Sonic Unleashed Is Actually Good
Let's get straight to the point - the werehog stages are actually fun. I do get some motion sickness, but it's certainly not as bad as Knuckles/Rouge boards from the Sonic Adventure series. Sonic Adventure was an epic leap to 3D that will always be remembered with fond memories, but Sonic Unleashed is the best 3D Sonic game since that one.
Sonic Adventure 2 was not great. The Knuckles/Rouge boards were digital torture.
Sonic Heroes was less bad, but the graphics were Dreamcast-quality on a 3rd or 4th generation PS2/GC/XB title. Unacceptable. Plus, it had that whole Sonic 3D Blast-proportions to the character models.
Never played Shadow the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog, aka Sonic Next-Gen, aka Sonic 2006, is the worst Sonic game ever created.
Never played Sonic and the Secret Rings. It screams cash-in, spinoff, low-quality. Sonic doesn't even become Super Sonic - he becomes Darkspine Sonic. Thanks a lot, Sega. I don't want GC graphics on the Wii.
To reiterate, the werehog stages are good. The melee is fun because you're usually hitting a bunch of little slime creatures at once. The block puzzles need to go, the platforming is OK, but the tiptoeing on balance beams needs to go. Whether your werehog tips one way or the other seems entirely random and not your fault.
The werehog is not that slow. You can hold the L or R triggers to run faster. The stages are just completely different from the speedy hedgehog stages, so you just have to play them with a different mind-set. You are going to explore a lot, looking for Sun and Moon medals, Records, and Video-tapes, but it's not bad. The controls and everything work well and feel polished.
Suggestions to Sega: You can incorporate many of your werehog-stage ideas into hedgehog stages. If you play the Genesis Sonic games, they weren't all about speed. There was a shit ton of platforming, bottomless pits, environmental hazards, enemies, and when you actually encountered a "speed section", it was rewarding and fun because you could sit back and watch Sonic go a million miles per hour. You don't have to have Sonic go a million miles an hour all the time. You did some of that, and that's why these are the funnest 3D Sonic stages ever created, but you can even go slower at times, and players won't mind, because they are still controlling Sonic and not some squirrel friend or whatever. Sonic has 2 speeds in this game: town and action-stage. Why not have an action stage with his town speed or have action-stages with selectable speeds, so that when you get to a slower section, or exploration section, you can go slower without running around all over the place.
Hedgehog Engine is a beautiful, beautiful engine. You have accomplished making the game look more like the CG scenes. It looks very good. Bravo.
Tails's eyes still look weird - like they looked in Sonic Adventure 2.
Egg Beetle boss fight was fun. I one-shotted him because of youtube. Thank God for Let's Plays.
In conclusion, Sonic Unleashed is the best 3D Sonic to date. Werehog stages are not bad, given you don't have ADD and just calm down and play them. For the future though, get rid of werehog stages and incorporate those ideas into hedgehog stages. Thank you Sega, for not including any other playable characters.
Sonic Adventure 2 was not great. The Knuckles/Rouge boards were digital torture.
Sonic Heroes was less bad, but the graphics were Dreamcast-quality on a 3rd or 4th generation PS2/GC/XB title. Unacceptable. Plus, it had that whole Sonic 3D Blast-proportions to the character models.
Never played Shadow the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog, aka Sonic Next-Gen, aka Sonic 2006, is the worst Sonic game ever created.
Never played Sonic and the Secret Rings. It screams cash-in, spinoff, low-quality. Sonic doesn't even become Super Sonic - he becomes Darkspine Sonic. Thanks a lot, Sega. I don't want GC graphics on the Wii.
To reiterate, the werehog stages are good. The melee is fun because you're usually hitting a bunch of little slime creatures at once. The block puzzles need to go, the platforming is OK, but the tiptoeing on balance beams needs to go. Whether your werehog tips one way or the other seems entirely random and not your fault.
The werehog is not that slow. You can hold the L or R triggers to run faster. The stages are just completely different from the speedy hedgehog stages, so you just have to play them with a different mind-set. You are going to explore a lot, looking for Sun and Moon medals, Records, and Video-tapes, but it's not bad. The controls and everything work well and feel polished.
Suggestions to Sega: You can incorporate many of your werehog-stage ideas into hedgehog stages. If you play the Genesis Sonic games, they weren't all about speed. There was a shit ton of platforming, bottomless pits, environmental hazards, enemies, and when you actually encountered a "speed section", it was rewarding and fun because you could sit back and watch Sonic go a million miles per hour. You don't have to have Sonic go a million miles an hour all the time. You did some of that, and that's why these are the funnest 3D Sonic stages ever created, but you can even go slower at times, and players won't mind, because they are still controlling Sonic and not some squirrel friend or whatever. Sonic has 2 speeds in this game: town and action-stage. Why not have an action stage with his town speed or have action-stages with selectable speeds, so that when you get to a slower section, or exploration section, you can go slower without running around all over the place.
Hedgehog Engine is a beautiful, beautiful engine. You have accomplished making the game look more like the CG scenes. It looks very good. Bravo.
Tails's eyes still look weird - like they looked in Sonic Adventure 2.
Egg Beetle boss fight was fun. I one-shotted him because of youtube. Thank God for Let's Plays.
In conclusion, Sonic Unleashed is the best 3D Sonic to date. Werehog stages are not bad, given you don't have ADD and just calm down and play them. For the future though, get rid of werehog stages and incorporate those ideas into hedgehog stages. Thank you Sega, for not including any other playable characters.
