10 Video Games Most Likely To Be Game Of The Year 2017 Nominees
7. Sonic Mania
Format - Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, PC
Metacritic Score - 86
Sonic the Hedgehog has had a rough time of it. Everyone is well aware of the trouble Sonic Team has consistently faced since moving the blue blur into the third dimension. Where Mario succeeded, Sonic failed in almost every way, with the recent Sonic Boom being the cherry on a disgusting cake.
So how do you reverse Sonic's fortunes?
Easy, take him back into 2D. Sonic Mania has been lauded by many as a return to Sonic's classic form. The graphics are beautiful, colourful and highly detailed, while the gameplay retains that sense of both speed and exploration that the original Sonic games had in spades. There are no annoying new characters and no ridiculously convoluted plots. It's pure Sonic.
As a logical person, you might think that Sonic Mania would therefore lay the groundwork for future Sonic titles - except Sonic Forces is coming out soon, which looks like the usual 3D Sonic fare. Oh well. Hopefully the wait for another true 2D Sonic game won't quite be as painfully long as before.