25.1.2009

Sonic The Hedgehog. One of the most popular characters of the nineties and at one point was more recognizable than Mickey Mouse himself. His rise to fame started on the 16-bit game console the Megadrive, his games were colorful, fast, had great music and best of all, SIMPLE. Now 18 years since his debut the blue blur has certainly fallen from his podium and SEGA, even now, have yet to make a game that matched the 2D games in comparison. But this game is a small step for gamers one giant leap for SEGA and Sonic Team.I'll now categorize this review in the things i think are most important in a sonic game, Graphics, Music, Story, Gameplay, Fun and finally the Super Sonic portion of the game.Graphics 9/10WOW!Going at 300mph never felt so satisfying, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous and just feels so right when your playing the game. There are 8 continents and all have there own theme. Be it the savanna's of Mazuri, the bone chilling cold of Holoska, the mellow forests of Adebat or the dry sands of Shamar you are are going to be amazed by the detail and thought that has gone into the craft of the levels. The Day and Night stages all look good but the Day stages steal the show as they are so varied it never looks the same twice, the Night stages however all look relatively the same and can be a bore too look at. The only thing that holds this from being 10/10 is that there are several graphical glitches that, while not heeding the game play, are very disenchanting and annoying nonetheless.Sound 9/10Finally the embarrassingly bad rock and techno tunes have been gotten rid of and not a minute too soon. Instead of that rubbish we are now treated to a variety of instrumentals that really capture the location and atmosphere of the level. Sadly though the music is very passive and instantly forgettable in comparison to the Megadrive music which would stay in your head so long it wasn't funny. The voice acting in this game is also another brilliant step forward from the other 3D titles, gone are the cheesy lines and the terrible 8 year olds here are some actual voice acter's who deliver they're lines to great effect (I must give a nod to the guy who did the voice of Dr Eggman he was sensational.)The flag song for this game ,'Endless Possibility', is in two words F**king AMAZING! It is amazingly catchy and energetic and it really is a song i cannot describe in words.Story 10/10Ok its no secret, sonic games have never had good story. It was always just, Dr Robotnik/Eggman, had captured some animals and turned them into robots and sonic had to show up and SAAAAAAAVE THE WORLD (WU-HUU). But this time there is an actual plot to this game, i won't spoil anything but this is the jist of it. Upon trying to destroy Dr Eggman's new flag ship, sonic is inadvertently captured and the chaos emeralds he possess' are used as the power to a new weapon that splits the world up into 8 different continents and releasing an ancient, mysterious terror onto the land named Dark Gaia. The experiment not only releases this creature but turns Sonic into a beastly version of himself, whenever the moon shows, aptly named the 'Werehog'. When Sonic is sent hurtling back to earth with the spent Emeralds he comes across a strange being who has lost his memory who decides to tag along with Sonic, he is dubbed 'Chip' by Sonic. So the game is basically you traveling the globe in search of Gaia Temples in order to restore the Earth back to normal. Along the way you'll come across Tail's (Sonic's old friend and compardre'), Dr Eggman and his various giant robot bosses, giant, ancient animals possed by Dark Gaia itself, Eggman's own level and amusement park named EGGMANLAND, People who are possessed and need exorcising, 8 HUGE lands, ride a whale, a bobsled, a rocket, run up and down a dargons back and finally fight off against Dark Gaia in one of the most epic fights ever on a Sonic video game.Gameplay 8/10Sonic's games are never, ever going to be pick up and play simple again, i think that needs to be realised but the game plays as well as it looks with most of my Kudos going to the Day time stages. The Day time stages are well designed and fun, they are not so easy its boring but neither is it so hard its worth committing suicide, the game does not feature a factor most Sonic games have had in that holding one button and merh, pressing the jump button here and there would basicallt get you through the level. The puzzles in level are well thought but if you want to get A or even S ranks in this game your going to have to play over again to find shortcuts and basically memorize the level in order to beat it flawlessly. So why 8/10 well i guess if you've heard reviews on this game you'll know the why it was recieved so poorly...the Werehog. The Werehog stages have become infamous for their terrible camera angles and repetitive combat system. I didn't think it was THAT bad but i can see where people are coming from. The camera angles don't really present a problem until you get to sections that require tight rope walking in which case the slightest error will send you to your death. As for the combat again, not that bad but i know what people mean, just pushing buttons repeatably isn't fun and is very monotonous but its nothing thats too major to put you off beating the game. So now perhaps the two signature thing's about any Sonic game are the Boss battles and his speed. These two things are brought together beautifully in one. Some of the boss battles are quick, quirky and most of all repeatedly fun and challenging.Fun 10/10This game is fun...no seriously i can't describe it any other way. You have to play this game to know how fun this game is.Super Sonic 9/10This is in a way the thing i look most forward too in a Sonic game. You've got all the emeralds, all that hard work and time you invested in this game and the game rewards you the way any game should, with the hero becoming more powerful and awesome than ever before. Again i won't spoil what made this level of the game so awesome, all you need to know is that it the graphics were stella, it was fun, fast and the music was some of the best i've heard yet. The only thing i wish they would keep in the new games is the ability to turn into super sonic during game play as that would totally add another notch to how awesome this game is.OVERALL: 8/10 or 4 stars translatedSonic has fallen since the 90's but with this game in the eyes of fans he's clawed his way back and lets hope this is the start of better things too come. Don't trust what reviews from critics you hear about this game it is good but unfortunately people nowadays would rather our spiky hero was put too rest rather than revival. BUT NEVER FEAR, SONIC WILL NEVER DIE!

13.1.2009

Sonic Unleashed stars our blue hedgehog friend as he goes to fight Robotnik in his latest scheme; however not everything goes according to plan. Eggman manages to awaken Dark Gaia, an evil entity living inside the planet that is bent of destroying it. In the process, the world is torn apart with each continent broken from each other, all the Chaos emeralds lose all their power and Sonic adopts a strange persona of a werehog, the ability to transform into his ferocious alter-ego when night falls. Using his Super Sonic Speed at day and his werehog powers at night, he must travel to each continent to restore the power of the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman's plans.Despite playing the Wii version (often seen as a weaker console compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360)the graphics are stunning, nearly on par with Super Mario Galaxy. The engine for the game is nicely made as well; I saw one glitch in the game where I fell past a pole, and that was it. In previous instalments falling into your doom by gaps on the floor that shouldn't be there was a common annoyance.The composer for Sonic Unleashed obviously took a page from the highly successful Super Mario Galaxy as the game is fully orchestrated, which strangely works well. You'll hear many big band sounds using string, trumpets and all sorts of instruments, but no electric guitars I'm afraid. All in all it works well and all tracks are nice in their own right. Sound effects perform their duty and voice acting is some of the best from the Sonic series so far.The game consists of 2 types of game play; the day time and the night time levels.During the day time stages, Sonic is his normal self and his levels scream of nostalgia. The levels are purely running around, loop-de-loops and blasting at the speed of light to the goal ring whilst trying not to get hit by enemies. The game allows a smooth transition between 3D gaming into 2D.Controls on the whole were reliable, the only niggles I found were relating to motion sensor controls. Shaking the remote performs various moves for Sonic including a homing attack (to defeat enemies), dash (to flash forward at top speed) and travel along the line of rings. Whilst they react swiftly the game can confuse what you're shaking the remote for. Several times I've shaken the remote with the intention of aiming at the enemy, but Sonic decides to dash forward instead.Despite being well designed levels, fun and the critics favourite; trying to get the S rank on most levels was not an easy task for the wrong reasons. To sound borderline stupid; Sonic moves too fast at times to see what the heck is in front of you to avoid dying. In addition you cannot see much ahead of Sonic (apart from his backside). You'll have to know the level like the back of your hand to get anywhere near the S rank timings. When you're just running around and flying past the level, its fun. When trying to aim for 100% completion, it's a nuisance.When the sun goes down, Sonic becomes a werehog and game play drastically changes. Sonic's speed in stripped and is instead given stretchy hairy arms to bash enemies into pulp. Werehog Sonic must use his new powers to fight his way past enemies, climb various buildings and swing on various poles to reach the goal ring at the end. The levels are mostly structured the same way with various random encounters, certain amount of climbing, maybe a small puzzle here and there, and the goal ring at the end. The levels can get repetitive towards the end but I personally was fond of the werehog levels for the explorative aspect and easy to achieve S rank on them - shallow as it is but when achieving the high score on levels nothing can beat that feeling of accomplishment.Controls for werehog mode are a mixed bag and again it mostly relates to the motion sensor of the wii remote. You shake the remote to bash your enemies as well as swinging Sonic on poles to make your way across bottomless pits or pulling Sonic up onto platforms. Sadly it can be a bit too sensitive at times; for example you swing the remote back and forth when Sonic is swinging on a pole. After letting go and jumping forward, if your remote is not completely still whilst jumping, Sonic will either not move forward (often backwards) or punch the air instead; both resulting in falling to your doom. I also found that when trying to perform combat combos that they didn't always register when I wanted them, yet perform them when I didn't.Sadly; the werehog levels will not be liked by all fans and critics have panned them. This certain aspect of the game doesn't naturally fit into Sonic where the pace is meant to be fast and action packed. Some controls issues will infuriate most players and levels can easily be over 15 minutes long compared to the day time levels which are about 4 minutes maximum each. Unfortunately Sega has made two thirds of the main game werehog related; most of the levels use werehog Sonic and most of the extras outside of the levels mostly use Sonic in his werehog form. You'll most likely find yourself `werehog-ed out' after a while.As extras; the temples have various doors to access levels, but also have other doors that need a certain amount of medals to open them. Behind each door is an additional section of the temple where Sonic can complete puzzles to gain hidden items, such as hidden missions and extras lives. I highly enjoyed the puzzle aspects as most of them require for the player to alternate between Sonic and Werehog form to complete them and get all the hidden items. The only downside is that Sonic can move way to fast to control and complete the puzzles smoothly - most of the time he speeds off the platform to his doom!If hidden temple areas weren't enough, from the very start of the game you can collect hidden pictures/movie files/documents and soundtrack files within each level and town you visit. On their own they're just for viewing purposes but collecting them all is rewarded with more content to play. So there's plenty to do once the game's complete.I personally enjoyed Sonic Unleashed a lot; but obviously not in the same way as most people have. If you're wondering which version to purchase; the Wii and PS2 have less content but are known for being less `broken' in terms of game play. The PS3 and Xbox versions are bigger games and have better graphics, but the levels suffer for it. I would recommend this game to any Sonic fan, although I know not all of them would agree with it.

1.2.2009

I honestly wasn't expecting much, boy was I wrong! Sonic Unleashed is one of the best games I've played in a long time.The game itself follows Sonic & Chip's worldwide adventure to restore the broken fragments of the planet after a devastating attack by Dr Eggman.Gameplay is split over Sonic's speed levels and Werehog's fighting stages. In addition there's Tail's plane flying levels, several explorable hub worlds filled with secrets/sub plots/and missions ( which are all optional.)Graphics: - in a word, stunning. The visuals are crisp and vibrant, and move at an incredible speed. The animation is really fluid. The cut-scenes and presention are of really high quality.The art style is really good - your adventure takes you all over the globe, from the frozen icecaps of Holoska to the sunny mediteranean-esque Atopos, the looks and atmosphere are great, (both on standard Tv and HD.)Audio: Like the graphics - really good. The stage tunes are rather catchy!! The main theme song 'Endless Possibilities' - (sung by Jaret Reddick from Bowling for soup) is a great song + the character voices suit the characters.Gameplay:Sonic's levels feature all of the best bits of his previous 2d and 3d games combined. Sonic can boost, drift, slide and grind ( and later on learn to light dash, wall jump and stomp.) The stages are relatively large and fun, sonic is lighting fast, there are multpile pathways/secrets = lots of replay value.Werehog's levels play exactly like 'God of War', which is a good thing. They feature a mix of platforming/fighting and some surprisingly good puzzles.The fighting system is deep and all aspects can be upgraded with experience points (- to unlock new moves, increase health etc.)You also have charged, special + unleashed attacks, you can pick up and throw enemies and parts from the scenery, and do finishing moves.Like God of War - there are a few QTE's in the game - but they are reletively easy, and are often the best bits in the boss fights.The camera is great and always moves itself into the best position to show you where you need to go.Hint - for the tricky parts of platforming, keep HOLD of the grab (B) button throughout whilst jumping around - the Werehog will instantly grab hold of any ledge/pole he's facing - like in Tomb Raider, and you'll be able to get around a lot quicker.)In all I like both the Sonic and Werehog gamestyles a lot. Sonic only has the one main stage per country, Werehog has two levels for the first country - but only one per country thereafter.Both characters gain experience and can upgrade their abilities.Both characters have great boss fights, that actually get better and better further into the game (Werehog's final boss being by far my favorite.)Lifespan: The game itself is fairly lengthy, and has a large amount of secrets - as well as music/artwork/videos/special items to collect.There are 400 sun and moon medals to collect - I remember another reviewer complaining about having to collect the medals to progress.On avarage I only found around 50% of them on my 1st playthrough and I was never asked to collect more medals to continue the story, so it's not really a problem - although I can't help but wonder what having all of the medals will unlock.The hub worlds have many missions ( everything from collecting rings to ghost hunts, even trivia quizzes!) The characters in the hub worlds are surprisingly likeable, and they have fairly decent storylines you can play through - but be warned some of the decisions you make will affect their outcome, so choose wisely.This game has many secrets and is built to last.(Hint - if you were to buy + feed Chip with his favorite foods only - I wonder what might happen.....!)Overall: This is one of the best games I've played in years.If you're a fan of the Sonic Adventure series or 3d platform games in general, then I would highly recommend it.If you prefer the 2d retro games only I'd suggest trying a demo/renting it first, or watch the videos on youtube.Also, ( I own the Wii version too) the x360/ps3 version is better designed, has more levels/content and has better graphics then the Wii version, but it is also more complex and challenging.If you're buying the game for someone who's young or has difficulty with fast games + lots of buttons - the wii version is alot more simple and straightforward, and might be preferable in that case.But overall the x360/ps3 version is the better game.

18.12.2008

Overview:Graphics 9/10 - excellent intro, great sense of speed and animationGameplay 8/10 - thrilling 2D speed sections, overlong "werehog" stagesSound 8/10 - nice original sound effects, but no instantly recognisable themesOverall 8/10 - a solid return to form for SonicMain Review:Sonic Unleased is a good game, although not quite great. At least not for those who aren't adept at 3D platform games.In the old days of the humble megadrive, anyone could pick up a joypad and have a quick game of Sonic The Hedgehog. It's controls were simple, the aim of the game was simple and the mechanics of pressing 1 button to jump meant even Grandad could manage to play and enjoy the game.In the 3D arena of Xbox 360s and PS3s however,Sega has made the assumption that everybody is clued up on 3D platformers and using each and every button for the simplest of tasks. This is all well and good for avid gamers, but for the inexperienced or very young, the game is overly complicated and at times frustratingly difficult. Gone have the days of "pick up and play". Without knowing your way around a joypad blindfolded, this game is a nightmare.However, there is still much joy to be had from this game. The opening level is reminisent of the Sonic of old - the speed at which the game plays is frantic, but fun - hearing the original "ping" when you collect a ring is nostalgic gold. Viewed in a 3rd person perspective, charging around a primary coloured playground (Greenhill Zone style) is like playing a super fast drving game - only with a jump button to enable new routes. At times the view changes to a 2D plane, when the speed increases to such an extent that you can't help but grin like to cheshire cat.The game changes pace significantly during the "werehog" stages. These stages, although not entirely without merit, do drag on for too long and towards the end of the level, outstay their welcome. Initally grabbing, throwing and beating up bad guys does offer a refreshing change to the super fast preceding stages, as do the simple(ish) puzzles - but when it takes over 30 minutes to do one stage, compared to the couple of minutes to the "normal" Sonic levels, the game becomes somewhat imbalanced. You also need to be adept on the control pad, as to beat some baddies a Quick Time Event (a series of timed button presses) are required, one false move and you have to start all over again.The in game music is less inspired than in previous Sonic outings. The orchestral changes in music indicate an incoming invasion of bad guys during the werehog levels and the ambient meoldies in the background throughout the arenas are nice, but lack the instant recognition of the old megadrive tunes.If you are prepared to invest time into the werehog stages, you'll be greeted by some excellent animation, clever use of lighting and a relatively useful camera. My 9 year old daughter's attention span couldn't take it, nor could my girlfriend (who is a megadrive sonic expert), the incoherent storyline didn't endear them either.The story - another over complication from Sega for a Sonic title - sees Sonic trying to rebuild a world that has literally been torn apart by Dr Robotnik/Eggman. This involves an amnesiac flying dog thing, Tails/Miles Prower and a host of other characters that you have to liase with before each pre-stage arena, as well as the aforementioned werehog that Sonic changes into during the night time (beat em up) stages.In conclusion, this new Sonic game will engage you - if you allow it. Invest enough time, have patience and you will be rewarded with a great platforming experience - something this next generation of consoles is sorely lacking.

4.6.2009

From the moment the game loads up you have a feeling inside, wondering wherever or not your purchase was worth the money or if you've just loaded up the best Sonic game of recent years.To me it was a little of both.From the Opening movie It's a typical Sonic Vs Eggman scene in Space, switching to Eggman on the run and Sonic falling into his trap, only to be turned into a Werehog and forced out into space, falling towards a Planet now fractured by Eggman, and a mysterious beast released from it's core.The game is more forgiving than the PS3/360 Sonic 06 game, although you can easily die, it isnt a common occurance and can be avoided.You are eased into the gameplay by Tutorial levels using either Sonic or the Werehog,

1.9.2012

It's fair to say that among the gaming press this game received one heck of a kicking - IGN even rated it lower than the infamous trainwreck known as Sonic '06 - but to be quite honest I really don't think this game deserves all the negativity it has received.First off I'm going to leap straight in to the thing that most people have complained about; the Werehog. True enough, his levels are a big jump from the high-speed action of the daytime stages, but they really are not as bad as they are made out to be - once you know all the combat controls the levels are not that hard to beat at all, and in some places can even be pretty fun. The main bone I'd have with them is the Werehog's severely capped top speed - oh,

9.10.2009

I had read a couple of reviews for the game giving it moderate scores, but as a long time Sonic fan I decided to give it a shot.In some respects it does feel like a true sequel to the Mega Drive originals.The speed parts of the game are absolutely fantastic to play it truly feels faster than any sonic game I have ever played.It works as a blend of playing the more modern 3D style and then seamlessly transitioning in to the traditional 2D style in various parts of the levels.The graphics are brilliant and the soundtrack is also excellant(although not like the classic techno tracks you got on the original games).Then there are the werehog parts of the game, when I played the first level as the werehog I absolutely despised it,

30.11.2008

I wasnt too instrested in this game at first since sega havent made a decent sonic game since sonic and knuckles for the mega drive, but im so glad i gave this a try.Half the game you play as old school blue speedy sonic, the stages are mainly done old school, running as fast as you can and just jumping over things, they havent destoryed it trying to make it 3D ether, it feels great and very remenesince ( i cant spell at all, sorry)The 2nd half you play as a warehog ( or however you spell it) I thought this was going to be the downfall of the game after i played the first level as old sonic, but oh how i was wrong. Its just like a new style platformer, you get different moves and need to beat up lots of bad guys,

15.8.2009

Now you are dead...This game is so fast, its just unfair.It asks you to press buttons and then kills you if you don't press the right button within a split second. An example is Spider-man 3 and Resident Evil 5 (but RE5 did it better lol).Also it is repetitive in gameplay and music on the warehog parts. Fight, run, fight, run... along with the same comical music every time you fight.Now I got the bad bits out...This is a good game, tricky to control but still a good well put together game.A buy for Sonic fans, but not for those with anger problems. (I nearly punched my monitor)Even though the game is an improvement on nearly everything against Sonic 2006,

9.1.2009

Though many would say this isn't the best game sega have made, i generally think its not too bad because although most of the stages are at night, the day stages are really do give you a decent sonic experience. Compared with the 360 and PS3 versions which show larger stages with more fancy tricks to do in the air, the game play and the graphics really aren't that bad.The night stages on the other hand can get a little tiresome since your doing the same thing over and over and can get annoying when you miss a jump and loose a life as a result.Overall I would give 5 out of 5 for pure fun but 4 out of 5 for lack of high speed sonic action and lack of normal sonic type stages

18.2.2009

After being thoroughly disappointed with 'Sonic and the Secret Rings' I didn't have high hopes for this game at all, but after about 10 minutes of playing I was addicted, the levels are quite easy and it didn't take that long to complete, but the different night time and day time modes were a lot of fun. I enjoyed playing the night time modes the most as it was really different to the day time modes which are basically just the classic sonic. I felt that the could have tried to incorperate more Wii remote actions into the day time mode, but overall this game is very addictive and enjoyable. I would definitely recommend it to anyone!

10.6.2013

Great game!I'm a sonic fan so I've played a couple games and I'd say the game is great.PROS:-Day stagesCONS:-Night stagesThe difference is literally day and night. Day stages are fun, challenging, fast paced, and action packed. Keeps me busy for hours. However, the night stages are a definite weakness. Almost all night stages are slow, boring, and occasionally too hard. I find myself rage-quitting every time i'm using the were-hog. I'm honestly surprised I successfully finished the game without once smashing my television with a controller. It definitely takes some patience.

14.4.2011

This game requires the Wii Nunchuk in order to be played successfully.What I've noticed is most of the levels require the use of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk at the same time but using different actions. This is quite difficult to master so I would not recommend this game to a 7 year old (as the cover the suggests). My ward is 13 and he struggles on some levels; usually asking for my help.Needs a lot of hand co-ordination between the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to get the maximum benefit from the game. If you can do this then this is the game for you.

7.3.2014

I didn't buy this game with that high of expectations because Sonic games are normally hit or miss for me, but this game actually wound up being a lot of fun. There are two different types of gameplay which change with daytime or night time, in the game of course. The daytime gameplay is a fast race-like course and the night time gameplay is something that you take your time on and button mash to beat up enemies. It gets kind of repetitive, but it's still a lot of fun.

13.5.2012

Sonic Unleashed is a great game to have. Before you buy it you will need a nun-chuck. Also you may wonder why it is called Sonic Unleashed? It's because at night Sonic transforms into a were-hog. I don't know why but when you are a were-hog you have stretchy arms,it is also quite hard when you are a were-hog.So I think this is all you need to know so goodbye and good luck.By mysterious reviewer!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!???!!!.

Sonic Unleashed - Reviews

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