Customer Reviews

Sonic Unleashed

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I was looking forward to this game for a while, and it met my expectations. The hedgehog levels are awesome, they're high speed, and plain awesome, and they're genuine Sonic. Five stars for the hedgehog. However, the place where this game falls is the Werehog. For me, the werehog was just to slow. And like other people said, I noticed there's a lot more werehog than hedgehog. I think Sega should make the werehog action just a little bit faster, so it's actually Sonic. They should also balance the stages a little. If I got a little more hedgehog, this would have been five stars. However, The game still deserves a Bravo, Bravo. I say you buy it.

I was really - really hoping this game would be awesome. Let's face it, there hasn't been an awesome Sonic the Hedgehog game in almost two decades. Ultimately, this game turned out to be only mostly awesome; but that's good enough for me, and certainly more than we've gotten in years.

The daytime levels are just as incredible - if not more incredible - than anything I ever played in the original Sonic games. These are the reason I bought the game, and none of them disappoint. You've got all the classic Sonic stage elements here; bumpers, loop-dee-loops, and rails. This part of the game feels like a strange combination of Super Mario Galaxy and Excite Truck, and for me, that's a good combination!

During the day, the world fly's by and looks great doing it. The game moves only at 30 frames per second, but it is a very colorful, vibrant, and beautiful 30 frames per second. The speed is also complimented by excellent level designs. With the rare exception of a few poorly placed obstacles here and there, there is never a time where you feel that dying is just part of the game (as it occasionally did in Sonic and the Secret Rings).

They haven't gotten the controls perfect yet. There were a few times I inadvertently flung Sonic over a cliff through no fault of my own (most especially in the Adabat stage), but the control this time is a solid 90% as opposed to the 60% in Secret Rings and the flat out 0% in 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog disaster. For the most part, Sonic Unleashed is very playable.

If the daytime racing stages were the whole game, this would have been a five star review. Unfortunately Sonic Unleashed is actually two games. One is during the day when Sonic races around like mad; the other is at night where Sonic lumbers around as the Werehog.

Sonic the Werehog is essentially a platforming tank, able to bash enemies, climb up polls, and...bash enemies some more; its not that the Werehog is necessarily bad, just pointless and overused. The nighttime stages can be fun, but unlike the daytime stages I can't imagine ever playing them more than once, and what's worse is that you get three Werehog stages for every one hedgehog stage. The game simply never strikes a balance; the Werehog to Hedgehog ratio should at least be 50/50. Instead, the game is roughly 70% Werehog, 30% Hedgehog, and personally, I would have easily settled for just the 30%

Again, its not that the Werehog or the nighttime stages are bad - they're not - the problem is that no one is playing this game to do anything but speed through the courses. The Werehog levels simply don't amount to anything more than a decent platformer, and if it's platforming you're looking for, I say play Super Mario Galaxy, not this.

Still, everything that was great about Sonic the Hedgehog is great again here. This is ultimately what I like to call a good game plus. It's a good game, plus a bunch of other things that not only did we not particularly want, but that we never even asked for.

Don't get me wrong, Sonic Unleashed is a great game. But if you play, play for the racing stages, and leave the Werehog on the leash.

After playing it for awhile overall I can say Sonic Unleashed is probably one of best Sonic games on 3d to come out in awhile. What the game does right is bring the speedy stages we all love and make it fast and simple bringing that same feel you got from Sonic Adventure 2 Battle and also not having camera problems like Sonic and Secret Rings.
However there is also Werehog stage like most said there are quite few however it isn't bad as one would think and as you progress through game the stage gets better, but the gameplay does take awhile usually a player will take 6-8 minutes just trying to finish it, that being said the ranking system on it isn't about speed so its easy to get good ranks on it and not have be about speed, rather it trys to get you pull off most points and rings you can under 9 minutes. The ranking on other hand for speed stages are all about how many rings and making it to end of stage at that time limit. Asides from gameplay the soundtrack is pretty good as well some of best graphics you'll see on the Wii and CG cut scenes are great with good story to back it up. My only problems are they should had less Werehog stages,more speed stages, rid of all text screens,The wiimote and nunchuck combo sadly are worst controls of game, and get rid of reptetive task of having to read samething. Overall game is pretty good and does better then Sonic and Secret rings or Sonic The Hedgehog on 360 and it barely does better then Sonic Heroes. My last thing I should say is when playing this game is to use the classic controller or gamecube for more precise controls asides from that most people asides from fans of hedgehog will indeed enjoy this game.

We have a five year old girl (and a 2 year old who watches). We look for kid friendly games that are simple to play and fun for all. She loves the old, Sonic classics.

This is a good game and all but the reason I took time to add this short review is just to mention that it is much more violent than we'd imagined from the trailer and the packaging. There is an intro movie at the start of the game that scared the kids. And there is moderate fighting throughout.

As violence goes in most games, I suppose this wouldn't phase the majority of gamers. But for our family, it was a bit of a shock. Probably only my husband will play this one. At least until the girls are older.

I would have bought a different game if I had realized this. Looking over the front image again, I see he does look a bit evil with the big claws. Maybe that is what they mean by unleashed.

When I first saw videos of this game I thought it would be amazing and thats exactly what the sonic (daytime levels) are. However, at the last minute the wii version of the game was released with only 7 sonic levels (compared to the 9 the ps360 versions have). I have to admit I was never excited about the warehog sections but I wouldn't criticize it until I played it. Having played the nighttime (warehog) levels I discovered that I detest them. I think mainly because it feels as though the sonic/warehog ratio is more like 30 percent sonic 70 percent warehog. I have only played with the gamecube controller and I have to admit the sonic levels could compete to be the best levels out of all the 3d sonic games. The controls and camera for the sonic sections are perfect. However I find the camera for the warehog to be aggravating. I find myself wanting to change the camera but can't. Also the control scheme for the warehog is a little odd (you hold x to hold a crate and a to throw the crate). I also find myself wishing there were more cutscenes to keep the story going and to inspire me to get through those night sections. Oh and even though knuckles and shadow were confirmed to be in cutscenes in the game they are not. Finally, I wish they would have added a vast multiplayer section like the one in sonic adventure 2 battle. Instead there is no multiplayer at all. So comparing it to my favorite 3d sonic game (sonic adventure 2) I find this game to be subpar and I am wishing I had waited for the price tag to go down to 25 dollars before I got it.

Pros
*Great sonic levels that are really fun
*The story/cutscenes are comical at times and are great
*I liked it better than sonic and the secret rings (less on rails, easier to control)

Cons
*There is too much warehog
*I would have prefered more cutscenes
*There is no multiplayer
*There are 2 sonic levels absent from this version
*There are no side missions like there is in the ps360 versions

Things to consider
*The music is different than other sonic games (you may or may not care about this)
*The wii hub is static (could be good or bad depending on your preference).

This is your supershort review from supersonicsixteen

Everyone loved the daytime/Sonic the Hedgehog scenes/levels/whatever you want to call them

Everyone hated (with some exception{including myself}) the nighttime/Sonic the Werehog scenes/levels/whatever you want to call them

Reasons why I agree/disagree

I love sonic, at sonic speeds. Daytime sonic was awesome!
The nighttime sonic was fun to toy around with, and tied into the story, however I agree that he was overused just a little.

One thing that the other reviews didn't cover I read them all(so far) was that the game can be really easy, and then extremely difficult in a matter of moments to always keep you guessing. I like this element in a game. Games which are all fun, and no challenge lack depth, while relentlessly challenging games tend to wear me out. This game offers a bunch of both. Thanks for reading!

--Supersonicsixteen

Sonic Unleashed is better than the last Sonic game that came out for the next-gen systems in '06. Of course, that's not hard to do. I can't help but think that someone in charge of Sonic Team at SEGA is one heck of a masochist. It's almost like they find pleasure in finding ways to torture us by giving us a taste of what we want, and then pulling it away right when we're beginning to enjoy it.

Case in point: the Werehog. There's nothing inherently wrong with the Werehog mechanic, and it certainly has its fun moments. Button mashing beat-em-ups are fun, but they're also not Sonic. Fans like me sound like broken records when we say that Sonic is all about speed, and the fact is that's not true. Even the very first Sonic game had levels where platforming and puzzle-solving were more important than speed (Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone). The difference was that in these examples, the platforming was seamlessly mixed with the other stuff. Not here. With Sonic Unleashed, you really feel as if it's two completely different games, neither of which has the depth to keep the momentum going as far as it could, and SHOULD.

The daytime Sonic levels are probably the best 3-D Sonic levels ever created. But they're also only about 30% of the total game, while the Werehog section takes up the other 70%. I hope that if a sequel is ever made for this that they get the proportion more equal, or find a way to make the Werehog sections faster and more interesting.

Sonic Team is getting closer to a good 3-D sonic game. However, after so many missteps, I don't know if closer is good enough. Perhaps it's time to take Sonic the Hedgehog away from this floundering team of programmers and give it a life with someone new. If Sonic Team has so little faith in its trademark that it thinks it always needs a new gimmick beyond simple speed and platforming (the next Sonic game due next year? Sonic and the Black Knight. Why does Sonic need a SWORD?), then they should either stop making Sonic games or give the license to a new team who will do for Sonic what Miyamoto has been able to continually do with Mario.

When I received this game from amazon I had high hopes for it! The Sonic running parts are amazing! The speed really feels like a sonic game that we've all been waiting for. You can use homing attacks, super speed, quick step, etc. With the first stage being regular sonic I thought I hit gold and finally found a great sonic game! Untill I met the werehog stages.

Don't get me wrong I had fun on the first werehog level! It would have been a 4 maybe 5 star rating if they kept it at 1 werehog per 1 sonic. The ratio is this: 1 super fast, super fun sonic level/ 3 or 4 slow taking ten minutes on each, combat levels. It seriously took me ten minutes to get through one werehog level! I really wish they would have evened out the ratio! The werehog levels were actually nice and fun, but WAY TO MANY!

OK on to other aspects. The graphics are very nice and good for the wii console. I wouldn't call it Super Mario Galaxy 2 good but decent. The sonic graphics are very colorful and easy to spot enemys. Sonic is blue as ever and the animation cut-scenes are great! Almost amazing. The werehog graphics dimmed down the awesomeness. Its really dark well it is night. Also sonic werehog is not that great looking except in cut-scenes he is amazing then!

The soundtrack is OK. Nothing memorable just regular sonic music. Except when in werehog the battle music is very annoying and irritating.

The story is very lighthearted and very enjoyable. I enjoy the story and like to get into it. The story can be very hilarious but it can be serious at times as well. The character development in this game is great and if you have never played a sonic game you can start with this one. Except there seems to be more story then gameplay. Its like you do your gameplay then you have to wait 15 minutes through story then you can play again.

The gameplay and controls are nice. I;m not going to get into the werehog rant again so don't worry. The controls are work great with sonic and are very responsive. The werehog controls are more slippery. Like just trying to move carefully onto a platform is difficult because it is loose and you could accidentally dash when not meaning to. That said this game is quite difficult. So it is worth more in that aspect so it can't be beaten easily.

Overall out of ten I give this game a 7.5/10. LIke I said it could be better but way to many werehog levels.

This game has received a lot of negative reviews both by regular players and professional game critics. The primary complaint seems to be that the werehog levels are too slow and the combat is mindless. Other complaints are that the controls are difficult to use, or that one has to button mash ([...], amazon.com). I, however, feel quite the opposite.

The night stages (werehog) are much slower than the day stages (hedgehog), but not worse. These stages are reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or Super Mario 64, so much so that when I was recently playing SM64 I shook the N64 controller accidentally trying to punch. The combat is not long at all if you don't button mash. Yes, one can usually make it through combat by swinging with reckless abandon, but to win with lots of health left and win quickly? No. The combos can be tricky and challenging, as well as using the proper combat maneuvers.

The 3D platforming in this game is made so much more fun by the werehog's stretchy arms. Jumping from the molding on a crumbling building to a teetering platform full of bad guys over a giant vortex can be pretty exhilarating! The use of the Wii remote is excellent in pulling levels, swinging on poles, climbing, and throwing crates! In the upper levels especially, the puzzles are very well thought out. None are frustratingly hard to solve. All are fun. If you don't like 3D platformers though, this game isn't for you. (n00b)

As day breaks, so does the sound barrier. Sonic in his normal form (day stages) is faster than ever before. These stages are amazing as far as the amount of detail that goes into the stages' graphics. While playing these stages you will see the countryside whip by in a blur of color, but if you slow down you can see advertisements for Japanese style haircuts, flowers, and houses with 3D objects inside.

These day stages are much shorter but (maybe I was just not as good) have to be replayed several times to complete with the best ranking. They make up a smaller part of the game but are similar to Sonic advance 2 (not really like the genesis titles), or a racing game where you beat up badniks on the track. Even my most flawless runs (take the best secrets, avoid damage, etc.) have room for improvement making the re-playability value for these VERY high. Fun to play with friends too, I just wish it had online high scores or something!

The storyline has so many cinematic scenes with great graphics and funny writing that I really didn't notice that you can't skip them! There is really only one new character in this game, Chip, and longtime fans will be pleased to note that even he probably won't ever be seen again. He is a fun maroon colored comic relief that waves farewell at the end of the story. A bit of chatting with the townspeople to find the next level adds an interesting reference to RPGs but does not go into great depth with it.

The only other thing I need to say before concluding is that it plays to a wide array of players. If you spend way too much time playing video games, looking for all the secrets, and refusing to use a strategy guide (like me), than you will find hours of enjoyment unlocking everything to get the cut scene at the end. If have a life outside of video games (like my spouse), then just playing through the main game should give you your money's worth (especially since it's cheaper than $20.00!). So if you are an average or experienced player, this is the game for you.

Overview:

Graphics: 100% (best graphics on Wii)
Music: 84% (some pieces are close to perfect whereas the town music is like elevator music)
Story: 90%
Day stage game play: 97%
Night stage game play: 93%
Re-playability: 91% (I have logged over 70 hours on it and still play it)
Overall: 97%

If you like Sonic then you will enjoy this game. This game is not meant for the younger crowd(e.g.: ages 5 and less).