Customer Reviews

Sonic Unleashed

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I don't understand why this game has been getting trashed across the review board. Everyone, PLEASE don't take the critic's word for it on this game, I feel that IGN and the rest of them are being unjustly harsh and biased with their reviews of Sonic Unleashed. At the very least give this game a look to see if it's your cup of tea.

I'll start by saying this title is an innovated new approach to the Sonic franchise. As mentioned the day levels have very traditional sort of "Sonic" feel to them, with minor tweaks and adjustments to improve the flow of the game's transition to 3-D platforming. For example, you can now use L1 and R1 to sidestep during times when Sonic is running at top speed. You'll perform timed button pressing combos to advance through the course and keep the flow of the action moving steadily at some points. These gameplay mechanics that have been implemented vastly improve Sonic's movements and abilities, which finally gives Sonic a smooth, intuitive 3-D experience.

As said before, the daytime stages are only half of what Unleashed has to offer. I won't spoil the storyline for those of you who may care, but at night you become the "Werehog" and obtain a surprisingly deep new combat system. The Werehog has furry arms with claws that stretch like Mr. Fantastic for some unexplained reason, and he moves at a crawling pace. The game then turns into a hack 'n slash style game very reminiscent of God of War's gameplay, even weaving together the same kinds of combos you'd expect to pull off with Kratos. Being a huge God of War fan, I for one enjoyed these areas of the game with much enthuse. Many people have complained that Sonic moves far too slow and clunky as the Werehog which in turn takes away from the overall pacing of the game. There are also some platforming elements sort of similar to God of War or even Prince of Persia, where you shimmy across ledges, climb columns, and swing from poles. Several people have already criticized these parts of the Werehog levels as well, saying it was too unforgiving and became frustrating as you die so many times. First off, I think people who complain about games being too challenging are weak and just can't handle the difficulty. Second, you can't just keep repeating the same formula for a Sonic game after dozens of different incarnations. Sega needed to take the franchise in a fresh, new direction, and I truly think they have succeeded with Unleashed.

I do think many critics have an unfair prejudice against Sonic games now because of previous failed attempts to bring the platformer into the 3rd dimension. So please give this game a chance. It brings more of the traditional Sonic but improved. If you like God of War, which is a game that most gamers have enjoyed by now, then you should at least be somewhat thrilled by what Unleashed has to offer with the Werehog. If you don't like God of War, then you should be hung for treason. Hail ZEUS!

The hedgehog we know and love seems to have a hit in his series again. The Sonic stages now contain the speed we have been waiting for. It seems they took somewhat of the style from Sonic and the Secret Rings, and worked out the glitches so that we now have a responsive and fast-paced sonic gameplay once again. Yet another thing I love about this game is you level up sonic's abilities so that he can have more boost and be faster as himself, and increase all of his other attributes in his werehog form. After you get sonic's speed to max he really blasts through the levels.

Now it surprises me how many people complain about the werehog stages. Sonic's night stages seem to be a lot of fun to me, because it just is a classic smack 'em up brawl. Another thing that is neat is when you level up your combat abilities you learn new moves, so by the end of the game you have many new combos you can fight with that are much more effective.

Apparently people have issues with sun and moon medals as well. I didn't encounter the issue of being short on medals until like sun medal level 7 was needed, and that's because I wasn't really looking for them too much. All you need to do is just keep an eye out for them while you are playing the game.

Basically this is a Sega step in the right direction with Sonic, and an improvement over other Sonic games of late. It also is the fastest I've seen sonic in a game for a while. This is a game any Sonic fan should want to have.

I grew up with Sonic and have been a fan since the original Sonic on Sega Genesis and Game Gear. Throughout the years after the Sega Genesis games, Sonic has many ups and downs....more downs then up. So our newest attempt is Sonic Unleashed.

Before I purchased this game I looked at every video and review possible because I was hesitant, seeing as how every other 3D Sonic game faired, I was more frightened then intrigued. I was a fan of the Sonic parts in Sonic Adventures 1 & 2, but hated the other characters in those games. After I purchased the game I can tell you that its definitely a better game.

My favorite things about this game that its a solid platform game. When your Sonic, your going through beautifully designed levels at a fast speed, or some with big challenge that look like a grown up version of the original Sonic series. It does feel scripted at times like you can only go front, but its too fun that I can honestly say who cares.

As far as the Werehog goes, when I first played with him I was ready to trade my game in. As the story goes and levels opened up, I actually didn't mind. He has more puzzles and challenges and is actually fun to play. WAYYYYYYY Better then the stupid characters from S.A. 1 & 2. Trust me I rather be Werehog then have to sit through fishing or searching for Emeralds.

The only things I didn't like. The towns and how you have to talk to people made no sense and was dumb, this isn't Final Fantasy so there's no need for it. I for one never read anything they said. Annoying songs and constant baddies with Werehog. Playing with Tails....THATS RIGHT. They kept stripping his character down until we get this, airplane chase repetitive levels??? are you series. Tails flies why does he need a plane?

All in all its a good game, lots of fun and definitely lots of replay value, and there aren't many platforms out there anymore because everything is dumb shooters....*sigh* how the times have changed!

Let me start out by saying this game is fun - if you go into it expecting something different then your old genesis Sonic Game. Well Kinda.

The basic gist of this game is that there are three main types of game
Night
Day
World

Night gaming is akin to Star Fox Adventures and lego star wars - beat up baddies, solve a few puzzles, progress to the next mild puzzle.

World game is a very dumbed down world that Sonic Adventure 1 had. Less to do, and more claustrophobic.

The day game is where this shines. Perhaps, in this reviewers humble opinion, is the best sonic experience since the game went 3-d. Levels have an incredible amount of speed, and change between a 2-d and 3-d style very well. In all honesty it's the pinnacle of Sonic Gaming.

This game is great for kids, the night time levels would be a lot of fun, and the colors are great. The humor and the plot would be a lot more appreciative to a young kid than a college student.

For older audiences, the game will really shine on the day stages (no pun intended!), and the night stages will prove just mildly annoying, if not overly drawn out.

This ins't a bad turn for the Sonic series, by any means. Certainly there have been much worse games, and certainly none of them have nailed the speed factor quite like this one.

If you can get on the psn network, try out the demo. You'll really get a sense for what the day scenes are like. I got hooked on it. Makes it worth going through the night stages, just to get some more of the fun daytime levels.

Thanks developers for putting a lot of work into this game. It shows in the levels, though you really need to work on the world - a lot!

Sonic Unleashed is a fantastic contribution to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. This is one game that has shown me that Sonic is still alive and well, and that the franchise still has much going for it. After seeing Sonic and the Secret Rings, with its heavy rock soundtrack, its choppy graphics, and poorly planned camera angles, I was afraid that Sonic had fallen to rise no more. Sonic Unleashed proved me wrong. After playing this game, I would have to say it is my third favorite Sonic title, after Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic and Knuckles.
This title shows care in its craftsmanship, from the storyline, to the quality cutscenes, to the stunning levels, to the intuitive controls, the charming orchestral music, and the great sound effects. As opposed to some, I actually enjoy the nighttime levels, where Sonic transforms into a werewolf-like creature (a Werehog; this phenomenon is Robotnik's doing). Here, the player is charged with fighting off 'Dark Gaia' monsters using a series of button combinations in fun, non-bloody combat. Many would disagree, but to me it seems an amusing and clever innovation to the series. I would much rather see breaks with tradition of this nature, than see Hedgehogs pick up pistols or hear heavy metal vocals blasting in the background (if you know what I mean). Furthermore, this is not an irreversible change, either, for at the end of the game, Sonic is cured of his curious condition.
Of course, the high-speed daytime levels are the best, and capture most the spirit of Sonic the Hedgehog. Really, they are beyond compare. The speed is exhilarating, with the graphics losing no character at all as the velocity rises. The 'Homing Attack' allows for easy attacks on the Robots, the 'Ring Energy' allows more speed with every ring collected, and the 'Side Step' function allows Sonic to dodge enemies quickly while rushing forward. The Boss Battles are particularily stunning. All the while, gameplay merges seamlessly between 3D and 2D ----once again, an excellent innovation.
Now, as with every game, there are frustrating moments. Some challenges that are presented to the player are rather difficult. In the nighttime levels, one often must walk Sonic across narrow beams, where failure means to plummet to the bottom of a deep chasm. In the daytime levels, it can sometimes be quite difficult to swing from poles in succession, or run at high speeds across water and ice. In some cases, it can be hard to find the next level as one searches for it in the hub worlds. Having to find a certain number of sun or moon medals to advance the story can be tedious. But all in all, Sonic Unleashed proved to be challenging, yet playable at the same time.
In closing here, I will say this: I hope that Sonic Unleashed forebodes what is to come. I believe that SEGA has learned its lessons, and have put them to good use in the new game Sonic and the Black Knight (the far-superior sequel to Sonic and the Secret Rings).

Ryan Robledo
Author of the Aelnathan:

I am not playing this game but my kids do, or did. My 11 yr. old kid really, really wanted this game for Christmas and he got it. What follows is his review:
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Sonic Unleashed is a very good game but when you have to go through puzzling places and after a couple of deaths it can get a little annoying. The fighting scenes are well planned because there is a almost always a boss to fight or an army of little minions. Also when you are running through places there is plenty of speed which really tests your reaction skills.

Some things that aren't so good about the game is that you don't always get the easiest thing to do and the appropriate number of lives to help you so when you loose all your lives you loose all the hard work you did in that place and you have to start all over again.

I picked up this game the beginning of september. I got it because Ive always loved Sonic Games but I was very cautious because everyone is criticising this game. Im here to say "STOP CRITICISING THIS GAME!!!!!!!" Its a great game!!!!! So far, Im not really to into the story but its still very fun to just sit back & watch the amazing cut-scenes. But, gameplay is definitely Awesome!!! Its so fun, during the Day Time Stages you got an extremely fast running hedgehog with fun & amazing graphics for a Sonic Game. & then during the Night Time Stages you get to play as The BADASS Werehog!!! If you enjoy playing God of War & prince of persia which are my favorite games!!!!! Then u can honestly look at the Werehog gameplay as those types of games but instead of being "The god of war" or "The prince of persia" you get to be Sonic The Werehog. Theres puzzles, tons of enemies, big boss battles, great graphics, a solid story, & Very Fun Gameplay!!!!! & Trophies Which are fun/challenging to achieve. What more can u possibly ask for? Especially from a Sonic Game that came out in 2008. I MOST DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS GAME!!!!! OH! By the way, its only like $20!!! really people???? Stop wasting time & get this game!!!!!! Its worth it!!!!!! Alrighty than, Ive said enough. Hope my review helped you out, enjoy the rest of your lifes.

I bought Sonic Unleashed for my Nephew and his review is: "Sonic was really good and was the best Sonic I have ever played."

Believe me, he has played just about all the Sonic games from Sega.

I downloaded the demo for this game and it was fun so I went ahead and bought it. The Werehog portion of the game is quite hard. Unless you have a strategy guide, it is difficult to get through some of the sections. The camera movement is not always that great--you cannot reposition the camera view to see what you want to see in some places. You have to "talk to" a bunch of people which slows down the pace of the game. If you like Sonic it would be an OK buy but I recommend the strategy guide with it!

I'm an old school fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. I grew up playing his games on the Sega Master System and Megadrive, and always preferred him to Mario. Sonic 3 is, and always will be my favourite game of all time. When I first saw Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast, I was absolutely blown away. But then Sonic Adventure 2 was a bit of a let down (for me personally, I know a lot of people consider it the best of the 3D Sonic titles), and the Sonic games since have truly defined mixed bag - some great ones on Handhelds (the Advance and Rush series), and console titles ranging from mediocre to awful (for my money, the low point of the series was Sonic Heroes. I even preferred 06 to that piece of rubbish). I've tended to stay away from a lot of the spin offs (haven't even touched Secret Rings or any of the Riders sub series), but I usually get some enjoyment out of even the mediocre Sonic games such as Shadow and 06.

Sonic Unleashed however, isn't one of those mediocre Sonic games - in fact, I can honestly say this is the best Sonic has been since the days of 16 bit. I had high hopes for this game, was a little wary about the whole Werehog concept, but on the whole, Sonic Team really nailed it with this one.

First of all, they got the mix of speed and platforming spot on. The daytime stages are very much reminiscent of the original games, with multiple paths through the levels, and an exhilarating sense of speed.

Second, the graphics for the PS3 version are stunning. Bright, colourful and highly detailed, with a great blend of classic Sonic style with real-world elements. And the music ranks up there with the best - no cringe worthy themes, just awesome, lively music that captures the feel of each environment perfectly. The Spagonia day music is truly memorable and is right up there with Icecap Zone from Sonic 3 as some of the greatest in Sonic's history.

Third - The story is just right. It doesn't become too intrusive, but sets things up nicely, and is helped along with some great CG clips and competent voice acting. Nothing too melodramatic like in Shadow or 06, just light and cheerful. Probably the best part is there are very few annoying side characters. I actually think Chip is one of the best characters to come along in the series, his voice acting is done well, and he adds a nice touch of humour. Tails and Amy have small supporting roles, and there's no useless, lame supporting characters like Rouge the Bat, Big the Cat and E123 Omega, some of the worst offenders from previous entries.

The daytime levels are wonderful, but even the much criticised Werehog levels aren't bad. I can definitely see where the comparisons to God of War come from, no it's not as good as GoW (and to be honest what could be?) but it's far from a deal breaker. In fact, they're still fun.

The little hub world quests are a nice distraction, and there's plenty of hidden content to discover and unlock, as well as trophies to earn. One minor annoyance is having to find so many Sun/Moon medals to unlock extra stages, but this adds to the longevity of the game and it's really a minor nitpick.

Overall, I highly recommend Sonic Unleashed. You can tell the new Sonic Team that made it respected the roots of Sonic and it shows. If you loved the old Sonic games, chances are you'll love this. Ignore the bad reviews from the gaming press, and you'll enjoy the best Sonic has been in 10 years.