The blue blur has been MIA on PlayStation platforms since 2011's Sonic Generations – or, if we're counting spin-offs, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in 2012. Over the last 14 years, SEGA has been working closely with Nintendo to bring exclusive Sonic games to their consoles, including Sonic Lost World, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and, erm, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.
It's fair to say that he's seen better days.
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog, and last night during SEGA's live streamed celebration, the publisher announced not one but two brand new games that, hopefully, this time, maybe, will bring the character back to his former glory. At least one of them genuinely looks like it could.
Firstly, though, let's look at Project Sonic 2017 (a working title, obviously) – a game developed by Sonic Team to be released "Holiday 2017", and merely teased by a CGI trailer. There aren't many hints as to how it will play, but given that it highlights Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, and we see both incarnations of the hedgehog running side by side, it's safe to assume Generations-esque gameplay. Here's the teaser trailer:
Meanwhile, Sonic Mania, brought to existence by Christian Whitehead and Pagoda West Games, looks far more exciting. It's a new 2D platformer that at once brings back memories of Sonic's golden age, while maintaining a very handsome retro style of its own. Its debut trailer speaks of "re-imagined classics" and "new zones", meaning that we'll likely see updated or remixed stages from the original games alongside all-new ones for us to zip around.
For the hardcore Sonic fans out there,the team's even introduced a new mechanic to proceedings; the Drop Dash appears to be similar to the Spin Dash move, but helps maintain your momentum from dropping to the ground rather than setting you off from a standstill.
In this scribe's opinion, if anything hopes to hold a candle to Sonic's original Mega Drive trilogy, it's this. It's out Spring 2017, so we'll have to wait and see, but early signs are strong. Here's the trailer:
What do you think of next year's Sonic games? Go Supersonic in the comments section below.
[source youtube.com, via youtube.com]
Comments 51
Sonic Mania legitimately looks promising.
before I was a playstation fanboy .sega genesis was the best.everyone in New York had a sega genesis.sonic the hedgehog.streets of rage.contra hard corpse.kid chameleon.Rambo 3.truxton.super hang on.New York city.where my sega genesis fans live.haha word up.I'm not a master system fanboy.I'm not a sega Saturn fanboy.I'm not a sega dreamcast fanboy.but I am a sega genesis fanboy.sega genesis was the best.
I am excited for both, and I'm at a point realty didn't expect Sega to ever get me hyped for another Sonic. Please don't disappoint me Sega.
@playstation1995 Contra Hard Corps is amazing. Glad to see someone else who knows and enjoys that game. Personally I think it is possibly the best game of its class from that era. It puts a big smile on my face with how over the top everything is.
@sketchturner The new Sonic Team game could be good if it's like Generations, but the teaser trailer didn't do a whole lot for me. Purely because it didn't really show much, though.
I'm interested to see what form the 3D Sonic game will take, and there's every possibility it will be great, but Sonic Mania is exactly what I wanted. Nostalgic and fresh simultaneously.
The Sonic 25th Anniversary Show was painful to watch, but nothing can stop me being excited for Sonic Mania.
That drop dash mechanic is a game changer, too. Sonic is all about momentum, and if that works like I think it will, it's going to enable you to move much more freely than ever before.
Sonic Mania sounds amazing. Pretty sure Whitehead in the past made the Sonic 2 port for iOS, which was great, so my expectations are high for this one. Sonic 2017 though. Remember last time a Sonic game was known for its year? Remember last time when Sonic tried to look realistic (or more gritty and cool with its high number of explosions)? Remember how that game was promised to have a holiday release date, much like this one? Now Sega said in the past that they're focusing on quality now, but actions speak infinitely louder than words, and my hope and hype for this game right now is below zero.
Wow. Shut up and take my money!!!
I love sonic so much he has had a pretty poor run since colours and generations.
These both look right up my street. To be fair I don't know which I'm most excited for!
I'm so glad the next generation sonic game isn't the stupid sonic boom garbage stuff!!
Consider me on the bandwagon!!
Sonic Mania looks pretty ace tbh, especially with the guy behind the Android/iOS ports ports partly developing it (they were surprisingly really well done).
Sonic Mania disappointed me. I know its keeping the traditional 'Sonic' experience and sticking very faithfully to that established formula - that's not what disappointed me. What did was the very dated visuals. Yes its nostalgic etc but I would have preferred a modern day version. I bet if Sega was making 'Sonic' with the power of modern day consoles, they wouldn't have gone for a retro look. They could have kept the original gameplay but given it a more modern visual presentation. Imagine having a CGi quality Sonic running through these 'classic' 2D maps but given a make-over to look like modern 2D sidescrollers (Song of the Deep, Trine, Ori, even Dust: An Elysian Tale) - as if Sega were making the game today not porting a game from 25yrs ago....
@SkanetWasTaken I keep forgetting that game exists - I'll definitely need to give that a go soon!
The animation in Sonic Mania looks really good! Wow!
@BAMozzy Mighty No 9 would have been a lot better looking had it gone for a 'pixel art' style over the boring generic 3D style it went for.
Mania looks great.
I am really excited for sonic mania, the last sonic game that I enjoyed is sonic 3 on mega drive, it has been too long.
Also Here's the gameplay clip from gamespot, looks good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ8EedQJk7Y
@BAMozzy I actually disagree. The animation's amazing, and by sticking with the original sprite look, they should be able to ensure that the physics are almost identical to the Mega Drive games.
Before PlayStation 1 I was a huge SEGA fan. Lots of time playing Mega Drive, Game Gear. I guess lots of SEGA fans ended on PlayStation. SEGA seemed in the last few years a shadow of its former self but a new SEGA game is always a good thing.
@BAMozzy
.......and Shovel Knight is still more fun than 75% of the AAA titles out there.
I have to disagree with you, I'm happy they stuck with the spruced up 16 bit aesthetics.
@belmont
Now they just have to do a Streets of Rage Mania/Redux esque title (drools).
Yes!Been waiting for a Sonic game that actually looks good and reminds me of the good old days
Sonic 1,2,3,Sonic CD and he'll even Sonic Spinball were my much loved games for the megadrive and there the first 3d type sonic game for the megadrive that I loved but I can't remember the name?
Still,all Sonic game since have been a huge Dissapointment and I figure the Project Sonic will be no different,but Sonic Mania looks like a real treat and I for one cannot wait!
Now any chance of a Zombies ate my Neighbours reboot?
Mehmet, I'll wait and see. Nintendo should make sonic games for them and insomniac for everyone else.
With Christian Whitehead onboard this roject will be fantastic. Pretty sure he ported sonic cd over to widescreen on the xbox 360.
@get2sammyb Yeah... They didn't show enough of either game for me to have confidence. I guess I just woke up optimistic today.
Well given that I haven't loved a Sonic game since the megadrive I'm really excited about Sonic Mania and I'm loving the art style. This is what Sonic 4 should have been and if they nail the physics we're on to a winner
Each to their own - I am fed up with all this 'retro' BS. If I wanted to play retro games with retro looks, I would just download an emulator and play on my computer, dig out the Sega MegaDrive collection on my last gen consoles etc.
I see NO reason why they couldn't have gone for a more modern visuals - it doesn't affect the game-play and would have given it a 'modern' twist. Its what Insomniac did with Ratchet and Clank and that didn't affect the game-play or nostalgic feel!!
I'm excited for both the first one looks like it might be a sequel to Sonic Generations, which I loved & second one looks really good. Wish that was on the vita as I reckon it'll be a digital only title.
But what I really want is Sonic Adventure 3. SA2 is in my top 3 games of all time & the final boss is my favourite boss battle ever.
Nostalgia is such a powerful emotion, so that largely bodes well in Sonic Mania's favour. Project Sonic, could be a hit or miss.
Sonic Mania could put Sonic back on track, don't screw this up Sega.
@sketchturner There is actually a little bit of gameplay for Sonic Mania rolling around.
On a side note, excited for both!! I assume of course the CG trailer is going to be Generations 2... Or something like that.. If It's Adventure 3 but with classic and modern style stages I will be happy.
I hope Sonic Mania turns out good because he deserves some good games now. For many in the UK Sonic was our Mario becauseof the Mega Drive/Genesis's more closer competition.
@BAMozzy I'm not sure it's being retro or nostalgic, more like authentic or true to the original. There is a market for new, traditional 2d platformers, (especially if they borrow metroidvania style, although that's more me) that don't adhere to the latest graphical capabilities. Gameplay is king, sometimes unfortunately it's overlooked.
I grew up with Nintendo but I was much more a Genesis gamer than anything else growing up. Man I loved me some Sonic the Hedgehog.
This is it. This is what I've been waiting for. And that drop dash? Oh man, see its mechanics like that that tell me this game is going to nail it.
If only Capcom would give Mega Man this treatment. Oh I hear they've got a new game coming but it's based off that stupid looking cartoon model. The winner of the "how ugly can you draw MegaMan" contest. Seriously, and these people are getting paid to come up with that crap? Unbelievable
@stevejcrow There is nothing wrong with keeping the traditional game-play, the feel and speed of Sonic but I hoped it would be brought into the 21st century from just a purely visual perspective. You wouldn't want Goldeneye (for example) to look like a port but you wouldn't want it to be changed to rival CoD either - the same goes for Sonic in my eyes. Sonic looked the way it did because of the technology of the day. I bet if Sega were to make 'Sonic' today for the first time, it wouldn't look like this!
Rayman doesn't look like the game it was when it launched but was brought up to date. R&C kept the same feel but was brought up to PS4 visuals - Sonic could have done the same. Sonic has been ported forward enough times as was so why not give it the R&C type treatment - keep all the classic game-play the same but give a modern visual twist for the 21st century,
Actually what would be cool is if there is some rewards for completing the stages with A+ or S ratings where you can have the 'retro' sonic skin or 'retro' stage look. Could be fun to play as the old 2D sonic in a modern setting or vice versa.
@BAMozzy
To be honest, by some of your comments made in the past, you seem to hold little value for retro games or aesthetics (maybe you lapsed for a long time?, maybe you just don't care for that period?, - it's your prerogative either way). Yet, I think your in the minority with this one.
Whenever I play 8/16 bit, and some of the more advanced arcade games, I often find myself just appreciating the artistry that went into them. Do they look like Rayman Origins? No..............but the imperfections of the pixel art is part of the beauty, you can tell someone crafted this with love.
Some of the more advanced 2D sprite games, like Darius Gaiden or the Street Fighter 3 series have more visual appeal IMO than 95% of the whole PSN library.
@Bender Yeah I have seen the gameplay. My main concern is how much of the game will be new vs old. I am much more interested in great new level design than replaying the same levels I've played exhaustively for 25 years.
@sketchturner yeah you are right.best contra game.remember dynamite heady.it reminds me of playstation 3 exclusive the pupeteer
I don't hold little value in 'retro' gaming at all - I lived through that Era once already and have bought a number of 'retro' collections in the past too - inc Sega Megadrive collection. I don't however want to return to my childhood (although I was 20 when Sonic launched), go back to simple era, with simple games, simple values and of course simple art styles but prefer to embrace modern and future technology.
The visuals are not created out of 'love' but out of necessity because of the limitations of the technology available. Pixel art was designed that way because they had NO choice but to design it that way. The box art, cartoons etc show what Sonic was meant to look like, the vision of the creators but Pixel art was the closest and best representation available at that time. The level of detail in the 'pirate' village in U4, areas that you have no need to visit/explore - that's a labour of love - creating things like that that many probably won't even look at, the hours spent in creating each building, each room, the items and placement of these in that room - that's a labour of love. They could of just put a pathway through that village with no freedom to explore - cut so much 'unnecessary' parts out.
I have no desire to play an 8bit/16bit visual game in the same way I prefer not to have the old 'wire-frame' visuals (like Asteroids, Elite, Star Wars, Battletanks etc). When I played Star Wars for example, I envisioned something more like Rogue Squadron and if Rogue Squadron came back, I certainly wouldn't want a 'retro' wire frame version but something more like Battlefront visuals. I would still want the feeling I had when I played these games in the past. Its hardly creative copying a very simplistic art style instead of being creative to reimagine it for the 21st century. Its hardly an lack of appreciation of the nostalgic value of the game-play when I want the game to play as well (if not better) than it did BUT retain everything that the original offered in that area.
As a graphic artist myself, I did appreciate the artstyle back in the early 90's because I understood the limitations of the technology, the limited number of pixels and limited colour palette but then I grew with the technology and the talented visual artists that pushed the next wave of technology and those that continue to push the technology - not those that copy a simplistic artstyle from 25yrs ago
I love how Sonic Mania looks! So glad they went for the pixel art style instead of the generic 2D of say, Sonic 4.
The new Sonic Team game...sounds promising. I really liked Generations, if it expands on that I am sold.
@BAMozzy
It's obvious that the games had to be made with the limitations in mind, what I mean by "love"............is look at something like Irem titles, obviously they aren't as gorgeous as say Ori, but they have very much their own unique charm built within the confines of the limited hardware, and that can be appreciated.
Maybe it's the graphical artist aspect of yourself that kinda makes it hard to appreciate modern-day throwbacks to retro aesthetics instead of pushing modern boundaries.
Sonic Mania gives me hope. We've waited too long for Sonic to be back where he belongs.
The trailer for Project Sonic or whatever is super-cheesy but whatever, I loved Colours and Generations. It's just irritating it's coming as late as Christmas next year. Sonic Mania, on the other hand, is an amazing announcement and the fact it's coming sooner is brilliant news.
On the whole old-school graphics vs modern graphics debate: I think that more up to date 2D graphics can look absolutely stunning. Rayman Origins/Legends look gorgeous, and while that particular style wouldn't necessarily suit Sonic, it's proof that you can have modern 2D games that still visually take advantage of current hardware.
I think in the case of Sonic, SEGA would've had a tough call to make for Mania's art style. Sonic 4 was widely panned and people weren't taken by the game's more polished looks. As a numbered sequel to Sonic 3/CD/whatever, it was a jarring visual change. While it utilised the PS3/360's tech more so than Mania appears to utilise the PS4/One, generally people were down on the change.
So I can understand why they went for a style so close to the 16-bit era. It strikes a chord with Sonic's fans, as his Mega Drive games are widely regarded as his best. It's a safe move, yes, but in a game that admits to looking back for inspiration, it makes the most sense.
I personally think it looks great, but a 2D Sonic with modern graphics could potentially be good as well. Maybe one day
Between Sonic Mania, Yakuza 0 and Persona 5 Sega will basically own Q1 2017
@Grawlog
8 bit, yes, I agree,......but 16 bit console-like or more advanced (Neo, CPS2, Saturn).....no.
@BAMozzy "Yes its nostalgic etc but I would have preferred a modern day version.....
Imagine having a CGi quality Sonic running through these 'classic' 2D maps but given a make-over to look like modern 2D sidescrollers...."
Didn't that already happen?
Edit: Twice when playing as classic sonic?
@Captain_Toad
We probably should try to forget about Sonic 4.....it's not canon.
Although announcing two different games is a good idea, I'm finding it hard to care about either of these games at the minute.
Sonic Mania at this point seems a little pointless, looking like it's going to be an exact replica of Mega Drive Sonic - when we've been able to play those games for years.
And the new Sonic game looks like it's going to be Generations 2 when it'd be nice to see something fresh, but it's still early days.
I guess I'd feel a bit better about the latter if it were fresh team of people overseeing the direction of the 2017 game, and Sonic had been gone for a lot longer. But then there is the fact that no matter what Sonic does, people will be unhappy. I guess I just don't have faith in the people who've been in charge for quite a while now.
I seriously hope I'm wrong on both accounts. But I have a feeling this is a new round of the Sonic cycle.
I think I speak for everyone when i say...what's this got to do with Shenmue 1 + 2 HD
Next year is shaping up to be a good year for games
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