Sonic Unleashed?

[Dasher]

The People of this game are interesting because they are cartoony! switching from Realistic (Sonic2006) to cartoony is a big thing! and it shows that they are well aware of what they did.

The people of this game grabbed my attention because they remind me of this little gem here.

[Ritz]

The fact that Sonicteam made a Hedgehog Engine to better handle Sonic games is a step forward to that better future that we all hope for.

Honestly, I'd argue that having an engine geared entirely towards covering great distances at high speeds is a permanent step in the wrong direction. Sonic was fast enough as it was, and now that they've got the means for Sonic Advance 2 speeds in a 3D environment, we won't have any reason to slow down ever again. They seem to have dealt with the issue of linearity competently enough, but you can forget about ever getting any real exploration in a stage that doesn't revolve around poorly implemented secondary characters.

This sort of ties into a sudden fit of inner realization I'd undergone recently; the fact that I'll never be entirely satisfied with a new Sonic game for the remainder of my existence, only because the games are heading in a direction I find distasteful, with no chance of ever returning. Like, say, the art direction- we're never going to see any of the surreal geometric landscapes that made up the classic games in another 3D game, and that's pretty disheartening, you know? I've abandoned all hope of reaching a cohesive conclusion to all of this, but the point is, this isn't the way my ideal Sonic game would play.

Unleashed is shaping up to be something potentially entertaining, but only as a one-shot affair. I don't want every Sonic game after this to bear the "Straight alley with the occasional split path at mach speed" motif, but it's already been confirmed that Sonic Team intends for just that to happen. Remember that one interview, where that one guy said that the direction the series is steered towards beyond this point depends entirely upon whichever of the two upcoming titles sells the most? It's either this or Black Knight. There is no happy ending in sight. Why do I even subject myself to this sort of punishment?

[Dasher]

They also said they were interested in making an old school Sonic game after looking at Megaman 9. For Unleashed I think its all about implementing the Sonic Rush engine into 3d, now bear in mind that the Rush series were highly praised, so you can take this game as an experiment. But some elements shown in this game make me smile, and well... I guess I am easy to please in some areas..or maybe it is because Sonic has always been my childhood hero so I just want to keep playing Sonic because I love the little guy. So I try to extract the good things from the recent Sonic games and enjoy them although I am not dumb and I know what game sucks harder than the other and what can be done to fix it like you guys. But now this one...man oh man, many things to be glad about IMO..specially no more realistic Eggman garbage and more Cartoony styled! just what sonic needed in a classic type sonic way! not like the crap Sonic Heroes tried.

This game does have alternate paths and platforming, It does look interesting ATM. Really the best you can get Sonic in 3D is using something similar to SA1, although this game is faster it does exhibit less pitfalls and more paths and platforming like SA1/SA2.

[Dasher]

I think sonic games just have bad luck, or just the wrong people working on them, really you cant expect any better from a mascot who was abandoned by virtually all its creators. For now Sonic World Adventure (I prefer that name cuz it gives me more hope than Unleashed) I think that somethings are looking up, some elements look better than before, and well...Sonic is like the wind it gets carried away but lots of crazy ideas and it is not stable like Mario.

[Ritz]

Your unwavering optimism is cathartic.

[Dasher]

Sonic Team is just trying to please both old fans and new fans and I think that is their main weakness, SEGA has never been good in decision making at all! Sonic is truly a phenomenon and is one if not the strongest column for the withering SEGA.

I heard SWA had a new team involved as well, hopefully they can put the franchise back on track. Something about a team from Europe am I right?

[Frieza2000]

We all knew that the relative acclaim of Secret Rings and the unprecedented failure of 2k6 would lead to this. Some hope could be gleaned in the fact that they bothered to include the werehog's platforming portion at all, though from the quality of what we've seen it's more like a weak apology to the old fans they've alienated. I guess it's easier to hire people to paint miles of hi-res terrain for players to fly past than it is to find someone who can design a decent platformer. There's no consolation for your lament of the surreal elements though. The approach to the art, characters, and story all seem to have been tied to the departed spirit of the old guard, to say nothing of quality control. You may find it comforting to pretend that the whole of Sonic Team was killed in a tragic plane crash and that the current series constitutes a new generation that makes no attempt to carry on what was started by the old one, like Loonatics Unleashed is to Looney Toons.

[j-man]

Your unwavering optimism is cathartic.

That doesn't make any sense.

Maybe I lowered my expectations drastically. Maybe I'm gullible. I never thought for one minute that this would be the game to "save" the series, everyone's always banging on about that. This isn't my ideal Sonic game, not by a long stretch. I felt the same way about The Dark Knight. My ideal Batman is shady neo-noir murder mystery. Ain't gonna happen, and Dark Knight was fucking awesome.

Anyway. The point is, this probably won't fulfil my specific expectations. But it just feels really, really right. Like, they listened just a little bit, they tried to steer this unwieldy vehicle towards genuine creativity. I think it looks nice, and I will buy it. I just thought I would tell some people on the interweb this, that's all. I never once thought I could change anyone's mind. We're all arseholes, right?

[DackAttac]

Did everyone just suddenly forget about the last 5 years of crap Sonic games?

Just let us optimists revel in our naïveté. We know we're being stupid. But being stupid and hoping Sonic Team won't screw this up may be the closest one can get to enjoying this game.

[P.P.A.]

Unlike Sonic2006 I think they actually placed effort into this one

What. I really hope you mean the game itself, but not the music. Sonic 06's music was great (if not very Sonic-like, but it suited the general styling of the game and was awesome in itself).

I fully agree with Ritz. Watching the PS3 Greece gameplay, it seemed fun but I was also a little worried of how long the level was. You were being forced through a long, relatively linear stage (though I did spy one or two alternate routes in quite a few places), encouraging you to go fast, almost forcing you to. And the werehog stages don't seem to be terribly explorable either. Sonic Team should really take a look at Sonic CD and Sonic R again, both bearing stages that are huge and with a lot of hidden secrets, places to explore and different routes to be taken, yet at the same time they allowed for fast (SR) to very very fast (SCD) gameplay and, due to their short length, could be cleared in less than a minute or half a minute. They left you the choice of how you want to play, and designed their levels to be very enjoyable either way. Most modern games go the exact opposite way though, and force you to go fast, leaving you few other choice due to lack of any other elements.
Still, I'm relatively optimistic for World Adventure. While it's another step away from the classic gameplay, they've at least found the right direction for the art and music. While it's still far away from the geometrical surreality of S1/SCD/KC, the cartoony humans and light-hearted environments (even though they're still inspired by reality) are a nice change and something SEGA should keep expanding on. The music is great too (I fucking love the China stage BGM) and seems to be able to keep Sonic 06's high post-Saturn standards. And is sometimes even reminiscent of the Mega Drive tunes. And, overall, the game seems to be fun. It won't be as fulfilling and enjoyable as the old games, but as long as I can squeeze some pleasant hours out of it (like I did with S06!), I'm happy.
I'm mostly talking the 360/PS3 versions though. The Wii/PS2 ones seem to be awfully Rush-like in level design, and that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the slightest.

[Ngangbius]

So most of you guys are lowering your standards then? I see.

[Delphine]

You people are the same sort of people that thought Silent Hill 5 was a step up.

[Ritz]

Your unwavering optimism is cathartic.

That doesn't make any sense.

Sure it does: His tendency to expect favorable outcomes and/or dwell on hopeful aspects is an effective agent for purging my bowels, not unlike a laxative. I think that makes perfect sense.

[(...)]

Gametrailers have a video up of the desert level. They've even made the werehog sections look kinda decent.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/41755.html

[Zeta]

The Greeks considered horrible tragedies about murder and incest cathartic.

[Dasher]

What. I really hope you mean the game itself, but not the music. Sonic 06's music was great (if not very Sonic-like, but it suited the general styling of the game and was awesome in itself).

Oh! S06 had good music alright, but like you said; some of it felt well very unSonic-like. But I really feel the Music in Word Adventure is a step up and is like a reminiscent of the classic Sonic music we all love.

[gr4yJ4Y]

How much of this game are they going to reveal before release?

When playing Brawl, there were almost no surprises, which lowered my experience a little.

[Dasher]

You are right...I'll probably stop spoiling this game, I like watching new info to get even more interested but once I get the game it has no surprises left. I guess that is what made times with no internet so...magic!

[K2J]

Agreed. If all I had known about Brawl was that Sonic was going to be in it, in some capacity, I would've been surprised a lot more by all of the characters and stages. As such, it feels less like a crossover game and more like a fighting game that happens to star characters based on Nintendo/Sega/Konami franchises. In 64 or Melee, you could say fairly easily that Mario was kicking Link's ass, and even though the intros showed that they were not the real characters, you honestly didn't care since you weren't reminded that often. But Brawl's Adventure Mode uses the trophy angle as a plot point, so you no longer feel as if you're playing as the character - you're just playing as a figurine styled after him.

[Neo]

What?

If it looks like chicken, feels like chicken, smells like chicken and tastes like chicken, isn't it chicken, for all intents and purposes? And what the hell does that have to do with spoiling a game or not?

Your post makes little to no sense. It probably doesn't even know what it's talking about.

[Arcade]

I didnt said Sonic was all about speed, I was conplaining about the same guys that thought it would be cool if Shadow had guns...

About the Mario party games, some say Mario party 8 was the best one...

[Dash]

I don't see how the Wii version is any more Rush-like than the 360/PS3 version.


There are a lot of things making me feel all right about this game. Like, not playing Werehog for angst is a huge plus to me. Seems Sonic is still pretty much Sonic, just stuck in a strange form. The fact they went ahead with the Werehog moniker instead of Nega Form or some shit makes it pretty clear they aren't pulling out a lot of melodrama. By the looks of it, the story may even be humorous, which is something the series could use right now.

The atmosphere about it all really has a Saturday Morning Cartoon vibe; makes me feel like a little kid. Damn if that orchestral piece isn't encouraging. Intense mole/vein closeups! I'm OK supporting this. I want this thing to be good, and since it looks like they're using two proven gameplay concepts(Rush-ish speed levels, God of War-ish action levels) there's a better chance of it. I'm guessing that this will be a decently fun Sonic game, though not a very innovative one.

Hell, I've been smart enough to not impulse buy since Heroes. It might be time for a stupid fanboy purchase(or rental^_^).



And apparently, the Sonic World's version of America only has 12 states. I wonder if that means it's smaller or that the states are really, really big.

[j-man]

Yeah, man, you have to give them points for effort. This game just looks like a quality product. It feels right. I mean, if you'd told me in 1996 that the game to "save" the Mario series would be Mario in Space with a waggly stick and orchestrated music, I'd have spat in your face. I like to be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think it's a bad thing to lower one's expectations, either consciously or subconsciously. Nothing will ever live up to our ideal game because it's so malformed now by nostalgia and poor corporate choices. It's just like a film adaptation of your favourite novel. If everyone can take one good thing out of it, then it hasn't done too badly. You can't please everyone, etc.

I mean, have you seen the cutscenes? This game loves you. Don't be dicks.

[Ngangbius]

This game loves you.

Well, my love has to go unrequited then. The cutscenes, general art direction, and music are nice. Alas, that alone just won't cut it with me--especially concerning this franchise. So far, this game looks like the type of game I would rent whenever I'm really bored to the point that I can't recall any other game that I would rather play which so far hasn't happened yet.

Maybe if I was more of a rabid Sonic fan I would try to look past the junk I dislike and try to concentrate on the few design decisions I do like and hope that it turns out to be a good game. However, that flame of patience has fizzled out years ago.

You know there was another other Sonic game I thought that loved me. I believe it was called Sonic Heroes. =\

[DackAttac]

Sonic Heroes didn't love anyone. It just stalked us to find out what our favorite bands and foods were so it could make us a mixtape, take us out to dinner and then lure us into bed. ("You like checkerboard hills, right? Awesome. NOW TAKE MY AWFUL GAMEPLAY. TAKE IT BALLS DEEP.")

I feel with Unleashed, there's not a lot to chance other than execution. It'd be like meeting someone on the internet, finding out you click instantly, then flying all the way to Des Moines and finding out he's clinically retarded.

I do miss when the games got fucked up do to poor decisions like team gameplay and guns, instead of just general incompetence in programming.