Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360)

[NAC1]

The other day, I managed to buy Sonic Unleashed at a local video rental place on sale for only five dollars. I have heard many mixed things about the game, but there are a lot of youtubers I watch who really like the game.

I'm just going to say it: I find Sonic Unleashed to be an awful game! Most Sonic fans tend to love the lightning-fast day stages and hate the combat-based night stages. Quite frankly, I prefer the Werehog stages over the day stages. Not because the Werehog stages are anything special, but because the day stages are just that terrible! 

First off, Sonic is so fast that it's impossible for me to react to anything! I feel like the game is on autopilot for far too long, which gets boring after a while even if the speed is off the charts. I also hate how the game requires the player to react to quick-time events to reach the higher parts of the level. Why can't it be like the classic Sonic games where the player did actual platforming to reach the higher parts of the stage? Also, the speed, combined with the many twists and turns, makes me feel motion-sick! The constant framerate hiccups also didn't help with my motion-sickness. The very first day-time boss battle in particular was just too much for me; I had to stop playing to let my stomach settle! It didn't help that the boss made me avoid projectiles that blended into the blurry background, or that the boss lasted for too dang long! Overall, the day-time stages are painful for me to even watch, let alone play!

As for the Werehog, while I think it's better, I still think there's a lot of problems with it. First off, what's with these quick-time events? They're really difficult to react to, and the robots gain their health back when I press the wrong button! I felt like the boss at the end of the first level was too hard and lasted for too long. It doesn't help that his shock-wave attack knocks Sonic down and allows the boss to attack him again! Why do I have to mash the A button just to get back up? Finally, I dislike the ending of the second night stage. It features multiple respawning enemies that gang up on Sonic and block a lot of his attacks, and, if I die, I have to restart at the checkpoint directly before a boring slide the block puzzle! Heck, the checkpoints in general are too infrequent in this game! I'm only talking about the first two night levels of the game, and the game is already brutally hard! I've read on the internet that the other night stages can take about 30 minutes to complete, and that the Eggmanland as the Werehog can take an hour! I like the idea of leveling up the werehog's stats, but I don't think I'll ever be able to do that.

This is the worst part: I'm only three day stages and two night stages into Sonic Unleashed, and I'm already fed up with it! I normally finish every Sonic game I get; heck, I even managed to beat Sonic 2006 and Sonic and the Black Knight! Unfortunately, I don't see myself finishing this one. I really wanted to like Sonic Unleashed, but the frustration was just too much to deny. Sonic Unleashed on the Xbox 360 just may be my least favorite main series Sonic game to date! I would honestly rather play Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 or Sonic Labyrinth! I'm not joking! I personally agree with The Video Game Critic's opinion on this game, although I was nice enough to give it a D- instead for the graphics, soundtrack, and opening cutscene.

Did anybody here play Sonic Unleashed? If so, did you enjoy it more than I did? Do you see something in the game that I'm failing to see? If you like Sonic Unleashed, more power to you; it's just not my cup of tea.

[Rev1]

It's really sad to see one of Sega's originally great series suffer so much over the last decade or so. Thankfully Sega did well with a few of the releases in that generation with games such as sonic generations, sonic color, and sonic and the secret rings but this was definitely not one of them. I hated this game.

[ptdebate1]

I like to just pretend Sonic stopped existing after Adventure 2.

[Oltobaz1]

Sonic Generations is great though, and I hear the same is true with Colours (never played this one though).I've also enjoyed
the two digital Sonic 4 episodes, despite all the criticism they got. The other games though are best left forgotten, no argument.