News Articles
Tuesday10th Jul 2018
Gallery Sonic Mania Plus Is The Version Of Sonic Mania You've Always Wanted
Keeping it physical
When Sonic Mania launched last year it received critical acclaim and restored the faith of many a lapsed Sonic fan. However, as a digital-only affair (no, the collector's edition with a download code doesn't count) it felt very much like a 'bonus' release alongside 2017's full-fat Sonic outing: the much-maligned Sonic...
Wednesday25th Apr 2018
News Sonic Mania Has Sold One Million Units Worldwide, Plus Version Release Date Confirmed
Sonic Mania Plus Will cost $4.99 / £3.99 if you own the original
Sega's Sonic Mania has now sold over a million units globally, according to Famitsu. The 2D platformer launched last year on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC, and made up for the fact that the mainline 2017 Sonic title - Sonic Forces - wasn't very good. Sega's...
Monday23rd Apr 2018
Music Gotta Go Fast With This Sega Fest Sonic DJ Set
One hour of upbeat Sonic themes
Sega has never been one to shy away from delivering great entertainment at fan experiences, so if you want to start your week right we suggest you give this DJ set a spin. For nearly one hour, DJ Tomoya Ohtani spins some iconic music themes from decades of Sonic The Hedgehog video game history and is eventually...
Thursday19th Apr 2018
News Sonic Mania Plus Patch Accidentally Leaked To Some UK Players
Whoops
A few weeks ago, it was announced that Sonic Mania would be receiving a fairly substantial update later on this year in the form of Sonic Mania Plus, which will be adding new characters, remixed levels, and various other enhancements to make this fantastic throwback even better. The update is due to release in the summer, yet SEGA...
Monday19th Mar 2018
News Sonic Mania Plus Arrives On Switch This Summer
Physical version coming, but existing owners don't miss out
Announced during the SXSW Gaming live broadcast, one of the most requested physical editions of last year will finally become a reality during Summer 2018: Sonic Mania Plus will be available on the Nintendo Switch featuring extra content. Two new playable characters join in the existing...
Thursday1st Feb 2018
News Sega Is Getting Ready To Show Us What's Next For Sonic The Hedgehog
"Sonic is back, and ready to take 2018 by storm"
Sonic had a mixed 2017. Sonic Mania was amazing, but his "big" game - Sonic Forces - was met with less enthusiastic reviews. The character remains a cash-cow for Sega however, and we're going to hear very soon what it has planned for Sonic in 2018. A SXSW panel will deliver a...
Friday19th Jan 2018
News Which Is Better - Sonic Mania Or Sonic CD? Iretrogamer's Power Team Debates It Out
Old vs new
We love Sonic Mania here at Nintendo Life - so much so former editor Thomas Whitehead gave the triumphant retro revival a glowing 9/10 back in 2017 - but did you much of its innovation follows in the footsteps of the equally ingenious Sonic CD? The Power Team over on the iretrogamer channel have had that very thought on the brain,...
Friday1st Dec 2017
News Sega Lowers Full Year Forecast Amid Pachinko Performance Problems
Sales and profit predictions both take a dive
Sega has reduced its full year sales and profit forecasts for the current financial year amid struggles in the pachinko industry. Full-year net sales of $3.38bn and profits of $98.1m were originally predicted by the Japanese veteran, but it has now revised these totals to $2.94bn and $44.6m...
Monday25th Sep 2017
News A Sonic Mania Patch is Rolling Out, Includes Switch HOME Button Fix
Keep an eye out
Sonic Mania is pretty darn good but it can be a tad buggy at times, from minor issues to problems that have frustrated some players. It's taken a short while, but the first update to tackle fixes seems to be rolling out. The official social channels for the mascot announced the news. At the time of publication the update hasn't...
Monday21st Aug 2017
News Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Races Up The UK Charts, But Digital-Only Sonic Mania Is Absent
Zelda and 1-2-Switch climb slightly
With the Summer lull in the games retail market continuing, there are few new releases meaning that evergreen titles lead the way. As has been the case for some time now, Nintendo feature quite heavily in the UK sales charts. In a week with no big-hitting newcomers Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy on PS4...
Thursday17th Aug 2017
Nintendo Download 17th August (Europe)
Sonic Mania! Chicken Wiggle! SmileBASIC! Much more!
The European Nintendo Download Update is now live, and it's a relatively busy line-up. For reasons only it knows Nintendo of Europe is listing a big release from earlier in the week in this update, but beyond that we have some interesting options on Switch and a couple of enticing releases on 3DS...
Random This Sonic Mania Easter Egg Brings Back Memories of the 25th Anniversary 'Party'
The horror...
Occasionally we do live blogs of events and streams that turn out to be disasters on an epic scale. Examples that spring to mind include the first 'VGX' awards, and basically any live show by SEGA. Famously, SEGA did at least two 'announcements for an announcement' that culminated in the Sonic 25th Anniversary Party in July last year...
Wednesday16th Aug 2017
Video Digital Foundry Shares Its Full Technical Breakdown of Sonic Mania
For you framerate fans
Sonic Mania is causing, well, mania, and we'll be typing out our final review today (following some more personal thoughts earlier in the week). The good news is that it runs beautifully on all platforms, with just one odd example on Switch (the first 3D 'chase the UFO' Special Stage) of frame drops; asides from that it's...
Guide Unlocking Sonic Mania's Debug Mode and Stage Select
There's no such thing as too many goalposts
Sonic Mania is a treat for classic Sonic fans of all ages, but those that fiddled around with the original games & Knuckles will remember the debug modes that allowed you to mess around with any stage and completely ruin its subtle layout. Thankfully Sonic Mania delivers once again, as the classic...
News Sonic Mania Dashes Straight To The Top Of The Switch Best Sellers Chart
Great news for the Blue Blur
It's fair to say that Sonic Mania has been really well received so far, attracting positive reviews all over the shop. Our own review will be with you shortly (spoilers: we like it too!). For many Sonic fans this is the game they've always wanted Sega to make -- a spiritual successor to the original Mega Drive trilogy...
Tuesday15th Aug 2017
News Sonic Mania Runs Brilliantly on Switch, With One Tiny Drawback
Christian Whitehead confirms they're working on bugs
Here's a spoiler ahead of our Sonic Mania review - it's a huge amount of fun. Prior to release this scribe published some personal thoughts based on the PS4 version to summarise why it's the Sonic game many have been waiting for. We are now dashing through on Switch, and our review will be with...
Friday11th Aug 2017
Video Check Out the Opening Cinematic for Sonic Mania
What a catchy tune
It’s been a long time coming, and in just a few short days, Sonic Mania will finally see a release. The 16-bit platformer seems to be the game that fans have been requesting for years; this is a game that’s being made to honor the past while still introducing new stuff for the future. To keep anticipation high, Sonic Team has...
Thursday10th Aug 2017
Nintendo Download 10th August (North America)
Sonic Mania! Ironcast! Flip Wars! Phantom Trigger! Much more!
The North American Nintendo Download Update details are here, and it's another busy week. The Nintendo Switch is jam-packed with a demo, full download options and a retail game, from turn-based match three, to retro kicks, multiplayer shenanigans and more besides. The 3DS gets a new...
Tuesday8th Aug 2017
News Sonic Mania's Competition Mode Brings Back Splitscreen Memories
Albeit without the shonky framerate
Not many likely bothered with it much, but in some of the classic 16-bit Sonic games (this old man's memory is letting him down and he can't remember which ones) you could play against a buddy in splitscreen. It was a fun idea, albeit the framerate would dive; granted, in those days not many of us minded shoddy...
Friday4th Aug 2017
News GameStop Listing Hints At Physical Release For Sonic Mania On Switch
Fingers crossed...
Sonic Mania is shaping up to be one of the finest outings for the Blue Blur in years, but there's a sticking point for really dedicated fans: the lack of a confirmed physical release for the 2D platformer. Sega has so far remained silent on the possibility of the game getting a boxed retail release, but if GameStop Italy is to be...
Thursday3rd Aug 2017
News Bask in Nostalgia With Sonic Mania Special and Bonus Stage Footage
Memories of Sonic 3 and Sonic CD
Sonic Mania is only a couple of weeks away, which is very exciting indeed for fans of the blue blur that are of a certain age, or are perhaps younger but with an appreciation for the 16-bit days. The latest video for the game adds more cause for excitement, as it unveils the special and bonus stages to be found -...
Monday24th Jul 2017
News Sonic Mania's Special Stages Take Inspiration From Sonic CD
Studying the classics
The special bonus stages in Sonic games have gone down in legend; if you're old enough to remember the impact of Sonic 2's "run into the screen" stage and Sonic 3's rotating sphere, you'll attest to this. It has now been revealed that the special stages in Sonic Mania will ape the look of those seen in the Sega CD release...
Thursday6th Jul 2017
News Sonic Mania’s Reception Will Determine the Direction of the Series
"We don’t know whether it’ll be accepted positively in the market."
When Sonic Mania was announced last year, a great relaxed sigh was released by the general Sonic fanbase. For years now, fans have been begging SEGA to take the series back to its roots after a succession of 3D Sonic games ranging from lackluster to good. Even so, it seems that...
Thursday8th Jun 2017
Video Chemical Plant Zone Looks Rather Fun in Sonic Mania
Tails seems to be getting by just fine
Sonic Mania is a release that, for some retro Sonic fans, is right at the top of a Switch eShop wishlist. Developed by talented Indies with backing from SEGA, it features Sonic, Tails and Knuckles dashing through a mix of old, new and remixed stages. The latest video showcasing the game focuses on Chemical...
Tuesday30th May 2017
News Sonic Mania Release Date and Pricing Confirmed With Awesome Trailer
Let the fan mania commence
Last week we reported that a Steam trailer outed the PC release date for Sonic Mania, and hoped that the console versions would match up. The good news for Nintendo Switch owners (and players with other systems) is that the game is sharing the same release date across all platforms - 15th August. The announcement has been...
Friday26th May 2017
News Steam Trailer Gives 15th August Release Date for Sonic Mania
Hype intensifies...
Sonic Mania is pretty high on a number of wishlists - published by SEGA in collaboration with some talented Indies and Sonic superfans, it promises a blend of retro action with new content and twists on familiar stages. It sticks to classic playable characters from the 16-bit era, too, with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. Originally...
Thursday11th May 2017
Video Take a Look At Knuckles Gliding Through Flying Battery Zone in Sonic Mania
Still climbing towards a Summer release
Slowly and surely SEGA is releasing more footage and screens of Sonic Mania, the supercharged retro-styled release due on Nintendo Switch and various platforms in the Summer. Next up is Flying Battery Zone, which is getting a rejig from its original appearance in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, that oddity of the...
Thursday13th Apr 2017
News Nintendo Shows Off 2D Gameplay Footage From Sonic Forces
Talking 'bout our Generations
It could be a rather good year for Sonic fans that happen to own a Switch - Sonic Mania is due in the Summer, and then Sonic Forces will also come to the system in the Holiday season. Though the Wii and Wii U had exclusive Sonic games of varying quality, it's great to see the mainline multi-platform titles coming to...
Thursday16th Mar 2017
News Sonic Mania Has Been Delayed Until Summer
Slips from original Spring release window
During the SXSW Sonic panel held by Aaron Webber, a myriad of Sonic Mania details has been revealed. The game, which was originally slated to be a title which would come out in spring of 2017, has unfortunately been delayed until the following summer of 2017. The development team stressed that they were...
Wednesday15th Mar 2017
News Sonic Mania Developer Clarifies Details About the Switch Port's Launch
Same day, same price
As many of you know, Sonic Mania—the 2D revival of Sonic's 16-bit days—is due out sometime this spring, with a launch on the Nintendo Switch also being on the cards. Due to the relatively late announcement of this Switch port, many were wondering whether or not it would be ready in time for the impending launch. Also, with...
