Current Events > Just Beat Sonic Mania...was pretty friggin amazing. My Review. (slight spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

First of all, 1080p/60 fps is a godsend. This game is so damn fluid and responsive its crazy. Everything is bright and beautiful, and widescreen allows for better response time. Its sooooo good.

Gameplay:
I've only played as Sonic+Tails, but playing as them was better than ever. Sonic feels more responsive than his S3&K incarnation, the new drop dash is simple but effective, and you can call on tails to lift/catch you.

The stage design is literally better than S3&K (sans 1 returning zone). Everything flows smoothly, and a great majority of badniks are reasonably positioned to avoid cheap hits, but still remain threatening. Returning Zones Act 1's are essentially mixups of the original's 2 acts, while the Act 2's feels like a whole new level, or an Act 3. New Zones are lacking in #'s, but I greatly enjoyed them, 2 being new favorites.

Bosses are unique and tough, with some returning with new/ remixed gimmicks. The Final boss is kinda crap though.

Music:
IMO, Music and gameplay are equally important in Sonic games, and fortunately, the music is as solid as the gameplay. Tee Lopes did s stellar job. I will say that with the returning Zone music, he played it pretty safe, but I'll take it!

Bonus Stages:
I hate Sonic CD, so I was worried about how annoying the UFO stage was gonna be. thankfully it was decent, and actually pretty easy compared to say Sonic 1&2. S3&K Blue Sphere returns as a key to unlockables... Tbh i nearly got burned out/annoyed by them because they are mighty frequent. I probably got 30-40 attempts in 1 play through without trying. Its not bad.

Content:
Time Trial, Competitive mode, 2p Story Mode, 4 playstyles, Unlockable past abilities and gimmicks. Not the absolute best, but I believe it to be enough.

Verdict: 9/10

Probably my GOTY. I cant really say if it beats Sonic 3 & Knuckles yet, as both are fairly equal.

Honestly, if Mania had:

2 more new Zone OR 1 more new Zone/ 1 less old zone
Better Final boss
Less Blue Sphere stages +
1-2 more modes
Funk Fiction teaming up with Tee Lopes as Composers

Then it would clearly be better than S3&K.

If you are on the fence I HIGHLY recommend you buy this. Its nothing short of amazing, and if you are a longtime classic sonic fan, you will love all the callbacks and new tricks they pulled. Finally a good Sonic game!!
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