Sonic Unleashed Review

Okay, I did this awhile back on facebook and thought I'd bring it here as my second post;
At first I had mixed feelings about the game, especially in the months leading up to its release. Even seeing game play footage of the Werehog at E3 I was still worried this would be another Shadow/Next-Gen... And the series didn't need another kick in the balls. My reaction after I finished it? I'll get right to that;

Easy stuff first. Music = Beautiful. Of course, Sonic has always had beautiful music. The only thing Next-Gen got right was the music, and that was the best soundtrack in the series by far... At least, until I heard this soundtrack. From the eerie yet soothing night-time level songs for the werehog, to the absolutely amazing Orchestral theme that made this game feel like a "world adventure." This music was sweet. I'm disappointed the OST doesn't come out til January, but it gives me an excuse to scower every level so I can unlock the soundtrack for the game.
Music - 3/3

The graphics are amazing. Starting with the looks of the characters in the game, it looks cartoony. No more trying too hard to be realistic now that Yuji Naka is gone. All the humans look like they come straight out of a bugs bunny cartoon, so Robotnik actually fits in the world. Meanwhile.... The world is beautiful.... you can see SO FAR in every level, and the graphics of each level are so awesome. From running along an open tropical sea, to grinding down a vertical rail on the side of Big Ben. The "Hedgehog Engine" has an impressive draw rate and doesn't hinder load times like the graphics engine in Next-Gen did. Although... I did notice one or two frame rate slowdowns at some points, but nothing too bad. Meanwhile I managed to freeze the game once, but I believe that was the XBox that couldn't hangle it.
Graphics - 2.5/3

So, I kinda thought the story would be somewhat lame, but it actually turned out to be very good. While it had some serious points, it had a comical air about it that made me think; this is what they need to keep doing with the story. The interaction between characters was great, and there's even a point near the end of the game where Amy's like; "After you beat Eggman, can we go on a date?" And you pretty much either answer yes or no. I thought it was funny, and said yes for kicks. I'm not sure it could have been any better for this game, but it also kinda feels like things were lacking.... I'm not sure what, but still..
Story 3/4

Okay, here is the HUGE section. The game play. So there are 4 types of stages in the game. There's the village stages, you go to stores and buy random stuff you use for achievements or unlocking things, or perform random tasks for people. 2 special village stages called "capitols" is where the home base is usually located, where you can watch cut scenes, listen to music or look at art you've unlocked, while the professor is there to offer tips.
The second type of stage is the "entrance stage" You explore these to find the different acts of each level, you can also find unlockable things there, and get upgrades for new abilities (like the light speed dash.)
The third type; Sonic action stages. These are SO MUCH FASTER then any other Sonic game ever. So far the max speed I've hit on a level is ~2900mph but I swear it can go higher then that. I love how simple it is too, though I dislike how they put the homing attack on a seperate button. I got used to most of the changes pretty quickly. My favourite thing about boosting (if not the sonic boom effect show as soon as you start) is that, unlike Sonic Rush, you have to be smart about it. There are certain points you can boost, certain points you have to boost, and certain points where boosting usually = fail. I enjoyed the quicktime event parts where you had to press a combination of buttons, usually to take a faster, easier, more ring-filled path. And having the platforming sections, especially the 2D ones, made the game all the better. The camera isn't as bitchy as it is in other 3D games either. And I do love the wall jumping, and I'm glad I got to play Megaman X, cause the wall jumping in this is almost just like it. However, one thing I didn't like were some minor feel changes. The jump isn't as high as it was in other 3D games, and kills Sonic's momentum, which annoyed me because I'd usually use a jump and a homing attack to start myself off or speed myself off from a sudden stop if I didn't already start at full speed, but I like it for the control it gives on the 2D parts. Another very minor change is that for a little bit, the game felt almost a bit too smooth, but I got over that quickly.
Forth type; Werehog action stages. Most reviews claim these as repetitive and boring. Repetitive? Maybe, the combat really reminds me of a mix between God of War (especially with stronger enemies where you use your "F U" button and follow a combination of quick time events to take them down) and Gauntlet (but lets see you take out 10 different enemies in one blow WITHOUT using a turbo attack in gauntlet). Still the combat is repetitive, and only really starts to get good when you've leveled up your strength and combat skills. Meanwhile, the levels aren't all combat. There are puzzle/platforming sections, some of which are very difficult to get the hang of (i still can't stand tightrope walking.) And these sections are what made the werehog interesting. I mentioned in graphics that one of the day stages you got to grind down a rail outside the big ben? Well in a nighttime stage just before that, you get to climb the big ben from bottom up, and even walk along the hands of the clock. That was the highlight of the game as far as the werehog stages go.
They have a new "level up" element to the game as well. You get XP from most enemies you beat (you have a tendency to miss some as the werehog). You use the XP to add to different aspects of gameplay to extend gagues, or make Sonic faster, or add combos for werehog attacking, or make the werehog's attacks stronger. While tedious at first, I think it improved game play almost. They also have a level up for collecting sun or moon medallions throughout levels, which unlocks new levels. That one annoys me, you can't progress in the story without leveling sometimes, so I found it hard to get anywhere, but it gave me a chance to explore some new stages, and get a few of my first "S" ranks.
The final boss had 2 distinct phases; the first, you were a giant flying Stone Gundam. Odd, I know, but it was kinda fun. Mostly quick time events to dodge attacks and keep the final boss occupied, then on to a mini-stage where Sonic would run through as quickly as possible to hit its weak spot.
The second phase was the fun one. Supersonic flying a long side the gundam. You had to watch the Gundam's health bar as well as yours (which was weird, and started at half, but you could collect rings and get it to full as you made your way to the boss). Then, you had to fly a long a dome (the only part of the game the camera was really bitchy) and boost into several "eels." Then when you were done that (and it took awhile, especially because it was hard to get to them before the gundam lost all its health) had to do a series of quick time events to finally destroy the boss. This last boss was fun but could have been done a lot better.
Gameplay - 20/25

The little things now; I'm so glad some characters were never included. I was starting to get tired of Shadow and Rouge. And Knuckles never seemed to be where he SHOULD be in the game lore (guarding the master emerald on angel island) but turns out... THEY'RE ALL GONE. Amy's still around, and Tails of course has to be there (he's technically a playable character for a couple levels). I kinda miss Knuckles though. I'm so glad Sonic was pretty much the only playable character though. Robotnik made me laugh a lot. He's usually trying so hard to be a serious villain, and in this, he's definitely as comical as he should be. Meanwhile... There are 2 new characters, both look to be exclusive so that's fine. There's Chip... the "squirrel chao" as I've dubbed him, he's pretty much the entire comic relief in cut scenes, meanwhile he has the same role as Shara did in Secret Rings, that's as kind of a guide during levels whenever you need it. The other new character; the professor is actually kinda odd. He's got an asphyxiation with cucumber sandwiches and random souvenirs you bring him throughout the game to unlock new stuff, but I'm glad Tails, though smart, doesn't know EVERYTHING for once.
Disappointed for a couple things though... Unlocking movies, art and music... Gotta scower every level for stuff... I don't like the idea of that, at least not in Sonic levels. I just find it a waste of a good run to stop every so often to look for things. But I suppose it's worth it in the end. And the second is a very knitpicky thing... YOU DONT UNLOCK THE FUCKING LIGHT SPEED DASH TIL LEVEL 5. I thought this was a main staple of ALL 3D games, but NOOOOOOOO. It ticks me off, you'd think they'd just include it now without needing to unlock it. It makes me sad almost.
If there's anything I'm very thankful for it's the option of TURNING 4KIDS OFF. While I don't mind Mike Pollock... I HATE Tails' voice actor and... While I can tolerate Jason Griffith (now), he's still no Drummond, and I'd take japanese voice acting with english subtitles over him any day.
Misc. - 8/10

Overall - 36.5/45
I enjoyed it, yes. It's the first Sonic game in awhile I could beat within a week without the load times or the characters (or both) killing my interest in the game.
What could have been done differently;
This is a special section for just this game.... Cause I feel, while it's not necessarily a good game to revive the series, it's definitely a step in the right direction. Things I'd do differently; Put Tails in Sonic levels and for the 2D sections make it so there are certain places you can only get to if you have a second player at the helm to carry you places. (Although that might kill the flow of the level.) Second; lessen combat, speed up a little, throw in a couple shuttle loops and improve the puzzles, and you've got yourself some sweet Knuckles levels (as long as you keep the fucking treasure hunting out of it and make his climb a little more like Sonic Adventure 2 and a little less like the BS it was in Next-Gen)
....And they coulda made the light speed dash available off the start >=|