So I Just Beat Unleashed...

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So I Just Beat Unleashed...; WOOO!
Tweet Topic Started: Feb 12 2012, 01:14 AM (211 Views)
Brick Mage	Feb 12 2012, 01:14 AM Post #1
I'll be there every step of the way... Posts: 4,813 Group: C Rank Legend Member #1,680 Joined: July 13, 2007	So, I don't believe I ever made it past Shamar's night stage the first time I played this game back in '08. Which is interesting, really, because it wasn't that hard... But I finished it. I witnessed the SEGA logo at the very end of the game at about 1:55 AM. I didn't play every act in every stage, nor did I bother with collectibles or getting all the sun & moon medals or the camera stuff (does any of that even do anything for you?)... Why did this game catch so much hate? At least claims of mediocrity, anyway? It's all at least good, and as something of an apologist to many of Sonic's more renowned mistakes (no, I will never forgive most aspects of '06), I have been converted into a huge fan of this game tonight. The presentation is wonderful at many parts. Although some of the voice acting could use some brushing up, it's nowhere near as embarrassing as some of the earlier titles. And there's a lot of good animation, save for a few awkward poses. Don't apply that to the CGI, though--the CGI scenes are among my favorite scenes in Sonic's history. Speaking of graphics, the environments are phenomenal. Unleashed is a pretty game. Now, I do have a bit of a beef with the Werehog... As a character, he's cool (although I think his physical design could have been a bit better, but I'm not complaining)... But his gameplay really could have been brushed up a bit. For the most part, though, I'm not talking about the platforming that so many people seemed to have a problem with. Despite how many of the mechanics recurred annoyingly often, and that I would sometimes run into an depth issue with gauging where I was going to land, the platforming is pretty great, and there are some really memorable parts. It's the combat that gets me. And not that there's anything wrong with shields or the physics or the enemies or the pacing or even the animated button-mashing parts (yes, I actually love those)... No, it's the attacks. I really don't like the way the Werehog battles. It's all these generic moves that he executes rather awkwardly. To me, what would have perfected this game would be to give the Werehog possibly... A spin dash, a Knuckles-esque combo, and maybe a bulkier, slower homing attack. Or maybe instead of a homing attack, a bounce attack? Anything but GENERIC COMBO NUMBER EIGHTY-FOUR. But keep the life bars so the guys aren't a one hit kill like they would be with regular Sonic, you know? But that's all okay, because I trudged through the combat and genuinely enjoyed most of the platforming sections, especially in Empire City and Holoska. Now, I'm not going to say much about the daytime stages, except that they're just plain awesome. Of course, if I have to be critical, I can note that there seemed to be a lot of repeating mechanics/puzzles, as with the Werehog, but that's okay, because that stuff was fantastic. Both gameplay styles, Sonic and Werehog, daytime and nighttime, offered up some great boss battles, also. Lately, I've come to expect a certain type of standard boss out of a Sonic game after playing Colors and Generations--not too flashy, sometimes playing like a normal stage, and sometimes bearing a style similar to that of an earlier boss. Let me say that Unleashed delivered very well on this. I had a good time on every boss battle other than Egg Beetle. The Egg Lancer is about a million times better, anyway. Now, what was the thing that inspired me to post this? The last section of the game. Yes, the final continent... SPOILER TIME! Spoiler: click to toggle O great and mighty Sega, how dost thee dealeth with thine nonbelievers? Surely this, thine pinnacle, wouldst be enough for those heathens and blasphemers? Okay, so it's not the best, but I haven't been impressed by a video game this way in a long, long time. It's gotta be one of the best. From the very beginning of Eggmanland, the challenge knob is turned to OH GOD WHY level, but rightly so, because this is the end of the game, and the difficultly has been rising steadily since the beginning. The Werehog's parts here are phenomenal. I wasn't looking forward to it at first, but I found myself enjoying it even more than many of the Sonic sections. There was some quality platforming in this stage. Of course, though, there were some section's of Sonic's that took the spotlight. Like that roller coaster? Oh man. Now, I found myself dying a whole lot here, but I wasn't pissed: I came equipped with plenty of lives, and Sega is generous in your most desperate hour. It was a long stage, too... I clocked in at about 50 minutes, but that's okay, because it was well worth wasting nearly an hour on. Hell, it wasn't wasted, that was fun as fudge. So once I finally made it through that, then... Wow. Egg Dragoon. This is one of the best bosses in the entire Sonic series, and frankly, it dominated the Generations version. I was very, very pleased, and it was at this point that I knew for a fact that the end of the game was on a highway straight to greatness. Cue one of the best scenes in the game! The whole CGI scene including Chip's transformation is one of the best things I've ever watched in a video game. Something was so right about it. It was in this scene, also, that I earned a new respect for the whole concept of the game. They brought the Gaia thing full circle flawlessly. I thought Dark Gaia was just another generic big-bad, and while he pales in comparison to Chaos, I was proven that this was a really good idea. Plus Chip's Gaia Colossus is badass beyond belief. So now was the Dark Gaia battle, and while it took me a while to get the hang of it, I finally figured this one out. It was great, and Sonic's third platforming section was pretty intense. I died quite a few times on it. And lastly, Perfect Dark Gaia was an unforgettable Super Sonic fight. You don't even know how much I dug this. What a great way to close this game. Plus, the Endless Possibility remix!? Damn. Of course, the whole game had a phenomenal soundtrack. I'm not sure there was a bad piece of music in this game. Or a mediocre one. Or even a good one. It was all great. So after finishing one of the greatest ending boss suites ever, the ending scenes were great, too. I thought it was a nice touch to have Sonic fall the way did at the beginning of the game. And the scene of Sonic running with the Tornado was charming, appropriate, and pretty sentiment-inspiring. So, really, what's the deal? This was a great experience, so why did this game ever catch any hate? Seriously, I'm so glad I finally got around to beating this. While flawed, admittedly pretty heavily at parts, this game makes you have a lot of fun, and pulls off one of the best ending sections to any Sonic game. I'm glad it seems to be a favorite among fans, because it deserves it. I felt like I was playing a Sonic game produced by Sega, Disney, and Pixar. Is that a bad thing? ... No. No it's not. It's a great thing. I wrote this pretty much entirely on the fly, so please excuse any mistakes. There's bound to be some. Edited by Brick Mage, Feb 12 2012, 08:47 AM.



HollyYoshi	Feb 12 2012, 06:32 AM Post #2
I object to your claims Posts: 15,025 Group: =SB= Queens Member #9,640 Joined: January 9, 2009 Gender: Female Country: United States of America 3DS Friend Code: 1891-1489-0768 Nintendo ID: Agent_Blaire Game Currently Playing: Yoshi's Island	I don't see the Werehog having a spin dash. A bulky-style homing attack, maybe. But I thought the point of the Werehog was to show what Sonic without his trademark speed would be like. And the Spin Dash is supposed to make you go fast. Speaking of the Spin Dash, when I first played this game, I kinda missed it. Now I claim that the Boost is much better.



Lady BlizShadow	Feb 12 2012, 10:11 AM Post #3
I still can't use this. Posts: 6,546 Group: Former Monarchs Member #6,722 Joined: March 16, 2008	I'm as much a Werehog fan as the next extremist fellow, but I can also see why he's a point of contention from a gameplay perspective. The battles themselves stop the flow of what's already a far more relaxed experience compared to the day stages, levels which are a) more in line with actual Sonic gameplay and get the benefit of the doubt, and b) focused on maintaining a very fast flow- never stopping, in fact. It's a juxtaposition that easily creates frustration, especially when it was conceivable by the own game's cutscenes that the Werehog could be far more swift than what we were given control of. I always get closest to empathizing with detractors when I hit Savannah Citadel Night. The other levels can, with some forethought and spamming of the Run button, be breezed through and take on the form of an enjoyable fifth-generation romp through the various landscapes. With SC, the stacking puzzles make this impossible and it becomes a dullard. But of course, I understand the narrative implications of the decision well, and under those conditions, it was pulled off with more finesse and care than most truly alternate gameplay styles we've had; and again, I enjoy what it generally has to offer because I like traditional platform games. At the same time, if we had it to do all over again, and I was helping design this game, I would give the Werehog's stretchy arms a more platforming-oriented focus. It would've been great to be able to slingshot yourself around places like in that cutscene, as well as climb up and rebound off surfaces. Also, limit combat to single enemies and have them defeated normally, or perhaps get a grabbing and throwing mechanic in there for puzzles' and differentiation's sakes. Finally, medals. They're not a chore to get if you bother spending some significant time doing what each continent has to offer, e.g. missions and giving Prof. Pickle those souvenirs he keeps asking you for, but most people aren't going to do this because, as far as my experience goes, most people just don't give a shit. I would've had unlocking continents merely tied to the narrative or- perhaps more interactively- activating the temples yourself through platforming similar to what we find in the smaller stage hubs. That would've been awesome. So yeah, the game has some design issues that merely extend from them being archaic and far too late to leave the same impact as its Dreamcast predecessors did. Few of the decisions are inherently terrible, but the sum of their parts will vary depending upon your tolerance levels in this day and age of 2008 and beyond. Fair enough. I still love this goddamned game and am forever kicking myself that I still can't find my own copy of it. 8(
	Because staff made me do it. =P Art Topic ~ Drawing Tutorial ~ The Seven Chaos Forum


HollyYoshi	Feb 12 2012, 10:37 AM Post #4
I object to your claims Posts: 15,025 Group: =SB= Queens Member #9,640 Joined: January 9, 2009 Gender: Female Country: United States of America 3DS Friend Code: 1891-1489-0768 Nintendo ID: Agent_Blaire Game Currently Playing: Yoshi's Island	BlizShadow Feb 12 2012, 10:11 AM I still love this goddamned game and am forever kicking myself that I still can't find my own copy of it. 8( Wut. Find someplace that sells it online. Go. Do it. Now.



MysticShaid	Feb 12 2012, 03:20 PM Post #5
My! That's a pretty snazzy performance there! Posts: 451 Group: C Rank Knight Member #12,740 Joined: January 29, 2012 Xbox Live Gamertag: MysticShaid Wii Friend Code: I forgot...	Well, if you are an achievement whore like me, I hope you have fun with those hot dog stand missions! sarcasm Congrats anyways though!
	By: Livefree By: Koga


Leafy	Feb 12 2012, 06:43 PM Post #6
Ahh, spring~ Posts: 199 Group: E Rank Guardian Member #11,512 Joined: October 20, 2010	Sonic Unleashed is a very, very special game to me. It was the first Sonic title I actively waited for. I remember when the first footage was leaked, showing Sonic running around in 2D and 3D, and when images of the werehog started floating around. Then I remember E3 trailer, and seeing the werehog in action for the very first time and Sonic rushing around all sorts of gorgeously wild locations all to the tune of "Endless Possibilities". And the night I heard the street date was broken at a game store, I dumped out all my coins and counted them up to make sure I had just enough to purchase it early. sigh Who would have thought a game could develop this much nostalgia in just four years time? Despite my love for the title, I do understand why it gathered such a controversy. It was an unfortunate circumstance of too little, too late. Unleashed shares the same flaws as a number of Sonic tiles, and at the time it was released, many gamers had drawn tired of those flaws. You can put on the best performance in the world, but if you make the same rookie mistakes you've always done, not everyone will appreciate it.
	Join the brawl! Join the conversation!


Beowulf	Mar 4 2012, 11:13 PM Post #7
Thou Hast NO Need for Fancy Avatars Posts: 622 Group: S Rank Knight Member #12,804 Joined: March 4, 2012 Gender: Male Country: United States of America Xbox Live Gamertag: allbritton baby Game Currently Playing: Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven	To Be Honest I Never had a problem with Sonic Unleashed
	True Beauty Lies in something that lives forever,never rotting or fading~Sasori Father...I don't have a father, I just don't like you thats all~Dante WELCOME TO DIE~Magneto I Just beat Mag-freakin-Neto...where yo curleh mustache at?-Deadpool Your fear,how it shines like a beacon~Nightmare(or was beacon,bacon?) My FCs: Lozo,Alina,Kokoton,Seizan,Orina,Zavier,Raiku,Stazino,Konzu,Aquatos,Tapio,Lisa, Colt,Kane Erebus


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