Zero Punctuation: Sonic Unleashed

[kyou42]

So which Sonic Unleashed did Yahtzee review? All he said doesn't really agree with the Wii version which is the better one. Though he included the wii cover in the video I really doubt that's the one he played. I don't remember any enemies healing themselves in the night levels which still sucked anyway, but the day ones were just awesome. There were no level (with the exception of the last one) that would kill you for missing a jump or not pressing something in time. The punishment for missing those jumps was just falling in an alternate route which would simply cost you a couple of seconds. You could basically beat all levels in your first try but normally only with a B or C score.

I honestly had never seen better level design in a Sonic game, pity that the night levels ruined everything.

But yeah, Yahtzee should really correct his mistake, that is of course if he did not play the Wii version as the video would lead you to believe.
This is honestly the first time I don't agree with one of his reviews as a whole.

He used the cover from the Wii version while doin' the 360 version, wich was actually far more superior to the Wii, an well in all ways better.

Not really. The 360 version is an unplayable mess when it comes to the day levels. The only reason it's more challenging is because, well, it's an unplayable mess!
Seriously, everything Yahtzee whined about was exclusively part of the 360/PS3 version. And it's not only him who says that, but all the other reviewers alike. I mean, for fuck's sake, the 360/PS3 version got a 3.5 on gamespot. That's exactly half of what the Wii version got.

The Wii version of Sonic unleashed is everything sonic is supposed to be: fun. Well, I'm only talking about the day levels though.

 

[Kanashe]

So which Sonic Unleashed did Yahtzee review? All he said doesn't really agree with the Wii version which is the better one. Though he included the wii cover in the video I really doubt that's the one he played. I don't remember any enemies healing themselves in the night levels which still sucked anyway, but the day ones were just awesome. There were no level (with the exception of the last one) that would kill you for missing a jump or not pressing something in time. The punishment for missing those jumps was just falling in an alternate route which would simply cost you a couple of seconds. You could basically beat all levels in your first try but normally only with a B or C score.

I honestly had never seen better level design in a Sonic game, pity that the night levels ruined everything.

But yeah, Yahtzee should really correct his mistake, that is of course if he did not play the Wii version as the video would lead you to believe.
This is honestly the first time I don't agree with one of his reviews as a whole.

He used the cover from the Wii version while doin' the 360 version, wich was actually far more superior to the Wii, an well in all ways better.

Not really. The 360 version is an unplayable mess when it comes to the day levels. The only reason it's more challenging is because, well, it's an unplayable mess!
Seriously, everything Yahtzee whined about was exclusively part of the 360/PS3 version. And it's not only him who says that, but all the other reviewers alike. I mean, for fuck's sake, the 360/PS3 version got a 3.5 on gamespot. That's exactly half of what the Wii version got.

The Wii version of Sonic unleashed is everything sonic is supposed to be: fun. Well, I'm only talking about the day levels though.

Ya do know that gamespot like IGN is run byt a bunch of pricks and assholes who can't judge or even give a game a good score. They're the same pricks who overhypped such bullshit as Halo,a game that doesn' even deserve any good score. And well, I don' know bout ya or Yahtzee an all his douchebaggery, but I had fun with the 360 version more, and well I didn' run in to any glitches or problems. Say what ya want, but I had fun, but hey, you have your own opinion and I have my own

 

[ohellynot]

i Didnt think that all of sonic's 3-D games were bad, I liked sonic adventure 2, it was awesome

 

[NoTroll]

Sonic is bad.




































End of story.

 

[Calidreth]

Yup, Sonic is finished, someone get the broom.

 

[Solaris Paradox]

With all due respect to Yahtzee and all of his fans...

...this review...

Makes me laugh. But I disagree, and Sonic Unleashed has wormed its way up to ninth on my Top Ten Favorite Games of All Time list. I admit that's partly because I'm a shameless Sonic fanboy, but it's also because I find the game awesome during the day stages and the average-at-best Werehog levels weren't bad enough to dull that awesomeness (that and I never have to touch the things with a ten-foot-pole again now that I've actually beaten the game).

I didn't have half as much trouble on my first time through as Yahtzee seems to have, but that's primarily because I kept the presence of mind to not spam the boost button the whole way.

Admittedly the Day Stages have problems:
- Hyper-linearity: as opposed to the multi-tiered stages of the classics, these stages are locked on a single path with the only "multiple routes" being slight diversions or different ways down the same road.
- Not enough platforming: Sonic is a flipping platformer, but almost of the platforming is focused in the Night Stages and in the last level of the game, which is a disappointment for me because I'm a big platformer fan.
- Those isolated moments of crappiness: mostly in the extra levels, the pure, undiluted trial-and-error portions or bland design that even I can't excuse. I also found the main "Shamar" level quite "meh" overall.
- Physics!: They work fine most of the time, but when a six-year-old Egyptian boy halts 300 miles-per-hour worth of momentum without budging or twitching an inch, you have to question the logic of even needing a supersonic hedgehog to save the world in the first place (GOD DARNIT YAHTZEE YOU REALLY MISSED A TRICK BY NOT MENTIONING THAT!!)
- The enemies suck: bland, pointless pushovers... these aren't enemies, they're @#$%ing stepping stones for the Homing Attack!
- The dash pads: when you have a flipping BOOST BUTTON that you can SPAM all the time, WHY do you need all of the dash pads in the first place?

As a final note, I would like to say that Sonic in a 3D environment can and has in the past worked fine. Sonic Adventure's Sonic-stages, though glitchy, worked well enough and were a promising start. The only real problem there was the glitchiness that pervaded that rushed Dreamcast release. Sonic Adventure 2 was okay, but I don't hold it in as high regard as some others.

Unleashed is pretty good--underrated in the media, overrated by the fanboys, in my humblest of opinions. I have to admit, Yahtzee--the first time I saw this review, I was PO'd and thought it was crap.

I got my sense of humor back sometime between then and now, though, so I got a good laugh out of it.

It's all fun and games until you review a game that I like... ^_^'

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch you trash a game that I HATE! *runs off to watch the Prince of Persia '08 review*

 

[Timme_Woot]

nice...

 

[Timme_Woot]

great vid, that i randomly found. keep up the good work

 

[mrfishyfish]

You know that ROM hack designed by Hitler you were talking about? Well I found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in6RZzdGki8

 

[KValentine]

The aging rock star bit in the beginning is suddenly relevant again given the alleged details of David Carradine.

 

[theunreliablecritic]

yahtzee should make fun of the crappy lyrics of the music in the 3D sonic games of today .........
.....along with the fact that steve urkel voiced sonic as a rockstar in one of the older shows.........................

 

[theunreliablecritic]

after i saw this laugh to death video , i embarked on a journey to destroy all of my sonic games .............................not really

 

[Kailon791]

this is one of the first games i 100% disagree with Yahtzee on. Sonic Unleashed is actually a really good game, in my opinion. The Sonic levels bring back what sonic games should be about; fast moving, quick reflexes, and many routes to get the goal of a 2D level. I'l even admit, the Werehog levels are ripping off God of War, but i think they do it pretty well. the combat is fun, easy to learn, and non repetative. Although you did forget to mention that the werehog levels are TOTALLLY ripping off Prince of Persia with the constant pole jumping, grabbing, and swinging. Even though the werehog is unorinal, i cant help but like this game simply because of the sonic bits. it successfully brings back what sonic was and should be in the future.

 

[MiloP]

this is one of the first games i 100% disagree with Yahtzee on. Sonic Unleashed is actually a really good game, in my opinion. The Sonic levels bring back what sonic games should be about; fast moving, quick reflexes, and many routes to get the goal of a 2D level. I'l even admit, the Werehog levels are ripping off God of War, but i think they do it pretty well. the combat is fun, easy to learn, and non repetative. Although you did forget to mention that the werehog levels are TOTALLLY ripping off Prince of Persia with the constant pole jumping, grabbing, and swinging. Even though the werehog is unorinal, i cant help but like this game simply because of the sonic bits. it successfully brings back what sonic was and should be in the future.

Well, I was gonna say pretty much this. But I'll say it again anyway.

Enough of the bullshit saying that Yahtzee "isn't a reviewer". Reviewers give their opinions on whatever they're reviewing, and that's what the man does. Even through his highly critical style and numerous complaints about EVERYTHING, he still does make a point. All of his reviews, when you REALLY look at them, are true, and all of his critisisms hold water. Yes, Halo 3 is not the gaming equivilent of simultaneous orgasms, moral choice systems are horribly flawed, and JRPGs are...well, JRPGs.

However, his view on this game and one other (Mirror's Edge) I think are very very wrong. He talks of Sonic Unleashed like just playing it will give you cancer, but its not true. I'm not saying Sonic Unleashed is perfect, but some of the daytime stages were absolutely outstanding, and, in fact, the experience of Sonic in the day was far more enjoyable then almost all of Half-Life 2. The werehog bits were functional, but annoying, and that's where the game fails.

Anyone who was thinking about buying this game and was put off by this review, don't be. There is fun to be had in this game, especially now its been reduced in price a great deal. The day stages show that Sonic Team still know how to make games, and hopefully they'll learn that lesson when it comes to Sonic Unleashed 2.

 

[thatstheguy]

I really hate it when people make fun of the stretchy arms thing, mainly because it's a game about a hedgehog that runs really fast. Granted, hedgehogs can run almost 30 MPH, I doubt many can break the sound barrier. Regardless, I guess I'll give the game a miss.

 

[Cutman]

Funny video but a terrible review, i guess he was in a pissy mood when he reviewed SU, because it's an amazing game. The daytime sequences have great visuals and level design and they're not even hard to navigate your first time through

 

[DefiantlyNotAnAlt]

What sega should start doing is making remakes of the 16-bit games, with no story or gameplay changes, but just better graphics, and some bugfixes. I'm sad that sonic has got into this slump of crap games.

 

[The Rex]

In case no one knew, Sonic Died in a tragic accident short after the Sega Genesis release of Sonic and Knuckles. This was all kept under raps by Sega, and Sonic Team, who managed to find a similarly blue hedgehog named "Spud's" who looked almost identical to Sonic in almost every way... other than the fact that Spud was a FLAMING HOMOSEXUAL!

Sonic Died, and Sonic Team needs to get over that! The pitiful attempts to reattain glory with piece o' crap games like Sonic unleashed does no one any good, except to have us old gamers who have a working Sega Genesis under our beds that on certain occasions we get out to relive the old days, playing sonic 1, 2, and 3, look down at him and shake our heads going, what the bloody hell happened to him? Sonic was so much better than Mario, he had a future, he could have been so much more! Instead he slowly died, leaving us with the piece o' spud that we have to deal with today. Sonic needs to be put down, he is DONE, of course we dont always get our way, if we did, then I would have brutally murdered Mario years ago...

BTW, great review Yahtzee! You have one of the best review video series I've run across, so Congratulations! Plus, you gave jack the nameless faceless dork award in 2007, so I have to love you.

p.s. You are so right LofS, No, if you want to play the old games, by Sonics ultimate gensis Collection, its on every system isnt it? and it only costs like 20 bucks at gamestop. Honestly.

-RTM

 

[lozfoe444]

Sad thing is everything he said is true and I still love this game.