Sonic Unleashed | 
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| From: Sega Of America, Inc.
Category: Video Games
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $34.95
You Save: $15.04 (30%)
New (32) Used (8) from $30.00
Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 1015
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action Games
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Operating System: Xbox 360
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 68029
Model: 68029
UPC: 010086680294
EAN: 0010086680294
ASIN: B0017HPE7E
Release Date: November 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Sonic the Hedgehog returns in this platform for Xbox 360 with 2D and 3D elements | | • | Different style of gameplay depending on whether it is day or night | | • | Nine beautiful levels based on real-life locations | | • | Sonic changes from a Hedgehog to a Werehog | | • | Classic elements including loops and corkscrews |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
Transformed and unleashed, Sonic races to save the world...and himself. Sonic the Hedgehog is on an adventure unlike any other. Powered by an all-new engine, Sonic Unleashed blends classic Sonic gameplay with a variety of in-game perspectives to create an entirely new and unique gaming experience. Merging blistering 2D action with meticulously rendered 3D environments, players race through intriguing locations across the globe as Sonic to save a chaotic world. 
The other side of Sonic | 
Sonic and his alter ego Werehog.
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Collect rings for Ring Energy.
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Swing into action with Werehog.
View larger. | A New Sonic a New Story
On a quest for world domination Sonic nemesis Dr. Eggman has managed to steal the chaos emeralds once again and this time drained them of their power. As a result not only has the Earth split into distinct sections, so has Sonic. Now he is two beings. During the day he is the usual speed-addicted hedgehog players will remember, but at night he becomes Sonic the Werehog. In either form it is the player's ultimate goal to find the missing chaos emeralds and return them to their proper place in order to set the world and Sonic himself, back the way he should be. Gameplay: The Two Sides of Sonic
Like nearly all Sonic games, Sonic Unleashed is platform-based. The game combines the feel of 2D side-scrolling that fans of the Sonic series love, with sharp 3D graphics, and throws in an over the back third-person perspective reminiscent of FPS gameplay for good measure. And just as in earlier games, as players race through and explore the expansive world before them, using auto lock to hone in on enemies and areas of interest, they will rely on the power they gain from the rings they collect for a variety of things, but with the new twist of Sonic's split personality, things are a little bit different. Playing during the day, as you race across the world in the form of Sonic, speed is the main goal. Collecting rings fills you with 'Ring Energy,' which not only provides extra life, but also the advantage of 'Sonic Boost.' With this players can travel at speeds that approximate 300 MPH. In addition, Sonic Unleashed introduces two new features: the 'Speed Drift' and the 'Quick Step'. Speed Drifting is similar to drifting in racing games, allowing players to slide around corners at high speeds, while Quick Stepping is a sidestepping maneuver allowing Sonic to avoid enemies with quick steps to either side. Both keep you moving as fast as possible, so you can get as many rings as possible, which again keeps you moving as fast as possible. As night falls and Sonic assumes his Werehog form the rings provide a different kind of power more suited to his more menacing appearance. Much slower, but also much more powerful, the Werehog relies on the rings to provide life as well as strength to shield himself from the attacks of enemies. This is necessary because Werehog gameplay, although based in platforming, incorporates significant levels of combat as well. Red orbs gathered as enemies are defeated allow the player to unlock additional combo moves that will supplement the hack and slash and arm stretching abilities that the Werehog always possesses. Whether Hedgehog or Werehog, no matter which form players prefer they will get ample opportunity to explore the two sides of Sonic since each area in the game contains both night and day segments where each form must be played. Key Game Features: - Sonic’s World Transformed - Sonic maintains his high-speed abilities during the day, but at night he is transformed into a mysterious dark form with incredible never-before-seen abilities including 3D-action brawling and amazing agility.
- Tight Navigation and Speed Control - Players accelerate to super speed with ?Sonic Boost’ by collecting rings to increase Sonic’s ?Ring Energy.’ Using ?Quick Step,’ players will quickly move left or right to avoid obstacles instantly. Additionally, ?Speed Drift’ allows players to rocket through turns without slowing down.
- Powerful New Engine and Cinematic Graphics - With its new proprietary “Hedgehog Engine,” Sonic Unleashed enhances the classic 2D perspective with mind-blowing 3D stages. Other next-gen technology capabilities include global illumination, grid computing, continuous data streaming and an intricate path finding system.
- Enhanced and Expanded Environments - Many unique and fascinating continents offer the player an opportunity to save the world in a dynamic, high-speed experience. In addition to exploring exciting unlockable areas, players dash through up to nine locations resembling real-life destinations including the Great Wall of China, Arctic Pole glaciers and many more.
Whether it's the updated graphics that retain the side-scrolling feel of classic games in the Sonic franchise, an expansive world to race through and explore or the multiple and new ways to play, Sonic Unleashed offers something for players of any age or level of ability.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
Finally a Great 3D Sonic Game January 6, 2009
Its no secret that there hasn't been a great 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast. The games that followed were among the worst Sonic games in existence. Sonic Unleashed thankfully bucks the trend though.
Its really a "love it or hate it" game. Most people have either reaction while very few people get stuck between both ends of the spectrum. Here are some things Sonic Unleashed gets right: fantastic controls for both Sonic characters, the environments are beautiful, the levels themselves are a real treat and really fun to play, the story is minimal (so you won't be watching a lot of cutscenes), and the music is fantastic (possibly the best soundtrack in a Sonic game ever).
If you're a Sonic fan or just slightly interested, you should give this game a try. But if you hated the last few games don't bother. It was definitely the best $50 I've spent in a while.
 Great, and underrated January 5, 2009
First of all I would like to say that this game, Sonic Unleashed is VERY underrated, because places like IGN give it a 4.5, I understand why, but just because theres this little puffball in it with slow moves and stuff doesn't mean that you should take it down a few levels. If this game was ONLY sonic, I would give it a 10/10. I have to give it 5 stars though, because it is so great with the daytime levels. Exciting gameplay, and returning characters make it all very fun. You may only be able to play as Sonic and the Werehog, but in my honest opinion the game is worth every penny of that 50-$60. This time Sonic runs faster then ever, and brings back the fun of Sonic games like Sonic advance and Sega genesis sonic games. The werehog levels may be utterly HORRIBLE, long (sonic levels are usually only a few minutes while werehog levels are around a half an hour.), and completely slow, it will keep pulling you back for more because the Sonic(daytime) levels are so completely fun. The only downside is that the Werehog is like a Dragonball Z game, because you have a move list, and you basically have to buy more moves, strength, and life. Sadly, this happens when you are Sonic too, you basically have to buy more speed, while you should run as fast as you can as soon as you start it. At least its not nearly as horrifying as Sonic 2006 (sonic the hedgehog) with the many glitches and low speed and even the bad storyline, its manageable, and you will really just want to keep coming back for more.
 Looks great, but isn't too fun to play; too much going on December 30, 2008
I'm somewhat indifferent about this game - there are many things to like, but also many things to dislike.
The game has three components - an RPG-style component, a daytime 2D/3D platforming component, and a 3D nighttime combat and platforming component. There's a "world map" that enables you to decide where you want to go next, and within each location there are RPG "villages", which contain "entry stages" from which you can actually access the "acts" and play the daytime/nighttime acts. Each component actually works well alone, but together, it's really a mess. It's difficult to figure out what you should do next. The goal is to traverse these villages, entry stages, and acts in order to put the planet's pieces back together - of which there are seven.
The daytime levels are brilliantly designed. The graphics are superb, and the speed at which the levels move is absolutely amazing. In these levels, Sonic is basically "on rails" - sometimes Sonic has more freedom and can move in three dimensions, but usually you get pulled into a 2D platform in a 3D environment. These levels involve classic Sonic platforming - moving from left to right. Unfortunately, this doesn't work as well as you would think. Sonic moves really fast, and anytime you start a new daytime act, you don't know what is going to appear to the right of the screen. You'll hit things a lot, you'll miss jumps and dive off things a lot, and you'll fall into water a lot. If you miss a key jump, quite often the platform loops back and you end up replaying areas. There are also "quicktime" events - button sequences that you must press in order to reach certain areas. The camera in these acts is static, and you can't move the camera to get a better perspective on where you need to go next. For the most part, you need to memorize the board, and execute moves based on your memory. It's trial and error - you may die a couple of times trying to get past a certain spot, but once you do, you'll be faced with a new set of sequences to memorize.
The nighttime acts involve combat - you encounter enemies, you throw punches, kick, jump, and execute combos. This component actually works well and is probably the part of the game I enjoy most. The problem is that these levels also involve platforming (like Tomb Raider: jumping from ledges, poles, etc.) that unfortunately isn't well implemented. The controls are somewhat sluggish - especially when double-jumping. You also can't place the camera where you need it most. The most challenging task is walking across balance beams - this requires pinpoint accuracy that just doesn't work well because the camera is often at Sonic's side rather than at his back. The nighttime acts also suffer from an insane number of enemies - way too many at times. Checkpoints are annoyingly spaced, and when you're killed, you end up replaying multiple battles multiple times to the point that you're ready to twist your controller in rage.
It's important to note that the game still utilizes a "lives" system. You have a certain number of lives, and as you die while trying to complete a certain act, eventually you'll exhaust your lives and will be sent back to the entry stage containing that act. You'll have to start that act again, regardless of your checkpoint position. This component is extremely annoying considering that the game sends you back to the entry stage with the same number of lives you had before you started the act. It is also an outdated idea - instead of stopping the game, let the player play.
In addition to rings, Sonic has to collect "sun" and "moon" medals. Collecting enough of these unlocks other acts within stages, but sometimes you can't proceed in the main story unless you collect a certain number of medals. This ultimately means replaying daytime and nighttime acts over and over until you find more medals. And some of them are creatively hidden - making them really hard to find. Considering the speed at which the daytime levels move, this can become quite a chore.
Another odd feature - the player controls day and night. This means that you need to decide which acts appear in which stages. The are multiple ways to change day to night and vice-versa, but this too becomes a chore and is tedious, since the game stops to reload the level. The RPG gameplay changes as well depending upon the time of day, adding another layer of confusion. You can't possibly master this until you've completed at least 50% of the game.
The story is OK, but the characters get really annoying. "Chip" flutters around Sonic constantly and yells out single words that will annoy you within hours. The RPG elements require reading text - most other games use voice-acting, so reading text seems old. The music for this game seems uninspired, dull, and repetitive. The cinematic CGI sequences are really well-done, however, and the CGI graphics are some of the best I've ever seen.
This isn't entirely a bad game. Great graphics, great sound, interesting story. From a technical perspective, it's good, but from a "fun" perspective, it's below average. The number of things that you need to control, collect, and do is overwhelming. The developers tried to put entirely too much into this game. If they had removed the RPG element, leaving the daytime and nighttime acts as a linear story (like old Sonic 1 and Sonic 2), it would have been much more fun. And that's the issue with this game - it isn't particularly fun; it's just frustrating at times.
I never once found myself wanting to play this game, and it's the first game I'd ever considered not finishing.
Awesome December 26, 2008
The product arrived quickly and my Grandson can't stop playing it. He says it's awesome.
finally things look bright, literally! December 22, 2008
every 3 or 4 years, SEGA pushes out another sonic game with the nintendo
version being the best versions. it's been sonic's basic rule to do the
best he can on nitendo systems, with his newest game being no exception,
but that's not saying that the 360 version is bad, oh no no NO! it is acually one of the best to date! it is just held down by stuff the wii version didn't have, and has stuff that is better than the wii's, just not as many.
first lets talk about the blue blur himself. in his stages, you don't feel the blues at all. he is extremely fast and fun, with his levels being beautiful looking and have some good and bad design. the good design is that, with practice, you can memorize them and when you're good enough, fly by at super sonic speeds easily. and you can put you're time on a leader board, at least that is what it says on the back of the game cover. the replay value is extremely high, with dozens of twists and turns to take. the down side to the speed levels are the following: 1, there are not enough. there are only 9 speed levels. 9 i tell ya! they consist of 2 or 3 acts. the 1st act is the one you normally play, while the other acts optional, and trust me, they SHOULD be optional. they are so hard and frustrating, it's just not worth it. any way, sonic comes with old and some new moves. each being good, and with their share of flaws. the sonic drift is one, while it helps you turn, you still just don't turn sharp enough. most of the time, it will intead of helping you, kill you most of the time you use it. sonic's controls are problomatic at points. his turning is good while he's boosting, but when he's not, it's a little too loose, but most of the time, you'll be boosting anyway. his braking is awful. it taks him too long to stop, plain and simple. the jumping can also be untrust worthy, but it's not that bad. that's pretty much it for the hedgehog...
But what about the werehog? to keep a long story short, just don't play as him, regardless of the version. his levels are bassic platforming, but that's just it, BASIC PLATFORMING. it has nothing interesting about it. the guns in Shadow The Hedgehog were funner than this! the levles are TOO long, from 10 to 30 minutes each, no joke. the fighting is pointless and the upgrading system too. you don't need it because you basically win with the Y button, end of story.
overall, SEGA said they were aiming for the best sonic game ever, and got really close, but anchored it down with a lousy, boring, and stupid werehog, a WEREHOG!!! HAVE YOU HERD OF SUCH A THING??? well, now you have. don't be fooled, it's a good game though. the day stages are THAT fun, seriously, they are. and since the day stages are the thing that you'll spend the most time replaying, i recomend the wii version. it is missing 2 levels, but it's still a great game. if you don't own a wii, don't be afraid of getting the 360 version. it's a good game, just not as good as the wii version. it's not that it sucks to the wii version, it's just not as thought out. now my final words are... SEGA, GET A STUPID DOG CATCHER AND TAKE THE WEREHOG TO THE POUND PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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