Sonic Unleashed?

[Dash]

The art style is good but I'm not ready to call it inspired.

The Mediterranean shore area is my favorite. I'm a sucker for seascapes(could be a large part of my love for the Sonic series: at least one neat seaside area in every game). That jungle/plain place seems cool and it's neat to see Sonic visit Africa but it's a little stiff and lifeless. The new European town is nice though I think it could use just a twist of surreal. Looking at it makes me wish I could run around in it freely ala Station Square. I look forward to seeing it at night... especially if it looks like this(it won't but pleasepleasepleaseplease).

It's all so barren... a big improvement would be just to add some people and wildlife. I hope that's done before it's shipped. Wouldn't it be cool to see and hear people at the diner astounded by your speed? Or maybe even send their tables flying when you enter "rush mode"? They could panic when you turn into Were-Sonic! I'm pretty sure both next-gen and the Wii could handle that. I don't really want to run around in a ghost town(unless there ARE ghosts).

But yeah, cautious optimism. I'm expecting a solid B, but hoping for a AAA.

[G.Silver]

The series really is in need of new blood, probably even more than it needs "hiatus," since for things to be successful it's really better if they can keep their momentum going from all those shitty games people keep buying. Even though the new director is apparently mainly just credited with doing the Chao Gardens, one extremely positive light to look at it in is how much improved the Chao are in SA2 versus SA1. Also, being that he wasn't involved in anything past SA2 (yeah?) we can assume he's been watching the current developments with a more outsider's perspective, allowing him to see the games for the shitfests they are. This is based on total speculation, but I'm interested in the guy.

[Isuka]

I look forward to seeing it at night... especially if it looks like this(it won't but pleasepleasepleaseplease).

There was one concept art of Sonic Chronicles that had a slight resemblance to The Cafe Terrace but without the European city setting, I found it nice and refreshing.
Here it is: http://i32.tinypic.com/34ipmzc.jpg

[Crazy Penguin]

I'm curious about Sonic Team's infatuation with regal coastal cities.

I don't know, but I love it. Barring Were-Sonic everything in this game looks like a whole heap of fun. If it weren't for Sega's poor track record with Sonic this decade I'd be very excited about it.

[DackAttac]

It looks great, but that's saying very little. Visually, I haven't really been underwhelmed since Shadow. If there's an apex of a Sonic game, even the shitty ones, it's that moment when you first are shot out of the gate, into a world that's visually distinctive and appealing with some catchy tune in the background, and there's nothing but potential and adrenaline. I mean, really, usually the game's undoing doesn't cripple the fun until halfway through the first level.

I'm also grateful to hear the word 50/50. (OK, it's not really a word. Sod off.) I was afraid that the 3D stretches would be limited to a hundred meters or so per level, that was ultimately meant to be blasted through with that still-threatening-to-be-a-cheap-crutch dash gauge. I'm still wondering if it's going to really be 50/50, and how long the stretches of 3D are going to be. If they switch back and forth twenty times per level, it's going to lack momentum, but switching back too few times might downplay the variety. I'm still dubious that's just an expression, though, and the 3D sections are gonna be played down. And if you're going to tell me "hur hur, that's a good thing", be prepared to defend the Advance games as a million times better than Sonic Adventure, hands down.

And is this Yoshihisa Hashimoto guy the new Yuji Naka? Or Iizuka? Or one of them?

I'm hoping that there won't be a new directorial(/dictatorial) reign until someone gets it right, and that until then, there will be a strict one-strike-you're-out policy. I can't stand to watch Sonic get mishandled in a distinctive style for six-year intervals before they move on to the next.

[Radrappy]

The levels look boring. Really boring. The idea of Sonic running around the real world is just anything but creative.

[Gaz]

The levels look boring. Really boring. The idea of Sonic running around the real world is just anything but creative.

THANK YOU!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that. I've never been a fan of the realistic looking urban environments in Sonic games. There's nothing outright wrong with the levels that have been shown so far but they just lack imagination and the more surreal elements that made the earlier Sonic games so distinctive.

[P.P.A.]

While I'd also love to see a Sonic CD-/Chaotix-esque, colourful and absolutely surreal 3D Sonic, I'm not totally against the real world settings. SA2 did a nice job with mixing settings inspired by reality with still Sonic-y elements, and Sonic 06 also wasn't bad at that (Kingdom Valley would be a good example, or Flame Core). Though in this particular case my excitement is probably because of the many European-ish cities. I'm kind of a continental patriot. :p

[Radrappy]

See but there's a difference in levels that draw inspiration from the real world (the Ancient Ruins and Lost World come to mind) and straight lifting from real cities without interpretation. Just placing springs and grind rails into a city does not an interesting/creative level make (although City Escape wasn't harmful seeing as it felt more as an easter egg or a nod to the relocation of ST at the time).

Also, in SA1 more so than 2, actual trips to South America and digging into the culture helped produce the look and feel for the ancient Echidna civilization. I doubt any of that is happening here seeing as there's no way in hell Sonic Team is going to Africa. It all just seems more shallow than previous attempts at incorporating real world elements into Sonic games.

Pick a theme/culture and stick with it otherwise you're going to end up with something that's obviously been spread too thin. The same thing, unfortunately applies to consoles. Pick one. Stick with it. It shows if you don't.

[RocketPunch]

I sort of agree, these levels never screamed "CLASSIC SONIC" to me. I can't really say I dislike them either though... They've got this sort of cartoony charm that distinguishes them from the SA1 & 2 levels, which were more gritty and true to the locations of which they were inspired (Central America, San Francisco, etc.). Plus, we haven't really seen Sonic in a European city or an African savanna yet, have we? These levels at least get points for being new, even if they're somewhat contrived. So thumbs up, overall.

I've pretty much given up hope that we'll ever see levels as abstract and surreal as the ones from Sonic 1. Every game (save Sonic CD) has watered down that aspect of the series to some extent. I'm not really disappointed by this though; sort of makes you realize just how much of a visual masterpiece that game was, and still is. That style's not something that can easily be reproduced.

[DackAttac]

Oh, it's totally unimaginitive. It's almost Advance-series bad. But I dunno, the last time I felt a 3D attempt was made to mimic the surreal S1-style worlds was Heroes, but it felt like they were so disinterested in that artistically, that it came across more like a Game Gear level suite. I do miss the willingness to be creative, but at least this looks crisp, sharp, pretty, if not a tad shallow. Don't get me wrong, I do prefer the more abstract zones, but if SA1&2 taught me anything, it's that it doesn't have to be in order to feel like a Sonic game.

But I'll save complaining about the lack of imagination for the case that it turns out that's the game's biggest flaw. Which would be just dandy.

[gr4yJ4Y]

Maybe they chose a European city because they want to more directly relate to Dr. Jeckle, Mr. Hide, a la SotR. And the African safari is just Unleashed's dinosaur level, where it doesn't really fit in, but it's just there. The visual style reminds me a lot of the levels in SotR, but (as said before) they're too empty looking right now.

My interest for this game is sparked by the producer's confidence in his picture. Compare his expression to that of Iizuka's when they were doing interviews with him for Journey of Dreams.

[FlashTHD]

My interest for this game is sparked by the producer's confidence in his picture. Compare his expression to that of Iizuka's when they were doing interviews with him for Journey of Dreams.

I should've mentioned back then, but who else thinks that guy is getting uglier and uglier by the year?

[Arcade]

Way back in Sonic adventure, most of the videos where done using the game real graphics, so you had cool things like watching the characters with the upgrades on. Since they stopped doing that, we just have to wait for a demo to play and see if the game sucks or not.

[DackAttac]

Are you out of your goddamn mind? I hated how bulky those upgrades were. Knuckles pointing with a bare—er, gloved—hand was far less distracting in the story than when he pointed with his toaster-sized shovel mits.

[Radrappy]

Not to mention those glowy red treadmill thingies he wrapped his hands in.

[Dash]

I look forward to seeing it at night... especially if it looks like this(it won't but pleasepleasepleaseplease).

There was one concept art of Sonic Chronicles that had a slight resemblance to The Cafe Terrace but without the European city setting, I found it nice and refreshing.
Here it is: http://i32.tinypic.com/34ipmzc.jpg

Ah! Forgot about that cool concept art in light of the new(not very promising) screens of Chronicles. Yeah, I will hold on to this image in my mind and hope that Bioware has enough sense to integrate that atmosphere into the whole game. It doesn't all have to be painterly, but it'd be cool.

Anywho, sticking to the game the topic is about...

With name like Unleashed... I'm quite thankful they aren't making it gaudily X-treme(!!!). Maybe they are being too conservative but at least they're embracing quaint, simple charm instead of y'know... copying Constantine or some other horrendous style choice.

[Opa-Opa]

The song is great. I can't stop listening that trailer mp3. I'm so glad there are no distorted guitars there.

[DackAttac]

Dude, that is a distorted guitar, or at least a synth modified to sound like one. But that's good in my book because it's just playing the melody.

SA1 got the arrangements right. Brass, synths, guitar, strings, pianos... really a large variety of instrments each got a fair share of the soundtrack's melodies, and guitars weren't used as accompanying instruments, with a few exceptions that were so riff-based you couldn't play them on anything else (i.e., snowboarding). One song isn't enough to make a fair judgement, but I'm hopeful that even if the game blows, the soundtrack will be worth a download.

Although I'm still cool with Crush 40 recording a track or two, mainly because every attempt to phase them out of the series has resulted in a really shitty theme.

[G.Silver]

the soundtrack will be worth a download

Yes, worth downloading, off the internet, for free? Yes, I hope it meets my requirements for that!

[cjmcray]

http://blogs.sega.com/usa/2008/04/25/playing-unleashed/

Two: I only played one level. I played for 15 minutes, mainly because I kept dying over and over. Right now the controls are ultra-sensitive (this will be refined in the coming months) and not having played before, it was really easy for me to mis-time a jump or fall off the path to my doom. But for the 15 minutes I played, I had a lot of fun.

[Zeta]

Refined my ass. The funderfull Sonic 360 control scheme is back. Because YOU demanded it.

[DackAttac]

Worrisome quotes aside, the overall tone was surprisingly positive, suggesting that despite being glitchy, the game is still fun. So we may be looking at another Secret Rings.

[Locit]

Oh, hey, it's an official Sega blog being positive about a Sega game. Most people might jump to the conclusion that it's basically a running ad that will provide nothing in the way of actual new information and only the most maddeningly vague comments about the actual quality of the game which may or may not be backed up by large piles of money. But no. Not this guy.

The landscape and environments look great and there are some things there that Sonic can interact with.

This guy's a winner.

[P.P.A.]

There’s speed, and lots of it.

:( :(

A couple of the sections felt a lot like a roller coaster.

:( :( :(

Not all the bumpers work in Sonic’s favor.

As in they shoot Sonic into an unfairly placed enemy from where he falls right back into a bottomless pit without a chance to recover?

The gameplay style of this particular level — a style that comprises a good portion of the overall game — is going to make a lot of old-school Sonic fans really happy. The little blue guy gets going so fast sometimes that it’s truly difficult to keep up…!

Contradictory. Unless the level he played was the SLZ/SS/CPZ-style one.

Right now the controls are ultra-sensitive (this will be refined in the coming months) and not having played before, it was really easy for me to mis-time a jump or fall off the path to my doom.

Oh great, Sonic Heroes is back!
I at least hope they kept the jumping controls from Sonic 06, I always was astounded how precisely those worked. Often I faces platforms floating over endless falls, always thinking "oshit". But I almost always landed exactly where I predicted. It was great.