Sonic Unleashed vs. Sonic Colors Extra Round - Final Thoughts

[Mysterious X]

Nobody believed Eggman wouldn't get kicked out of the main threat category when Dark Gaia was unleashed at the beginning of Sonic Unle- yeah, that. But in Colors Eggman is the main threat from beginning to end, and even when his plans have fallen apart and the amusement park is being wrecked, he still goes after Sonic personally to settle the score.

 

Hmm, Eggman being kicked out as a main threat has been a common thing for a while, Chaos, Metal Overlord, Black Doom... etc.

So this really is a good point for Colors. And a nice change.

 

Hey this doesn't mean I changed my mind, it's still Sonic Unleashed for me.

[Vertekins]

If Sonic discovering all his abilities as the Werehog within 20 playable minutes of screentime is done without ever expressing dislike of the form I don't see how Chip or Pickle's comments in any way equate "believable development". If anything it's no development and Sonic is just "meh whatever", which makes the Amy cutscene even more jarring because of how little it matters on the plot.

The game sets up internal conflict within the story and never resolves it. The cutscene was a pointless shoe-in for Amy.

 

Here's the thing though; Sonic does not discover ALL of his abilities in the first twenty minutes. It many hours and much effort to get all of them and turn Sonic into something really competent. He only starts-off in the first twenty minutes with very few very basic moves, a small Unleashed bar and a couple of shields and as anyone who's played Windmill Isle Night act 1 can say, it can be a challenge taking on the Titan at the end. Disliking the form is never a factor for the fact that Sonic doesn't dislike it, he expresses concern at being careful who sees him like it because of their possible reactions.

 

Sonic gradual acceptance of it and not rushing himself is due to gradually liking what he can do. Dislike of it was never a contributing factor to wanting to get rid of it for the simple fact that he doesn't dislike it. When Amy fails to recognize him and it hits home, this is still resolved when he interacts with her outside the university and then not only does she apologize for not recognizing him but even goes on to say that "No matter the package, you're still my Sonic Sonic", which tells him that Amy doesn't care about what he looks like, resolving the 'conflict' regarding her.

 

The only reason some of Unleashed's plot points and characterization points aren't appreciated is because they're not spoonfed in the form of cutscenes and take on a more subtle form in in-game actions and dialogue as indicated by you previously falsely stating that appreciation for cucumber sandwiches was Pickle's only defining character trait when it wasn't.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Vertekins

[Chaos Warp]

Hmmm, I think both games have certain members of the main cast characterized better then the other. As for Sonic, I'll have to go with Unleashed. While he might have been boring at times, I think it was still better then Colors where he was cracking bad jokes constantly and not really taking any threats seriously. As for Tails, I vote Colors. He was sarcastic, saw Sonic as more of a best friend then an idol and bounced well of of Sonic's antics, as opposed to Unleashed where he was boring by comparison. Eggman is awesome in both games so in terms of him it's a tie. So I guess that makes it a tie for me in this category, because I can't think of anyone else to compare.

 

So it's a tie for me overall in this one.  

[Carbo]

Here's the thing though; Sonic does not discover ALL of his abilities in the first twenty minutes. It many hours and much effort to get all of them and turn Sonic into something really competent. He only starts-off in the first twenty minutes with very few very basic moves, a small Unleashed bar and a couple of shields and as anyone who's played Windmill Isle Night act 1 can say, it can be a challenge taking on the Titan at the end. Disliking the form is never a factor for the fact that Sonic doesn't dislike it, he expresses concern at being careful who sees him like it because of their possible reactions.

 

A combo list isn't justifying the in-game story because you can go on the entire game without adding things onto your bar. If Unleashed did some things akin to Generations where Modern Sonic "passed on" the move to his Classic self I could understand, but there's no visible insight on Sonic learning anything during the story as far as the Werehog goes. Sonic is the Werehog for all but two minutes in the opening. By the time he becomes the Werehog again, he already learns just about everything he ever learns within the story, and nothing escalates from there on.

 

Sonic gradual acceptance of it and not rushing himself is due to gradually liking what he can do. Dislike of it was never a contributing factor to wanting to get rid of it for the simple fact that he doesn't dislike it. When Amy fails to recognize him and it hits home, this is still resolved when he interacts with her outside the university and then not only does she apologize for not recognizing him but even goes on to say that "No matter the package, you're still my Sonic Sonic", which tells him that Amy doesn't care about what he looks like, resolving the 'conflict' regarding her.

 

If you talk to her. But I didn't.

If the game expects you to do optional things in order to grasp certain "plot points" to what is supposed to be a big deal within the story as far as his identity crisis goes or in fact any other crucial character such as Chip then I'm sorry but that's just piss poor storytelling. You can have optional stories take place that flesh out characters or lore, games like Metroid Prime and Persona do this spectacularly. But you can't hide key plot development points within the story if there isn't some sort of ultimate payoff to doing all of that, because then you'll have lost your audience by obscuring whatever character-driven tale it is you want to tell. I shouldn't have to do optional things to find the story believable, because if the game is already not drawing me in with it's lack of interesting "replay value" by means of optional side quests or story then hunting for those details to make me understand why I should care is not my idea of a good time.

 

EDIT: You'll actually have to correct me here if there was a cutscene because frankly Unleashed's lasting ability on me is so weak I don't even remember if there was a cutscene about it. If there was then I only partially go back on it, because I still feel that Werehog's development was absolutely pointless since that kind of resolve means nothing when the story never portrayed anything of conflict in anything but that one scene, or at least anything that ever seemed to matter to him as a character.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Carbo

[Kuzu]

What does he do to learn about it's abilities? For one, he grabs the ice cream cone that Chip accidentally knocks over and notes that whilst it's weird, it "could be useful". Hence an in-story explanation is given for him to start experimenting with his new body's properties in order to fight like that. EXP gained from enemies and food intake is what allows him to logically 'grow' in both experience and stamina and develop new moves. It's gameplay and story segregation but it's sensical.

 

Whatsmore, in-game, Sonic's exclamations when he's fighting are evidence enough that he likes what he can do, howling and performing certain poses upon pulling-off a particularly impressive array of moves in succession.

 

Just because it isn't explicitly revealed in-story doesn't mean it's entirely forgone.

 

But it doesn't add anything either. It's just meaningless fluff. There's no resolution, no development. No nothing. That's my primary beef with people who say Unleashed's characterization is "rich". I'm not saying it's terrible because none of the characters are unlikable, but there's nothing really done with them that we haven't already seen or used to. 

 

There's not once instance in the game in which Sonic states that he hates the form. He commiserates that he needs to be careful about who sees him like it and states that he needs to find Eggman and fix it but it's never hinted that he says this out of dislike for the form.

Well considering he was just humiliated by Eggman, and it was his own fault. He's stuck in a form that slowly warps his personality and has no idea what it's capable of, and he's stripped of the speed that he's so proud of. You mean to tell me that I'm supposed to believe that Sonic isn't supposed to have no problem with this at all and just take it on the chin? If I was Sonic, I'd be pissed off. No, but negative emotions

 

 

This isn't explicitly true. Sonic's temper is noticeably worse and he has a definite sense of savagery that is missing from normal form. Gaia's influence does have an effect on his personality to some extent, Chip just notes that it's not detrimental to him overall.

 

 

That's. the problem. It's not detrimental to him at all, it does nothing to hinder him, has no effect on him outside from giving even more abilities. This is the primary problem with Sonic's character in Unleashed, nothing hinders him at all throughout the game, things just fall into place for him and potentially bad things are brushed off by him.

 

This is not interesting characterization, this is boring and predictable fluff. 

 

Previous portrayals in regards to remarking on the exaggeration are entirely relevant.

Except in this case we're only talking about two games.

 

I mean I have no problem with bringing other games in, but I think OP's point is to just keep it between Unleashed & Colors.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

I know this is really late, but I want to get my quick opinion in about the first 4 rounds, if I'm allowed to that is:

 

Round 1: Art Design

Unleashed = Colors. Both do their job well of representing the style they were going for. Unleashed was a cartoony interpretation of the real world mixed with the usual Sonic things, while Colors was a colorful and artificial world that really showed off the twisted nature of Eggmans machinations.

Round 2: Music

Unleashed = Colors. I love the grand nature of Unleashed's soundtrack, and the main theme is pure awesome. Colors is bouncy and lighthearted, but also extremely varied and while I don't really like it's main theme as much, I guess it's enjoyable in the right situation.

Round 3: Enemy Design/Variety/Use

Unleashed = Colors. Unleashed had more variety, while Colors had Pawns with hats. Which was really funny and awesome. Dark Gaia spawn could have used more variety, and I frankly would have liked them more if not for the fact that their arrival means I have to constantly hear that annoying jazz battle theme.

Round 5 - Bosses

This is where I can't really say that much, because I haven't played enough of Unleashed to be able to give a full detailed response, and I haven't played Colors at all. Thus, from impressions alone, I'd have to give it to Unleashed just by sheer variety and no repetition of bosses.

That's the problem. It's not detrimental to him at all, it does nothing to hinder him, has no effect on him outside from giving even more abilities. This is the primary problem with Sonic's character in Unleashed, nothing hinders him at all throughout the game, things just fall into place for him and potentially bad things are brushed off by him.

Well, to be fair, Colors Sonic didn't exactly get hindered that much either throughout the story. Hell, he beat Eggman's cannon plot without even realizing it existed on a bigger scale than the simple beam that shot Tails (and a small reason why I felt Colors Eggman was slightly more incompetent as a result).

Edited March 31, 2013 by 743-E.D. Missile

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

"Being picky about sandwiches is my only defining character trait".

Then you haven't been paying attention to the others.

[Vertekins]

Then you haven't been paying attention to the others.

 

Like I said, it's because Pickle's traits are not spoon-fed in the form of cutscenes. There's his adoration for souvenirs and unsubtle yet funny way in which he asks Sonic to bring him some next time he comes to visit and then the way in which he describes every souvenir brought to him in great character-loyal detail. There's the way in which he's mentioned to mark-up his students grades if they drop "cucumbery care packages" to him. There's also his funny curtness with his good friend Otto in his messages that he asks Otto to pass onto Sonic and Otto's maintenance that Pickle tends to brood and pout if he's left alone. Pickle is a real contrast to Eggman in that he's refined, kind and rational. He even treats Sonic like a favourite grandson, referring to him as "My boy" and offering him very good advice.

 

Unleashed actually has substance to it's characters unlike Colours and Generations after it outside of cutscenes. It's a testament to how well-rounded the characters are. Not being willing to play the game to see them is not the fault of the narrative or the game.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Vertekins

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Let's be fair tho, Unleashed had a sense of emptiness that can make make a lot of the things you do kinda pointless and doesn't give the player any sense of reward in interacting outside of what they see in the cutscenes. The Professor's love of souvenirs, his knowledge of the Gaia Manuscripts, and his contrast from Eggman's bombastic and ego-maniacal personality are things to be noted. But you'd think that with all the work they put into the world that they could at least put even more effort into the characters. It would help if they used cutscenes more for that since that's generally what players pay attention to, and if they gave even more value to the world with the worldbuilding they did then it would make players be more inclined to get to know the NPCs more.

 

Unleashed is a lot stronger in some aspects such as the sense of scale and there being a bigger world filled with more people, but the expressions from the actual characters are far more weaker than Colors while Colors just takes one expression and set off the tracks with it while occassionally changing the tone. That might be my preferences of more well rounded works that give multiple colors of expressions, but they both needed to step their games up.

Edited March 31, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[SenEDDtor Missile]

At this point it seems like it's more down to HOW something is presented to us, rather than if it's actually present at all. People like me don't mind looking around to find the details, while people like Soniman and Starscream prefer to have it upfront. Neither are wrong, but it seems like we both wish for the other game to be more like what we want, rather than appreciate each for what they do bring.

Edited March 31, 2013 by 743-E.D. Missile

[Dr. Homem]

I'm afraid that if I talked about the protagonists I'd be just be repeating what the other people on this thread have said, and said better than I could. So, I'm only going to focus on one character. Guess who?
 

 

From the start, Dr. Eggman's character is presented in a different way from the last time. Gone is the serious, malevolous villain from Sonic 2006, being replaced by the jolly, laughing doctor from back in the day. Evidently, that means (from a storytelling standpoint) we have a more characteristic, unique and likeable antagonist once again, which is definitely a good thing. Such remains consistent throughout both games and, going by Generations, is there to stay.

 

Regardless of being much friendlier and bombastic, however, we have a more menacing Robotnik at the same time. While it may not be as blatantly obvious as nuking a city (thankfully), he is more dangerous because of the execution of his plans; in Unleashed, he traps Super Sonic to strip him of his power, brakes the planet into pieces and uses the embodyment of darkness to fuel his utopia. After that, in Colours, he conquers and chains three planets together, while enslaving and sucking the energy of the adorable Wisps. You see, this is precisely the kind of villain characterization that works better than generic piles of evil such as Julian. The important thing that Unleashed and Colors bring to the character is making him enough of a threat without losing his essence.

 

I should also mention that he is really competent throughout both sequences. In Unleashed he remains in control the whole time, until the very end where Dark Gaia takes the spotlight. Similarly, in Colours, he is the main villain for the entire game.

 

One thing that I believe happens here that did not happen at all in any previous game, is showing the relationship between Eggman and his creations. The introduction of Orbot and Cubot certainly help to that: their presence adds a whole new dynamic of interaction to the games, comparable to Scratch & Grounder in AoSTH, but in that we can actually observe Eggman scheming with his inventions. That is a revolutionary perspective, but not the only one. When he gushes with pride of his creations such as the Egg Dragoon and the Egg Nega-Wisp makes his egotism and narcissism even more visible than before.

 

 

Bottom line. I see the characterization of Dr. Eggman in Colours and Unleashed as one of addition rather than comparison. It's difficult to put one above the other because they both add or improve perspective on his character and an analysis would be incomplete if it were to include only one. They contribute equally to building his personality.

[Soniman]

At this point it seems like it's more down to HOW something is presented to us, rather than if it's actually present at all. People like me don't mind looking around to find the details, while people like Soniman and Starscream prefer to have it upfront. Neither are wrong, but it seems like we both wish for the other game to be more like what we want, rather than appreciate each for what they do bring.

 

Don't get me wrong, games like Wind Waker or Majora's Mask do this wonderfully and I absolutely love those games for that, but in comparison to how Unleashed does it compared to how Colors just puts it all upfront, I say that Colors' method just came off a lot stronger and resonated with me more than Unleashed did.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Soniman

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Don't get me wrong, games like Wind Waker or Majora's Mask do this wonderfully and I absolutely love those games for that, but in comparison to how Unleashed does it compared to how Colors just puts it all upfront, say that Colors method just came off alot stronger and resonated with me more than Unleashed did.

Well, fair enough I suppose.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Games like Wind Maker and Majora's Mask actually make you care a lot more...Majora's Mask more so because of how omnious and time-sensitive it is when people feel like the world is gonna end. And plenty of other stuff I haven't noted.

Edited March 31, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[Carbo]

Then you haven't been paying attention to the others.

Most likely because, again, the game failed to make me care about him. Or even better yet, the optional sidequests built around him were based on game play that wasn't quite fun.

Again, referring to the Persona series in terms of properly building a character both within the lore and the optional sidequest stories. Through the process of those games we get to learn about the characters and their involvements throughout the main game and why they matter. It builds a story where they are fleshed out as characters and develop as the plot progresses, but that progression is only in terms of main plot. But the social links that you do in order to establish your relations with those people are purely on a personal level. Those are the story details that give the undercurrent to motivations we already know about and appreciate them for, and the best part is that these are given through expositions you take optionally but also kind want to because along with knowing more about the well written characters it boosts your abilities within the game play. Now that's pay off and incentive for the player, two birds in one stone.

While that may seem like it asks for a story level equating that of an RPG, that's not really what I'm putting forth. Because Sonic is not a series reliant on characterization and has always been largely plot driven, and they've never been spectacularly written pieces to begin with either way. Ideally fleshing Pickle out as a character would mean incorporating those optional elements you have to pursue within his character within some more story exposition and then generally repurpose the optional details so they're purely personal bonuses that the player not only benefits from somehow in ways of game play but also for personal insight, because other than that Pickle is nothing but a "quirky character" to me that might be charming but isn't exactly interesting or anything to write home about. It's the same reason there was practically no point in buying Chip all that food. You just get a few lines of dialogue and an achievement.

[Kuzu]

Well, to be fair, Colors Sonic didn't exactly get hindered that much either throughout the story. Hell, he beat Eggman's cannon plot without even realizing it existed on a bigger scale than the simple beam that shot Tails (and a small reason why I felt Colors Eggman was slightly more incompetent as a result).

 

I never said Colors was the shining example of characterization, but at the very least Sonic is shown as infallible now and then. He acts stupid, and people call him out on it. This alone puts him leagues above Unleashed in my eyes.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

I never said Colors was the shining example of characterization, but at the very least Sonic is shown as infallible now and then. He acts stupid, and people call him out on it. This alone puts him leagues above Unleashed in my eyes.

Well, to be fair again, Unleashed Sonic also made a huge blunder at the beginning of the game, being so overconfident that he walked right into Eggman's trap, and pretty much kick-started the entire plot too.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Most likely because, again, the game failed to make me care about him. Or even better yet, the optional sidequests built around him were based on game play that wasn't quite fun.

Yeah, I noted that in my later post. But I don't think that's an excuse to say that was his only defining trait when even in the cutscenes you saw more to the character relating to the Gaia manuscripts than cucumber sandwiches when you quoted me.

 

I'm not going to defend it too much when the characterization wasn't strong enough, and that's fair enough if the game didn't make you care about him. But with that said it did show you at least two things about the character and to only take one of them initially for their character as a whole isn't even giving fair criticism of the character.

Edited March 31, 2013 by ChaosSupremeSonic

[JezMM]

Oops I lost track of this thread.

 

For bosses: Unleashed

 

They were just more fun to play to me, Colours were too easy and had too much 2D (like everything in that game).  The final boss was also massively unspectacular and simple to beat.  It was barely more exciting than the first boss of Secret Rings, you certainly fight it in the same way anyhow.  Had the orchestral theme not kicked in halfway through I would have thought I was fighting a penultimate boss.

 

 

Meanwhile, for all it's flaws gameplay-wise, I adored Unleashed's final boss just for how cinematic and grand it was in aesthetic.  Totally blew me away first time, even with the silly QTEs, I was totally into it.

 

 

 

 

As for characterisation... Colours for effort.  I miss Unleashed's calm demeanor, but generally the cut-scenes felt a bit more "alive" in Colours, even if the plot itself was crap.

[Mysterious X]

Well, to be fair again, Unleashed Sonic also made a huge blunder at the beginning of the game, being so overconfident that he walked right into Eggman's trap, and pretty much kick-started the entire plot too.

 

It's not overconfidence alone that made him fall into the trap, Eggman's trap was well-made and precise, Sonic just didn't see it coming.

But I see your point, even in Unleashed, Sonic was seen 'making a blunder' sometimes.

 

Oops I lost track of this thread.

 

Someone else joins this powerful discussion!

[SenEDDtor Missile]

It's not overconfidence alone that made him fall into the trap, Eggman's trap was well-made and precise, Sonic just didn't see it coming.

But I see your point, even in Unleashed, Sonic was seen 'making a blunder' sometimes.

I call it overconfidence because of what Sonic was doing BEFORE the trap was sprung. He could have crushed Eggman then and there, but he just HAD to go and start bragging and rubbing his awesomeness in Eggmans face, leaving him wide open to the trap. I know bragging is part of Sonic's character, but it still counts as a moment of weakness on his part, and he paid for it dearly.

Edited March 31, 2013 by 743-E.D. Missile

[Kuzu]

Well, to be fair again, Unleashed Sonic also made a huge blunder at the beginning of the game, being so overconfident that he walked right into Eggman's trap, and pretty much kick-started the entire plot too.

 

Yes, and I noted this in my I was critiqued both. I also noted how nothing ever comes from this either; Sonic shows no signs of being affected by these course of events, and just treats the entire thing as an excuse to go an adventure despite the fact that, as you pointed out, he's the one responsible for the entire mess in the first place.

 

I consider all of the positives when concerning Unleashed, but that doesn't make me feel like Sonic was a better character in Unleashed than he was in Colors.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I never said Colors was the shining example of characterization, but at the very least Sonic is shown as infallible now and then. He acts stupid, and people call him out on it. This alone puts him leagues above Unleashed in my eyes.

 

Er...you mean "fallible", actually...

 

But exactly what was it in Colors did he do that was actually fallible? Even when he didn't know what Eggman was planning, he destroyed his hard work completely by accident. I mean, there was him trying to outrun a black hole, and failing, but that was it.

 

I don't see how that at the very least compares to Sonic getting knocked out of his superform for being so high and mighty in front of his foe whom he should have known better not to underestimate.

[Mysterious X]

I call it overconfidence because of what Sonic was doing BEFORE the trap was sprung. He could have crushed Eggman then and there, but he just HAD to go and start bragging and rubbing his awesomeness in Eggmans face, leaving him wide open to the trap. I know bragging is part of Sonic's character, but it still counts as a moment of weakness on his part, and he paid for it dearly.

 

THAT is SO right in SO many ways. He showed not only overconfidence, I'd say also arrogance.

But he couldn't kill Eggman, that would be a gory scene unsuitable for kids under 12... Yeah what am I saying? He could've crushed his skull leaving him passed out, this isn't the point anyway...

 

So no, that's not a score for Colors.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Mysterious X

[Kuzu]

Er...you mean "fallible", actually...

 

But exactly what was it in Colors did he do that was actually fallible? Even when he didn't know what Eggman was planning, he destroyed his hard work completely by accident. I mean, there was him trying to outrun a black hole, and failing, but that was it.

 

I don't see how that at the very least compares to Sonic getting knocked out of his superform for being so high and mighty in front of his foe whom he should have known better not to underestimate.

 

Well there's the part when Tails playfully calls out Sonic for his odd behavior talking to a dead robot. It's a small moment, but for that one moment it was nice to see Sonic have something of a vulnerable moment and show that he isn't above being ridiculed and even was embarrassed about it.