Sonic Unleashed

[Retro_Link]

Yeah but that level just looks like another case of hold forward! And I just skipped past the werehog part... yawn!

[LegoMan1031]

Bad news for ppl after this for PS3. It has been delayed on PS3 until sometime in December...

 

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=291126

[Emerald Emblem]

Well I don't think many people didn't know about that a week or so ago.

[LegoMan1031]

Well I don't think many people didn't know about that a week or so ago.

 

Ok, but i only found out this morning and no-one had mentioned it in this thread so i thought i would post it just incase ppl didn't know.

[Emerald Emblem]

Well IGN Aus has rated the 360 version and given it a 6.0 out of 10, the Wii version appears to be the better buy apparently. But then there is the whole different reviewer aspect to factor in.

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/933/933949p1.html

 

The Werehog doesn't really put me off, since I enjoy the hack and slash antics of Dynasty Warriors.

[LegoMan1031]

Well IGN Aus has rated the 360 version and given it a 6.0 out of 10, the Wii version appears to be the better buy apparently. But then there is the whole different reviewer aspect to factor in.

http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/933/933949p1.html

 

The Werehog doesn't really put me off, since I enjoy the hack and slash antics of Dynasty Warriors.

 

Yer i read that review as well, the comments made are very similar to the wii version though. Would be interesting to see what the 'normal' ign score would be as the Aus can be bit harsh with scores (james bond being a good example, ign gave it 7 where as Aus gave it 5.5!, bit of a difference!)

[S.C.G]

Yeah fuck the AU (and to some extent UK) reviews on IGN tbh, afterall I think one of those gave Banjo a 6.0 or something? anyway, I reckon the game is easily a 7.5 probably and it could have been an 8.0 + had they taken out the were-hog and put in double the amount of racing levels oh and if they had tightened up the controls it might even scarilly have got a 9.0 + anyway I'm still getting it for the promise it has shown for the series from what I've heard.

[CoolFunkMan]

Well, I got this in the post this morning. My verdict? It's actually pretty good!

 

Some parts are a tad frustrating, and the controls can seem a bit loose, but it's still quite fun. I'd deffinitely give it a 7.5 or 8 out of 10 so far, and it's easily the best 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2.

[martinist]

Got this thought the mail this morning and its pretty good so far. Lots of hidden stuff around the levels like concept drawings, music and video clips to try and find. The night stages are a drastic change from what i'm used to seeing in a sonic game, mostly slow paced platforming broken up by the occasional fight.

Its a pretty good game over-all though, almost up there with SA and SA2...almost.

[Dante]

EuropeGamer Review: 4/10

 

I recently found myself having one of those conversations that always happen when people discover that I make my living sitting around in my pants, playing games. After the obligatory "you lucky sod" outburst, and the slight recoil at the mental image of me in my pants, sweaty joypad in hand, they asked what I was playing at the moment. "The new Sonic game," I replied. "Wow, is Sonic still going?" they asked, before adding "Oh yeah, he was in that Mario game on the Wii."

 

You really couldn't ask for a more potent example of how far Sonic's stock has fallen. From matching Mario sale-for-sale throughout the '90s, he's now almost forgotten by the outside world, remembered only through supporting roles in Wii games and the charity of his one-time rival. Let's face it, Mario Olympics probably would have flown off the shelves on its own merits. Sonic Olympics? Not so much.

 

The tragedy is that this slump in fortunes can't be blamed on changing market forces or fickle public tastes. SEGA has simply forgotten how to make the most of its mascot, and while Mario leapt into the modern era with the confident Mario 64, Sonic has been stumbling clumsily through the 3D era, carried along by the dissipating momentum of his glory years.

 

Which brings us, rather unfortunately, to Sonic Unleashed. This was, as they always are, supposed to be the game that restored the blue hedgehog to fighting form; the game that finally delivered the next-gen Sonic experience we've been waiting for since the last-gen before last. It's not.

 

The plot once again revolves around Eggman and Chaos Emeralds. In the rather impressive CG intro, we see the moustachioed villain fire some new-fangled weapon which uses the power of Sonic's gems to split the planet into fragments, releasing something called Dark Gaia. Apropos of nothing, this process also turns Sonic into a "werehog", all fangs and claws and - for some reason - stretchy rubbery limbs. From there on, it's the usual job of travelling through different zones, beating climactic bosses and fixing each of the planet segments in turn.

 

Except nothing can ever be that simple. Sonic can now travel the globe, flitting between SEGA-ised facsimiles of real-world countries. Not only do these stereotypical towns act as hubs for the different levels, but they also feature lots of NPCs and side-quests. Complicating matters further, the game is split into day and night. During the sunshine hours, you play as normal Sonic. When the moon rises, you become the werehog. The available levels change accordingly, and make use of the character's different abilities. It's not a question of waiting around, since you can change the time of day on the map screen, in the pause menu or by hitting special hourglasses.

 

While Sonic is still all about speed, his hairy alter-ego is slower and more powerful. Werehog levels are therefore little more than crude beat-'em-ups, in which you pummel your way through waves of enemies and use your elastic arms to climb and swing to the next area. Experience can be traded in for more combo moves, but since mashing the strong attack button seems to get you through every encounter, there's not much point memorising the sequences required. The camera is also absolutely awful, frequently forcing you to make blind leaps or lurching around as it tries to keep up with your movements.

 

The normal Sonic stages, on the other hand, are much the same as every other modern Sonic game - impressive but inconsistent 3D rollercoasters in which you hurtle through pre-rendered loops, grind down rails and run smack into a wall of spikes because the game seems more interested in distracting you with things that go whoosh and whiz than actually coming up with level design that turns Sonic's speed into an asset rather than a hindrance.

 

 

Regardless of which sections you're playing, control is a constant issue. Sonic is slippery, all but impossible to control at top speed and inevitably prone to zooming to his death at a moment's notice, while the werehog stages are sluggish and gluey, plagued by repetitive combat and horrifically frustrating platform sections. You're far more likely to lose your lives to an infuriating camera angle or hard-to-judge leap than to any of the dumb enemies standing in your way.

 

The fact that SEGA's seen fit to turn Sonic into a melee fighter for half the game should give you a good idea of what's gone wrong. It's the same thing, of course, that's been going wrong with Sonic for years. Rather than focusing on what works, SEGA has once again smothered the character in reams of extraneous clutter and gameplay ideas that do nothing to enhance the series' best features.

 

Take, for example, the non-player characters. Conversing with these brings up pointless banter, except for the handful of characters you must talk to in order to advance the story. You have no idea which these characters will be, so each time you enter a new area you have to go around triggering mindless speech bubbles in search of the one that you need. Collecting sun and moon medals from around the world opens up more levels, but once again you're given no clue as to which ones have opened. Given that each area can be explored twice - during the day and night - simply working out where you're supposed to go next is a real slog.

 

It's possible - likely, even - that your stilted progress will come to a standstill when you discover you need to go back and replay the same levels over and over again until you've found enough trinkets to open up the relevant area. Toss in some boss fights that rely on long-winded grinding of enemy health bars or insultingly simple quick-time events and you've got a game where even the basics of the genre are made unappealing.

 

It keeps piling on the tasks though. You can replay levels as time trials or survival battles, to earn hotdogs which you can feed to Chip, your all-new irritating sidekick. You can buy souvenirs from each country you visit, and swap these for gameplay hints. You can collect books of concept art and music tracks, but must then buy a bookshelf or find a record player before you can use them. You're given a camera and told to find people "acting suspiciously", so you can take their photo and trigger a battle scene to exorcise them of Dark Gaia. There are lots of distractions, but thanks to the game's obtuse design you're never entirely sure what's optional and what's essential.

 

Structurally speaking, it's just a mess. It's as if SEGA no longer feels confident that Sonic will connect with today's gamers so it's included a bit of everything. Desperation shrouds the whole project in thick, choking waves. It's a platform game, a fighting game and an adventure game, yet none of these elements feels fully developed. There's no logical progression, no direction to the action, just the thankless task of blundering around the same areas trying to guess what the game wants you to do next.

 

The result is a lumpy splurge of half-developed ideas, flung together with no apparent throughline for the player to follow. There are occasional flickers of the old magic, most notably in the earlier Sonic levels where the balance between speed and exploration is more welcoming, but these moments only serve to make the later frustrations harder to endure.

 

Admittedly, Sonic Unleashed is marginally better than the execrable 2006 effort, but that's incredibly faint praise and only useful as a benchmark to the most blinkered fan. Compared to Mario Galaxy or Ratchet & Clank - heck, even compared to Crash Bandicoot, another platforming mascot mired in mediocrity - Sonic Unleashed is an obviously poor effort from a series that is still hopelessly lost in the modern gaming landscape.

[S.C.G]

I read that review and tbh it's pretty shit (the review not the game) still awaiting my copy and I still think it'll be a solid 7.5... 4 is just harsh, Sonic 2006 may have deserved that but not Unleashed...

[Cube]

GameCentral Review:

 

Sonic Unleashed (360)

 

Review by David Jenkins – It's probably its self-destructive streak that makes Sega so endearing.

 

But as much as turning Golden Axe into a single player-only game can be laughed off as a corporate in-joke, its refusal to listen to anything anyone's ever said about Sonic cannot.

 

For anyone that was hoping otherwise, this is just as much a hostage to idiocy as the other 3D Sonic games.

 

Every year the story is the same: the fans (and critics) tell Sega that Sonic should go back to the old 2D gameplay and ditch all his hanger-on friends.

 

And every year Sega completely ignores them and serves up another, even worse, version of Sonic Adventure.

 

This isn't quite as bad as some efforts, but the few times when it does get things right only make the majority of the game even more infuriating.

 

We're not even going to touch on the plot or we'll just get even angrier, but the basic gameplay is the same as the into-the-screen levels from Sonic Adventure and its successors.

 

The controls are needlessly overcomplicated (why does the homing attack use two different buttons?) and horribly imprecise but when you're running at full speed it does feel fun.

 

The OTT motion blur looks great too.

 

The main platform levels even segue into a 2D view on occasion, as if to show how good a whole game would be in that style if Sega wasn't so stupid.

 

But it is and instead of just quitting while it's ahead you also have to endure the "werehog" levels.

 

At this point the game turns into a sort of child-friendly rip-off of God Of War, complete with some of the most frustrating quick time events ever.

 

As if sharing half the game with the werehog sections isn't bad enough, the game further soils its nest with a collection of inane mini-games.

 

You also have to wander around the main game hub's town talking to people and picking up new quests and info.

 

Why Sega persists with such nonsense is completely beyond us. Sonic is about ultra-fast platform action. It is not about hobnobbing with dim townsfolk.

 

The first impression of the graphics are that they're very good, but slowdown is frequent and everything is rendered in a realistic style.

 

Why Sega insists on setting Sonic in the real world, instead of using the iconic retro art style, is another of the series' great unanswered questions.

 

Clearly by now Sega is completely set in its ways, but as ever, Sonic and his fans deserve a lot better.

 

IN SHORT: Sega holds its annual festival of defilement for Sonic the Hedgehog, in another lame 3D effort.

 

PROS: The daytime platform levels are quite fun most of the time, particularly the 2D sections.

 

CONS: The werehog levels though are awful and the mini-games and town hub are even worse. Very slippery controls.

 

SCORE: 4/10 Out: Now (UK)

 

Or simplified:

 

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

Warehog Levels are awful.

Minigames are Worse.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

The Sonic levels are a lot of fun.

I hate 3D Sonic Games.

[S.C.G]

Another pointless review... obviously the 3D Sonic games will never be as good as the 2D ones in the same way, so any review by a reviewer who hates 3D Sonic games completely just for the sake of it shouldn't really be taken seriously.

[Solo]

These reviews have worried me though. I didn't realise the Wherehog stuff took up such a big chunk of the game.

 

Arghhh how hard is it to keep just Sonic?

 

Kids shouldn't be allowed to playtest games!

[Hero-of-Time]

Im getting it regardless, just have to decide which version to pick up after I finish work. I have heard the Wii version is slightly better and I like that there isnt any hub worlds on that version but I enjoy playing games on my 360 more. Hmmmmm...

[Guest Jordan]

The Warehog controls are pretty bad with the Wii Remote, so if you get the Wii version us a GC controller.

 

The Wii Sonic levels are much "wider" but there are less of them, infact its like 30% Sonic 70% Warehog. In the 360/PS3 version its 50/50.

[Emerald Emblem]

The problem is compared to the Werehog levels, the regular day sections seem to be over in a flash such as what people seemed to want, but the Werehog is just platforming and can take much longer to complete giving the illusion that the game focuses on Werehog a lot more. (It is a fact there are more Werehog levels on the Wii and PS2 version but not the 360/PS3 version).

 

Should have come in the post today but didn't, probably the postal services fault.

[CoolFunkMan]

Well, I've got to the last level now, and it's really fucking difficult. Seriously, this is one though game! Well, that... or I just suck at it.

 

Oh, and in order to progress to levels you need a certain ammount of sun/moon medals (depending on what stage you want to enter.) If you haven't got enough, then it means replaying levels to get them, which is a pain. ¬¬

 

That said, I still stand by my earlier statement; that it's still a decent game and it's waaaay better than the previous 3D Sonic game.

[Guest Jordan]

In the same boat here, need another 2 sun medals to get to the next level (Chun-nan Day time). Sonic stages are fucking incredible by far the best in years.

 

Warehog combat? It really isn't that bad. But the platforming? Oh GOD. The amount of times i've died due to the stupid targetting reticle you get when jump grabbing. URGHHHH.

 

But all that said? Its an 8.0 game from me. The Sonic stages are just... too fun.

[Emerald Emblem]

I don't suffer so bad from the Platforming and find it pretty fun myself. Holaska's day level is the most difficult yet so far.

[CoolFunkMan]

In the same boat here, need another 2 sun medals to get to the next level (Chun-nan Day time). Sonic stages are fucking incredible by far the best in years.

 

Warehog combat? It really isn't that bad. But the platforming? Oh GOD. The amount of times i've died due to the stupid targetting reticle you get when jump grabbing. URGHHHH.

 

But all that said? Its an 8.0 game from me. The Sonic stages are just... too fun.

 

Here's a good tip for the Warehog platforming bits - when in the air and you plan to grab something don't tap B, hold B. Sonic will automatically grab onto the platform/ledge/whatever as soon as the target appears.

 

Professor Pickle mentions this if you give him enough souveniers, but imo it would be useful to know this a lot sooner...

[Guest Jordan]

Here's a good tip for the Warehog platforming bits - when in the air and you plan to grab something don't tap B, hold B. Sonic will automatically grab onto the platform/ledge/whatever as soon as the target appears.

 

Professor Pickle mentions this if you give him enough souveniers, but imo it would be useful to know this a lot sooner...

 

Wish I knew that before. Thanks!

[Falcon_BlizZACK]

So Sonic goes around the world? Which countries does he travel?

[Guest Jordan]

So far i've visited:

Greenland/The Arctic

Kenya (or some sort of African country)

Italy

China

America (New York in particular)

 

They aren't actually called America, Italy etc. They have other names like "Spagonia" for Italy and Empire City for America. But its pretty damn obvious.

[Retro_Link]

Why the Werehog:

 

http://gonintendo.com/?p=64623

 

Why can’t we get a Sonic game with nothing but running?

Because Sonic runs too fast…

 

A snippet from an IGN Three Red Lights podcast, with David Clayman referencing a conversation he had with the Sonic Unleashed team…

 

“I asked one of the developers at TGS, you know I was like, come on everybody just wants Sonic running, like whats up with the werehog? And he was like, well, heres the deal… he runs at this miles per hour, kilometers per hour, and he laid out all of the statistics on how fast this hedgehog goes, and he was like In order to make a game where Sonic is running and everybody enjoys the whole thing we’d have to design this many miles of level, and it was some ungodly number. And he’s like and that would be like maybe a three hour game and I was like wow, well that kinda stinks and he’s like yeah, so we gotta do this other stuff.”

 

Hell, all the old games could be beaten in 3 hours or less, and they were awesome. I’ll take a 3 hour fantastic game over a 10 hour sub-par one.