Sonic Unleashed

Conclusions

So, let’s weigh it up and get down to some basic maths. Admittedly my arithmetic skills are fairly limited and I never took my calculus skills further than a barely-scraped C at GCSE (which is why I’m a games journalist, not a games programmer), but I’m fairly sure I can manage this.

What we have here is two negative points, in the form of the overall plot and presentation of the game and the were-hog sections of the game that were clearly designed by a game designer at the end of his rope – and who arguably belongs at the end of another one.

Weighing against that though is the classic Sonic the Hedgehog segments which are so addictive and intoxicating they should be served in bars. These sections may not be perfect – may be a long, long way from it in fact – but they are at least fun and that’s more than you can say for the rest of the game.

So, that’s two negatives plus one positive. It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to figure out the answer isn’t going to be higher than six.


There are a few other factors here though, such as the graphics in the game. Sonic Unleashed is a really great looking game a lot of the time and the levels are long, complex and lavished with so much detail that you can still appreciate them from the corners of your eyes as you guide Sonic through another mad dash.

This attention to detail is far from universal though and there are definitely a few points in the game where the graphics end up causing detriment to the gameplay by dragging the framerate down through the floor like a pair of cement shoes. This happens both in certain game sequences when you see a lot of characters on screen at once, like when you take on certain arenas as Sonic the Were-flop, but also during certain in-engine cutscenes where you see Sonic the Were-flop up close.

If there’s one thing we really can’t stand then it’s console games which have inconsistent and flawed framerates. One of the biggest advantages of a console over a PC is that it is a closed system and the developers know exactly what hardware they are programming for. This should allow them to test the game performance exactly and reliably, picking up on framerate and technical issues immediately. That these moments of chugging gameplay remain is therefore totally unforgiveable in our eyes.


So, that’s three negatives now then? Hm, this maths thing is difficult to keep track of.

Arguably, Sonic Unleashed could get some lee-way on account of its casual appeal and the fact that the colourful animal characters, fantastical story and so on make it appear to be more of a kids game than a release for the hard or midcore gamers out there.

That argument doesn’t hold much value with us though and we reckon that the constant switching between the challenging race sections and boring fighting sections would put off casual gamers just as much as it does us. Sonic Unleashed puts itself in an awkward spot, annoying and boring seasoned players and proving too challenging and quick for the casual.

The Sonic franchise has been bled dry over the last few years and the development team behind the license has been straying further and further from what players actually want for a long time – just look at Shadow the Hedgehog, for example. There have been a few occasions when that rule has been bucked, mainly on the DS and thanks to the interference of BioWare.

As it is though, Sonic Unleashed isn’t an exception to this guideline – it’s just another sub-par point on a graph which is charting the slow and depressing decline of everyone’s favourite blue blur.

Score Guide