💯 Download Fishing Clash FOR FREE on your iOS/Android device: fishingclash.link/AustinEruption and use my gift code FISHWITHAUSTIN to get an awesome reward for a total value of 20$! 🐟 SONIC IS HERE, BUT NOT THE NEW SONIC BECUASE I WANTED TO PLAY THE OLD ONE. I'm really enjoying doing these deep dives, especially if it's on a game that has a bit of a controversial "story". If y'all keep digging these, you'll sure as heck see more. Lemme know what you thought and if there's any games you'd like to see! The backlog is piling up.
Sonic Unleashed is one of those games where it doesn’t matter if people like or dislike the game, but if they say the OST is bad, they’re objectively wrong.
This game was actually my first Sonic game when I was a kid.... I remember a friend of mine said that the werewolf was dope and cool and sure was. Still remember liking the werewolf levels more than actual Sonic.
I'm convinced that people that day the werehog is bad just dont enjoy action games, because it was more or less a sonic game n action game 2 in 1, although it had some flaws.
The main problem with humans in Sonic games, is the fact that Eggman actually looks like a cartoon. He was designed that way. Adding realistic-looking humans... doesn't work. Unleashed makes him blend a loooooot better, so it's absolutely fine. The only missed opportunity here, is not having more Sonic look-alike citizens. And not just Sonic friends. But I guess the backlash from '06 made the team afraid to try that route. And yet, later in Forces, that's all we got lol.
@@Aranesque Uh, this isn't Sonic 06. The humans here *are* cartoony, there is literally no way they could make them fit any better, they're already perfect.
My issue is Sonic Team is clearly capable of more unique designs that aren't human, so it just feels lazy when they don't use them. I also don't like thinking that Sonic's world is our world and humans ruin that illusion for me. But as far as humans in Sonic games go, these are probably the best blended with the Sonic style.
unironically adore the werehog's design and I wish it had more of a place to exist in canon as something, even just the basis for a new character. sonic is a character who's cute but cool, and the werehog is cool but cute, and i really like that balance. like he's supposed to be edgy and badass but he's still so like.... friendly, and he's so fluffy and has such a doggish energy that it's really endearing. and, i mean, it just rules when a design has sick claws and fangs and stuff
@@wanderingshadow1372 In fairness, it's easy to argue it's the actual lowest point in the franchise Definitely the peak of decadence as far as story and boost gameplay goes But it does get overplayed a fair bit, so even I get frustrated at it
8:55 _I think Chip adds a lot to Unleashed, and to this day is still the best side-kick Sonic's ever had, the writers really nailed down a genuine bond between him and Sonic, shame we'll never see him again in another game._
Is that taken from a forum post? I remember seeing a comment just like that over a decade ago. I've also generally seen the same point made by few people, and I agree entirely (at least in 2008).
19:13 To clarify, Adabat's devastating framerate issues affects both HD versions on their native systems. It's so infamous that fans essentially used it as the litmus test for the Series X patch's performance fixes.
And the series x pulled through for everyone right? I recently replayed unleashed on my series c and had tons of fun because the graphics were upped and I didn’t experience a single crash or frame drop that I can remember. If there were frame drops they were in parts that didn’t matter at all otherwise I would’ve remembered them
Yeah, I actually don't recall anybody complaining about them cartooning up the humans, primarily because I absolutely remember people complaining about the more realistic humans in 06 just chilling with Sonic et al. Particularly the princess. Particularly when they kiss.
@@AzraelNewtype0079I dislike the pixar look they gave, it's way too cartoony and goofy. And yes, I know Sonic and co are cartoony oversized anthros, but the whole point of Sonic's art direction was merging his cast with a surrealistic environment and also surrealistic-looking humans. It is a contrast indeed, but that's what makes the series art direction appealing. While unleashed had surrealistic environments, they should've made the humans more grounded, not like 06 but like Merlina(black knight), Shahra(secret rings), or Maria from SA2/Shadow the hedgehog. Basically a more anime aesthetic similar to older Final Fantasy games.
I played the ps2 version in my childhood and recently got it emulated on my steam deck. I am happy to say that i was not blinded by nostalgia and the game was still a blast to play. It just felt weird that one of the villages was reduced to a single eggman stage plus another one missing completely, but that's fine for me as a trade off for no annoying collectables mid level. Also eggmanland in this version is just such a cool stage and so fun to master.
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly I have both ps2 and Wii versions and both are the same. The only difference is that the Wii version has optional motion control support and slightly better lighting. The level design and the content in both versions is exactly the same though.
@@sonicmaiden2871 oh than i have the best version now. smaller werhog section,no open world to run around,shorter,no motion comtrol and better end boss
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly I agree! I enjoyed the ps2/Wii version the most honestly. I just find this version less frustrating and overall more fun than the HD version. Also I thought that the motion controls in the Wii version were really fun despite making my arms tired sometimes (at least the game offers the option to switch to a regular controller). I've played the ps2, Wii, ps3 and java mobile versions of Sonic Unleashed by the way.
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly not only were they the same game, the engine for that game is what gave the Wii Colors. Which is probably the best Nintendo exclusive Sonic game they ever got....
The context of the time period really hurt the reception of Unleashed. After the disaster of 06 and the underwhelming release of Secret Rings, the public was not terribly inclined to cut another Sonic game any slack when it (seemingly) was making the same perceived mistakes as previous games via the Werehog gimmick. The quality of the Daytime stages meant it did critically okay (and that it sold quite well), but even with all the heart and ambition the game had, critics and casual fans just saw another needless gameplay experiment that was detracting from the speedy platforming many preferred they focus on. A solid title, but one whose very premise meant it was in an uphill battle against a public that was not interested in giving it the benefit of the doubt.
Fun fact: concept art for the human NPCs was done by Gurihiru, and they look great. I think something about the transition from 2D art to 3D models made them less appealing.
I was one of the few who played both the ps2 version and HD port. The ps2 version wasn't horrible and looking back, I had some amazing times with it, but man...the HD edition feels like a whole different game. Especially that opening cutscene.
I truly respect your dedication Austin, since as much as I dig Sonic Unleashed (mostly the day stages), it’s probably one of the most tedious and difficult Sonic games to 100%. Medal hunting, tons of both mandatory and optional stages to get an S-rank, Eggman Land…man, I’d rather 100% Sonic Colors, Generations or Frontiers again any day of the week.
Yeah my GF recently got Platinum on Sonic Frontiers and the only part she didn't enjoy was talking to that one dude 99 times to level up her rings.. then 99 times for speed lol
Most tedious has to be 06, though every level in unleashed has 3 time trials every level in 06 needs to be done twice at least and there's way more to stop you getting your s on each of those runs.
@@JohnWalker-bm9wvI mean, that’d require having to play Sonic ‘06 for far longer than is humanly possible, so it immediately gets disqualified for that alone lol. Unless were only counting Project ‘06.
I do think that if Sonic interacts with humans (outside of Eggman/Robotnik), then their designs should be like those in Unleashed as it fits with Sonic’s cartoony nature far better
This video came just in time! I finally procured a Series X this week, mainly for backwards compatibility and fps boost, and was on the fence about Unleashed as I have it on PS3. But at the budget price, the 60fps has sold me. Looking forward to replaying this and Generations and a proper framerate.
Man glad to hear Sonic Unleashed holds up as well as it does, honestly if Sega really needed to have some Sonic content for one year for a lack of "New" content they could just simply port over Sonic Unleashed, possibly base it on the Xbox Series X Patch and add some improvements and throw in the DLC content and/or least a port of the Standard Definition version to modern systems will suffice, honestly Sega is siting on potential money here, I really hope they do port these games over at some point, more people should get a chance to play this Sonic game, especially in a position when people are waiting for a new Sonic game, might be a great way to tide most people over till then.
I love the fact you dove in deep to shine a bit of light on all versions of a badly received sonic game. Thank you Austin, you have done sonic unleashed a service and hopefully more people will choose to experience this imperfect gem.
I like the new "I Beat it 100%" series ya started. There's a guy who just hit 100K subscribers named Mortismal Gaming, and the 100% completion is his whole gimmick. Both good channels.
Completionist is another channel that sounds in the same vein(much more mainstream channel) I actually love this angle of reviews, of simply saying "let's see how bstshit insane it makes people, to actually go through with every checklist in the game" and seeing the games finished to the fullest extent even if they suck(which I'm told universally unleashed DOES NOT SUCK, I'mnot trying to lump this particular game in, more commenting on the style of review)
I remember _despising_ the damage-sponge enemies in the werehog stages, but the rest of the game was just fine. Nothing more, nothing less. Banger soundtrack as usual, crispy-clean environmental art and probably the most refined speed stages Sonic had up to that point, but nothing truly exceptional. I don't mourn the fact that we'll probably never see the werehog concept revisited, but I had my fun with it.
I remember getting one of those Gaming Magazines that came with a CD, which had the Unleashed trailer on it. I've watched it countless times - and, when I eventually got it on PS2, I played the shit out of... the first level. I didn't know a lick of English at the time, so I was constantly stuck on the Werehog Tutorial level. It certainly was an experience. Fast forward to when I got my Wii a few years later, I also got Unleashed there. I didn't have the Classic controller at hand, so I had to keep swinging the Wii Remote constantly to attack in the Werehog stages (I actually passed the tutorial this time, lol). Back then, I also had Colors, and I could tell that it was the better game, even if I liked the Unleashed aesthetic better. Then, finally, in 2013-ish, I got a 360, and one of the first games I got for it was Unleashed. I was grown up then, had experienced a fuck load of other games, and had a good grasp on English. I liked the first few hours, but when I had to keep getting medals to progress the story, it quickly wore me down. I really liked how the game looked, and I didn't want to feel like I wasted my money, but when I got to the Chinese level and had to keep looking over and over for medals, that's when I called it quits and never touched the game again. I had Generations at the time, too, and the difference in quality was night and day (pardon the pun).
I remember playing The first world of GTA2 as a kid cause I had no clue what the missions were, it's English, the thing grandma teach me in the weekend, real games are in Hebrew (selection was slim), at least till I got to better grasp over the English language around age 8 or so
Sonic Unleashed is my favourite sonic game. The visuals and game world with the pixar style characters really works and it has incredible day levels. The werehog stages were way too long though, had they been shorter the game would have had better flow.
Honestly, the stages are really about 8-10 minutes average. They're actually shorter than the Wii versions' separated ones if you know things like using the dash drill attack for speed and faster climbing.
java era of mobile gaming was legitimately better than modern one because nowadays they'd add a stamina mechanic so you can't play for long without paying and make you grind every level to unlock the next (unless you pay) and add lootboxes and you get the point
@@HutchIsOnYT Not true at all, I actually played Sonic Unleashed for the first time a few years ago and I played through the Wii and PS3 versions and ended up liking the Wii version more, it's more compact and streamlined and the gameplay is a little bit better, that was literally the conclusion this video reached too.
@@amirgarcia547 the werehog is not shorter, they just split the levels up in smaller chunks, when you add up it's 10 minutes longer or so. 20 minutes 1 level , 4/5 levels of 6 minutes
I think part of a reason why Unleashed was treated as harshly as it was at launch was that it came out at a time where it was still insanely popular to dunk on Sonic 06, not helped by 06 coming out at a time when people were starting to get their voices out there on social media platforms like RUclips.
Unleashed was my first Sonic title since Sonic 3 and i did not even know about 06. And i remember it being a time killer at best on my PS2(same version as the wii) The console resolution plus level design made it hard to tell what was coming in front of you and the werehog stages mde me sigh of boredom 60% of the time Still better than most 3D Sonic games but that is a low bar
I'm on the other side tbh, I think people are too easy on Unleashed because it directly followed 06. "At least it's not Sonic 06", sure, maybe, but it's still a technical mess that runs poorly, 2/3rds of the game are the bad werehog stages (because they're far longer than the daytime stages), they hadn't figured out how to make the boost stages really flow yet so you're constantly getting stopped by ledges and walls or falling into bottomless pits, they even had weird control problems like having homing attack and boost on the same buttons, and on top of everything else you can't just play through the game, you have to hunt down tokens to open stages up, and then it all culminates in Eggmanland, perhaps one of the worst 3D Sonic stages ever made. I think Sonic generally gets a far worse rep than he deserves, but Unleashed is one game where I really just don't get why people hold it up so highly. Even in the context of boost-era games, Colors and Generations are both better. It maybe had a more ambitious story, but I've never really thought any Sonic games have a "good" story so I don't personally rate it any higher or lower because of that. I'm not gonna say people can't enjoy it of course, it just baffles me whenever I see people say things like Unleashed is their favorite Sonic game or the best 3D/boost Sonic, and makes me wonder how recently they've last tried to replay it because it truly is its own disaster as well. Far from the worst Sonic game out there, but alongside the Adventure games in being just a real big jankfest imo.
@@RecRoomPlaysthe werehog is bad because it's long? Even though you can finish it much faster if you play well and upgrade strength and use more than the basic combo, like actual god of war,and the length of the stage 15 mins is normal for action game standards? "getting stopped =bad" you do know that is the point of boost levels, to avoid all the obstacles seamlessly, the environment becoming your enemy, the opposite of the previous formula? A "technical mess" was literally every fucking ps3 game that wasn't yakuza or dmc4, they all ran like hot ass due to that terrible console's architecture. Dark souls 1 would be trash if that's how you judged games. Medals are annoying, but eggmanland is great because of its challenge. Your opinion doesn't make any sense because people bashed on the game due to 06 and now look at it fondly simply because the people who were mindlessly bashing it had stopped doing it and it got old to say sonic was always trash, so they could look back without the influence of the hivemind. Unleashed is a solid 7.5 if not an 8. Adventure is a jankfest? Unless you're talking about dx it's just as janky as 64 and sunshine (and sunshine also had a terrible structure and some real jank collision and terrible levels because it was rushed, but was still acclaimed due to being mario so the bias is obvious).
@@thatitalianlameguy2235 you seem to be under the impression i'm bashing on sonic; i love sonic. i grew up with sonic, i've played pretty much every main sonic game out there, i think the internet threw out way too much hatred for sonic forces, i think sonic lost world is pretty all right, i'm currently working on recording playthroughs of most of the franchise. i also recognize that the franchise i love often releases games that have tons of problems which could be improved in many ways, and sometimes those problems come together in such a way that it creates a game i do not find fun, or drags down particular sections of a game i otherwise DO find fun. you like unleashed, that's great! i don't. sorry.
man even before starting this video i can already tell this im gonna see you slowly go insane doing this one of the most difficult games ive ever got 100% on
As someone who has sunk much more time into Unleashed SD than I would like to admit, here's a little pro move you can pull off in Unwiished: When fighting large groups of enemies, and an Eyebomb enemy spawns, grab them and throw them into the large group. They have no defense so you can grab them immediately, and the explosion is almost always enough to deal with most of the enemies. Another cool thing is that the Werehog can grab onto poles and swings, before the indicator appears, so long as you hold down the grab button when jumping. Usually waiting to time your grabs with the indicator will result in an unfair death, since it appears rather slowly.
As a kid, I really enjoyed both types of gameplay, but was never good enought at getting the emblems to unlock the levels. I remember being really bummed when I realized I wouldn't be able to unlock the cool Great Wall of China level without having to find another dozen emblems.
I’d add a system where the extra moves you unlock are necessary for certain enemies. I’d ALSO make it so the extra unlocked moves can change the way the stage is played; i.e, the building swinging Sonic does in Spagonia could be added to the game - something that can be used to access cool shortcuts.
i have Sonic Unleashed for the 360 but hadnt booted it up since buying it a couple months ago except to install the disc so that my 360 doesn't sound like a fighter pilot when i play (ive got a Jasper motherboard model) but even then i just put the disc in and then installed it from the console menu. anyway, after watching this video i decided to actually play the game. just started yesterday but didnt get too far bc i had to run errands but im excited to continue bc i REALLY enjoyed what i played.
I remember Sonic Unwiished being my first 3D Sonic game, with a few years later getting the HD port as well Never 100% complete UnWiished, but I have gotten everything [including DLC S-Ranks] on the HD port, and it was quite the adventure Still one of my favorite games to this day, and still shocked they made a mobile version, always thought it was some fan-game made around the game lol fricken cool video! :D
Your a trooper for real Austin! I have fond memories of playing the Windmill Isle demo on PS3 until my controller broke, but I sure wouldn't try to complete the game today. Don't go too crazy with that Gotham Knights video!
Hey dude I think it's great that you treated Sonic Unleashed fairly and not even as a Sonic fan, but as a reviewer. Too many people out review a game say they aren't heavily bias for or against a game. It is hard to find that on youtube alone. Great video my guy.
I absolutely don't understand when people say that the Werehog is better in the PS2/Wii version. I first played unleashed on the PS2 and hated the Werehog, only did it because it was mandatory and also it being split into 4 or 5 consecutive stages is a pain the ass for me. While in the HD version I love his combat and levels, when you do unlock all of his combos you can do some crazy stuff and it's fun, the enemies are stronger and a challenge. Also the stages have multiple paths in a number of times, which I like. As a Gow and Sonic fan, they nailed it for me and I replayed the Werehog stages a lot.
I actually like this game for 360. I don't mind the Werehog stages. The only thing I hate about Unleashed is the quick time events, especially the final boss for the 360 version. That final boss one in particular made me mad enough I had to go and buy a Turbo Controller just to finish the game.
I played both versions, on Wii and PS3. And I've ALMOST 100% the PS3 version! Yeah, those load times were killing me, too. Unleashed, sadly, is still the peak of animation in cutscenes, and that is more disappointing than anything else to me.
I really just don't understand why developers seem to be getting really comfortable with the idea that performance isn't 100% the most important thing in a game at launch.
I'm just glad i was young when playing these games to not even care about if they were good enough or not. Which is why literally all the games sit positively in my heart (apart from 06 it was so buggy we didn't even complete it and had to watch the final boss on youtube), seeing unleashed even have a bad rep is just shocking when it's probably one of my favourite games.
8:56 Austin, you do realize that the voice actor is Tom Kenny, right? Having a softer voce for his tiny animal characters is kinda his thing….just think of his Spyro voice.
I want to point something out that he (kind of) got wrong- people did say that Sonic had a really bad start to 3D, but that's because it did. The first 3D Sonic game wasn't Adventure- it was Sonic Blast. And that game was pretty bad.
Omega? Vector?! Austin my dude, we lost the chance to have a KNUCKLES GOD OF WAR. I don't hate the werehog, but Sega missed THE opportunity to make Knuckles relevant with good fighting mechanics expanding what we've seen from Sonic Heroes. Plotwise, maybe he could fit considering the chaos emeralds are so relevant in this story, so the guardian of the Master emerald should know something about both Gaias. Maybe even know of some way to purify Dark gaia's influence. I'm not mad at what we got, but Sega not using Knuckles bothers me so much. At least we got a cool cinematic for Frontiers with him kicking ass xD
I love this game, but it was definitely a massive pain to 100% on the HD version, especially the DLC stages. I S Ranked every DLC stage and it was an absolute nightmare, made Eggmanland's S Rank and some of the Hot Dog Missions look like a cakewalk. You don't even get anything for S Ranking the DLC stages either, so it's not worth it, never doing that again lmao.
I found Sonic Unleashed for PS2 at a thrift store earlier this year. After some lengthy attempts, I found the grind to get all the medals un-fun (especially the sun medals... I'll NEVER be that good at 3D Sonic). So I decided to just finish the game and proceed to Eggmanland... where I died on the first stage... over... and over... and over again. It was the most unbalanced, narrow-pathed stage I had played in this wonky game, and I just couldn't overcome it. I gave it another shot a couple months ago, and officially called it quits. I hate quitting games, but once all the joy has been drained there's no going back for me.
Played it on the PS2 I think within a year of it being unleashed. I remember playing '06 long enough to fight Silver and realize ANY other game would give more entertainment, so I was hesitant with renting this one. Frankly I had a lot of fun. The speed sections ran smooth and were aesthetically beautiful. The fighting sections.. while they werent my favorite addition to a Sonic game, I have played so games with JANK fighting controls that Unleashed felt nice. Almost like they wanted to go God of War style but without the brutality of it.
I remember watching HellfireComs' playthrough of 06 at the time, and while breaking down and going mad from how bad it was, one of them said "Unleashed better be fuckin' good." And you know what, it was, especially with that context in mind. This was the next Sonic game after 06 and the difference is like night and day, so to speak. Always loved the style. Sadly when I actually tried to rent it from some defunct game service, I found the progression mechanics and unlocking stages so tedious that I did not finish, but I still remember it fondly and I like seeing other people play it so *they* had to collect all the medals.
Honestly, I feel like one thing I’d change about Unleashed HD is the hotdog missions. Instead of forcing you to play the same stage 9 times why not let you knock out multiple at the same time? Like why not let you complete multiple challenges at the same time if you meet the requirements during your first try.
i remember having a demo for the phone game on my first phone, it's one of those things where i almost feel like i'm the only person in the world that knows it exists
I've only ever played the wii version, and I really enjoyed myself playing it. The only hangup I have is that to open every side door in the Gaia temples you have to get every single available sun and moon medal in the game. That wouldn't be much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that to get the last moon medal you have to collect every item in the game that isn't in either the locked puzzle rooms or the still locked stages. That's over 150 items that are very hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for (and even if you do know where they are they're usually very hard to get to, especially in day stages)
I actually REALLY liked the Wii version of Unleashed. The Werehog was a really cool addition in my opinion, and was a nice way to break up the Boost stages so they didn't become repetitive.
I loved Sonic as a kid, and kinda am reliving my nostalgia by watching sonic stuff rn again. I just now realise how great the normal sonic parts of this game actually were. They looked quite good. They really gave you a sense of speed and made you feel fast, without you having to have played the level 10 times already. The only Sonic I ever played was Colors, the 2011 overhyped game, that felt like a fucking platformer made for Mario and not for Sonic. I hated it as you were a fast character with wonky controls on small platforms. But this genuinely looks fun
Had this on PS2, never finished it but enjoyed it well enough. Bought it a while later on PS3 (the PS4 was probably out at this point) and was shocked at how different they were. Don't think I ever finished it there either.
The Wii/PS2 Eggmanland day stages are just as brutal as the night ones - Specifically the Time Attack one, although not getting hit (a side mission, optional) is also pain. I was stuck in Eggmanland for TWO YEARS between the Time Attack and the actual head for the goal due to stick drift making a section hell
it's the first time I hear someone calling the original as a port instead of the demake for Unwiished(?) But oh, how complete was Unleashed~ I love both versions, counting DLC
i recently played on the xbox, and hearing that it actually WAS a different version of the game and i wasn’t just having an episode is relieving. i just thought i was massively misremembering the entire game
I never finished it (ps2) as a kid but it looked like I missed out on a really cool final boss. I always got the impression it was just a fairly standard super sonic fight. I'll have to jump back in now.
The amount of Sonic 06 references in this review is giving me an aneurysm. The review is really good, though, and it shows that you put a lot of effort and research into making this video!
i actually remember LOVING this game as a kid and i had never seen ANYTHING about it, not even a trailer, i just got a new sonic game and loved it...until my dad traded it in...
Sonic unleashed is my 2nd fav sonic game that i ever owned on my PS2. Considering that i absolutely loved the Idea of Sonic turning into a Werehog! Unfournately, i got stuck at Eggman Land and never managed to finish the game.. ;-;
As a kid whos first sonic game was Sonic 06 I remember never finishing the Wii Unleashed due to how it felt like it had less character with the more menus but I remember also having more fun. The Xbox 360 one I actually finished which gameplay wise, as I didn't like grinding for the tokens but I didn't have nearly as much fun, I had a good enough time to finish it though.
Sonic Unleashed is a game that despite its flaws with the Werehog, the QTEs, the repetitive battle theme and its medal collecting, I love this game. Playing it today you learn to appreciate the game for what it is. The soundtrack is one of the series best, and my god does game have a fantastic art style, it’s what Sonic ‘06 SHOULD’VE looked like. Everyone is animated beautifully, the character models not only look more lively but are FAR more consistent with the game’s world. And the Boost gameplay? Oh my GOD THIS IS SO GOOD. When Sonic Unleashed has you go fast, oh my god what a ride it is! Sonic unleashed really has a fun lovable personality. Regardless of how you feel about Unleashed, you can tell Sonic Team wanted to apologize for Sonic’s 15th Anniversary disaster, and I think they succeeded.
I don't know where you got the notion that a lot of people were bothered by the human designs in this game. Most of the community agrees that if you're going to put humans in a Sonic game, this is the way to do it. Give them a cartoony/pixar look so they actually blend in well with the other Sonic characters. That was one of the issues with Sonic 06's art style. Putting a big headed, blue, cartoonish Hedgehog in a scene with a bunch of realistic looking humans just made Sonic stick out like a sore thumb.
💯 Download Fishing Clash FOR FREE on your iOS/Android device: fishingclash.link/AustinEruption and use my gift code FISHWITHAUSTIN to get an awesome reward for a total value of 20$! 🐟
SONIC IS HERE, BUT NOT THE NEW SONIC BECUASE I WANTED TO PLAY THE OLD ONE.
I'm really enjoying doing these deep dives, especially if it's on a game that has a bit of a controversial "story". If y'all keep digging these, you'll sure as heck see more. Lemme know what you thought and if there's any games you'd like to see! The backlog is piling up.
loved sonic unleashed on wii, i hated like 2 werewolf stages where i die for 20min
Have you ever played Fishing Resort for the Wii?
Have you played Dark Sector?? It's what came before Warframe and it's pretty sick! Got that silly grittyness to it I know ya love! ;J
Hey, Austin Eruption. You should definitely 100% complete Sonic Heroes.
The Wii was definitely the best version
Sonic Unleashed is one of those games where it doesn’t matter if people like or dislike the game, but if they say the OST is bad, they’re objectively wrong.
You are objectively wrong
@@cheeseboi588 you are objectively
you are
The OST is incredible. Gameplay is great, too (both of them)
Your objective opinion sounds subjective
So glad this game has been getting a second chance lately. Always has been one of my favorites.
This game was actually my first Sonic game when I was a kid.... I remember a friend of mine said that the werewolf was dope and cool and sure was. Still remember liking the werewolf levels more than actual Sonic.
I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE!!!! WEREHOG SUPREMECY
I'm convinced that people that day the werehog is bad just dont enjoy action games, because it was more or less a sonic game n action game 2 in 1, although it had some flaws.
God of War for kids was amazing.
Exactly what I’m saying
@@vongolaxi7611 🤝🏾🤝🏾🤝🏾🤝🏾🤝🏾
I've literally never seen anyone bothered by the humans in this game, they fit in perfectly with the Sonic cast.
The main problem with humans in Sonic games, is the fact that Eggman actually looks like a cartoon. He was designed that way. Adding realistic-looking humans... doesn't work. Unleashed makes him blend a loooooot better, so it's absolutely fine.
The only missed opportunity here, is not having more Sonic look-alike citizens. And not just Sonic friends. But I guess the backlash from '06 made the team afraid to try that route. And yet, later in Forces, that's all we got lol.
@@Aranesque Uh, this isn't Sonic 06. The humans here *are* cartoony, there is literally no way they could make them fit any better, they're already perfect.
They're disgusting
My issue is Sonic Team is clearly capable of more unique designs that aren't human, so it just feels lazy when they don't use them. I also don't like thinking that Sonic's world is our world and humans ruin that illusion for me. But as far as humans in Sonic games go, these are probably the best blended with the Sonic style.
@@nodieza Humans have been in the series for around 20 years now, plus Eggman is a human, so they aren't going away any time soon.
unironically adore the werehog's design and I wish it had more of a place to exist in canon as something, even just the basis for a new character. sonic is a character who's cute but cool, and the werehog is cool but cute, and i really like that balance. like he's supposed to be edgy and badass but he's still so like.... friendly, and he's so fluffy and has such a doggish energy that it's really endearing. and, i mean, it just rules when a design has sick claws and fangs and stuff
agreeable
profile checks out
I love how difficult the boost stages were. It wasn’t just hold one button to win
Forces was hold one button to win
@@williamwhite1036 literally everybody knew that
@@FreddOtaku that's why it sucks
@@williamwhite1036 God, you people are obsessed with Forces at this point. No one can go a second without mentioning it.
@@wanderingshadow1372 In fairness, it's easy to argue it's the actual lowest point in the franchise
Definitely the peak of decadence as far as story and boost gameplay goes
But it does get overplayed a fair bit, so even I get frustrated at it
8:55 _I think Chip adds a lot to Unleashed, and to this day is still the best side-kick Sonic's ever had, the writers really nailed down a genuine bond between him and Sonic, shame we'll never see him again in another game._
Is that taken from a forum post? I remember seeing a comment just like that over a decade ago. I've also generally seen the same point made by few people, and I agree entirely (at least in 2008).
Fym by that
Tails is right there
19:13 To clarify, Adabat's devastating framerate issues affects both HD versions on their native systems. It's so infamous that fans essentially used it as the litmus test for the Series X patch's performance fixes.
And the series x pulled through for everyone right? I recently replayed unleashed on my series c and had tons of fun because the graphics were upped and I didn’t experience a single crash or frame drop that I can remember. If there were frame drops they were in parts that didn’t matter at all otherwise I would’ve remembered them
@@Ruckkuss ya I'm glad they made the graphics better because they looked pretty bad in the og with the piss filter lol
@@RuckkussSeries C? Is that what they call PCs now? 😂
Always liked the human designs in this. Cartoony enough to fit right in with all the non-humans without either feeling out of place.
Yeah, I actually don't recall anybody complaining about them cartooning up the humans, primarily because I absolutely remember people complaining about the more realistic humans in 06 just chilling with Sonic et al. Particularly the princess.
Particularly when they kiss.
@@AzraelNewtype0079 I mean, nobody was complaining about the humans in SA1 since they has they looked like anime NPCs
It makes sense too. How are u gonna have a weird lookin egg human like eggman while everyone else are normal looking humans 😂 it doesn't make sense.
@@AzraelNewtype0079I dislike the pixar look they gave, it's way too cartoony and goofy. And yes, I know Sonic and co are cartoony oversized anthros, but the whole point of Sonic's art direction was merging his cast with a surrealistic environment and also surrealistic-looking humans. It is a contrast indeed, but that's what makes the series art direction appealing. While unleashed had surrealistic environments, they should've made the humans more grounded, not like 06 but like Merlina(black knight), Shahra(secret rings), or Maria from SA2/Shadow the hedgehog. Basically a more anime aesthetic similar to older Final Fantasy games.
I love the mash potato faced NPC's of sonic 06 :)
I played the ps2 version in my childhood and recently got it emulated on my steam deck. I am happy to say that i was not blinded by nostalgia and the game was still a blast to play. It just felt weird that one of the villages was reduced to a single eggman stage plus another one missing completely, but that's fine for me as a trade off for no annoying collectables mid level. Also eggmanland in this version is just such a cool stage and so fun to master.
so the ps2 version is the same like wii?
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly I have both ps2 and Wii versions and both are the same. The only difference is that the Wii version has optional motion control support and slightly better lighting. The level design and the content in both versions is exactly the same though.
@@sonicmaiden2871 oh than i have the best version now. smaller werhog section,no open world to run around,shorter,no motion comtrol and better end boss
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly I agree! I enjoyed the ps2/Wii version the most honestly. I just find this version less frustrating and overall more fun than the HD version. Also I thought that the motion controls in the Wii version were really fun despite making my arms tired sometimes (at least the game offers the option to switch to a regular controller). I've played the ps2, Wii, ps3 and java mobile versions of Sonic Unleashed by the way.
@@Sneaky_racoon_sly not only were they the same game, the engine for that game is what gave the Wii Colors. Which is probably the best Nintendo exclusive Sonic game they ever got....
I used to play the java version of Sonic unleashed a lot as a kid. Nice to see someone finally acknowledging it.
I was addicted to that game when I couldn’t play ps3 version
The context of the time period really hurt the reception of Unleashed. After the disaster of 06 and the underwhelming release of Secret Rings, the public was not terribly inclined to cut another Sonic game any slack when it (seemingly) was making the same perceived mistakes as previous games via the Werehog gimmick. The quality of the Daytime stages meant it did critically okay (and that it sold quite well), but even with all the heart and ambition the game had, critics and casual fans just saw another needless gameplay experiment that was detracting from the speedy platforming many preferred they focus on.
A solid title, but one whose very premise meant it was in an uphill battle against a public that was not interested in giving it the benefit of the doubt.
if it was released this year i swear people would call it the best sonic game ever made, but unfortunatley it came out at the worst time possible
I only played the Java and PS2 versions.
The fact that he went after the mobile version is amazing.
java?
Fun fact: concept art for the human NPCs was done by Gurihiru, and they look great. I think something about the transition from 2D art to 3D models made them less appealing.
One of the best Sonic games, and best video games. It's not for everyone but it deserves the cult following and praise it's been recieving
I was one of the few who played both the ps2 version and HD port. The ps2 version wasn't horrible and looking back, I had some amazing times with it, but man...the HD edition feels like a whole different game. Especially that opening cutscene.
I agree, I like both but Dimps' version has better gameplay while SonicTeam's has better presentation
The opening cutscene is in the SD versions! It only plays when you sit at the main menu for a minute or so for some reason.
I truly respect your dedication Austin, since as much as I dig Sonic Unleashed (mostly the day stages), it’s probably one of the most tedious and difficult Sonic games to 100%. Medal hunting, tons of both mandatory and optional stages to get an S-rank, Eggman Land…man, I’d rather 100% Sonic Colors, Generations or Frontiers again any day of the week.
you aren't wrong. it was a pain in the ass
Yeah my GF recently got Platinum on Sonic Frontiers and the only part she didn't enjoy was talking to that one dude 99 times to level up her rings.. then 99 times for speed lol
@@alexroy5854 Mr. Really Tried to Steal your Girl.
Most tedious has to be 06, though every level in unleashed has 3 time trials every level in 06 needs to be done twice at least and there's way more to stop you getting your s on each of those runs.
@@JohnWalker-bm9wvI mean, that’d require having to play Sonic ‘06 for far longer than is humanly possible, so it immediately gets disqualified for that alone lol. Unless were only counting Project ‘06.
I do think that if Sonic interacts with humans (outside of Eggman/Robotnik), then their designs should be like those in Unleashed as it fits with Sonic’s cartoony nature far better
This video came just in time! I finally procured a Series X this week, mainly for backwards compatibility and fps boost, and was on the fence about Unleashed as I have it on PS3. But at the budget price, the 60fps has sold me. Looking forward to replaying this and Generations and a proper framerate.
This game is such a weird experience. I am glad modern hardware makes it run how it was intended.
Man glad to hear Sonic Unleashed holds up as well as it does, honestly if Sega really needed to have some Sonic content for one year for a lack of "New" content they could just simply port over Sonic Unleashed, possibly base it on the Xbox Series X Patch and add some improvements and throw in the DLC content and/or least a port of the Standard Definition version to modern systems will suffice, honestly Sega is siting on potential money here, I really hope they do port these games over at some point, more people should get a chance to play this Sonic game, especially in a position when people are waiting for a new Sonic game, might be a great way to tide most people over till then.
A lot of Sonic games are kinda inaccessible to a lot of people because of bad/no porting.
@@arjunmenon1796 very true man, I just wish Sega actually relaxed a bit on porting their Sonic games.
14 years since its release!?! No... It was released a couple of years ago when I first got my 360 back in... Oh no, it's been that long hasn't it? 😭
Ikr man… I was 4 when the game came out
"No one's at the door mom, I'm just doing combos!"
I love the fact you dove in deep to shine a bit of light on all versions of a badly received sonic game. Thank you Austin, you have done sonic unleashed a service and hopefully more people will choose to experience this imperfect gem.
Also please keep doing these "I beat 100 percent" video's, they are really fun to watch.
I like the new "I Beat it 100%" series ya started. There's a guy who just hit 100K subscribers named Mortismal Gaming, and the 100% completion is his whole gimmick. Both good channels.
Completionist is another channel that sounds in the same vein(much more mainstream channel)
I actually love this angle of reviews, of simply saying "let's see how bstshit insane it makes people, to actually go through with every checklist in the game" and seeing the games finished to the fullest extent even if they suck(which I'm told universally unleashed DOES NOT SUCK, I'mnot trying to lump this particular game in, more commenting on the style of review)
sonic unleashed is like the one sonic game I've played the most, never got around to beating it sadly, but I remember enjoying it
I remember _despising_ the damage-sponge enemies in the werehog stages, but the rest of the game was just fine. Nothing more, nothing less. Banger soundtrack as usual, crispy-clean environmental art and probably the most refined speed stages Sonic had up to that point, but nothing truly exceptional. I don't mourn the fact that we'll probably never see the werehog concept revisited, but I had my fun with it.
Unleashed got way got too much hate and I didn’t think the Werehog was that bad although the game itself is definitely not worth 100%ing.
I remember getting one of those Gaming Magazines that came with a CD, which had the Unleashed trailer on it. I've watched it countless times - and, when I eventually got it on PS2, I played the shit out of... the first level. I didn't know a lick of English at the time, so I was constantly stuck on the Werehog Tutorial level. It certainly was an experience.
Fast forward to when I got my Wii a few years later, I also got Unleashed there. I didn't have the Classic controller at hand, so I had to keep swinging the Wii Remote constantly to attack in the Werehog stages (I actually passed the tutorial this time, lol). Back then, I also had Colors, and I could tell that it was the better game, even if I liked the Unleashed aesthetic better.
Then, finally, in 2013-ish, I got a 360, and one of the first games I got for it was Unleashed. I was grown up then, had experienced a fuck load of other games, and had a good grasp on English. I liked the first few hours, but when I had to keep getting medals to progress the story, it quickly wore me down. I really liked how the game looked, and I didn't want to feel like I wasted my money, but when I got to the Chinese level and had to keep looking over and over for medals, that's when I called it quits and never touched the game again. I had Generations at the time, too, and the difference in quality was night and day (pardon the pun).
I remember playing The first world of GTA2 as a kid cause I had no clue what the missions were, it's English, the thing grandma teach me in the weekend, real games are in Hebrew (selection was slim), at least till I got to better grasp over the English language around age 8 or so
You could tell the 2d slow platformer was better than the 3d action platformer? Get good
Colors is absolute garbage compared to Unleashed. The Werehog stages alone are better than the entirety of colors. Generations is great though.
Sonic Unleashed is my favourite sonic game. The visuals and game world with the pixar style characters really works and it has incredible day levels. The werehog stages were way too long though, had they been shorter the game would have had better flow.
Honestly, the stages are really about 8-10 minutes average. They're actually shorter than the Wii versions' separated ones if you know things like using the dash drill attack for speed and faster climbing.
It's my favorite Sonic game.
@@lucariotrainer16 maybe at max level
It was nothing but a beat ‘em up game with special stages
is the ps2 version good
java era of mobile gaming was legitimately better than modern one
because nowadays they'd add a stamina mechanic so you can't play for long without paying
and make you grind every level to unlock the next (unless you pay)
and add lootboxes
and you get the point
I still prefer the HD version, because even though I played Un-Wii-shed first, I could tell that it was missing a lot of content.
The only people claiming Wii/PS2 are better are ones who grew up with it
@@HutchIsOnYT Not true at all, I actually played Sonic Unleashed for the first time a few years ago and I played through the Wii and PS3 versions and ended up liking the Wii version more, it's more compact and streamlined and the gameplay is a little bit better, that was literally the conclusion this video reached too.
For me, the WiFi/PS2 version is by far the best for one big reason:
Fewer and simpler QTE sequences
That and the Werehog levels being way shorter and Eggman Land not being one entire level for both day and night.
@@amirgarcia547 the werehog is not shorter, they just split the levels up in smaller chunks, when you add up it's 10 minutes longer or so.
20 minutes 1 level , 4/5 levels of 6 minutes
Skill issue bruh
The HD version is better
There’s tons of extra content. Missions, extra stages and DLC. That’s a lot in itself tbh.
I think part of a reason why Unleashed was treated as harshly as it was at launch was that it came out at a time where it was still insanely popular to dunk on Sonic 06, not helped by 06 coming out at a time when people were starting to get their voices out there on social media platforms like RUclips.
Unleashed was my first Sonic title since Sonic 3 and i did not even know about 06. And i remember it being a time killer at best on my PS2(same version as the wii)
The console resolution plus level design made it hard to tell what was coming in front of you and the werehog stages mde me sigh of boredom 60% of the time
Still better than most 3D Sonic games but that is a low bar
I'm on the other side tbh, I think people are too easy on Unleashed because it directly followed 06. "At least it's not Sonic 06", sure, maybe, but it's still a technical mess that runs poorly, 2/3rds of the game are the bad werehog stages (because they're far longer than the daytime stages), they hadn't figured out how to make the boost stages really flow yet so you're constantly getting stopped by ledges and walls or falling into bottomless pits, they even had weird control problems like having homing attack and boost on the same buttons, and on top of everything else you can't just play through the game, you have to hunt down tokens to open stages up, and then it all culminates in Eggmanland, perhaps one of the worst 3D Sonic stages ever made.
I think Sonic generally gets a far worse rep than he deserves, but Unleashed is one game where I really just don't get why people hold it up so highly. Even in the context of boost-era games, Colors and Generations are both better. It maybe had a more ambitious story, but I've never really thought any Sonic games have a "good" story so I don't personally rate it any higher or lower because of that.
I'm not gonna say people can't enjoy it of course, it just baffles me whenever I see people say things like Unleashed is their favorite Sonic game or the best 3D/boost Sonic, and makes me wonder how recently they've last tried to replay it because it truly is its own disaster as well. Far from the worst Sonic game out there, but alongside the Adventure games in being just a real big jankfest imo.
@@rompevuevitos222 you kept mashing the same combos, didn't pay attention enough when the day stages are about fast reflexes, medals were dumb tho
@@RecRoomPlaysthe werehog is bad because it's long? Even though you can finish it much faster if you play well and upgrade strength and use more than the basic combo, like actual god of war,and the length of the stage 15 mins is normal for action game standards?
"getting stopped =bad" you do know that is the point of boost levels, to avoid all the obstacles seamlessly, the environment becoming your enemy, the opposite of the previous formula?
A "technical mess" was literally every fucking ps3 game that wasn't yakuza or dmc4, they all ran like hot ass due to that terrible console's architecture. Dark souls 1 would be trash if that's how you judged games.
Medals are annoying, but eggmanland is great because of its challenge.
Your opinion doesn't make any sense because people bashed on the game due to 06 and now look at it fondly simply because the people who were mindlessly bashing it had stopped doing it and it got old to say sonic was always trash, so they could look back without the influence of the hivemind. Unleashed is a solid 7.5 if not an 8.
Adventure is a jankfest? Unless you're talking about dx it's just as janky as 64 and sunshine (and sunshine also had a terrible structure and some real jank collision and terrible levels because it was rushed, but was still acclaimed due to being mario so the bias is obvious).
@@thatitalianlameguy2235 you seem to be under the impression i'm bashing on sonic; i love sonic. i grew up with sonic, i've played pretty much every main sonic game out there, i think the internet threw out way too much hatred for sonic forces, i think sonic lost world is pretty all right, i'm currently working on recording playthroughs of most of the franchise.
i also recognize that the franchise i love often releases games that have tons of problems which could be improved in many ways, and sometimes those problems come together in such a way that it creates a game i do not find fun, or drags down particular sections of a game i otherwise DO find fun.
you like unleashed, that's great! i don't. sorry.
man even before starting this video i can already tell this im gonna see you slowly go insane doing this
one of the most difficult games ive ever got 100% on
As someone who has sunk much more time into Unleashed SD than I would like to admit, here's a little pro move you can pull off in Unwiished: When fighting large groups of enemies, and an Eyebomb enemy spawns, grab them and throw them into the large group. They have no defense so you can grab them immediately, and the explosion is almost always enough to deal with most of the enemies.
Another cool thing is that the Werehog can grab onto poles and swings, before the indicator appears, so long as you hold down the grab button when jumping. Usually waiting to time your grabs with the indicator will result in an unfair death, since it appears rather slowly.
Unleashed was my first 3d sonic game I bought myself. I loved it so much
As a kid, I really enjoyed both types of gameplay, but was never good enought at getting the emblems to unlock the levels. I remember being really bummed when I realized I wouldn't be able to unlock the cool Great Wall of China level without having to find another dozen emblems.
I would love to have a remaster of this one!! But I would tone down the night stages or make the combat a little more fun 😊
I'd rather we'd get more than One battle theme.
The one in the game is great but it gets annoying to hear the longer you play the game.
@@NiohArcadia
Ngl I would just make the battle theme play during side missions like the exorcisms.. and keep the main stages free from it
If there ever was a remaster, they would need to add more varied music in the werehog stages.
@@doclouis4236 yeah bcs one don’t for like 5 mins is ok for day stages but listening to the same loop for 20 minutes is a bit much
I’d add a system where the extra moves you unlock are necessary for certain enemies.
I’d ALSO make it so the extra unlocked moves can change the way the stage is played; i.e, the building swinging Sonic does in Spagonia could be added to the game - something that can be used to access cool shortcuts.
i have Sonic Unleashed for the 360 but hadnt booted it up since buying it a couple months ago except to install the disc so that my 360 doesn't sound like a fighter pilot when i play (ive got a Jasper motherboard model) but even then i just put the disc in and then installed it from the console menu.
anyway, after watching this video i decided to actually play the game. just started yesterday but didnt get too far bc i had to run errands but im excited to continue bc i REALLY enjoyed what i played.
"Maybe i am just a freak"
Well, you do enjoy the freakin Big da cat levels, so there isn't any doubt about that
I remember Sonic Unwiished being my first 3D Sonic game, with a few years later getting the HD port as well
Never 100% complete UnWiished, but I have gotten everything [including DLC S-Ranks] on the HD port, and it was quite the adventure
Still one of my favorite games to this day, and still shocked they made a mobile version, always thought it was some fan-game made around the game lol
fricken cool video! :D
Your a trooper for real Austin!
I have fond memories of playing the Windmill Isle demo on PS3 until my controller broke, but I sure wouldn't try to complete the game today.
Don't go too crazy with that Gotham Knights video!
Hey dude I think it's great that you treated Sonic Unleashed fairly and not even as a Sonic fan, but as a reviewer. Too many people out review a game say they aren't heavily bias for or against a game. It is hard to find that on youtube alone. Great video my guy.
The HD version of Unleashed is my favorite Sonic game tbh, on the same side of 3&K and SA2
I absolutely don't understand when people say that the Werehog is better in the PS2/Wii version. I first played unleashed on the PS2 and hated the Werehog, only did it because it was mandatory and also it being split into 4 or 5 consecutive stages is a pain the ass for me.
While in the HD version I love his combat and levels, when you do unlock all of his combos you can do some crazy stuff and it's fun, the enemies are stronger and a challenge. Also the stages have multiple paths in a number of times, which I like.
As a Gow and Sonic fan, they nailed it for me and I replayed the Werehog stages a lot.
I remember playing this back in 2009 (i picked it up super cheap) and really enjoying it...well especially compared to 06!
I actually like this game for 360. I don't mind the Werehog stages. The only thing I hate about Unleashed is the quick time events, especially the final boss for the 360 version. That final boss one in particular made me mad enough I had to go and buy a Turbo Controller just to finish the game.
I played both versions, on Wii and PS3. And I've ALMOST 100% the PS3 version! Yeah, those load times were killing me, too.
Unleashed, sadly, is still the peak of animation in cutscenes, and that is more disappointing than anything else to me.
Same the only thing I was missing was the eggmanland hot dog acts I was too lazy to go through that long level 3 times.
i love unleashed, even the werehog stages. haven’t played the wii version though, just the hd version.
Unleashed has been my favorite sonic game for soooooooo long. It's really good
I really just don't understand why developers seem to be getting really comfortable with the idea that performance isn't 100% the most important thing in a game at launch.
I'm just glad i was young when playing these games to not even care about if they were good enough or not. Which is why literally all the games sit positively in my heart (apart from 06 it was so buggy we didn't even complete it and had to watch the final boss on youtube), seeing unleashed even have a bad rep is just shocking when it's probably one of my favourite games.
8:56 Austin, you do realize that the voice actor is Tom Kenny, right? Having a softer voce for his tiny animal characters is kinda his thing….just think of his Spyro voice.
Whenever I see one of the crystal hunting levels from Sonic Adventure, I still feel the frustration and anger I did when I was 12
honestly the most mind blowing thing is realising Sonic Unleashed had dual (multi) audio years before it became standard for most JRPGs
Really glad to see that it got an update for the backwards compatibility
I want to point something out that he (kind of) got wrong- people did say that Sonic had a really bad start to 3D, but that's because it did. The first 3D Sonic game wasn't Adventure- it was Sonic Blast. And that game was pretty bad.
I was absolutely obsessed with this game back when I was 12 but for some reason I could never play the final stage on my PS2 cuz it kept crashing.
Omega? Vector?! Austin my dude, we lost the chance to have a KNUCKLES GOD OF WAR.
I don't hate the werehog, but Sega missed THE opportunity to make Knuckles relevant with good fighting mechanics expanding what we've seen from Sonic Heroes. Plotwise, maybe he could fit considering the chaos emeralds are so relevant in this story, so the guardian of the Master emerald should know something about both Gaias. Maybe even know of some way to purify Dark gaia's influence.
I'm not mad at what we got, but Sega not using Knuckles bothers me so much. At least we got a cool cinematic for Frontiers with him kicking ass xD
I love this game, but it was definitely a massive pain to 100% on the HD version, especially the DLC stages. I S Ranked every DLC stage and it was an absolute nightmare, made Eggmanland's S Rank and some of the Hot Dog Missions look like a cakewalk. You don't even get anything for S Ranking the DLC stages either, so it's not worth it, never doing that again lmao.
Dude, I’ve heard the general consensus is the humans look like they fit with Sonic, where did you hear most people hate them?
I found Sonic Unleashed for PS2 at a thrift store earlier this year. After some lengthy attempts, I found the grind to get all the medals un-fun (especially the sun medals... I'll NEVER be that good at 3D Sonic). So I decided to just finish the game and proceed to Eggmanland... where I died on the first stage... over... and over... and over again. It was the most unbalanced, narrow-pathed stage I had played in this wonky game, and I just couldn't overcome it. I gave it another shot a couple months ago, and officially called it quits. I hate quitting games, but once all the joy has been drained there's no going back for me.
Man I’m just happy people are revisiting this game
Played it on the PS2 I think within a year of it being unleashed. I remember playing '06 long enough to fight Silver and realize ANY other game would give more entertainment, so I was hesitant with renting this one. Frankly I had a lot of fun. The speed sections ran smooth and were aesthetically beautiful. The fighting sections.. while they werent my favorite addition to a Sonic game, I have played so games with JANK fighting controls that Unleashed felt nice. Almost like they wanted to go God of War style but without the brutality of it.
I remember watching HellfireComs' playthrough of 06 at the time, and while breaking down and going mad from how bad it was, one of them said "Unleashed better be fuckin' good." And you know what, it was, especially with that context in mind.
This was the next Sonic game after 06 and the difference is like night and day, so to speak. Always loved the style. Sadly when I actually tried to rent it from some defunct game service, I found the progression mechanics and unlocking stages so tedious that I did not finish, but I still remember it fondly and I like seeing other people play it so *they* had to collect all the medals.
Sonic Unleashed is still my favorite Sonic game to date
That “Yoga” moment … just golden. Best second of the video)
Honestly, I feel like one thing I’d change about Unleashed HD is the hotdog missions. Instead of forcing you to play the same stage 9 times why not let you knock out multiple at the same time?
Like why not let you complete multiple challenges at the same time if you meet the requirements during your first try.
i remember having a demo for the phone game on my first phone, it's one of those things where i almost feel like i'm the only person in the world that knows it exists
Endless Possibility rules, no cap. I AM pretty disappointed you pulled the "Sonic kisses Elise" out of the hat, I believed in you Austin. 😔
I've only ever played the wii version, and I really enjoyed myself playing it. The only hangup I have is that to open every side door in the Gaia temples you have to get every single available sun and moon medal in the game. That wouldn't be much of an issue if it wasn't for the fact that to get the last moon medal you have to collect every item in the game that isn't in either the locked puzzle rooms or the still locked stages. That's over 150 items that are very hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for (and even if you do know where they are they're usually very hard to get to, especially in day stages)
25:39 that FFX reference really threw my of guard, never noticed that
I actually REALLY liked the Wii version of Unleashed. The Werehog was a really cool addition in my opinion, and was a nice way to break up the Boost stages so they didn't become repetitive.
I thought I was ready to hear that 360 Werehog fight music again, but man...
I loved Sonic as a kid, and kinda am reliving my nostalgia by watching sonic stuff rn again. I just now realise how great the normal sonic parts of this game actually were. They looked quite good. They really gave you a sense of speed and made you feel fast, without you having to have played the level 10 times already. The only Sonic I ever played was Colors, the 2011 overhyped game, that felt like a fucking platformer made for Mario and not for Sonic. I hated it as you were a fast character with wonky controls on small platforms. But this genuinely looks fun
13:26 , frontiers is one of the games that comes to mind
this is the one game i recommend people try for themselves because of how mixed it is. personally i think the game is amazing
I COMPLETELY forgot about that third version
Had this on PS2, never finished it but enjoyed it well enough. Bought it a while later on PS3 (the PS4 was probably out at this point) and was shocked at how different they were. Don't think I ever finished it there either.
The Wii/PS2 Eggmanland day stages are just as brutal as the night ones - Specifically the Time Attack one, although not getting hit (a side mission, optional) is also pain. I was stuck in Eggmanland for TWO YEARS between the Time Attack and the actual head for the goal due to stick drift making a section hell
it's the first time I hear someone calling the original as a port instead of the demake for Unwiished(?)
But oh, how complete was Unleashed~
I love both versions, counting DLC
I just waited 20 mins of my lunch break trying to find this specific video, typing “guy beats all sonics” “guy with glasses 3D sonic” 😂😂😂
2:29 I hear the sweet classic sound of a PSO menu select right there 😌
Broke Eggman: *pisses on the moon*
Woke Eggman: *pisses directly on the Earth*
Jokes on you, I just finished Frontiers on my Series X and I was already eyeing Unleashed on the store...
i recently played on the xbox, and hearing that it actually WAS a different version of the game and i wasn’t just having an episode is relieving. i just thought i was massively misremembering the entire game
I never finished it (ps2) as a kid but it looked like I missed out on a really cool final boss. I always got the impression it was just a fairly standard super sonic fight. I'll have to jump back in now.
Absolutely love this game, but I think the devs should have compromised a bit to get performance better as it crippled the critic response
Eh literally every 7th gen game ran like ass, remember slideshow town in ds1
The amount of Sonic 06 references in this review is giving me an aneurysm. The review is really good, though, and it shows that you put a lot of effort and research into making this video!
Sonic unleashed is my favourite sonic game. Even though people hate the werehog I don’t think he’s that bad
i actually remember LOVING this game as a kid and i had never seen ANYTHING about it, not even a trailer, i just got a new sonic game and loved it...until my dad traded it in...
I can’t believe 25:23 you literally said SPAgonia and said Italy instead of SPAin. As a Spaniard I’m truly devastated.
I am sorry I am a small southern man with small brain
It's spagonia, spaghetti, pretty sure Spain is another level
Sonic unleashed is my 2nd fav sonic game that i ever owned on my PS2.
Considering that i absolutely loved the Idea of Sonic turning into a Werehog! Unfournately, i got stuck at Eggman Land and never managed to finish the game.. ;-;
As a kid whos first sonic game was Sonic 06 I remember never finishing the Wii Unleashed due to how it felt like it had less character with the more menus but I remember also having more fun. The Xbox 360 one I actually finished which gameplay wise, as I didn't like grinding for the tokens but I didn't have nearly as much fun, I had a good enough time to finish it though.
Reading the title gave me the ptsd flashbacks of the EggmanLand time trial that i tried for 5 days before giving up and haven't touched it since 2011
Sonic Unleashed is a game that despite its flaws with the Werehog, the QTEs, the repetitive battle theme and its medal collecting, I love this game. Playing it today you learn to appreciate the game for what it is. The soundtrack is one of the series best, and my god does game have a fantastic art style, it’s what Sonic ‘06 SHOULD’VE looked like. Everyone is animated beautifully, the character models not only look more lively but are FAR more consistent with the game’s world. And the Boost gameplay? Oh my GOD THIS IS SO GOOD. When Sonic Unleashed has you go fast, oh my god what a ride it is! Sonic unleashed really has a fun lovable personality. Regardless of how you feel about Unleashed, you can tell Sonic Team wanted to apologize for Sonic’s 15th Anniversary disaster, and I think they succeeded.
I don't know where you got the notion that a lot of people were bothered by the human designs in this game. Most of the community agrees that if you're going to put humans in a Sonic game, this is the way to do it. Give them a cartoony/pixar look so they actually blend in well with the other Sonic characters. That was one of the issues with Sonic 06's art style. Putting a big headed, blue, cartoonish Hedgehog in a scene with a bunch of realistic looking humans just made Sonic stick out like a sore thumb.