Sonic Unleashed is Exactly Half Bad

[@gamingwithdream2005]

When Jason was recording the werehog lines, he was actually sick. I don’t remember the illness he had but it was messing with his voice and throat

[@spontman]

I vaguely remember hearing about that. Really paints a new perspective on the death scream. Poor guy.

[@gamingwithdream2005]

@@spontman Yeah, Sega’s treatment of their voice cast is very scary. Between this, Roger almost leaving the voice role two years ago due to the pay and just recently, finding out that Ryan almost came back to the role after Jason but Sega wanted him to leave his union. It’s awful in there.

[@spontman]

@@gamingwithdream2005 Every time I'm reminded of that fact about Ryan I get sad. Can't believe we almost had the GOAT back only for him to get screwed over like that.

[@jetskis6958]

I am pretty sure he had strep throat, poor guy

[@froster1247]

Thats sucks but it does give the werehog voice more character.

[@calsalitra4689]

Having replayed this game somewhat recently and making an effort to do the Hot Dog missions, here's the conclusion I came to: Unleashed is an amazing game to master, but every flaw it has comes together to make the first playthrough suck. I'll explain what I mean for both Daytime and Nighttime stages. For the Daytime stages, they have the same flaw that Sonic 1 has, in that the game doesn't want you to go fast. Gameplay mechanics encourage you to go fast, collecting rings and boosting and drifting and sliding your way to the goal. However, the boost is so fast that when using it you can't feasibly react to many of the obstacles. Thus, on a first playthrough you'll either boost and turn your brain into mush slamming into walls, or you won't boost and awkwardly jog your way to the end. Not boosting is the better option of course, but either way you aren't given a good impression. Of course, for every gameplay section there's someway to go fast as hell through them without losing your speed, and on that point I disagree about the level design. The level design is great when mastered since there's always a way to go through them quickly (in particular, the drift you criticized only requires you to stop boosting around that corner and start boosting again afterwards), but falls into the issue I mentioned earlier that on a first playthrough you won't know what combination of moves will work for this particular section. Mastering it feels great since you learn how you can go fast and never have to slow down, but for most players they'll experience the first playthrough and think "this sucks". For the Nighttime stages, they have the flaw of encouraging a glacial pace of progression. These stages being your primary source of XP and medals requires you to tediously comb through every last one of them while killing as many enemies as possible to level up. This pads out their runtime enormously, on top of the first playthrough issue of figuring out what to do. The frequent combat doesn't help matters, as well as the tendency of later levels to kill you instantly for screwing up. Of course, once you play through the stages to complete the Hot Dog missions or just to get an S rank, these issues largely disappear. Despite how long they drag on for a first playthrough, most of them are barely any longer than the Daytime stages when you aren't scouring for medals or killing unnecessary enemies, and the Werehogs moveset is surprisingly good at speeding things up. My favorites for this are the drill attack, uppercut, and one of the air combos. The drill allows you to make tight turns without giving up speed, the uppercut gives you more vertical distance than double-jumping and allows you to skip sections, and the air combo in question (the one where you spin and throw yourself forward) allows you to cross a surprisingly long distance. As a result, most Night stages are actually pretty dynamic. A first-time player can't possibly experience this though since they have to farm these stages for mandatory progression and XP to make future levels go faster. Mastering them feels great since you can time your Unleashed uses to blitz combat, bypass some of the puzzles, and speed through the ones you can't, but for most players they'll experience the first playthrough and think "this sucks". Ultimately, while the highs of Unleashed are the peak of the Boost formula (imo), they are unfortunately hidden behind the worst slogs as well. The best that Unleashed has to offer is more than enough to form a cult following, but you can't expect any reasonable player to get there when the journey is a slog.

[@LiveHedgehog]

These are exactly my thoughts. Unleashed is my favourite Sonic game, but probably entirely because I've played it so much that I know it like the back of my hand.

[@dmann2116]

I think you just summed up why I don't like the Werehog. I can't stand when games feel like they drag in terms of pacing, and it didn't give me any good first impressions. Even if the Werehog sections did get better the more you played....what's going to compel me to re-play a game I didn't like the first time?

[@LiveHedgehog]

@@dmann2116 imo this game is popular with people who played it as kids (e.g. me). You don't have the money to buy different games so you repeatedly play the ones you do, and you eventually learn to love it. I reckon Heroes is the same. They're not good games to play if you've got a big library and can't dedicate time to them.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@dmann2116 The reason for the Werehog is that without him the game would be too short.

[@dmann2116]

@@orangeslash1667 Yeah it would be, but I have the feeling reception for the game would overall be more positive rather than mixed

[@gokuuzumaki5748]

8:14 the funny thing about that is in the Japanese version Werehog has a different voice from Sonic, so they definitely could have got someone else, but I'm fine with it either way lol.

[@robertlauncher]

I get why people dislike Eggmanland, but I feel like it was what it needed to be for the time. If we had Eggman building this up since Adventure, and it was just another standard Sonic level that was completely fair and brisk, it would’ve been an absolute dud thematically. Instead, it’s big, loud, and designed to be cruel to the player and Sonic. It’s Eggman finally realizing his goal and throwing it in Sonic’s face as hard and nonstop as possible

[@williammartinez5243]

Wow, I did not expect you to like the werehog. Most people dislike it but to me its like playing smash bros in 3D

[@theonlyxenot]

I remember well in 2013 when I first saw that phase when Sonic was with Chip in that haunted house when Sonic turned into a werehog I was so scared that I went to my parents crying saying that Sonic is a monster. Ahh, sweet childhood, I miss those times.

[@fictionalmediabully9830]

"Sonic the Fast" - Spontman

[@Benjawin6671]

Let's not forget your ultimate reward for 100 percent NOTHING... not even a POSTCARD!

[@traviscunningham7062]

Not even playing as Tails?

[@legoboy7107]

Dang, not even the pointless postcard? Making Mario Sunshine's "reward" look decent in comparison lol.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@legoboy7107 There is an 100% completion reward for Sonic Lost World, but the getting the red rings is difficult.

[@MarkerMurker]

Thankfully, the PS2/Wii version gives you a really cool unique level to play for 100% completion

[@VampireA1056]

Sonic Unleashed is the GOAT and the Werehog is fire.

[@dotdotmod]

8:16 Actually, that probably isn't the reason since they didn't do that with Sonic's JP voice actor didn't voice the Werehog, instead he was voiced by Tomokazu Seki.

[@spontman]

Don't see how this disproves that. Could easily just come down to the US/JP localizers taking different directions.

[@w1k652]

I remember my opinion of Unleashed has always been what probably most people tend to remember the game for, the daytime stages being what started the successful "sonic is a car" formula, and the nighttime stages being a slow tedious mess that does not fit with the idea of what a Sonic game *should* be. Having a completelly flipped and objective take on it was very refreshing. Now while I am a huge fan of the "sonic is a car" formula and *will* put Unleashed on a pedestal for being the game that flagshipped it (or at least tried), I have to also admit that while I'm a huge fan of the 2D games, I did not get to experience the Adventure series at the right time for it to be meaningful to me, and can agree they transitioned the 2D gameplay into 3D much more faithfully than Unleashed ever could. However since at the time I experienced nearly everything modern Sonic had to offer (and that includes a million and one reimagining of the series after Heroes), the loss of core values was never something that ticked with me. The way I saw it, Generations carrying the Unleashed daytime formula on its back was proof that it does indeed work, but this is actually highlighting what is in my opinion the biggest issue with this series as a whole and why there is always so much crazy lack of consensus in the community. This series has gone through so many revisions that it managed to alienate literally everybody. Generations had to go as far as splitting the series into two very distinct gameplays to drive the point even further. While one can say this is objectivelly bad and the sad result of trying to keep a series relevant for multiple decades, it was ultimately always in Sonic's DNA to rebel against conventions and experiment to the extreme. Ultimately we all ended up cursed liking this series for one gameplay or another. SEGA will keep milking as they do, but the fans pursue for the magic bullet that makes the perfect Sonic game has never been any more alive, and this has lead to both incredible spiritual successors, and even just flat out incredible highs in Sonic related media. This series truly is and will continue being a rollercoaster in both literal gameplay and quality, for better and for worse. At this point I don't know if I'd want it any other way.

[@hackzicuackzicu1421]

16:11 YAAAAYYY IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO LIKES THE NIGHT STAGES

[@LiveHedgehog]

I didn't even realise you could homing attack the day bosses, I've always boosted into them. That's the intended way, anyway.

[@spontman]

I should've mentioned that you can do that too. In my experience I just found the homing attack to be less likely to kill me, lol

[@AlphaZeroX96]

There's nothing wrong with long levels.

[@robertlauncher]

This iteration of Orbot is criminally underrated Unapologetically snarky Orbot > Sometimes passive aggressive but mostly nice Orbot

[@GetemNewellRules]

Unleashed is one of my favorite games in the entire series, I love everything about it Story Art Style Writing Hub Worlds Day Stages Night Stages, I never really got the hate for the Werehog, guess it just isn’t for everyone

[@traviscunningham7062]

What about Mario Galaxy?

[@romeoramirez69420]

Did you know that in the daytime bosses you can actually boost into them and can deal way more damage?

[@QvartzEDM]

I agree Werehog is actually rather enjoyable. The platforming actually fully WORKS for the first time in a Sonic game since like SA2. I think if it had been Knuckles instead of Werehog, people might’ve been more receptive. Buuuut like you mentioned, the “Sonic’s friends are holding back Sonic games” narrative was in full effect after ‘06.

[@elibonham4388]

The werehog is pretty damn good when compared to other beat em ups. Its one of the better none sonic content in the series god i absolutley love this game. This and sa2 are amazing

[@mattxtra]

heres how to fix the xenia thing, press f5 and it'll refresh the caches.

[@janitoalevic]

10/10, played first the Wii version (without finishing it) and this year I finished the HD version on the Xbox Series, this game NEEDS a port, it's really a great game despite its flaws.

[@sonicfanfirst]

I just realized you reached 2k subscribers! Nice! 😮👏🏻

[@KingTvlip]

I have some things I would like to note/correct in your video, as I find them to be slightly false or miss informative in some cases, and I'd like to give my two cents on the matter. 1:52 Xenia is quite unstable when running Sonic Unleashed, that's why it's required to use the Canary build of the emulator. While yes, the installation process is quite a hustle, it's definitely worth it, since it is able to run the game in 100+ FPS in its original resolution using Vulkan renderer, and without any major visual bugs that often happen when using D3D12 Renderer (like the ones shown in your footage). 3:15 Unleashed is indeed the first instance of Tails and other side characters getting sidelined or altered to suit the narative. While nearly not as terrible as his character assassination in Forces, it did start the trend of Tails being the tutorial man. 8:15 Funilly enough, the Werehog has a different voice actor in the Japanese version of the game, and it does indeed help a lot to differentiate the two iterations of Sonic. One can only wonder why SEGA of America didn't hire a 2nd voice actor for their localization of the game. 10:04 The HUB worlds are indeed less of a HUB and more of a 3D stage selector. While not obtrusive or downright boring like the ones in SADX, they are a good medium between a simple stage menu and a world HUB. Plus they include platforming challenges that help newcomers use the abilities they unlock throughout the game 17:10 The Wii version actually fixes this issue by not only splitting the stages in multiple acts, but also by having more time to breathe per stage fights, allowing you to fully enjoy the night OST. 19:31 The homing attack strategy in Day bosses is actually the slowest way to beat each Boss. You can instead full on boost on every opening and send the bosses flying, and if you continue boosting you can two-shot them 21:28 Yeah, similarly to Sonic 2, this game falls flat on it's face in the final stage/boss. Another point for the Wii which has a much less annoying and fairly fair Eggmanland and Dark Gaia fight. ALSO GIVES YOU THE S RANK FIRST TRY NO NEED TO REPLAY! Overall, great review, loved hearing your thoughts!

[@spontman]

The Xenia footage in this video IS from Canary. Maybe it's improved since, but at the time when I was recording footage I was consistently getting this issue no matter which version I used.

[@KingTvlip]

@@spontman It has greatly improved since, and it wasn't that buggy back then as far as I recall, you should give it a try in the future, it deserves a second look, and is the best way to play Unleashed with mods and without selling your soul for a series X

[@theplaceofwoa]

2:08 thought I wouldn’t notice that the scream in the background music perfectly aligns with sonic getting the chaos emeralds removed and screaming?

[@downfallmandf9705]

Great to see my favourite Sonic game reviewed with the SAME EXACT gripes that I have with it! Also, a note, but you can actually hit Day bosses in different ways! Or, well, at least that's what I found out with the Egg Beetle. Basically, you can boost up to them, stop the boost, wait for them to ready an attack and then boost into them again. They'll be sent hurdling and bouncing back and you can keep boosting into them 3 more times before you're back to the normal structure. Felt like you'd like to know since you were talking about the "limit" on hits you can give to a boss

[@hellacia8151]

For the daytime stages, I learned that you have to approach them as sonic controlling like a car - X is your gas, B is brakes, and drifting is for nailing the corners. It's very weird but the more and more you play, the more it comes to you. Though I will play with the generations physics mod as it fixes the control issues the game has. For the night stages, don't compare them to other sonic games, rather other beat em ups at the time. It's still great, but nothing on the level of Bayonetta, Hi-Fi Rush, etc.

[@bobbob8944]

i don't think Jason likes 06. but don't quote me on this 😅

[@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemon]

I loved the Wii version and thought the Werehog stages were the more fun half of the game with the boost stages being some of the best "standard" Sonic gameplay in the franchise par maybe SAB2 and now Frontiers.

[@legoboy7107]

The Wii version of Unleashed is very underrated, and also kinda misunderstood when it comes to the daytime gameplay which is a very different game from the HD version.

[@kakhome1]

I'd recommend trying Unleashed Project for Sonic Generations. It does not have the Werehog combat or the quicktime events for instance. Also what's your favorite 2D and 3D Sonic games? Just something I'm interested to know in general. :) Good review of Unleashed, I agree with regard to the vanilla game.

[@traviscunningham7062]

His favorite 3D game is Adventure 2.

[@electromagneticpsychopath4973]

I'd much rather play the actual game than play a mod

[@joshwillcox7141]

You basically just outlined why I vastly prefer the Wii version. Better level design, a controllable Sonic. A bosst that isn't overpowered with speed that is earned through good character control, less bs slow combat that just repeats for 20 minutes, an actual good final boss, NO FORCED MEDAL PROGRESSION.

[@spontman]

I definitely need to play that version at some point...

[@joshwillcox7141]

@@spontman kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYSqkpKLfKagq9U If I could recommend this video dissecting why the day stages are damn near perfection, it should clarify just why it's so satisfying to master. It's the only Sonic game I really enjoy time attacking.

[@paulo547]

A contrallable Sonic? I'm sorry, Sonic's controls in this game is just ass. You struggle by trying to turn with daytime Sonic. Also, i hate how you have to spam the boost.

[@joshwillcox7141]

@@paulo547 cool. If it ain't for you I get it. It's the only version of the boost I can somewhat tolerate, since it actually requires strategy as to where and when to use.

[@clasherinotheone5249]

Yoo but the night stages feel like ass And I rather play the version that handles both well

[@DearMink_X]

I legit only had to go back for medals ONCE, for the jungle joyride day stage. I don't see what everybody's complaing about

[@Dweble_pebble]

Least that means it's half good 😅

[@whowasinparis2618]

This game was so close to being my favorite sonic game and I was never a big fan of the werehog but that didn’t ruin it for me the one thing that ruined it for me were those damn sun and moon medals

[@traviscunningham7062]

You might like the Wii version more because you earn medals after doing good on the levels.

[@buffkangaroodog]

You can NOT call Sonic slippery and complain about the drift while showing clips of you exclusively using it while nosing lol Unlike colors and gens, unleashed expects you have enough sense to slow down for turns

[@LycanFerret]

Agreed. Mazuri's 2nd Day level is supposed to teach you drifting, if you didn't play it well I could see why you'd be an Unleashed drift novice. But the whole point is that Sonic maintains momentum when drifting, like actual physics. If you boost, then stop boosting right before drifting, then boost once running, and repeat, you can do sick S shaped drifts constantly. No flying off the level, no uncontrollable slipperiness. Smooth gliding.

[@LycanFerret]

I am a bit sad that he didn't mention any of the hub world mini stages though. From book collecting, to orange collecting, to rescuing people. The Shamar sister one is definitely the hardest level in the entire game. Like you need to take every single skip possible - even ones you cannot see, you cannot make 1 mistake, and you need to boost constantly. Honestly, imo, if you can't beat that level you don't deserve to review the game.

[@SaddieMoon]

16:08 Lol, and this was the part I assumed what caused that “is exactly half bad” statement in the title.

[@blur7491]

I know this is quite late, but the issues with Xenia can be instantly fixed by pressing F5 whenever the vertex explosions happen. I have no idea why that works, but it does.

[@spontman]

I'm aware, but reaching over to my keyboard to do that every time it happens (which from my experience is a lot) wasn't really feasible since I play with a controller. Also, I didn't mention it in this video, but the emulator would also crash randomly in the werehog stages which is... not ideal to say the least.

[@rileyhoward7344]

you have exactly the same view on this game as i first did as a kid - don't take this the wrong way, i'm not saying it's a childish point of view, rather that i'm glad that someone agrees with me !! i always preferred the night stages (or the one singular that i played before deciding i'd beaten the "final boss", that being the big gaia monster at the end of the stage, and shutting the game off until further notice) because they were slower, and i found sonic's speed to be entirely unruly and difficult to control. i hadn't played any other sonic games aside from advance 3 when i was very small, hell, i hadn't played many games at all as a kid, so i don't think that helped my stance on it, but i did find that regular sonic went way too fast and i'd freak out and miss qtes, fall off the stage, and just suck in general with no real idea on how to predict what was coming, because i didn't want to go back to those stages again, knowing i'd die a million times

[@andersonsansonowski5644]

for sonic's rolling to a ball atributes I think all I need is sonic spinning in one comon move

[@DrCoeloCephalo]

I honestly think I prefer spindashing momentum over boost as well. Genuinely surprised you enjoyed the Werehog levels.

[@appliedatoms7066]

I don't have a problem with saying that the day stages aren't really a sonic game because it forgoes what makes sonic sonic. I may not agree, but I see the logic. But if that's the logic, if that's the standard, you simply can't say that the night stages work better in this regard. By what possible metric are the elements used to objectively measure the "sonic-ness" of the werehog stages more present than they are in the day?

[@SaddieMoon]

15:21 I disagree on this point like how I agree with Tails should be able to ride his mech. Sonic is known for his speed more than rolling into a ball, and he still curls for homing attacking and jumping. Besides, I don’t believe a character needs to be consistent in playstyle as long as they are fun to play as. Sonic the Fast is just as Sonic, even more so in my opinion of who the character is than, Sonic the Hedgehog.

[@phil_is_coding]

Man, Werehogs are so cool, I wish they were in real.

[@ArcChristelle]

In Sonic Unleashed, one of the most super important high level skills in the game is learning when to release the boost.

[@chadisnotachad]

Great video, Jason Griffith really hit his stride around 2008. Right before he was replaced 🙃

[@PeteyPirahna77]

No joke, the thing that turned me off from this game wasn't even the mediocre werehog levels, it was the stupid QTE segment with Tails' plane. The second I saw that I dropped the game and realized it just wasn't going to be fun lol.

[@FelixTugaYT]

I have to disagree... I love the werehog

[@spontman]

I like it too!

[@FelixTugaYT]

@@spontman I meant agree!

[@RandomRabbit1248]

If it’s possible to play the dlc stages on Xbox series x, you should try to play them. Also, great video. :)

[@forgottengenesis3684]

Watching this video, i will admit you make some very solid points, in my eyes the game is incredible and my favourite in the series (ik wht u lot will say but i was born in 2008 so i wasnt there for the days of the adventure games), i agree with a lot of the your arguments whether positive and negative. The day stages in my eyes are incredible except for empire city and arid sands day and yes the homing attack being on x is weird and the drift is loose (which they came to perfect in generations) but everything else i think is better than what they did with colours and generations. Sun and moon medals in these stages though are terrible i agree, its awful to kill the fast placed flow to stop and get one. All the stages are very replayable and very fun (rooftop run act 1 is a masterpiece and i will fight people on that). The night stages are extremely long sometimes but honestly because im having such a good time i barely notice how long the stage is, the combat is unique and sonic has a varying movset, the puzzles are great. Like you said, sun and moon medals are great in these because the werehog stages are a lot more slow paced and often encourage exploration. I will say due to how long they are i personally struggle with replayability after playing them once and i have the battle theme engraved in my head with how much its used. The day bosses are all really good, i noticed you didnt seem to like them and when you were talking abt them i noticed the reason why is because of the homing attack killing momentum, well something that is never stated though heavily implied is you can boost into the bosses to deal damage. Their is something rly satisfying of sonic boosting into the bosses and them continuously get more damaged by hitting the enviornment and sonic being able to continuously boost towards them and hit them again, repeating this cycle a few times (for instance sonic boosting into the egg beatle knocks it backwards as it hits the floor, the structures set up on the path and even tree branches as its body becomes more destroyed). The night bosses however can fall flat sometimes, dark gaia phoenix is pretty good, dark moray isnt terrible, dark guardian is pretty bad, the egg dragoon is one of my favourite bosses of the series, the fact that eggman finally accomplished his dream of building eggman land and sonic came and destroyed it contributes as to why this is one of my favourite, this off the top of my head is the only time i think eggman has been this rageful and dead set on killing sonic, to the point where sonic notices and has to tell him to simmer down. Sonic in this fight is also a lot more serious than normal, instead of hitting his robots until they explode, he tears off pieces, smashes parts up and even cracks the protective glass on the egg mobile (honestly the video by niknok explains why the egg dragoon in unleashed is incredible way better than i can). The story of the game is really good, gives more lore on the chaos emeralds and the planet, (yes a spanner got thrown into that with frontiers but still) and developed sonic as a more mature and growing character (until colours and future games came that turned around in this but hey frontiers at least fixed this problem). The music is all really great, endless possibilities is the highlight for sure but other themes like the orchestral version of endless possibilities in the final boss, rooftop run day, the egg dragoon, windmill isle night, cool edge day, dragon road night+day and skyscraper scamper day are also really good, i could go on about them, the way that all the music of the stages is performed using instruments from the places they were inspired by is a really neat touch. The hub worlds are all great and add a lot of character with the npc's of the respective locations and the varying collectables having to do with the different cultures. Finally the final boss of perfect dark gaia, is the second best in the series for me (you can ask which is my favourite if you rly want), first of all the tension is through the roof, you restored the last chaos emerald and think you saved the planet but in reality you were too late and dark gaia has fully reformed sonic has the energy infused into him taken away just making dark gaia stronger and removing the werehog form from sonic. Sonic realising the magnitude of situation has basically given up telling chip to run, but then he assembles the Gaia colossus and i will say, this part of the boss is fine... the first part of the boss is good, i will say the sections where sonic has to reach one of dark gaia's eyes are definitely great, giving a sense of desperation as the clock is ticking down for sonics window of attacking dark gaia, chip approaching dark gaia is good, the laser beam is deadly if you dont block it in time, the fireballs are ok and the qte's are all really distinct in the animations and just when you think you won, you couldn't be more wrong as dark gaia clouds the world in darkness and transforms (in a quite horrifying transformation) into perfect dark gaia. Sonic then gets serious going super and then... it begins playing. Super sonic vs perfect dark gaia is the best final boss theme ive ever heard and it further raises the quality of the boss, breaking the forcefield is a great part of the boss, chip sounding to be struggling more the less health he has is a nice add and the fact it takes even super sonic multiple hits to kill each of the tentacles emphasises the strength of perfect dark gaia. I will say the camera is terrible for this part so its not perfect. Then dark gaia grabs chip once the laser is down and gets ready to point blank blast him with a laser which wow no chill from this, and sonic sounds more desperate as he tells him he'll be right there. The pressing x 60 times is a speedrun to carpel tunnel but okay ig. The 'grand finale' though is a little dissapointing with sonic just flying into dark gaia, i wish he did more but still the following cutscene of him blasting through dark gaia is a good way to end the boss. The end of the boss is perfect, sonic passes out from the exhaustion and leaves his super form falling towards the core which i want to say wow, this was the only time even super sonic got pushed to his limit and if he didnt have help from chip, it would have meant that perfect dark gaia itself was stronger than super sonic, and their fairwell is so heartfelt. Overall yes, while i agree in some aspects the game is flawed still i really love it and it is my favourite sonic game, i dont think the entirety of the hate is justified and im really happy that as of recent years people have came around to see it as the near masterpiece i have for a while. I will say though, the game on the second playthough is light years better than the first and for me at least was the reason why i realised how much i loved this game (imo 9.5/10 game).

[@BraydenAtcison]

Ok my take is poeple arent look at this game right I think that sega/the sonic team tride to make a harder sonic game while adding the bost to 3d games. So to stop the player from bosting through the whole game (froces) they added extra slip abd corners so you need to use the boost when it allowed you to also night time stages I love because i look at them as a slower more strategic platforming as sonic has now lost most of his speed so but increased strength he cant rush though and the parkpour is so fun

[@Colekole]

Nope best game of the series i do not care if you have the best valid reason why you slightly dislike it im baised for this game if you ever say this game is bad in the slightest no just no

[@keeby4]

Rpcs3 is what I used to play the game for the first time, with the right settings it never crashes and the resolution can be set higher, but the fps is more or less like the original.

[@spontman]

This is why Unleashed needs a PC port badly.

[@davidav1d]

You can play on Xenia with a patch, crash free

[@forgives12]

@@davidav1d If you have a US/JPN copy of the game, then you can use the patches

[@davidav1d]

@@forgives12 no its a patch that makes the Vulkan API work on Nvidia GPU’s. Except the resolution is a little bit blurrier than Xbox and the werehogs fur looks off.

[@orysir]

Cant agree more, but, i must add, that for me unleashed is unplayable even in night sections because how poor optimization was, its just painfull to fight in 10fps. And boost lvl designe from Sonic Team just isnt fun (In rush it was better), i think boost whould be neat mechanic if there was platforming lvls and sometimes boost lvls, like Tornado from SA1 or chase from SA2. Its just not that good mechanic to hold whole game. But thats just my opinion.

[@Abralake]

I hate how Sonic has the boost formula now when I think it would be a better idea to give it to Silver instead. It would make more sense and it would bring back a character that would have been an amazing staple to the series if it wasn't for the poor quality of Sonic 06. Sonic should be controlling how he does in the Genesis and Adventure games anyway. Additionally, I think the positive reception for this game is from nostalgia, considering there is no reasonable way to play it with modern hardware. Most people remember the good times they had playing many years ago, choosing to forget all the bad.

[@johnathonturner2279]

Silver? Boost? That makes no effing sense. Silver was practically built to be slower. The Boost makes most sense for the guy that is DEFINED by his speed. Also, the Adventure controls are overrated.

[@-oldhope-]

criminally underrated video

[@jetskis6958]

I understand where you are coming from, the werehog is definitely not for everyone. Personally I love this game, it is by far my favorite. But I do get where you are coming from

[@JJFBlaster]

Still find it funny you have difficulty in getting footage in the best possible quality.

[@johnnycakemusic4069]

Xenia Canary. That's it

[@spontman]

You'll never guess what the Xenia footage in the video is from

[@andersonsansonowski5644]

Sonic Unleashed's day stages are better than generations because you don't have plataofrming filler that breaks the pace of the game: it is just reaction based gameplay and even when there is platafroming, it doesn't break the pace of the game

[@Faisalthefist]

It is Microsoft’s problem because they did the fps boost and 4k for generations

[@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemon]

720p 30FPS is actually pretty good, especially for those of us who can't see past 30FPS. Seriously, there are a lot more important things in games that FPS and I adamantly hate the crowd who automatically says any game not running at at least 60FPS to be some of the worst and most annoying people in the Gaming community.

[@spontman]

I can live with 720p. I can also live with 30FPS in games that don't need it. But a fast-paced, reaction-based game like Sonic greatly benefits from a higher framerate. More frames doesn't just equal a smoother video, it also allows more frames for the game to detect your inputs, which DIRECTLY impacts gameplay. If the problem doesn't affect your experience, more power to ya, but that doesn't mean others are making it up.

[@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemon]

​@@spontmanIf people can say this about game difficulty and attack people for playing an easy with it, then I think it'll be okay if I say it here Ahem Git gud

[@spontman]

@@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemon The game dropping your inputs isn't the player's fault. A higher framerate isn't a crutch, it just realizes the player's intentions better.

[@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemon]

​​@@spontman've simply never had an issue with games at 30FPS not inputting the way I expect them to. Maybe I'm just used to the slower framrate and automatically compensate for it by pressing the button at an earlier necessary interval? I'm really just guessing as to how it works since I can't see the difference in framerate and personally have never played the same exact game at two different framrates. Like the closest thing I have for comparison is Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2 on PS2 versus their Final Mix versions on PS4 and I have see no notable input change to me between those versions, but they are technically different games on different consoles so that's probably not a fair comparison. I own DMC1 for both PS2 and Switch(Which I've heard does actually run it at 60FPS consistently) so maybe I could try playing both versions and see if I can tell any notable differences on my inputs? Edit: Nevermind apparently the PS2 could run some games at 60FPS and Devil May Cry was one of those games, which only confuses me more.

[@clasherinotheone5249]

@@AlastorNahIdWinRadioDemonthat’s normal metroid prime was also running with 60 frames but games that pushed the console to the limit always run with 30

[@ArcChristelle]

Also while Sonics name is not the fast, it's also not Sonic the rolling. When he jumps, he forms a ball. That's enough.

[@baylordiamond8819]

while I do agree with a lot of what you say, I felt a lot of your critique was taken from epg's much more in depth 2 hour cruitiqe.

[@spontman]

I didn't take anything from anywhere besides my own experience with the game.

[@baylordiamond8819]

@spontman OK it just felt like a very similar critique, I guess it's just a coincidence

[@-oldhope-]

WIZARD BEATER SIMULATOR

[@julianx2rl]

Bro did not* apologize!

[@traviscunningham7062]

Honestly, I’ve never played Sonic Unleashed because I was disappointed that Knuckles didn’t make an appearance. He’s my favorite Sonic character.❤️

[@spontman]

He would've been such a great pick for the brawler stages, but alas...

[@traviscunningham7062]

Agreed. That’s why I prefer Mario Galaxy. That game gave Mario a combat spin move.

[@orangeslash1667]

@@traviscunningham7062Sega said that they only wanted Sonic to be playable, and thats how the Werehog was made.

[@Genesis-XE]

@@traviscunningham7062Knuckles and Shadow were originally gonna be in Unleashed but were cut

[@traviscunningham7062]

I know that.

[@Faisalthefist]

Nah it’s the perfect game

[@PeteyPirahna77]

it's 6/10 at best

[@teknocanadian]

i actually hate the puzzle platforming and like the combat

[@Gamingwithahandicap]

I really hope Sega remasters this game next to me this is the last time Sonic was Sonic and not just some cocky cringey jerk

[@524caret]

the storybook erasure is insane...

[@mania4270]

But that's the point, that wasn't sonic. Sonic had no personality. He was just diet Goku. Sonic adventure - heroes has good stories, somewhat. But 06 and unleashed are just bad. They took the stories way too seriously yet forgetting to have any interesting characters. I'm glad that changed sonic. Focus on gameplay instead of shitty cutscenes and some story that really doesn't matter

[@Gamingwithahandicap]

@@524caret talking about mainline games

[@Gamingwithahandicap]

@@mania4270 are you kidding me adventure 1 2 and unleashed most of all is when Sonic was Sonic a real character, colors ruined him by making him cringey Sonic was always supposed to be an anime type hero not a character meant for 5 year olds like how he was in colors and everything after that, he has absolutely no personality after unleashed

[@traviscunningham7062]

At least Mario isn’t cringey (unless you count SMG4 Mario).

[@Dektoonics_inc.]

Memorable take

[@moesabally1502]

Should have used xenia canary.

[@spontman]

I did

[@JustJulyo]

The most sonic game of all time

[@SonicTheCutehog]

Unleashed is the very definition of mid

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

*average

[@SonicTheCutehog]

@@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroelSame thing

[@JoseGregorioValeroVillarroel]

@@SonicTheCutehog Do you think the game itself is better with mods? I mean, I found in a video about a mod that revamps completly Daytime Sonic's physics and controls while not ditching the feeling of the game. It's called: Refined controls 2.0

[@cashbrady4074]

hell nah its 100 percent good except for the forced medal collecting just take osme time to play and actually learn and flesh out there werehog

[@virtualashez]

I'd say it's only slightly good. The medal collecting really makes me mad, and the only things good about the game are the story, music and day stages. I prefer Shadow the Hedgehog.

[@spontman]

Shadow the Hedgehog???

[@virtualashez]

@@spontman I have more fun in Shadow the Hedgehog than in Unleashed. (Shadow is one of my favourite Sonic games, though, so I may be biased)

[@TheSultan1470]

​@@spontman Sure, yeah

[@best_mate456]

Daytime 😊 Nightime 🤮

[@reggielacey2235]

unleashed was great

[@culturalist]

how do you not find yourself insufferable

[@bunsmasterbunny]

Disagree. Sonic should be serious and with dark elements.

[@traviscunningham7062]

This is why I prefer Mario. He’s more lighthearted and cartoony. If I wanted to play something serious with dark elements, I would rather play Zelda.

[@seilaporratantofaz]

Lol

[@bunsmasterbunny]

@@traviscunningham7062 Good for you. Sonic's not supposed to be like that though.

[@Prime_Legend]

I agree. I think people overhype lightheartedness in sonic. The sonic series IMO never really had GOOD COMEDY, so I didn't enjoy it much when the stories were lighthearted and goofy. Only exception is heroes, which tbh can be funny at times, and the characters have amazing banter, both in cutscenes and in gameplay. But overall the strength of Sonic stories from from its cool moments, character interaction, and the seriousness which warrants these good characterisation moments. Example I think of this are SA1&2, Sonic riders zero gravity, Sonic and the secret Rings, Sonic Black Knight, and even Sonic Battle.

[@ClaytonKay_Music]

Woot!