HOLiDAY_AETERNUS

User Score
9.7

Presentation - 10
Gameplay - 9.7
Value - 10

There have been some attempts to get Sonic franchise back on track in term of quality, particularly after the SEGA’s choice to drop out of the hardware business. SEGA just hasn’t been the same ever since that decision was made. Still, there games, to me, have always been as awesome as ever. With others, particularly critics and the Sonic franchise, it’s very unfair and biased. Because Sonic Unleashed could have really been the game to bring the Sonic franchise’s quality back on track, especially after how disappointing Sonic The Hedgehog 2006/Sonic Time Travels (as I call it) was.

 When Sonic World Adventure: Unleashed’s (as I call it) presence was revealed when SEGA trademarked its name, I thought it sounded awesome. I mean, Sonic Unleashed? What a cool name. During the days leading up to its following leaks, I had really thought what the game would be like. When more leaks came showing gameplay that was clearly in development, I wasn’t exactly the most hyped up. I mean, the footage just seemed to have been lacking some polish, such as graphics and the overall look. Still, I was hoping that game would get better and better as more information was shown.

 SEGA would then post the Official Announcement Trailer for the game, and I got a little bit more excited. With more information put up, I was getting even more excited, particularly when I heard that the game would be more like the Sonic Adventure titles, my favorite games of all time. The thing that really shot my hype up was the trailer known as the “High Europe” footage, showing Sonic running at blazing fast speeds, running through roofs, and grinding through several rails. It looked so cutting edge. The game was really looking more and more like a Sonic Adventure game, which was awesome.

 The more information that was revealed, I was very confident that the main versions of the game would have much control instead of an on-rails title. On-rails games are good, but for a game like this; a game touted to bring back a franchise back on track in some way, a fully controllable style was needed. I was really hoping that this game would end up awesome. The Werehog revealance sounded really cool to me as well, and it matched with the “Unleashed” theme.  There would be so much information revealed about this game in the months following its release. I wanted this game to be like what the Sonic Adventure games on the SEGA DREAMCAST, things that had a big impact on me, were to me.

 And I wasn’t wrong. I got this game on Christmas Day 2008, similar to how I got a SEGA DREAMCAST with a Sonic Adventure trial on the GENERATOR Demo Disc on Christmas Day 1999 and Sonic Adventure 2 on the same system on Christmas Day 2001. This game also had certain impact on me. I played this a lot. This game was fantastic. And so, I was bound to review it.

 The themes of Sonic World Adventure: Unleashed are the mainly the “World Adventure” and “Unleashed” aspects. Several locations are based on real life locations of the planet Earth. The “Unleashed” portion is about Sonic’s new “Werehog” form. During an epic battle against Doctor Julian Ivo Robotnik aka EGGMAN’s mechanical army, Supersonic The Hedgehog is trapped and the energy of the Chaos Emeralds is used to unleash the colossal beast known as the Dark Gaia, a monster trapped inside of the planet, causing the continents to simply break apart from each other.

 But that wasn’t the only beast unleashed. Due to his proximity under the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic goes through an unusual transformation. He gets fangs, claws, muscles, heavy lush fur, and is turned into a “Werehog”.Our hero is launched back to the planet where he meets a mysterious being that has amnesia who will later be known as Chip. And so, the quest to fix the planet begins, with the mysteries getting clearer and clearer as the adventure goes on…

 The story is awesome to me. The broken planet was a very original idea. Dark Gaia was cool as well, but a bit overly generic and not as appealing as the other uber monsters in other Sonic games. The Werehog, the game’s most controversial aspects, was cool in my personal opinion. The game had a great premise overall. The new character, Chip, is a very likable if you ask me. If you had a problem with the growing amount of characters in a Sonic game lately for some reason, Chip won’t do anything to change your mind. But at least try to like him. While he initially appeared to be an unnecessary addition when he was revealed in the month's leading to the game's release, Chip is a character that can certainly grow on you. 

 Sonic's portrayal in the game really could have been better. There's just needs to be more of his cocky and hyperactive partyboy attitude in this game. It's now closer to a boring babysitter. Sonic's portrayed good enough, but still...

 And so, we’re finally into the gameplay after being greeted with a state of the art opening cinema and impressive in-game cutscenes. What’s first to note is that the graphics are simply incredible. The environments are filled with such up-to-date lighting and effects thanks to the game’s powerful Hedgehog Engine, definitely some of the highest points of the game. The character models finally return to the designs established in the Sonic Adventure games in a mainstream recent Sonic game, which is truly a plus. Overall, the graphics are near perfect. The framerate’s great as well. It can drop at times, but the more you play the game, the better things will process.

 The presentation, accompanied by the boxarts, manuals, menus, discs, cutscenes, graphics, and so much more certainly kept me captivated to play this game. And how does the game play out? There’s a day/night system here, accompanied by the ability to turn night to day/day to night with the pause menu or several hourglasses stored in the Stages. The daytime stages are traditional highspeed, actionpacked adventured platformer games using Sonic in his main form. The nighttime is Sonic taking a new form known as the Werehog and the game switches into a beat-em-up style.

 Both are a lot of fun in this game. In this game’s daytime levels, Sonic controls more like a car than in other titles in the franchise. Some of the platforming concepts are gone due to this control and it’s made harder to make Sonic run in circles and perform a more simple turning ability. I also would have liked to see some classic abilities like the Spin Dash and Peelout be involved. While that’s disappointing and the game could have been better if Sonic controlled more traditionally, the game is a very linear anyway for the most part and still has some classic platforming elements.

Possibly the most noted mechanic in this game are how this game shifts from third person view in full 3D gameplay, reminscent of 3D Sonic, to a 2.5D 2D styled perspective, reminscent of 2D Sonic. Thanks to the Hedgehog Engine, it blends so well. There is a great nostalgia factor here, which definitely adds to the fun.

 Sonic gets some nifty moves in this game, such as the “Sonic Drift” manuever which allows Sonic drift making some sharp turns and controlling his speed easier to pull off, adding to the game’s driving game style. The Quick Step lets Sonic’s sidestep from one side to the other, adding to the game’s linear style. Sonic Unleashed also focuses heavily on a “Sonic Boost” technique, similar to the boosting abilities of the Sonic Rush and Sonic Rivals’ games, which enables Sonic to zip through at 300 miles per hour with the Ring Energy Gauge, adding to the game’s speed style. I really wanted to see those techniques incorporated in a full 3D Sonic game, and this game finally id it. Basically, think Sonic Adventure and Sonic Rush for the Daytime Stages.

 Speed is heavily emphasized on these levels.  There are plenty of quick moves to be done, such as numerous  Quick Time Events that have Sonic pulling off tricks that correspond with the buttons that appear one screen. QTEs were a core feature in the titantic game that was Shenmue and I welcome them here in a Sonic game.

 The button controls in these stages are interesting. Sonic’s Spin Jump Homing Dash Attack now requires multiple buttons, instead of it simply being  the Jump Button done twice which may require some practice to get used to. Still, this actually goes well with how it’s functioned in the game. But the Sonic Boost mechanic might make this slightly harder to master. Because the Boosting could have been a Shoulder Pad Button. Sonic can also slide and perform a kick known as the “Foot Sweep” which makes getting through narrowed paths easier. He can even crawl!

  The daytime stages are a blast and they add to the groundwork required for a 3D Sonic game. Sure, the game could have focused some more on platforming and some better controlling, but it’s still executed well.  With that explained, let’s see the Nighttime Stages.

 These were very, very underappreciated. As somebody who enjoys beat-em-ups, I was sure gonna like this. The Werehog has both a Straight and Circular attack set, which enables some killer combos (like Shohogken… Shoryuken, anybody?). Smashing through hordes of countless enemies was A LOT of fun for me. Really, whoever complains about them being “tedious” really hasn’t played a beat-em-up game before.

 Knocking down enemies requires more hits than the Daytime Stages, obviously done to make the game play more like a beat-em-up, which was somehow hard to understand for others (tsk, tsk…). The Nighttime Stages are made perfect for a beat-em-up. It’s a blast just like how the Daytime Stages are.

 Both of these gameplay styles are full of awesome things to unlock. Sonic receives upgrades that give him new abilities, such as Stomping, the returning LightSpeeDash, and an Air Boost. While it’s not as fun as it was in the Sonic Adventure games, particularly to them not adding to Sonic’s apperance and all looking the same, it’s still great to have around. There is also an Experience Points system, which can increase the Daytime’s stages Ring Energy Gauge and speed. The Nighttime Stages can enhance the Werehog’s vitality, life, shield, power, speed, and Unleash Meter as well as receiving some more Combinations the more you level up. This is great and adds to the polish.

 The gameplay is simply near perfect for the most part. Hubworlds also return and I was looking forward to them, as I liked them a lot in Sonic Adventure 1. In Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)/Sonic Time Travels (as I call it), they weren’t as good as they could have been mainly due to how the gameplay was done, although it was still fun. In this game’s Town Stages, they’re not as good as they could have been. Sonic’s abilities are toned down mainly so that he can control easier for exploration, which is also why this game could have mainly controlled better to avoid something like that being necessary. But that still is understandable and fun to go by, and it’s still cool to heckle around the Town Stages. There's also a slick World Map where you can travel to other Stages... around the world!

Of course, Sonic will regain his abilities in the Entrance Stages, places the bridge the Town Stages to the Action Stages. This is pretty cool to me.

 The human inhabitants of the towns could have used a better art style. In Sonic Adventure, they looked simple and never out of place with Sonic and company. In Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)/Sonic Time Travels, they were made to look more realistic which I really liked. But many complained about them. And so the developers tried making them look cartoony to match with Sonic and his friends. While they look nice, they look overly Pixar to completely match with Sonic and friends. Really, Yuji Uekawa should design ALL humans from now on.

 There are also Sun and Moon Medals that serve as the game’s emblems. These are scattered throughout the many stages of the game. This is a nice addition and it’s fun to collect them, but making them required to progress in the story is not the most necessary. They’re still fun to collect though.

 The flow of the game could have been a bit better. I mean, going back to report to  Professor Pickle, who is both cool and EXTREMELY UNNEEDED character that was very forced comic relief was an unnecessary concept, while still fun to do. And there are some many missions in the game where you can help other townsfolk in some sidequests. These just could have been better. I mean, helping some African lady find her “Prince Charming”? Go through trials of a man that could follow in certain stereotype? This is both fun and very unnecessary. There are also some Chili Dog Missions where you can get various Chili Dogs (adding to game’s selection of food) to eat, adding to the EXP. These are slightly slapped onto the game in my opinion, but they are still fun. It would be nice that when fulfilling the required tasks, the mission would be completed right there rather than having to complete the entire level again and again and again and again.

 The boss battles are missing something. In the nighttime stages, they are perfectly done but in the daytime stages, they’re just lacking. I mean, most of them are overly similar to each other and Sonic’s set to auto run, which is cool, but I want to see more complex platforming action that controls more freely. Still, it’s all fun.

 There's also the return of a playable Tornado Plane, from Sonic 2 and Sonic Adventure, appearing in its first form. I was really looking forward to this; it would have brought back some memories. And it did. The Tornado Defense Acts are all QTEs where you press the correct button to score some points by blasting enemies. While it would have been better if it controlled more like how it was in Sonic Adventure 1, this is still a lot of fun. So challenging.

 The sound and audio in this is also great. The music is fantastic, with plenty of songs that sound so nice. Endless Possibility, vocals by Jaret Reddrick from Bowling For Soup, is an awesome song. I didn't initially like it when it was revealed, but it sounds a lot better. The voice acting is fine as well. It's not nothing exceptionable, but it's solid voicework. Jason Griffith does put more emotion in his lines, which is cool. Chip's is voice is surprising and it goes well. Overall, the sound and audio is great in Sonic Unleashed.

 Ultimately, there are many positive points about this game. The game's full of replay value.  Sonic Unleashed is definitely an exceptional game. It sets many standards for Sonic and it’s very, very underrated. In my opinion, this is Sonic’s best game since the SAMMY merger. The main versions of the game (the MICROSOFT XBOX 360 & SONY PLAYSTATION  3 versions) are highly polished and extremely enjoyable. This is a mustbuy for any Sonic Fan.

 gh

 gh

 gh

 gh

There have been some attempts to get Sonic franchise back on track in term of quality, particularly after the SEGA’s choice to drop out of the hardware business. SEGA just hasn’t been the same ever since that decision was made. Still, there games, to me, have always been as awesome as ever. With others, particularly critics and the Sonic franchise, it’s very unfair and biased. Because Sonic Unleashed could have really been the game to bring the Sonic franchise’s quality back on track, especially after how disappointing Sonic The Hedgehog 2006/Sonic Time Travels (as I call it) was.

 When Sonic World Adventure: Unleashed’s (as I call it) presence was revealed when SEGA trademarked its name, I thought it sounded awesome. I mean, Sonic Unleashed? What a cool name. During the days leading up to its following leaks, I had really thought what the game would be like. When more leaks came showing gameplay that was clearly in development, I wasn’t exactly the most hyped up. I mean, the footage just seemed to have been lacking some polish, such as graphics and the overall look. Still, I was hoping that game would get better and better as more information was shown.

 SEGA would then post the Official Announcement Trailer for the game, and I got a little bit more excited. With more information put up, I was getting even more excited, particularly when I heard that the game would be more like the Sonic Adventure titles, my favorite games of all time. The thing that really shot my hype up was the trailer known as the “High Europe” footage, showing Sonic running at blazing fast speeds, running through roofs, and grinding through several rails. It looked so cutting edge. The game was really looking more and more like a Sonic Adventure game, which was awesome.

 The more information that was revealed, I was very confident that the main versions of the game would have much control instead of an on-rails title. On-rails games are good, but for a game like this; a game touted to bring back a franchise back on track in some way, a fully controllable style was needed. I was really hoping that this game would end up awesome. The Werehog revealance sounded really cool to me as well, and it matched with the “Unleashed” theme.  There would be so much information revealed about this game in the months following its release. I wanted this game to be like what the Sonic Adventure games on the SEGA DREAMCAST, things that had a big impact on me, were to me.

 And I wasn’t wrong. I got this game on Christmas Day 2008, similar to how I got a SEGA DREAMCAST with a Sonic Adventure trial on the GENERATOR Demo Disc on Christmas Day 1999 and Sonic Adventure 2 on the same system on Christmas Day 2001. This game also had certain impact on me. I played this a lot. This game was fantastic. And so, I was bound to review it.

 The themes of Sonic World Adventure: Unleashed are the mainly the “World Adventure” and “Unleashed” aspects. Several locations are based on real life locations of the planet Earth. The “Unleashed” portion is about Sonic’s new “Werehog” form. During an epic battle against Doctor Julian Ivo Robotnik aka EGGMAN’s mechanical army, Supersonic The Hedgehog is trapped and the energy of the Chaos Emeralds is used to unleash the colossal beast known as the Dark Gaia, a monster trapped inside of the planet, causing the continents to simply break apart from each other.

 But that wasn’t the only beast unleashed. Due to his proximity under the Chaos Emeralds, Sonic goes through an unusual transformation. He gets fangs, claws, muscles, heavy lush fur, and is turned into a “Werehog”.Our hero is launched back to the planet where he meets a mysterious being that has amnesia who will later be known as Chip. And so, the quest to fix the planet begins, with the mysteries getting clearer and clearer as the adventure goes on…

 The story is awesome to me. The broken planet was a very original idea. Dark Gaia was cool as well, but a bit overly generic and not as appealing as the other uber monsters in other Sonic games. The Werehog, the game’s most controversial aspects, was cool in my personal opinion. The game had a great premise overall. The new character, Chip, is a very likable if you ask me. If you had a problem with the growing amount of characters in a Sonic game lately for some reason, Chip won’t do anything to change your mind. But at least try to like him. While he initially appeared to be an unnecessary addition when he was revealed in the month's leading to the game's release, Chip is a character that can certainly grow on you. 

 Sonic's portrayal in the game really could have been better. There's just needs to be more of his cocky and hyperactive partyboy attitude in this game. It's now closer to a boring babysitter. Sonic's portrayed good enough, but still...

 And so, we’re finally into the gameplay after being greeted with a state of the art opening cinema and impressive in-game cutscenes. What’s first to note is that the graphics are simply incredible. The environments are filled with such up-to-date lighting and effects thanks to the game’s powerful Hedgehog Engine, definitely some of the highest points of the game. The character models finally return to the designs established in the Sonic Adventure games in a mainstream recent Sonic game, which is truly a plus. Overall, the graphics are near perfect. The framerate’s great as well. It can drop at times, but the more you play the game, the better things will process.

 The presentation, accompanied by the boxarts, manuals, menus, discs, cutscenes, graphics, and so much more certainly kept me captivated to play this game. And how does the game play out? There’s a day/night system here, accompanied by the ability to turn night to day/day to night with the pause menu or several hourglasses stored in the Stages. The daytime stages are traditional highspeed, actionpacked adventured platformer games using Sonic in his main form. The nighttime is Sonic taking a new form known as the Werehog and the game switches into a beat-em-up style.

 Both are a lot of fun in this game. In this game’s daytime levels, Sonic controls more like a car than in other titles in the franchise. Some of the platforming concepts are gone due to this control and it’s made harder to make Sonic run in circles and perform a more simple turning ability. I also would have liked to see some classic abilities like the Spin Dash and Peelout be involved. While that’s disappointing and the game could have been better if Sonic controlled more traditionally, the game is a very linear anyway for the most part and still has some classic platforming elements.

Possibly the most noted mechanic in this game are how this game shifts from third person view in full 3D gameplay, reminscent of 3D Sonic, to a 2.5D 2D styled perspective, reminscent of 2D Sonic. Thanks to the Hedgehog Engine, it blends so well. There is a great nostalgia factor here, which definitely adds to the fun.

 Sonic gets some nifty moves in this game, such as the “Sonic Drift” manuever which allows Sonic drift making some sharp turns and controlling his speed easier to pull off, adding to the game’s driving game style. The Quick Step lets Sonic’s sidestep from one side to the other, adding to the game’s linear style. Sonic Unleashed also focuses heavily on a “Sonic Boost” technique, similar to the boosting abilities of the Sonic Rush and Sonic Rivals’ games, which enables Sonic to zip through at 300 miles per hour with the Ring Energy Gauge, adding to the game’s speed style. I really wanted to see those techniques incorporated in a full 3D Sonic game, and this game finally id it. Basically, think Sonic Adventure and Sonic Rush for the Daytime Stages.

 Speed is heavily emphasized on these levels.  There are plenty of quick moves to be done, such as numerous  Quick Time Events that have Sonic pulling off tricks that correspond with the buttons that appear one screen. QTEs were a core feature in the titantic game that was Shenmue and I welcome them here in a Sonic game.

 The button controls in these stages are interesting. Sonic’s Spin Jump Homing Dash Attack now requires multiple buttons, instead of it simply being  the Jump Button done twice which may require some practice to get used to. Still, this actually goes well with how it’s functioned in the game. But the Sonic Boost mechanic might make this slightly harder to master. Because the Boosting could have been a Shoulder Pad Button. Sonic can also slide and perform a kick known as the “Foot Sweep” which makes getting through narrowed paths easier. He can even crawl!

  The daytime stages are a blast and they add to the groundwork required for a 3D Sonic game. Sure, the game could have focused some more on platforming and some better controlling, but it’s still executed well.  With that explained, let’s see the Nighttime Stages.

 These were very, very underappreciated. As somebody who enjoys beat-em-ups, I was sure gonna like this. The Werehog has both a Straight and Circular attack set, which enables some killer combos (like Shohogken… Shoryuken, anybody?). Smashing through hordes of countless enemies was A LOT of fun for me. Really, whoever complains about them being “tedious” really hasn’t played a beat-em-up game before.

 Knocking down enemies requires more hits than the Daytime Stages, obviously done to make the game play more like a beat-em-up, which was somehow hard to understand for others (tsk, tsk…). The Nighttime Stages are made perfect for a beat-em-up. It’s a blast just like how the Daytime Stages are.

 Both of these gameplay styles are full of awesome things to unlock. Sonic receives upgrades that give him new abilities, such as Stomping, the returning LightSpeeDash, and an Air Boost. While it’s not as fun as it was in the Sonic Adventure games, particularly to them not adding to Sonic’s apperance and all looking the same, it’s still great to have around. There is also an Experience Points system, which can increase the Daytime’s stages Ring Energy Gauge and speed. The Nighttime Stages can enhance the Werehog’s vitality, life, shield, power, speed, and Unleash Meter as well as receiving some more Combinations the more you level up. This is great and adds to the polish.

 The gameplay is simply near perfect for the most part. Hubworlds also return and I was looking forward to them, as I liked them a lot in Sonic Adventure 1. In Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)/Sonic Time Travels (as I call it), they weren’t as good as they could have been mainly due to how the gameplay was done, although it was still fun. In this game’s Town Stages, they’re not as good as they could have been. Sonic’s abilities are toned down mainly so that he can control easier for exploration, which is also why this game could have mainly controlled better to avoid something like that being necessary. But that still is understandable and fun to go by, and it’s still cool to heckle around the Town Stages. There's also a slick World Map where you can travel to other Stages... around the world!

Of course, Sonic will regain his abilities in the Entrance Stages, places the bridge the Town Stages to the Action Stages. This is pretty cool to me.

 The human inhabitants of the towns could have used a better art style. In Sonic Adventure, they looked simple and never out of place with Sonic and company. In Sonic The Hedgehog (2006)/Sonic Time Travels, they were made to look more realistic which I really liked. But many complained about them. And so the developers tried making them look cartoony to match with Sonic and his friends. While they look nice, they look overly Pixar to completely match with Sonic and friends. Really, Yuji Uekawa should design ALL humans from now on.

 There are also Sun and Moon Medals that serve as the game’s emblems. These are scattered throughout the many stages of the game. This is a nice addition and it’s fun to collect them, but making them required to progress in the story is not the most necessary. They’re still fun to collect though.

 The flow of the game could have been a bit better. I mean, going back to report to  Professor Pickle, who is both cool and EXTREMELY UNNEEDED character that was very forced comic relief was an unnecessary concept, while still fun to do. And there are some many missions in the game where you can help other townsfolk in some sidequests. These just could have been better. I mean, helping some African lady find her “Prince Charming”? Go through trials of a man that could follow in certain stereotype? This is both fun and very unnecessary. There are also some Chili Dog Missions where you can get various Chili Dogs (adding to game’s selection of food) to eat, adding to the EXP. These are slightly slapped onto the game in my opinion, but they are still fun. It would be nice that when fulfilling the required tasks, the mission would be completed right there rather than having to complete the entire level again and again and again and again.

 The boss battles are missing something. In the nighttime stages, they are perfectly done but in the daytime stages, they’re just lacking. I mean, most of them are overly similar to each other and Sonic’s set to auto run, which is cool, but I want to see more complex platforming action that controls more freely. Still, it’s all fun.

 There's also the return of a playable Tornado Plane, from Sonic 2 and Sonic Adventure, appearing in its first form. I was really looking forward to this; it would have brought back some memories. And it did. The Tornado Defense Acts are all QTEs where you press the correct button to score some points by blasting enemies. While it would have been better if it controlled more like how it was in Sonic Adventure 1, this is still a lot of fun. So challenging.

 The sound and audio in this is also great. The music is fantastic, with plenty of songs that sound so nice. Endless Possibility, vocals by Jaret Reddrick from Bowling For Soup, is an awesome song. I didn't initially like it when it was revealed, but it sounds a lot better. The voice acting is fine as well. It's not nothing exceptionable, but it's solid voicework. Jason Griffith does put more emotion in his lines, which is cool. Chip's is voice is surprising and it goes well. Overall, the sound and audio is great in Sonic Unleashed.

 Ultimately, there are many positive points about this game. The game's full of replay value.  Sonic Unleashed is definitely an exceptional game. It sets many standards for Sonic and it’s very, very underrated. In my opinion, this is Sonic’s best game since the SAMMY merger. The main versions of the game (the MICROSOFT XBOX 360 & SONY PLAYSTATION  3 versions) are highly polished and extremely enjoyable. This is a mustbuy for any Sonic Fan.

 gh

 gh

 gh

 gh