Kind of Blue- Sonic Unleashed


After eighteen years, I vividly remember the first time I saw Sonic the Hedgehog.  A friend, returning from a family vacation, had purchased the game a few weeks before the first waves of publicity would reach gamers across the country. As he hit the power button on his Genesis, we heard the iconic “SE-GA” slogan, as if the console was singing in jubilation to usher in the next few blissful moments. We were quickly transported to the Green Hill Zone, a breathtaking level constructed of blues skies, geometric palm trees, and dramatic checkerboard patterns. Sonic whizzed through the level, traveling at a staggering velocity through loops, and across perilous jumps. It was a phenomenal experience.

Sadly, those moments would never be outdone.  Later stages in the game would slow the hedgehog down, and never match the unbridled exhilaration shown by the introductory levels. Even worse, technology would advance exponentially, every console generation's Sonic title failing to match the intensity of the Green Hill Zone. As developers fumbled in their attempts to bring Sonic into the third dimension, a generation of hedgehog fans grew disinterested by the franchise.


                             Those missiles are locked on to the Guns and Roses CD in your pocket, Sonic.

After witnessing a bit of gameplay from Sonic Unleashed at E3, we were cautiously optimistic about the title.  Like most gamers, we’ve been repeatedly vexed by the series’ vicious hype cycle; previews left us energized, but actual gameplay disappointed. All along we’ve stood by our protagonist in the oversized sneakers, from the acceptable DS titles to the abysmal spin-off of Shadow the Hedgehog.

Sonic Unleashed opens strongly with a Pixar-quality cinematic setting the stage for the proverbial conflict with Dr. Eggman. Impatient gamers will also have to witness an additional six-minute prologue before the hedgehog descends onto Apotos, a Grecian-inspired level. As nearly all the games in the series offer slight variations of the same Sonic/Eggman narrative conflict, we resented having to sit through an unskippable cutscene. Compounding the issue was the simplicity of the dialogue that seemed to reach for a Saturday-morning demographic.

However, once we started speeding through the game’s first level, nearly all was forgiven. Sonic raced across levels that shifted from the third person perspective shown in The Secret Rings to track-based, 2D sections, effortlessly. New to the series is the inclusion of a ‘quick step’ move which allows Sonic to instantly veer to the limits of the track by a tap of the left or right bumper. Additionally, the blue wonder has a boost attack that rips through both enemies and the environment, and increases the speed of the game to rocket-like levels. Players must use a variety of skills to race through each environment, from ducking under small crevices to chaining a homing attack to cross a dangerous chasm. These levels are wonderfully exhilarating, expertly crafted, and are easily the best aspect of the game.



As night falls within the game world, our speedy hero transforms into Sonic the Werehog, and gameplay shifts genres. In lupine form, the title plays like an outlandish potpourri of God of War combat, Tomb Raider environment navigation, with a dash of the limb-extending abilities of Ristar. Here, Sonic lumbers through levels interspersed with combat zones and puzzle aspects. While a significant improvement upon past Sonic offshoots, the Werehog levels lacked personality and ultimately feel like a competent, yet unfocused amalgam of every action platformer we’ve ever played.

 Beyond these two game types, a number of other activities attempt to keep the action from growing stagnant. One early minigame has us controlling Tail’s airwing, shooting down enemies combatants in a homage to Typing of the Dead. Players use the face buttons on the controllers to match a string of characters displayed by marauding enemies. Less successful was the incorporation of role-playing elements that has us talking to the citizens of each level; juxtaposed against Sonic’s lively levels, this aspect seems tedious and unrewarding.


                   Like the Hulk, Sonic the Warehog never seems to find a  peaceful resolution to the problem.

Graphically, the game’s engine seems suited for Sonic’s quick levels; stunning architecture zips by, and motion blur is integrated masterfully. However the Werehog levels often get bogged down by the sheer number of enemies that game throws at the player. Here, Sonic’s typically zippy framerate falters, as the game drops below the 30 frame per second threshold. While typically, the game camera is a concern in the 3D Sonic titles, there were few areas in the game where a flawed perspective caused player death. At worst, sections of the level or hub zones were briefly obscured.

At its best, Sonic Unleashed spends the blue wonder careering through levels at breakneck speeds, making for some of the best action the series has seen this decade. Sadly, the game occasionally decelerates into trivial RPG-inspired moments where you have vapid conversations with townsfolk.  Still, these events shouldn’t keep the action-game aficionado from enjoying a return to form for our beloved hedgehog; Unleashed stands as the best Sonic game in nearly a decade.



Post Script

Today we received the PS3 version of Sonic Unleashed in our offices. No surprisingly, every cliff, wall, and enemy has made the transition to Sony's now-gen platform. From the opening CGI cinematic to the fractured Earth narrative, nothing has been left out. Both for owners of both platforms, the 360 version is the format to get. Some of the graphical differences include:

- The use of a filter to blur objects in the background. The Playstation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed incorporates a 'soft focus' that is much more noticable that the similar graphic effect found in the 360 version.

- Lower Framerate. In the 360 version, our favorite facet of the game were the Sonic level; moving through the levels at supersonic speeds was exhilerating. Sadly, when the hedgehog engine was ported to the PS3, the code wasn't optomized. While zipping through levels still feels fast, the framerate on Son't machine is often a few frames slower. At some points, a bit of choppiness was observed.

- Draw-in. The amount of pop-in on the PS3 in minimal, and may not even be noticed by some gamers. However, we spotted a few more instances of it on Sony's machine.

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Posted by DesertEagle at 12/10/2008 11:38 AM
Categories: PS3,360,Reviews
 

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