, though

Sonic Mania is shaping up to be quite a treat, but Sega isn't done riding the hype train. After polling Twitter users ab??out the possibility of a collector's edition for the upcoming revival, Sega went ahead and fully revealed the thing today.

I'm typically not one for collector's editions (as they mainly ex??ist t??o bloat the price of games), but that Sonic statue looks incredible. That it has Sega startup sounds is even better. I'm also very attracted to that Genesis cartridge mock-up, so I may have to bite on this for nostalgia purposes.

The tweet links to a site where you can pre-order the game, but the link appears to be dead. I'm sure in the next few hours it should open up. Amazon has a listing for?? each platform that prices the game at $69.99, but there still isn't a firm release date.

Disclosure-bot: We have zero control when deals start and end. Deals can sometimes be gone within minutes (please don't shoot the messenger). Trying deal links even hours after this article's time st?amp may lead to self-punching, so maybe bookmark our video game deals if you'r??e on the hunt. Also, it goes without saying, but some shopping links do directly support the author. If you've spotted any inaccuracy please let us know asap.

Sonic the Hedgehog [Twitter]

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A go-fast blast

At PAX West, Jordan and I spent maybe five minutes with Sonic Mania. Appropriate, really, given that the blue hedgehog's whole existence is framed around the concept of speed. In and out, super quick. That's all we needed to know that ?the game is shaping up quite nicely.

And, when we say that it's shaping up nicely, we mean that it's looking like a game that Sonic&n??bsp;fans from the Sega Genesis days are going?? to want to play. When you think about it, that's a bold claim. That's all these people have wanted for, like, two decades now.

Jordan: It's true! I've been perfectly content to skip a whole mess of these games in that time. On the whole, the 3D titles never really spoke to me as much as the original series, and Sega's efforts to revitalize its classic side-scrolling design haven't fared much better. At this point, it's mostly apathy for the games, and laughing at the occasional Sonic-related weirdness that pops into view -??- that's my relationship with this property in 2016. I can't underestimate the po??wer of nostalgia, though.

We decided to split the two-level Sonic Mania demo right down the middle. I ended up getting beamed around in a vibrant new cityscape area, Studiopolis, while Brett went through a remixed Green Hill Zone. The former would've felt right at home in something like Sonic CD.

I raced down crisscrossing ramps, bounced off bumpers, and tried not to get distracted by the colorful, densely-packed visuals in the "TV broadcast"-themed world. We were too preoccupied to bother putting on headphones, but now I'm listening to that level's music for the first time, and it feels right. T??he same could be said of everything else I've seen of this game so far. It's like ?a long-lost sequel.

Brett: It felt especially right because we played on a Genesis controller. Again, right in the nostalgias. With that nice little touch, I set off on Green Hill Zone. It was so much like the original Sonic the Hedgehog that I questioned why this was designated as new conten??t. Everything was right where I knew it'd be.

That's until it wasn't. Eventually, it all felt foreign, yet strangely familiar. A Sega rep told us that what I was playing was an amalgamation of the two Green Hill Zone levels, capped off by a mini-boss. Somewhat updated art and enemies that are unique to Sonic Mania were two of the other changes that I noticed, but just barel??y.

Here's an anecdote for how much this felt like the first Sonic: As I was cruising along, Jordan asked me to stop and hit down+B to dash. I paused and said "That wasn't introduced until Sonic 2." He replied "Well, try anyway." Sure enough, it worked. I was so convinced I was playing the ori??ginal game that I didn't even consider a newer maneuver to be a possibility.

Jordan: That has me curious to see what other, potentially more modern ideas the designers might bring into Sonic Mania. We didn't think to try the new drop-dash move (not that either level seemed to necessitate using it), and we also weren't able ??to play as Knuckles or Tails. On the Sonic side of things, it's all super promising. I just hope that attention to detail and quality won't waver in the full game.

Brett: Yeah, ideally every level oozes Sonic the exact same way. Like, hopefully this demo could have been any two levels chosen at random and they all would've been equally great. Less ideally, these could be the best Sonic Mania ;has to offer and it'?s all ??downhill from here. To be fair, that's a realistic concern for any preview scenario, though.

But, as for our five minutes, I think we can both agree this is far more classic Sonic than we could've ever dreamed. Finally, Sonic fans. Finally.

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