Sonic Mania
Developer: Headcannon, PagodaWest Games
Publisher: Sega
The announcement of this game came by surprise when it was announced during Comic Con. At first, I thought the game looked like it was literally going back to its 16-bit glory. Then I did research on the team that’s making the game and it made me think. In short, the game is being designed by people who did fan made remasters of old Sonic games. Because of this, it feels like they are putting their souls into this game and it shows. I feel more companies should take note, as Valve has as well.
It’s no secret Nintendo did little to recognize the 30th anniversary of the Metroid franchise. A fan made HD remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus was released with big attention, leaving Nintendo to shut the game down. I feel had Nintendo went Sega’s route and promoted the game, then Nintendo wouldn’t be painted as bad when the game was shut down. If Sonic Mania does well, I’m sure gaming companies will pay close attention to fan made projects with open arms instead of a cease and desist. Heck, I pre ordered the collector’s edition with how nice it looks, despite only coming with a download code. While this is the Xbox One version, I’m hoping at Nintendo’s Switch’s announcement they announce a Switch version.
I should note the reason I chose Sonic Mania over Yooka-Laylee as my Most Anticipated Game for 2017 is Playtonic Games’s decision to join the bandwagon of cancelling games for Wii U in favor of the upcoming Nintendo Switch. I understand the reasoning, but now it looks like Shante: Half-Genie Hero will be my swan song for the Wii U.
