Sonic Unleashed

Sonic won’t die, at least not yet. If the series must continue then I would hope the Sega takes a good look at the series history and make games that show they remember what Sonic used to be. I don’t mean remake or retread familiar waters, I mean stay true to your source material. No wonky stories with aliens, no rouge genies, no clones, no pirates, etc, etc. That goes for gameplay additions too. Shooting? Fishing? Driving? Not in a Sonic game. Ok? Thanks Sega.

Recently, Sega announced Sonic Unleashed. Along with this uninspired name, Sega released some screen shots and a trailer. Both the screens and the video seemed to take into account all the things I had been thinking. It was a mix of 2D and 3D gameplay (although the 3D segments seem to be in the same vein as Secret Rings, boo). The environments have a unique styling, but it still looks like a Sonic game. There were loops and platforms, and it looks amazing. I’ve included only one screen below, but it’s a really nice looking one (I’ll have some links at the bottom of this entry).

Sweet, right? Sonic with a bit of a European vibe? That’s pretty cool. So I saw all these things, and it made me happy to see them. But, I had to sprinkle some salt on all of this sweetness, because with everything Sega has released in the last five years, virtually none of it has been worthwhile. This looks great, but will it be great? Will there be something revealed later that could totally ruin what I see here? What could ruin a most 2D experience?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, the Secret Rings part might. But, what if it wasn’t on rails? Or what if those portions were rather limited? That would be ok. But what if everything was on rails, even the 2D parts? That would be terrible.

But even those things, as hindering as they might be, didn’t prepare me for the other bit of information that I stumbled across, which is pictured below.

Were-Sonic.

Upon seeing this nearly all of my interest in the title fled my conscious. The levels will be divided up into day and night segments. Presumably you will “unleash” Were-Sonic in the latter segments. These sections will also be combat heavy. And we have another poor, poor, choice by the fine folks at Sega. One of the CG screens also had a Sonic 360/PS3 styled monster in it.

These ideas don’t mix with the rest of what Sega has shown of the title. 2D goodness + non-robotic monsters + Were-Sonic? What kind of prick thinks this shit up?

I’ll reserve judgment until Sega shows more of it, but I remain very skeptical. If the game has a vast emphasis on 2D gameplay, defeating Eggman’s robots, and the Were-Sonic parts are actually playable and enjoyable then this will be a worthwhile endeavor. I can get over Were-Sonic, like I’m sure Zelda fans quickly adjusted to Were-Link (which turned out quite well I might add, but that was a Nintendo game from a studio known for amazing games, not a Sega team known for missing the mark with every game they make). However on-rail segments, mosters, aliens, and whatever else Sega might add would ruin this for me, and would make it a prime example as to why the series should end.

Make the right choice Sega. Make the classic fans happy, not the furries who enjoyed your last few efforts.

Links:

Screens:

http://www.seganerds.com/2008/03/22/sonic-unleashed-artwork/

http://www.seganerds.com/2008/03/22/more-sonic-unleashed-screenshots/

Trailer:

http://www.seganerds.com/2008/04/04/check-out-this-new-sonic-unleashed-trailer/