I might lose the little credibility I have among friends for even thinking this, but here’s the deal: Sonic Unleashed is a good game. If you have fainted from reading the previous statement, I apologize. Now, I want to be very clear. Sonic Unleashed is not a great game; it has more than a couple of flaws, but to be honest, with a little polish and a little less Werehog, this could just work. Here are a few reasons why I think the game is good.
1. Sonic Controls Amazingly Well
During the day (speed) levels of Sonic Unleashed, Sonic is crazy fast, handles like a dream, and kicks a decent amount of badnik butt in the process. You dash through levels with plenty of speed and then you can give yourself a boost when you collect enough rings, and the homing attack helps take out the enemies while maintaining your trademark speed. It really is a great feeling (and awesome to watch) when you know a level so well that you can finish it in seconds flat. It’s a 3D Sonic game in which Sonic controls astoundingly. These levels go by at eye watering speed and are a ton of fun.
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| Get ready to say goodbye to the background |
2. Being a Werehog Wasn’t All Bad
Now, the part that everyone seems to hate is the inclusion of the night (Werehog) levels. These were basically added to beef up the game’s play through time because if only the speed levels had been included it would have been quite short for a $60 purchase; however, these levels aren’t bad at all. They control like any third person action adventure title in the past 8 to 10 years. God of War is (strangely enough) the inspiration for the stretchy arm combat (quick time events included), and Prince of Persia takes care of the platforming puzzles. This is the part of the game that really stopped the game from being great. It was derivative and unnecessary, and it’s the reason that most people didn’t like it. But to be honest, it was kind of fun. Now, I am a big God of War fan, so I knew exactly what to do when this combat rolled around. It does get a little repetitive, but it really is just fine. It does its job of fleshing out the game pretty well.
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| This is certainly the low point of the game |
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| Yeah this is silly, but it works. |
3. Sidekicks Are Minimal
Now, I personally don’t get too upset with the Sonic Creators for adding all of Sonic’s pals to the ensemble except Big the Cat. I hated him. Anyway, this time around, Sonic Team seem to have taken heed of that fact and only included 2 side characters to the mix: Tails (the original and still the best) and a newcomer, Chip. I have to be honest (and this is another thing my friends will shun me for) I really liked Chip. He was cute, charming, and funny. He isn’t a character I’d particularly like to see again, but he’s better than some of the additions (still referring to Big here). The point is, there are only a few sidekicks here. No Big, no Knuckles, no Rogue, nobody but Sonic, Tails, and Chip for the most part.
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| I will always dislike this guy |
| Studio Audience: Awwwwww |
The daytime levels are what I’m talking about here. Night levels are pretty standard, but not a hindrance. The day levels are a pretty substantial improvement over the older 3D Sonic formula which has pretty much stayed constant since Sonic Adventure. The design here is to make you go as fast as you possibly can and does so by switching the perspective from 2D to 3D along with including rail sections that aren’t impossible to A. Maintain speed in and B. stay on the dang rail. Also, there are hoops to jump through that give you speed boosts (are you noticing the pattern here) and give you bonus points for jumping through certain ones. Also, when things are chasing you, the camera faces Sonic to make these scenes a bit more intense. All of these work tremendously well. It’s all snappy and responsive, grinding is a ton of fun, shooting through hoops has never been this satisfying, and it’s just a really fun experience.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUKTA-2cv6M
Boss fights are also extremely well done in the day missions. The first has you running to destroy Robotnik’s (I refuse the retcon of Eggman) new machine. You run forward dodging bombs and the robot itself and have to rush forward at the right time to hit him. Most of the boss fights have a pretty classic Sonic feel to them and are a lot of fun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NwQbw8HqSE&feature=related
5. The Art Style is Back on Track
Sonic ’06 was a terrible, unfinished, garbage heap of a game that could have been great if it weren’t rushed and didn’t go the realistic route of having a giant blue hedgehog fall in love with a human girl. It was creepy to watch, uncomfortable to play, and just wrong. The art style in that game tried to bring a cartoon character to life in a way that should never have been attempted. Sonic Unleashed does it right. Sonic is cartoony. He looks like Sonic should look, and the people who populate each town look cartoony as well which is just right for a CARTOON game. Sonic Team didn’t try to make them realistic in any way. They look like they could be in a Pixar movie, which is just what the series calls for. The first cutscene in the game really sums up the visual direction of the game. Sonic is back to his smart talking and Robotnik kicking roots. It really is great, and after seeing it, I couldn’t wait to dive in.
(This looks promising)
(Yeah Super Sonic is Back too)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr5bDfW41Iw%20%20%20
Sonic Unleashed is not a great game. It’s a good game with a few big flaws. Sonic Team made a 3D Sonic game that people would have loved if there had been no such thing as a Werehog. If you look at the average ratings for Sonic Unleashed, you’ll see ratings of 3-4 out of 10, but if it were me, it would be closer to a 7. It’s fun, and it gets me excited for new Sonic games again. Sonic Colors, for example, looks like it’s going to take the best from Sonic Unleashed and ditch the Werehog bits in favor of new platforming mechanics that are looking to be well implemented. Also, Sonic 4 is coming, and looks like quite a good return to form for Sonic’s 2D adventures. Sonic’s future is looking kind of bright. After all the years (that’s right, YEARS) of having to deal with bad Sonic games, it looks like we might be getting some good stuff in the near future.
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