Console Corner: New old skool Sonic to deliver on hype for all the right reasons?

It is around this time of year that the video gaming scene - like the football season - really starts kicking back into gear.
Video game mascots through the agesVideo game mascots through the ages
Video game mascots through the ages

July and August tend to be pretty quiet for obvious reasons with people holidaying and the like... but there is one release which has gamers old and new skool talking.

As I have touched on a number of times in this column in recent months, 2017 has been the year of the classic comeback with retro game, systems, re-releases and remasters taking centre stage.

And August is no different with Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 set to launch in the first week of the new month.

But it is the “new” 2D Sonic game which has caught the eye.

Sonic Mania is due out on August 15th and continues the old skool theme this year but with the added bonus of being a new entry into the franchise.

The retro title was meant to be released in the spring but was delayed until August.

Mania is a new 2D Sonic title in the vein of his classic adventures but features both original stages as well as remixed versions of older Sonic levels like the Green Hill and Flying Battery Zones.

Sonic Mania is releasing digitally for Switch, PS4, Xbox One and PC and is available for preorder.

It is a precursor to a new 3D Sonic title called Sonic Forces which is also coming to the same platforms later this year.

Sonic Mania was named one of the best games shown at E3 2017 by The Guardian, Ars Technica, Twinfinite, and Saucy Gamer, with Ars Technica’s Sam Machkovech naming it his “game of the show”.

It comes with a big billing and plenty of nostalgia too and was described as “the one carrying hype for all of the right reasons” when Mania and Forces were discussed by experts.

It was also nominated as best platformer but lost out - understandably - to the Switch’s as yet undated stellar title, Super Mario Odyssey.

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