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[TheSonicRetard]

Ah. Doesn't sound like a good thing at all then. Especially if this Iizuka guy is still pulling any strings.

If nothing else, Unleashed was a step in the right direction.

Things will probably continue to remain the same.

I don't think much will change. If you read the developer blog for Sonic Unleashed (which is unfortunately in japanese) it seems like the entire team had a lot of input on the game.

I don't think Iizuka will be handling the main sonic series anymore. IIRC he's now the general manager at Sonic Team, which means producing or directing a sonic game would likely be a demotion for him.

 

[RpgN]

I just popped in to say that I got this game and have been playing it since 4 days. If I have known it was this good, I would have bought it earlier :0 I made it up to Chu-nan and finished the night level. Thanks for some of you guys recommending the game. I'm surprised why this game got lots of slack from reviewers. Night levels play absolutely fine (while long at times). Looking at it purely from gameplay perspective, isn't this how a professional reviewer should look at it? Instead of not accepting this kind of gameplay or character in sonic from the start? *back to read all the pages of this thread*

Oh, and one more thing. About the DLCs, are they worth it? How long are they?

 

[RurouniZel]

PS3 owner on the fence?

Go check out your local Best Buy. I saw this in the store I went to today.

Just a heads up.

 

[Blueblur1]

I just popped in to say that I got this game from my BF and have been playing it since 4 days. If I have known it was this good, I would have bought it earlier :0 I made it up to nun-chan (?) and finished the night level. Thanks for some of you guys recommending the game. I'm surprised why this game got lots of slack from reviewers. Night levels play absolutely fine (while long at times). Looking at it purely from gameplay perspective, isn't this how a professional reviewer should look at it? Instead of not accepting this kind of gameplay or character in sonic from the start? *back to read all the pages of this thread*

Oh, and one more thing. About the DLCs, are they worth it? How long are they?

What version are you playing?

And as for the DLC, you can look up gameplay video of the different "Adventure Packs" on Youtube. A lot of people put up vids to show off the additional stages. I've only tried two packs and the Spagonia DLC is the only one I really like in retrospect.

 

[HUELEN10]

I just popped in to say that I got this game from my BF and have been playing it since 4 days. If I have known it was this good, I would have bought it earlier :0 I made it up to nun-chan (?) and finished the night level. Thanks for some of you guys recommending the game. I'm surprised why this game got lots of slack from reviewers. Night levels play absolutely fine (while long at times). Looking at it purely from gameplay perspective, isn't this how a professional reviewer should look at it? Instead of not accepting this kind of gameplay or character in sonic from the start? *back to read all the pages of this thread*

Oh, and one more thing. About the DLCs, are they worth it? How long are they?

What version do you got? I ask because we think the 360 is better due to its locked 30 FPS framerate. As far as DLC goes, I recommend the Chu-nan & Apotos paks. I am happy you are enjoying the game, and yes, it is good and I know you will have a lot of fun with it as you play through some more!

 

[RpgN]

What version are you playing?

And as for the DLC, you can look up gameplay video of the different "Adventure Packs" on Youtube. A lot of people put up vids to show off the additional stages. I've only tried two packs and the Spagonia DLC is the only one I really like in retrospect.

I'm playing the ps3 version.

I think I've watched one video which involved collecting 10 chao, but I'm confused wether the DLC was entirely new, or all the DLC levels for that matter. Like are they new acts? Or just new objective missions in already existing acts?

 

[HUELEN10]

I'm playing the ps3 version.

I think I've watched one video which involved collecting 10 chao, but I'm confused wether the DLC was entirely new, or all the DLC levels for that matter. Like are they new acts? Or just new objective missions in already existing acts?

When you buy DLC for this game, you get 2 things. The first is basically "hard mode" of existing stages, but sometimes it can be dramatically different that it might be considered its own thing, like Apotos Act 1-2, which is AWESOME BTW. The second thing you get is brand new Acts!

 

[ZeoVGM]

Just bought this last night. Gonna give it a spin later.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Tweaker managed to confirm that the guy was a fake.

Is this about the music issue with Chronicles?

I'm not sure if that should entirely discredit him, especially if you consider that he works with Sega and not Bioware. Though the issue may be more complicated than that.

I just popped in to say that I got this game from my BF and have been playing it since 4 days. If I have known it was this good, I would have bought it earlier :0 I made it up to nun-chan (?) and finished the night level. Thanks for some of you guys recommending the game. I'm surprised why this game got lots of slack from reviewers. Night levels play absolutely fine (while long at times). Looking at it purely from gameplay perspective, isn't this how a professional reviewer should look at it? Instead of not accepting this kind of gameplay or character in sonic from the start? *back to read all the pages of this thread*

I'm glad you're enjoying the game.

To be fair to the reviewers, the Werehog is a pretty bullshit concept, but it wasn't handled as badly as it could have been.

 

[RpgN]

text

Thank you for your recommendation! I think this would be how I want a sonic game to be, like an ultimate sonic game. Like, I love the bits talking to villagers, buying food, finding music/artwork/movies, stat upgrades mixed with speed (which is OMG) and then platform to relax and cool down, is a nice mix. I bet a lot wouldn't agree, some would want those aspects out but I'm honestly having so much blast with the game and those nice touches. The graphics are gorgeous, music needs no words and the controls are responsive, it needs more love When I played Sonic 2006, despite its game breaking flaws, I found some enjoyment in it but I can't imagine playing through it again XD

The ps3 version has some rare framedrops with the night levels when there are lots of enemies on screen. But it doesn't stay long. I don't think I have noticed any with Sonic levels. Having not played the xbox 360 version, I don't feel like it's a gimped version (but I'm no pro lol).

It's Chu-nan! Thanks

 

[Teknoman]

Wait...the PS3 version moves higher than 30fps at times as well?

 

[Hamfam]

I bregungingly gave Sonic Unleaded Wii a chance - after being burned many times before I was relunctant.

But surprisingly, it's actually very enjoyable! Even the werehog levels are okay in their own way.

The Sonic levels for some reason though, do feel too much like bonus stages for some reason - not sure why. Sonic Adventure series didn't have that problem...

Also, settings locations in 'human towns' is really boring and generic, which happens a bit too much.

 

[HUELEN10]

I bregungingly gave Sonic Unleaded Wii a chance - after being burned many times before I was relunctant.

But surprisingly, it's actually very enjoyable! Even the werehog levels are okay in their own way.

The Sonic levels for some reason though, do feel too much like bonus stages for some reason - not sure why. Sonic Adventure series didn't have that problem...

Also, settings locations in 'human towns' is really boring and generic, which happens a bit too much.

Dude, if you are actually having fun with the sad excuse of a package that was the Wii game, you owe to yourself to play the HD game! Regardless, glad you are having fun. I like the Daytime on Wii, but there is way too much SHITTY werehog. It i like 80 percent shitty werehog.

 

[RurouniZel]

The more I play this game (well, the Sonic levels anyway), the more I fucking love what they've done! Not that there couldn't be improvements (I miss rolling and shields), but this is the most fun I've had playing Sonic since the Genesis days.

More Sonic like this and I'll be quite the happy camper.

 

[Aaron Strife]

So I got my Xbox Live up and running and bought the first DLC pack I saw, which was Apotos/Shamar.

I've only gotten to play the three Apotos daytime levels so far, so here's some brief impressions.

Act 1-2: This level was pretty awesome. I really liked the moving platforming section. There really aren't that many platform staples that find their way into the Sonic series these days, so it was very refreshing. My only complaint is that the physics aren't entirely there. This level would have probably been much easier in the Genesis games, where the physics allow for the precision platforming.

Act 2-2: It was okay? It's essentially just a harder version of Act 2, so I guess there's not really much to say. Since I've played the normal mode of the level the most of any of them, this was the trickiest to adjust to, but not too bad.

Act 4: What a dumb fucking level. It's just quick step and pure memorization bullshit. I went through like 30 lives trying to get an S rank in this stupid act. I'm never torturing myself like this again, because I've already forgotten the routine. And that moving platforming part? BULLSHIIIIIIT. Every time I jump forward I either come short, miss the platform, and hit the spikes, or I go too far, miss the platform, and hit the spikes. The physics need some serious work if this is the kind of platforming they're trying to fit into the next game. This level was actually unfun.

Two out of three good levels isn't bad I guess. Looking forward to playing Act 3 of Shamar, with the 3D exploration.

 

[Blueblur1]

It's kind of nice to see this game get some love. It has it's flaws but it is an absolutely solid and above average game. I hope for the next game they focus on improving what they've already got. A return to classic Sonic style locales and maybe some secondary playable characters with similar but slightly altered move sets would be nice. Kind of like Sonic 3, I mean.

 

[Htown]

I bregungingly gave Sonic Unleaded Wii a chance - after being burned many times before I was relunctant.

But surprisingly, it's actually very enjoyable! Even the werehog levels are okay in their own way.

The Sonic levels for some reason though, do feel too much like bonus stages for some reason - not sure why. Sonic Adventure series didn't have that problem...

Also, settings locations in 'human towns' is really boring and generic, which happens a bit too much.

I actually liked Sonic Unleashed Wii quite a lot myself - once I switched to Gamecube controls.

Seriously, I'm all aboard the motion control bandwagon, but the motion controls for that game are TERRIBLE. Wave the remote and nunchuk back and forth to climb up a pole? Instead of just pressing up on the analog stick? FUCK YOU.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Just finished the first stage.

Is it wrong that I think Chip ... doesn't suck?

 

[Blueblur1]

Just finished the first stage.

Is it wrong that I think Chip ... doesn't suck?

He's okay. I think the English VA did a pretty stellar job considering that just from his design Chip looks like one of the shittiest Sonic characters ever made.

 

[Htown]

Just finished the first stage.

Is it wrong that I think Chip ... doesn't suck?

Give it time.

Actually, he wasn't THAT bad; I occasionally got slight amusement from his background shenanigans. And hey, if it comes down to it, I'd rather them attempt a stupid comical shitty friend than an angsty emo shitty friend.

 

[RpgN]

More sweet text

Thanks for the explanation, it makes more sense now. I'll look into those DLCs after finishing the game and will definitely get the Chu-nan and Apotos packs

I'm glad you're enjoying the game. To be fair to the reviewers, the Werehog is a pretty bullshit concept, but it wasn't handled as badly as it could have been.

Bullshit concept with the gameplay department or the character itself?

I would be more surprised why some fans wouldn't enjoy it

Wait...the PS3 version moves higher than 30fps at times as well?

I can't say that with confidence. But all I know is that it rarely framedrops, mostly with night levels as mentioned before. It happens rarely but do keep in mind that I have yet to finish it (up to Chu-nan) and I mostly played the main acts, not the others you unlock. I'll keep an eye on it more for you when I play more of it. It seems that they actually used the ps3 delay well?

 

[Upsidedown Fuji]

The version of Sonic Unleashed for Xbox360/PS3 wasn't all that bad. I didn't really enjoy werehog levels like many other people who have posted before me but it was a fairly solid game.

If it weren't for Eggman land I'd probably try completing all the hotdog runs in the game to finish up all my achievements.

One thing I wish that was included in the game was online leaderboards and video replays. I liked watching videos on youtube for inspiration on how to better my hotdog run times but having an official hub in the software to go to for that would be best. I got most of my fun out of just running levels for the sake of topping my old best times.

It's a great game for under $40 and an even better one under $30.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Okay, so three stages in.

Sonic: Awesome. Very fun.

Warehog: Very flawed. Playable, but flawed. You can never really see what's going on in the button mashing craziness, activating the critical attacks was iffy, and what's up with bad guys not disappearing when they die? I keep hitting one until I realize he's dead. I have to stop hitting him for him to disappear? Terrible design flaw.

Also, that first boss was annoying as shit. Did his lifebar keep refilling? I died 3 times until I finally timed the stupid buttons right and killed him in like 2 seconds.

Tornado: This was fun. Nothing special, but if the game was just Sonic stages with Tornado stages here and there, it'd be fantastic.

 

[RpgN]

Okay, so three stages in.

Sonic: Awesome. Very fun.

Warehog: Very flawed. Playable, but flawed. You can never really see what's going on in the button mashing craziness, activating the critical attacks was iffy, and what's up with bad guys not disappearing when they die? I keep hitting one until I realize he's dead. I have to stop hitting him for him to disappear? Terrible design flaw.

Also, that first boss was annoying as shit. Did his lifebar keep refilling? I died 3 times until I finally timed the stupid buttons right and killed him in like 2 seconds.

1. The monsters stop moving and you can't lock on them after they die. I'm starting to get the hang of it myself.

2. When you don't execute the QTE on time, the monsters gain HP and you lose some of yours. So use them with caution, not when you're low on HP. Some monsters require quicker QTE input like bee look a like monsters. QTEs are great for rankings and sometimes you can finish them off quicker.

 

[Panajev2001a]

When you buy DLC for this game, you get 2 things. The first is basically "hard mode" of existing stages, but sometimes it can be dramatically different that it might be considered its own thing, like Apotos Act 1-2, which is AWESOME BTW. The second thing you get is brand new Acts!

The video you linked and the Shamar DLC level which was linked earlier make me have more and more faith in Sonic Team's abilities... to make Sonic more than a good arcadey racing game (Sonic Unleashed's short levels are shortish for a certain reason: you are supposed to learn the layout, experiment, and push speed and score higher and higher at each "lap" )... the platforming in both of those videos seem quite cool .

 

[Hero of Legend]

I still can't believe I managed to grab the Wii version for a mere $15 from the broken Zellers sale back in November. :lol

I'm not quite sure how I'd have felt in getting the game at full price or even at $40 or $30.

I think I would've felt comfortable at $40. Probably not any higher.

 

[xprs]

sonic segments r greatest n history of series. hands down. werehog is a meh. 360/ps3 is the one to go with tho. i bout both n im not that big on the wii one. good, but not 360/ps3 good....game has sold over 2mil now. horray for sonic!......bad new is hashimoto left to square......i wonde wht that means for them now since he's the real genius behind the hedgehog

 

[RobbieNick]

Thank you for your recommendation! I think this would be how I want a sonic game to be, like an ultimate sonic game. Like, I love the bits talking to villagers, buying food, finding music/artwork/movies, stat upgrades mixed with speed (which is OMG) and then platform to relax and cool down, is a nice mix. I bet a lot wouldn't agree, some would want those aspects out but I'm honestly having so much blast with the game and those nice touches. The graphics are gorgeous, music needs no words and the controls are responsive, it needs more love When I played Sonic 2006, despite its game breaking flaws, I found some enjoyment in it but I can't imagine playing through it again XD

The ps3 version has some rare framedrops with the night levels when there are lots of enemies on screen. But it doesn't stay long. I don't think I have noticed any with Sonic levels. Having not played the xbox 360 version, I don't feel like it's a gimped version (but I'm no pro lol).

It's Chu-nan! Thanks

It's amazing how much this thread is turning around as of late thanks to the GameStop sale. I thought I was the only one who actually enjoyed the 3-D hub worlds and talking/getting missions from the villagers. Glad ton know I'm not the only one.

 

[Panajev2001a]

It's amazing how much this thread is turning around as of late thanks to the GameStop sale. I thought I was the only one who actually enjoyed the 3-D hub worlds and talking/getting missions from the villagers. Glad ton know I'm not the only one.

This is a good sequel to Sonic Adventure 1 IMHO. I like the mix of action and story/adventure levels a lot (I do like the 3D Hub Worlds if they are well designed like in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Adventure 1).

 

[RpgN]

It's amazing how much this thread is turning around as of late thanks to the GameStop sale. I thought I was the only one who actually enjoyed the 3-D hub worlds and talking/getting missions from the villagers. Glad ton know I'm not the only one.

I think the majority that doesn't enjoy those 3-D hub worlds and the whole structure, they don't want that in sonic. In a way, it's not what sonic is about and they're not used to it. Others would call it not your type or genre, but instead they say it's crap. Bear in mind that many don't want to give what's different a chance. Like technically speaking, the werehog levels play average and maybe a little above for its little polish. It can be long and repetitive (although the last one has a possibility to not occur depending on your play style). About a 7 for those segments would be what it deserves. But for many it's a torture and not what they want. I just wish they would distinguish the difference between crap and not your type.

 

[Huttie0]

I just finished this game and I must say I was really hoping for something better.

In some aspects, this game was just as poor as Sonic 2006. Glitches, falling off the level, werehog was like a chore (battle music was very poor), hubs I wish werent there. (Also, why is it that when Sonic falls in the water, he ALWAYS just keeps falling - even without a splash? Its been that way since Adventure on the Dreamcast...)

On the plus side, some of the sonic levels had great music, and if you hit the rhythm, some of them could also be quite enjoyable.

But really, I was replaying Sonic 3, and what made those games great wasn't the speed.

So why are they trying to make it faster?

 

[xprs]

it brings joyful tears to my eyes to c how the fans r accepting the sonic segments of unleashed. i must say, aside the fact that it wasn't the normal 60frames lock in it was surely a masterpiece. no sonic game actually makes u feel more like "Sonic" than this one. werehog parts were decent but the really drawback was the shitty ass tales n the chopper and Super Sonic that is really sad seeing the fact that most of the other games at least had a "Good" ending that made u look forward to. Adabaat would b greatest level of all time if it were finished. I HATED THE LAST LEVEL! werehog boss fight was fun tho

 

[xprs]

I just finished this game and I must say I was really hoping for something better.

In some aspects, this game was just as poor as Sonic 2006. Glitches, falling off the level, werehog was like a chore (battle music was very poor), hubs I wish werent there. (Also, why is it that when Sonic falls in the water, he ALWAYS just keeps falling - even without a splash? Its been that way since Adventure on the Dreamcast...)

On the plus side, some of the sonic levels had great music, and if you hit the rhythm, some of them could also be quite enjoyable.

But really, I was replaying Sonic 3, and what made those games great wasn't the speed.

So why are they trying to make it faster?

i respect what u r getting at but i really enjoy the speed of the game. it makes u actually feel like ur goin "mach 1" with an achievable "mach 3". i bet if the frames were 60 - werehog/tales shitty flyin/last level it would = a PERFECT GYMNASTICS 10!!!!!!

 

[Teknoman]

I just finished this game and I must say I was really hoping for something better.

In some aspects, this game was just as poor as Sonic 2006. Glitches, falling off the level, werehog was like a chore (battle music was very poor), hubs I wish werent there. (Also, why is it that when Sonic falls in the water, he ALWAYS just keeps falling - even without a splash? Its been that way since Adventure on the Dreamcast...)

On the plus side, some of the sonic levels had great music, and if you hit the rhythm, some of them could also be quite enjoyable.

But really, I was replaying Sonic 3, and what made those games great wasn't the speed.

So why are they trying to make it faster?

The current day younger crowd of Sonic fans like speed, and I guess thats what sells. As far as glitches, i've never experienced any during the day. A few areas wouldnt unlock as the werehog after defeating the required enemies though.

It seems like they are getting the idea with alot of the day stages having slow down and platform jump sections.

EDIT: I think they tried to lock the hedgehog engine at 30fps on consoles for a reason. The graphic quality seems a little high to achieve at constant 60fps with no drops.

 

[Totobeni]

so , Sonic Unleashed PS3 version ( werehog-less Edition ) are now for $22.99 at Amazon.com, that just $5 cheaper than 360 version now , but the PS3 version of Sonic Unleashed is werehog-less via gamesave (no ho-hog > shitty trophies )

so if anyone want it , use the gamesave to skip pure shit and play day levels only .

Sonic Unleashed $22.99

 

[RpgN]

so , Sonic Unleashed PS3 version ( werehog-less Edition ) are now for $22.99 at Amazon.com, that just $5 cheaper than 360 version now , but the PS3 version of Sonic Unleashed is werehog-less via gamesave (no ho-hog > shitty trophies )

so if anyone want it , use the gamesave to skip pure shit and play day levels only .

Sonic Unleashed $22.99

Okay, I'm going to get killed for this but I enjoy werehog levels as much as sonic and there are times I enjoy it even more I like taking my time and exploring things. With sonic, it's more like sonic rush where you have to memorise the route a few times to be good at it. Sometimes it feels a little frustrating IMO. Of course it's still amazing :3

Spoiler

Please don't kill me

 

[Shadowlink]

Wait a minute. There is no werehog levels in the PS3 version? Or are you saying there is but not as much as the 360 version?

 

[Yoshi]

Wait a minute. There is no werehog levels in the PS3 version? Or are you saying there is but not as much as the 360 version?

He's only saying that you can cheat by downloading a completed save game and just play the Sonic levels and skip the Werehog levels this way.

 

[Shadowlink]

He's only saying that you can cheat by downloading a completed save game and just play the Sonic levels and skip the Werehog levels this way.

Oh! :lol

 

[HUELEN10]

Okay, I'm going to get killed for this but I enjoy werehog levels as much as sonic and there are times I enjoy it even more I like taking my time and exploring things. With sonic, it's more like sonic rush where you have to memorise the route a few times to be good at it. Sometimes it feels a little frustrating IMO. Of course it's still amazing :3

Spoiler

Please don't kill me

Lol, I AGREE with you. I love Empire City & Chun-nan at night. What I do though is put on the regular stage music on a loop via MP3 on the 360, so no annoying werehog music pops up!

 

[RpgN]

OMG

OMG, we're lost twins I tell ya! Even about the levels! About music, I think they're both equally good, but my taste in music is fairly diverse. I like pop, rock, jazz, classic, dance, urban and more :lol

Hmmm...it seems I haven't introduced myself in other sonic threads before. Maybe with doing so, it shows where I'm coming from as a casual sonic fan.

I first played seriously with sonic adventure 2 on the gamecube. It was pretty good, playing with different characters but the camera was so annoying. When I first played with knuckles, I couldn't advance any further. What a messy glitchy game.

Sonic Rush was next. It's a good polished game and I like it but fairly hard and memorising...I should continue with it sometime!

Then it was sonic 2006 on the ps3 about 2 months ago? We all know its shortcomings and I won't blame anyone who calls it trash. still, I continued playing with it for some odd reason. Some levels were pretty good and I like Silver.

Sonic unleashed :3

 

[goodcow]

RUMOR: Yoshihisa Hashimoto (Director of Unleashed) now at Squenix.

http://www.tssznews.com/2009/07/06/yoshihisa-hashimoto-out-of-sonic-team/

Wow, if so, that's quite a blow to our fav Hedgehog.

Did he come up with the Werehog as well, or was that suggested to him?

I just read about this today.

This is bullshit, Sonic Team finally gets somebody competent in charge and they probably wouldn't pay him enough to stick around. Fuck Sega/Sammy. Unleashed was the best crack at a 3D Sonic thus far and now I just feel like it's going to be downhill from here. My last hope is that Tomoya Ohtani sticks around since he actually knows what Sonic music should sound like instead of the hard rock bullshit.

Takashi Iizuka and Jun Senoue need to be fired.

 

[goldenpp72]

So after finishing sonic 2006 recently I decided to go back and finish unleashed, I was missing medals on top of all the hotdogs in eggman land, adabat, and empire city.

All I can say is, I just got done pulling an all nighter working on eggman land and adabat hotdogs, jesus fucking christ was that ever difficult.

Anyways, while I enjoyed unleashed, I think it's safe to say id prefer a game in the style of 2006 while having the polish present in this game. I feel the game also started getting less polished as it went, areas in say, the day stage in empire city and that one slide, it's just not a smart way to handle something, the horrid framerate in adabats day stage, the fucked up controls of the boss in that area, eggman land was pretty well polished but.. wow. I liked it, too trial and error for it's own good though.

I think I now have every single sonic game on 360 perfected, unless you count that tennis one, all I know is im bloodshot and sonic'd out..

Anyone know when sonic and knuckles is out?

 

[Volcynika]

Beat this yesterday. Aside from the framerate issues that plague some areas, and the completely awful ending setup (both the last level and last boss fight), I enjoyed it a bit. Probably won't go back anytime soon though, maybe just to race through a day level I like.

 

[Blueblur1]

How difficult are the Sonic 2006 achievements, by the way? I may force myself to play it again if I can easily get them all. And kudos on getting the full 1000. I spent two days playing the Eggmanland stage over and over; the Werehog trapeze pipes and final spots in the level were difficult for me. And sorry, I have no idea when Sonic & Knuckles will be released. I believe that they mentioned a Summer release but with all the Summer of Arcade business I'm sure Microsoft pushed back it's release.

Personally, I prefer 3D Sonic games to more like Sonic Adventure 1 or 2. I don't mind hub worlds unless they're restrictive and boring like in Unleashed. I enjoyed exploring them in SA1 and trying to break them with spin dash tricks. I also enjoy the trial or stage select modes where I can go to a quick loading screen and just pick my character and level (loved the map layout in SA2). Unleashed's over the top globe screen, slow menus and slow boring hub worlds put me to sleep,

 

[goldenpp72]

How difficult are the Sonic 2006 achievements, by the way? I may force myself to play it again if I can easily get them all. And kudos on getting the full 1000. I spent two days playing the Eggmanland stage over and over; the Werehog trapeze pipes and final spots in the level were difficult for me. And sorry, I have no idea when Sonic & Knuckles will be released. I believe that they mentioned a Summer release but with all the Summer of Arcade business I'm sure Microsoft pushed back it's release.

Personally, I prefer 3D Sonic games to more like Sonic Adventure 1 or 2. I don't mind hub worlds unless they're restrictive and boring like in Unleashed. I enjoyed exploring them in SA1 and trying to break them with spin dash tricks. I also enjoy the trial or stage select modes where I can go to a quick loading screen and just pick my character and level (loved the map layout in SA2). Unleashed's over the top globe screen, slow menus and slow boring hub worlds put me to sleep,

Insanely difficult, tedious, and time consuming in large due to the load times, essentially, to get all the achievements you must:

Complete every single town mission with all chars, with S ranks.

S rank every single level in both normal and hard

Collect EVERY single silver medal

Those are the challenging ones and they monopolize like 3/4 of the game or so. Oh and S ranking the last world/bosses also nets you one.

I'd not advise trying unless you're ready to devote multiple days, unless you're that damn good.

 

[Blueblur1]

Hmm... I doubt I'll do it then. I don't have the patience to play that game for an extended period of time. Proof:

 

[topofuji]

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=945570&topic=50945561
Someone on GameFAQs posted this and got no attention, maybe it will help here:

Well, I've played both versions of the game to death now, and I thought I'd make an informative post about the two different versions, and why you should have both of them.

The short list of reasons you should own both...
1. Every single level is completely different.
2. The SD versions levels, and bosses are mostly stylized in a "part 2" type situation, ie. the last boss in the HD Sonic Unleashed ends, right where the last boss in SD Sonic Unleashed begins.
Therefore to experience the entire game, you need both versions.

Differences between the versions...

HD Sonic Unleashed
-Cropped widescreen. The top and bottom of the screen is cut off in widescreen. Run the game in 480p 4:3 Normal/4:3 mode to achieve best viewing area. (very helpful for secrets/alternate paths)
-Sonic is much faster
-Day levels are much longer
-Night levels are shorter
-You don't have to fight all the enemies in the night levels
-Combo system is deep
-Sonic doesn't have a spin dash...
-You control how long your boost duration lasts
-Over worlds do not really require much participation, but are moderately extensive if you have the desire to pursue their depths.
-Full ranking system in the levels
-Extra levels in general, 2 Tornado Defense levels, Mazuri, and Empire City levels.
-DLC
-Leveling up is hard, and annoying
-Daytime Sonic has to be leveled up too : (
-Can buy as well as eat food, and feed food to Chip. This makes the chocolate Chip always has make more sense.
-You can exorcize dark Gaia from townspeople at night.

SD Sonic Unleashed
-True widescreen in the Wii version. Left and right viewing area is enhanced, top and bottom viewing area left untouched.
-Sonic controls much better, as well as has a much better texture
-Day levels are short, and have almost no enemies
-There are three times as many night levels, (Eggmanland even has 5 Night levels...) that are all just as long as the one night level in the HD version...
-You have to fight all the enemies in the night levels
-Combo system is not deep, only one good combo.
-Sonic has a spin dash. You use it as a boost a the end of the starting level count down, and when you do your boost, if you hit any speed up points on the ground, you will be in your spin dash animation.
-Boost duration occurs for a set time, you can store multiple boosts.
-Leveling up is easy, and not a necessity.
-No over worlds, just mini art hubs that require you to talk to people to progress past.

HD Sonic Unleashed Musings...

It really sucks that the "HD" version of Sonic Unleashed doesn't have true widescreen, it basically means they're both 480p games, while the Wii version gets true widescreen.

Sonic's texture in the SD version is much cooler, and it's about time he got a next gen style to his texture.

Enemies can block for long periods of time in the HD night levels, but some of your combos have guard break properties.
The easiest one is X/Square, Y/Triangle, Y/Triangle, 3 hits, fast, simple.
The HD version also has more throws. You can swing enemies in a circle, hitting other enemies with them, or you can grab two enemies, and bash their heads together multiple times, before throwing both of them at other enemies.
You can also kill an enemy with a critical attack, which is a QTE (quick timer event) sequence. Grants you more experience for your kill, and kills the enemy early. On the down side, if you fail, your enemy gets a free hit on you, and all their health back.

In the HD version, you can do ground to air combos, which are pretty cool.
Unfortunately, most of the air parts of the combos are bugged, and don't connect with 100% of the hits, or even plain don't work if they actually start connecting : (
I listed the air combo that does the most damage + works 100% of the time.
They can be started by one of five ways, and once the enemy is launched, you have three options.
Air combo (Y/Triangle, Y/Triangle, Y/Triagle, A/X)
Belly Flop (A/X which happens a lot by accident, since it's the same button as the launcher)
Spinning pile driver (B/Circle...Zangief meets Sonic at last...)
1. Ground Combo: 2x or 4x in a row X/square or Y/Triangle, A/X (this is the launcher) then either air combo, belly flop, or SPD.
2. You can hold shield, and press Back+Triangle, and you will do a rolling uppercut, that leads to either air combo, belly flop, or SPD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3q1NLm_Wbk this video shows a 2x X/Square, A/X SPD combo, and some of the different throws you can do.



SD Sonic Unleashed musings...

I really liked Sonic's new texture/skin. (day time)
Makes him look more realistic IMHO.

He controls much nicer in the SD version, so it's a shame he doesn't have the HD's speed or levels.
The levels are still nice though.
The problem in the HD version, is he handles terrible. He either turns too lose, or too tight, depending on when you're trying to turn him.
In the SD version, he has the perfect handling. Drifting is required much more often, and when you slam Sonic onto the ground, he doesn't slide all over the place like in the HD version...he actually comes to a complete stop. Which is what's intended in that technique...so I don't understand why in the HD version it didn't work right.
Whatever.
Having SD Sonic's tight turning and overall control, with 360's speed, and levels, would have been an amazing dream come true.
Oh well.

I think it makes perfect sense that the SD version has little to no hub world depth, since I'm convinced the SD version is intended as "part 2" of Sonic Unleashed, and therefore you've just already completed all of the hub worlds there. Why need to do it again???

Platforming musings...

The HD version actually has platforming segments in the day levels.
It does them really well, and makes the lack of them in the SD version feel very apparent.

The HD night time platforming is still done very nicely, but the few times you need to jump onto a box as small as, or as wide as you...it's pretty much a given that you're going to have to try five or six times. It's not easy, it's very hard.

The SD version night time platforming is extremely easy, and you can jump onto something as small as you every time you try...IMHO this is thanks to your much higher jump, and extended hang time more than anything else.



Cut scene musings...

In the HD version of Sonic Unleashed, there are two exclusive cut scenes, and one cut scene that you can unlock super easy in comparison to the SD version.
They are the Sonic hanging out with Chip in various country cut scenes.
They are unlocked by becoming Best Friends Forever with Chip, and then feeding him a specific food in a specific country.
Chun Nan, Holoska, and Adabat.
It's the first food in the list in each of the countries.
This means you don't have to kill yourself finding every piece of artwork, or whatever, in the SD version of Sonic Unleashed, just to see that one video that's super easy to get in the HD version.


Overall I believe the HD version is the much better version to get if you're only going to buy one, but also IMHO it's only half the experience, and it's best to start with the HD version, and then get the SD version to cool down with.


Hopefully I'll be able to post a link to a video that contains the cool HD version ground to air combos I was talking about.

 

[Azure Dream]

Odd that he skipped over the "Link" system in the SD versions, which makes it much more satisfying to nail a smooth sequence of challenges in a level.

 

[RobbieNick]

Belated Happy Anniversary to Sonic Unleashed! One year later and it's still holding up well for me. IMHO, it's the best 3-D Sonic game yet.