I was able to get a copy of Sonic Unleashed today from my roommates blockbuster video for the 360 and I have played it ever since I got home from work today...so for about 4 hours.
Impression so far - pretty damn good!
Graphics and presentation in this game is seriously top notch (360 version. I don’t know about the wii). From the amazing intro movie to character animations, Sega went all out with this game and delivered one of the best looking games I have ever seen. The Sonic levels in particular look astonishing since they fly by with ludicrous speed while never losing any detail. Wait till you see the Ice level in motion...The werewolf levels look decent enough but this game is meant to be played fast... Music as well is top notch and much better than in recent years, however its not as memorable as the old sonic games fromt he 16 bit era. There are some great touches such as the classic sonic theme song being played out of key if you get E ranking on a level.
The premise is simple; Sonic plays as regular sonic by day and werewolf sonic by night. The levels are scattered around a planet which is falling apart that you have to save, and you have control of where you want to go and at what time of day you want to go there. However you can't just go to day levels since some levels don’t get opened until you follow the plot points that game throws at you...such as go talk to the professor about where the temple of Gaia is...etc. Dialogue can be quite forgettable but overall the game has charm and character.
Gameplay is indeed divided. Sonic levels are classic zippy sonic gameplay while werewolf levels feel like a really basic god of war with platforming elements.
Sonic levels are an absolute joy to play. People used to say that sonic levels play themselves in previous games and while that is true for a few segments here as well...enough gameplay control is given to the player to feel like you are in control. You will die...many times...and will replay these levels with pleasure as they are truly fun.
Werewolf levels are different...and they are not up to par with the sonic levels in terms of fun factor. However they are in no way terrible. Combat is quite uninteresting at first however as you level up...it becomes tolerable. The fun in the Werewolf levels comes from platforming. It has some pretty fun platforming aspects that people who like platformers will appreciate. I guess the main complaint about the werewolf levels is that they are too damn long. I spent 25 minutes on one level and I wasn't even sightseeing...but blasting through it. There are some camera issues as well...
I have read a few reviews for the game here and there...most of them stating that the werewolf levels are terrible while sonic levels are good. However, I figure these reviewers have a pre-defined vision of what a Sonic game should be and are bitter and jaded that this game does not play like the classic sonic games they know and love. So I really don't care what they say... Overall I can already tell that this game is quite solid and if this were a new IP, it would most likely score between 75-80 on metacritic or gamerankings. However since sonic is held to different standards...it most likely wont.
If you are remotely interested in this game, I suggest you try it out as it’s truly the best sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2. The werewolf sonic levels do hold the game back...but not by much.
