I'm very cautious about this game.


I'm not saying that I'm part of the 'it's cool to hate Sonic' crowd that's been out there these days.  Honestly, I think most of those people haven't even played the 3D Sonic games...the only one I could possibly agree on is StH2k6, which I would cite as awful just on the inclusion of an archaic/cliche storyline.  (But then I'm guilty of not having played that one.....but for obvious reasons(it's on a system I don't own).)


Anyway, as much as I actually DO like most of the 3D Sonic games, that doesn't mean that I automatically think this one looks good.

To get this out of the way: I think Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the absolute best Sonic game in existance.  It beats the 3D games, it beat Secret Rings, and it beats out both DS games and all GBA games in my opinion.  So every new Sonic game automatically gets compared to that game.

So far, Unleashed is getting a few things right: focusing on speed, using a 2D presentation for the most part, and from what I hear, including a hub world again(it at least implies that you WILL see a level-to-level progression, like in S3&K, which told a story without words by at LEAST showing you how you got to the next Act/Zone, rather than just plopping you down into a new Act/Zone like every other Sonic game before/after it did).

But if there was one thing that just sort of tipped it all out of balance, it was the most obvious: the werewolf thing.  Sonic is already an anthro-hedgehog, natural yes, but still a sentient/self-aware standing upright on two legs.  What the heck do I care if he's a hedgehog or wolf?  It just doesn't make any sense.  I know that they'll pull the ol' plotstrings to FORCE it to make sense, but I'm not satisfied with that really.  I don't want it....Sonic-turning-into-a-werewolf was never part of what made Sonic games fun...it just seems like something they cooked up to make the game 'unique', and I guarantee that's mostly what's behind it.  So I'm bothered by their decision to include something so flaky.....if they really CAN make it work, fine, but I don't think it needed it.

All I want is multi-leveled Acts/Zones that have an interesting design like S3&K had, multiple paths to take, hidden things to find/explore for, and optional chaos emeralds that are tough to get, but reward you with 'unlimited powerrrrrrrr' and a better ending.  If Unleashed can do that, that'll be great.  If it can't, eh, it'll probably still be a decent Sonic game that I can at least somewhat enjoy, but I'll still always wish they could expand on S3&K.

I personally am really looking foward to this one. Its the first decent-looking Sonic console game I've seen in...years, or so it seems. And hopefully the whole werewolf thing will add a new twist to the mix that doesent off-balance things, while still keeping the gameplay true to its roots.

I liked the whole Sonic Adventure series, mainly because the controls were pretty stable and easy to use, though the 3d games went downhill from there in my oppinion atleast. I dont think that I've really liked a single 3D Sonic game since then...the only decent Sonic game I've seen since was Sonic Rush, and we all know why that is. (incase you actually dont...its because it actually went back to its 2dimensional roots, gameplay-wise.)

If they kept putting new 2d Sonic games onto shelves, they might actually get rid of his bad reputation...which I'm all for.

Just thinking on the update brought up on GoNintendo a few days ago, I kind of think the game makes a little more sense now.  Story-wise anyway.  Something like how Sonic was hunting down Eggman in space(like usual), when Eggman finally takes advantage of the fact that Sonic always seems to transform into Super Sonic, and catches him in a machine that corrupts the very emeralds that he's currently using.  It also kinda makes the whole 'wolf transformation' thing make sense, as if the now-corrupted emeralds are causing that sort of transformation rather than the usual Super Sonic.


Anyway, while I'm still a bit annoyed at things(especially now knowing that since he has the emeralds, and is taking them to different locations to un-corrupt them, that you won't be collecting them optionally like in the 2D games), I think it's starting to look decent.  Honestly I wish they would back off on making the whole cutscene business....my own favorite 'Sonic 3 & Knuckles' makes great use of Story Without Words, not just to tell what's going on, but my favorite part, to show WHY you're in the next Act or Zone, which Sonic games before and even after it weren't so good at doing.

Well like I mentioned in another post, I'm pretty tolerant of even the 3D games, but I hold a VERY very high standard for Sonic 3 + Knuckles, which I still use to judge the other games on, and nothing after it has been quite as good(even considering the decently-good GBA and DS games).  Oddly I even don't mind Shadow, which is almost universally hated(but because the PS2 port SUCKED, and no one really got into it before taking it back).


Anyway, I just saw a video of Were-Sonic's gameplay, and I'm taken aback a little bit.  Just in my last post, I said that the story for justifying Were-Sonic was good, and on that I still agree.  But now that I see him playing, I have to say: that's exactly the way Knuckles plays in the 3D Sonic games.  So why do we really need Were-Sonic, when it does NOTHING to improve the Sonic-game-experience, except basically putting Knuckles' powers in the place of Sonic's alter-ego?  I mean that's basically all it is....the only 'new' thing is that it's Sonic doing them: the usual ground-pounds-to-destroy-nearby-enemies, jump-swipes/punches, not-quite-as-fast, climbing/jumping around walls, etc.

Well like I said, I'm pretty tolerant, and the game and levels look decent, but I'm still thinking "all they did was put a Sonic costume on Knuckles and call it 'Were-Sonic' or whatever they're calling him".  I wish it was a little more unique.

 No butt rock yay? I don't know, Sonic with no butt rock is like RE without corny dialogue.