I said I was going to give my thoughts on the Sonic news later, and that's exactly what'll be doing now.
Let's get the easiest out of the way.
Sonic Mania is still looking fantastic. It's right up there with Super Mario Odyssey as my most anticipated game of the year. Everything about it is literally perfect. Having the Death Egg Robot be the boss of Green Hill is very amusing, though I honestly wished they kept that a surprise. Green Hill Zone Act 2 and Mirage Saloon's music have had some extra bells and whistles added to their music. Though both sound really good, I honestly prefer the older rendition of Mirage Saloon. Despite that small issue, Sonic Mania has the potential to be one of the best games of the year.
Now onto Sonic Forces. I have a lot to say.
As some of you may know, I've been rather mixed on Forces. I see some things I like, and I see some things that leave a lot to be desired. Getting to the gameplay first, I will admit it does look a little better. Modern Sonic looks to control much tighter than he did in Generations, his jump and homing attack appear to be very quick and snappy, which helps with the flow much better. The level design opens up near the end, which gets rid some of the worries of linearity in the level design. The music is catchy, but that's usually par for the course when it comes to the series. I'd rather be Modern be fully 3D, him having 2D sections is redundant with Classic Sonic around.
Speaking of which, I'm ironically finding the Classic Sonic bits to the parts of the game I'm liking the least. Even the music is much weaker compared to the other tunes in the game (though the boss fight music is ok). The level design in Classic Sonic's Green Hill is very flat, and has way too much automation (same applies for Modern). Maybe it's because we have Sonic Mania, but Classic Sonic in this game looks very underwhelming. The boss was okay, bringing the Egg Dragoon into the battle is a neat idea, but a part of me wishes that they came up with something new. I just want to see something from Classic Sonic that makes me say "yes, I can't wait to play this." Having the Drop Dash from Mania is neat, but that's about it.
Now onto the Custom Hero. I was against the idea of a custom character, but I will admit it has grown on me. A part of me didn't want it because the very idea would make people rip this game to shreds. Though I'm relived to see it's reception has been more positive. As for how they play, it looks alright, if a little on the bland side. The Wispons look like they could be very fun and provide different ways for platforming. I like how they keep the flow going, rather than stopping the gameplay for bit (I like the Wisps but most of them didn't really flow too well in terms of traversing). It looks like a great evolution from the Wisps in Colors. Maybe it's becausing I've been watching this show, but the music in the Custom Hero's stage gives me some vibes of RWBY's OST (which is a good thing because RWBY's OST kicks ass). The level design in the Green Hill stage looks better than the Park Avenue stage, I will say.
Finally, we get to that story trailer. Aside from Modern Sonic, the story is probably what has me the most intrigued about this game. The more serious tone is something I've wanted for awhile (not Sonic 06 levels, but something along the lines of the Adventure games and Unleashed). With that said, I'm very worried that Pontac and Graff seem to returning to write for the game. While I don't hate them as much as some fans do, I wouldn't miss them if they left. Their comedic writing style just doesn't seem fit for a game that has supposedly high stakes and seriousness to it. I could be proven wrong, but I think both Pontac and Graff have an uphill battle.
The return of Chaos and Zavok has me intrigued, along with Shadow being a villain this time around. Are they brainwashed? Pulled from timelines where they still had vendettas against Sonic? Zavok makes sense (even if it is surprising to see him back), but Chaos and Shadow have reformed. The new villain Infinite also raises some questions. Will he betray Eggman or stick with him until the end? Maybe Infinite will attempt to overthrow Eggman, but the doctor has the upper hand? I may have worries about who's writing the story, but the story itseld has left a lot of questions that I'm looking forward to seeing the answers too.
And that concludes my overly long thoughts.
TLDR version: Sonic Mania is looking phenomenal. Sonic Forces has me interested, but it's definitely on the lower end of game I'm looking forward to this year,
