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I have been waiting a very long time for SEGA to get back in shape again, because in all honesty. Things haven’t exactly been a walk in the park for SEGA. Well, let´s just say that the climb from the bottom to the top has been a very hard and long one (and SEGA hasn´t reached the top yet). And it´s understandable, as the death of SEGA´s Dreamcast console hit them really hard (the console got discontinued back in March, 2001). And I´m not just talking about the loss of a lot of money here. No, I´m also talking about the humiliation of having to leave the console market, and the fact that SEGA´s confidence went up in smoke over a night.

Well, it´s been over 15 years since SEGA pulled the plug on the Dreamcast (the console is still very much alive among its users though, and new games are even still being made for the console). And little by little SEGA has been able to get back in the ring again. However, in the process of doing that SEGA´s biggest star and mascot lost a lot of his shine (mainly due to the release of one mediocre “Sonic” title after another). Yes, I´m of course talking about Sonic the hedgehog. And since I just happen to be a long-time fan of SEGA and Sonic, it really hurt me a quite a bit to see Sonic in such a bad shape. In the matter of fact, the whole thing with Sonic´s fading stardom made me think about that time when Ozzy got kicked out of Black Sabbath (Ozzy ended up in a really bad shape after that “incident”).

And I think Sonic experienced his big “Ozzy gets thrown out from Black Sabbath” moment back in 2007, because that was the year that “Sonic the Hedgehog” got released to the PS3 and 360. And the game was anything but good, in fact. The game was absolutely horrible.

Very good to alright Sonic games (the average grades are taken from gamerankings.com:

3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (3DS) – 2015 – 86.39%

3D Sonic the Hedgehog (3DS) – 2013 – 80.75%

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 EP (multi-format) – 2010 – 75-78%

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (DS) – 2008 – 74%

Terrible Sonic games (the average grades are taken from gamerankings.com:

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U) – 2014 – 33.15%

Sonic the Hedgehog (PS3 and 360) – 2007 – 46-48%

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS) – 2014 – 47.45%

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (iOS) – 61%

And for me, the game was like the new “Ghostbusters” movie. Simply put, the game teared my heart out and set my childhood memories on fire. And things just went down hill from there. So you could say that I lost my faith in the “Sonic” IP around 2007 sometime. However, I started to feel some hope for “Sonic” again when “Sonic Chronicles” dropped (this was around 2008). And once “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” hit the market back in 2010, I started to feel a joy which I haven´t felt since the “Sonic 3” days (the game was originally released in 1994).

So as you might imagine, I got pretty excited when I saw SEGA´s trailer for their upcoming 2D platform game “Sonic Mania” (for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One). And this is what SEGA stated about the game in the very first trailer for “Sonic Mania”:

“In 1991 one hedgehog changed the world. And for 25 years he´s collected countless rings, but now as we move forward to discover what made Sonic a Gaming icon. We´re going back. Sega proudly presents in association with Christian Whitehead, headcannon and PagodaWest Games. This is where it begins. The ultimate celebration of past and future” – SEGA

And SEGA also added the following:

“It’s the ultimate Sonic celebration! Sonic returns in a new 2D platforming high-speed adventure, and he’s not alone! Developed in collaboration between SEGA, Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games, experience new zones and remixed classic levels with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles!”

And these would be the said and known features for “Sonia Mania” so far:

– All new drop dash

– Three playable characters (Tails, Sonic and Knuckles)

– New Zones

– Re imagined classics

– A new 2D platforming adventure

– The game is said to be”The ultimate Sonic celebration”

And so far I´m liking what I´ve seen from “Sonic Mania”. In the matter fact, this might just be the game that I´ve been wanting to play since “Sonic 3”. And I think it´s safe to say that SEGA is going all in with the “Sonic” IP now. Because not only will we get the chance to play “Sonic Mania” next spring, we also got the upcoming “Sonic” movie to look forward to as well (which is said to be ready for release in 2018). Not to mention the really exciting “Project Sonic” title for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo NX (the game is set for a release next year during the holidays). Sure, I can´t speak for everyone now, but I think that SEGA has done a really good job with Sonic´s 25th anniversary so far.

Hopes and expectations

So, what about my hopes and expectations then for “Sonic Mania”? then? Well, I hope to experience a “Sonic” game that reminds me about the good Ol´ “Sonic” days when he was the king of platform games. As for my expectations, as long as “Sonic Mania” doesn´t turn out to be anything like “Sonic 2007” or the “Sonic” iOS games. Then I´m most likely going to be very happy with the final product. And since the “Sonic Mania” project consists of Christian Whitehead (Whitehead worked on the 2011 enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog CD), Headcannon, PagodaWest Games (“Major Magnet”, “Circle Frenzy” and “SnapPals”) and a hand-picked team from SEGA. Well, I just have this feeling that “Sonic Mania” is in good hands. So I truly hope that I´m right.

Other than that, I wish that Nintendo realized what their fans wanted as much as SEGA has…(I´ll give Nintendo a lot of props for the upcoming NES classic console though). Because as you might already know, it´s Metroid´s 30th anniversary in August (on August the 6th, to be exact). And I´m somewhat worried that Nintendo won´t toss a big party for “Metroid” (that´s also why the fans have taken the matter into their own hands. I shall write a post about that today).

Well, time will tell I guess. I´m ready to toss my own “Metroid” party on the 6th of August though. As for “Sonic Mania”, we will know for sure if the game rocks or sucks when the game launches in Spring next year for Windows, PS4 and Xbox One. One thing is crystal clear though, I think the chances of “Sonic Mania” turning out just as bad as “Mighty No.9” is slim to none.

And with that said, what´s your take on this matter? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section down below!

***Disclaimer***

This is a personal opinion of the writer, and it doesn’t necessarily represent the other writers (nor The Gaming Ground´s) opinions.

***Disclosure***

I have been a fan of Sonic and SEGA since the late 80s.



Robin “V-Act” Ek

The Gaming Ground

Twitter: @TheGamingGround

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Tags: Nintendo, SEGA, Sonic, Sonic Mania, Sonic the hedgehog