Sonic Unleashed ends the thread of bad 3d Sonic games and should please fans of the series, both new and old.
Sonic Unleashed begins with an incredibly awesome CG cutscence where Sonic the Hedgehog attempts to foil Robot-nik's latest plot for world domination. Right when Sonic has Robot-nik cornered, the devious doctor springs a evil trap that shocks the emeralds power out of Sonic and uses it to shatter the Earth into pieces. As result of the incident, every nightfall, Sonic transforms into werehog but, not before Robot-nik decides to rid himself of Sonic once and for all by sending the blue burr into space where he falls into the shattered Earth. The malicious Dark Gaia is released from Earth's core and the adventure begins.
As soon as the game starts, the graphics look surprisingly clear. As Sonic encounters his new friend Chip, the characters interact smoothly with crisp backgrounds surrounding them. Once Sonic gets to the actual levels, the graphics still manage to amaze. Enemies have believable animations and Sonic animates quite well during game play. Smooth transitions between frames give the game a great sense of speed that Sonic 06 couldn't handle. The presentation is top notch and fans should be pleased to see the graphics hold up in comparison to the PS3/X360 versions of the game. Please note that the Africa themed stage, Mazuri, is exclusive to the PS3/X360 versions. Other than that, Wii/PS2 owners shouldn't fear their versions of Sonic Unleashed.
The controls are rather solid. The Wii version offers the Wiimote, Wiimote/wNunchuk, Classic Controller, and Gamecube Controller as options, giving players many play styles to choose from. Everything runs smoothly and the new mechanics work wonders. Sonic's quick step, homing attack, sonic drift, and sonic boost all function properly and no glitches or collision issues spoil the experience. More often in the werehog levels, the Wiimote option offers moments of motion control where moving the Wiimote interacts with the gameplay. It works well and makes the game feel more interactive.
The game is blessed with a wonderful soundtrack. From the classic ring get tone, to the background music of the Great China Wall, Sonic Unleashed will please the ears of fans. The voice actors from the last adventure, Sonic 06, are here but, do a better job at bringing the characters life. Jason Griffin as Sonic isn't as ear shattering as before and Mike Pollock plays a good Robot-nik, as always. Sound effects range from classic to brilliant and the eerie themes of the night stages give the feeling of a werehog on the prowl.
The gameplay is what seals the deal. The daytime stages are fast and furious as Sonic burns blazing trails of speed, blasting through Bad-niks, grinding on rails, and gathering rings. The nighttime stages slow things down a bit for a more combat focus on gameplay. As a werehog, Sonic can stretch his arms to cross obstacles and fight enemies. He can also perform moves such as Were-wallop and Were-hammer. Sonic can chain attacks and use smaller enemies as weapons. The ranking system is back and the missions are back to being senseable. Racing the clock will thrill many fans of the franchise.
Sonic is back and better than ever. Running laps at day and taking names at night, Sonic Unleashed is a Sonic fans dream come true.