Sonic Unleashed vs. Sonic Colors Extra Round - Final Thoughts

[Vertekins]

The thing is, Colours doesn't make use of it's premise in correlation with it's visuals anywhere near as much as Unleashed does. I don't get the impression that Aquarium Park and Starlight Carnival are amusement parks. The former seems like a Japanese-themed Aquarium with none of the slides, sushi resturants or places for underwater shows that Eggman boasts about in his PA announcements and I honestly don't see what Eggman is trying to make Planet Wisp out to be theme park wise. The little details which were fully capable of being included (Presence of life, great character animation, a greater sense of scale in the acts) were left out for no real reason and there's no feel that you're travelling to each location (I believe the Egg Shuttle on the main map is supposed to give a visual representation of how each attraction is reached. Which is underwhelming.)

Edited February 27, 2013 by Vertekins

[JezMM]

I think Unleashed would get my vote for the sense of life.  I agree with the comments that Colours felt comparitively barren - a lot of stuff pretty but none of it grounded or believable.

 

I'll ignore bloom and stuff like that, but generally it bothered me that Colours was so lacking in little details.  I know it was on a lower-end console but could it have killed them to have a few background elements?  They did this a touch - I recall seeing little 2D Egg Pawns hanging around in the glass bridges of Tropical Resort, I'd have liked more of that.

 

Honestly it's a really close call.  I find them very tough to compare.  It really is like Apples and Oranges.  Unleashed is welcoming, warm and picturesque, Colours is stimulating, crisp and vibrant.

 

Unleashed wasn't always perfect mind you.  Skyscraper Scamper in particular had the same "barren" feeling as Colours.  They can stick as many inexplicable café sets and phone boxes as they like on top of the buildings, but the structures in question still all looked like boxes with windows and doors painted on.  I think Colours just needed a couple of props and textures that only appeared in certain acts to make the various areas feel more unique and with purpose.

 

Just as Unleashed has the "ehh" Skyscraper Scamper though, Colours has the utterly fantastic Aquarium Park.  If you look too closely you can see all the sadly low-end-hardware-induced 2D scenery but before that, the stage was just beautiful.

 

 

 

I guess as a TL;DR, as much as I love Colours' uniqueness and inventiveness, the crucial difference was that Colours had all of it's highlights off in the distance and gave you a tour of the same stuff over and over again in the closer background.  Unleashed takes you right through all the awesome stuff up close and personal.  I think that counts as an aesthetic direction thing.

Edited February 27, 2013 by JezMM

[Scar]

Unleashed had better presentation due to it being an HD game, and also having a titanic budget compared to Colours. That's not to say the latter looked bad, because that would be a lie. However, I think both kneecapped themselves with the way they felt. In neither game were you fully able to explore the vistas that Sonic Team had created, you go through small sections of them while gawking (whenever you had the chance) at places in the distance which probably would have been cool to go to. Unleashed kind of ran away with it a little with the velocities at which you thundered through the stages, while you could have slowed down to stop and look around (you'd often be rewarded with a medal or music CD or something when you did) it would require going against what the game was wanting you to do. Even the Werehog's sections were largely walled off. Colours did slow things up, but let down even more, by further restricting where you could go, which was frustrating.

 

Ultimately, the difference between the two games, in my eyes, is Eggmanland (HD). There is tonnes of stuff happening, and in the initial Sonic sections, there is a lot to explore. A multitude of paths that intertwine and reconnect virtually seamlessly. It felt like a location you were in, rather than some hallways seperated by dolled up voids of nothingness.

[Dizcrybe]

Warning: long post with lots of images ahead.

 

Hmm. This one requires a bit of thought on my part.

 

Unleashed does a okay job of twisting realistic looking locations into something just zany enough to fit into Sonic's universe, and they look great. However, there are some levels that lack... vibrancy compared to others. For example, look at Jungle Joyride and Windmill Isle.

 

 

Both are very bright and colorful. They pop out at you (although you can't tell as much in the second picture because the player is boosting).

 

Now look at Dragon Road and Rooftop Run.

 

 

The former looks very dull, bleak and gray, while the latter is predominantly beige and plain-looking. This was remedied a bit in Generations, however.

 

Ultimately, though, the aesthetics aren't quite as creative as it could be. Not compared to Sonic Colors, at least.

 

For example, these bits from Sweet Mountain and Starlight Carnival:

 

 

 

They're so much more out of this world (no pun intended) and insane and creative. Plus, for a Wii game, they look amazing. They really pushed the Wii's hardware to it's limits, an effort that hearkens back to the Sonic Team of old.

 

Like I said, Unleashed looks great in some levels as well, but I think Colors is a clear winner in the art department.

Edited February 27, 2013 by thapoint09 (temp)

[Blue Wisp]

Personally, Colours wins a vote from me. Unleashed is great, I'll give you that, but it's a HD game as said a couple of times before. Unleashed has great graphics, great landscapes and it has a gorgeous lightning. But OF COURSE it will be better compared to Colours' graphics. It's comparing a game from a near-720p HD console to a console that barely reaches 480p! It's unfair really!

 

But it's different when you try to picture Colours in a HD console, (which can kind of be achieved by Planet Wisp in Generations and Starlight Carnival in ASRT). Colours would get my vote because it goes far away from the realism that Unleashed has with Spagonia and Apotos, and instead swaps realism for insane and gorgeous zones that (kind of) are proper Sonic zones. So yeah, Colours gets my vote.

 

And then there's this, Terminal Velocity in HD? That would make me vote for Colours in anything if it had Terminal Velocity in HD. (Yes I know this picture is fake, but who cares)

[Nepenthe]

Sonic Colors wasn't excluded from having darker or duller-looking levels. Asteroid Coaster and Terminal Velocity in particular are not bright at all, and especially in the former's case, there are areas and entire Acts that can get nearly pitch-black with only some greenish grey and small neon lights to give you a sense of place and direction:

 

 

Granted, I've got nothing against an aesthetic that has a few dark locations, but obviously it shouldn't be entirely definitive of what the style has to offer:

 

[Vertekins]

And then there's this, Terminal Velocity in HD? That would make me vote for Colours in anything if it had Terminal Velocity in HD. (Yes I know this picture is fake, but who cares)

 

Seeing the scale of it from actually running down it is more breathtaking

 

 

 

 

 

 

Truly jawdropping IMO. It even makes you appreciate the sheer scale that Eggman is capable of working and creating. Tropical Resort itself is enormous yet as you run down the elevator, it looks so puny behind Sonic. And then the way he outruns the black hole as it expands and chases him

Edited February 27, 2013 by Vertekins

[JezMM]

Warning: long post with lots of images ahead.

 

Hmm. This one requires a bit of thought on my part.

 

Unleashed does a okay job of twisting realistic looking locations into something just zany enough to fit into Sonic's universe, and they look great. However, there are some levels that lack... vibrancy compared to others...

 

...

 

...Like I said, Unleashed looks great in some levels as well, but I think Colors is a clear winner in the art department.

 

To be honest I actually really liked the more overcast levels just for variety.  In Colours it's ALL colour ALL the time - which... there is of course nothing wrong with at all!  Just saying I don't think one is worse than the other as a design choice.

 

 

As for Rooftop Run, I think the duller colour scheme highlights the moments where you blast through the tight streets and see all the colourful shops around you.  Overall the sunny day keeps that one from being dull, but I won't deny Generations really made the right choice in adding the festival elements.

[Blue Wisp]

That is very true Verte! One wonders how Eggman managed to build such a colossal thing. But it's still amazingly gorgeous.

 

...

I just noticed, is that Earth in the background with Eggman's logo over it? Or am I seeing things?

[JezMM]

That is very true Verte! One wonders how Eggman managed to build such a colossal thing. But it's still amazingly gorgeous.

 

...

I just noticed, is that Earth in the background with Eggman's logo over it? Or am I seeing things?

 

That is just a small planetoid.  I don't believe you visit it but you do go quite close to it.  It's only a (very well thrown) stone's throw away from Sonic in that screenie.

[Carbo]

I actually don't think the classics were nearly as fantastical as people feel they were. Bar CD- which is an enjoyable clusterfuck of colors and shapes that can serve to obscure the landscape altogether- locations were still fairly naturalized, but played up for fun with color and geometric shapes for form or decoration. However, as the series progressed, things were reigned in; less triangular leaves and more realistic ones, with greater detail, curves, and irregularities. Aside from Special Stages, the Classic games rarely approached Mario levels of weird, even with fictional locations like the Death Egg.

See, the problem I kind of have with the supposition of people claiming that "the environments weren't fantastical" is that it implies that most people speak purely from a wacky, quartz-y CD style setup where everything was exaggerated when that's not entirely the case. It can imply some bits cartoony, some bits sci-fi and more. Speaking from my own personal view, the entire point behind the argument has more to do with the idea that Unleashed is an exaggeration of the world while the Classics were a twisted up version of it. This ranges from just your typical checker/striped patterns to bamboo palm trees, but aside from that? There's things like Spring Yard, Chemical Plant, Casino Night, Oil Ocean, Metropolis, Hydropolis, Hidden Palace, Mushroom Hill, Sky Sanctuary etc that if nothing else are structured in such twisted and emphasized ways enough along with the rest of the world that you wouldn't question why an area like this would exist within the elements the games presented previously. There's not much semblance of that being possible in Unleashed's setting because of how it emphasizes the "world structure", with the one exception being Eggmanland.

I'm kind of speaking for myself here but considering how the areas in Unleashed were attempting to accurately portray a human world in a Pixar style, it had a bit of more disconnect with me when I began questioning why certain Sonic gimmicks existed in them, though unlike 06 instead of being absolutely jarring it was just kind of "weird" whenever I thought too much into it.

But most importantly, this kind of direction creates some jarring world progression. You'd get the idea that a level like Spagonia would be one of the first levels of the game, but instead it's one of the last. That and catering it exclusively towards these kind of worlds means that there's a certain lack of tension and build-up involved. Colors had a similar "choose your world" progression but the fact was, Asteroid Coaster was one of the last worlds involved which was pretty tense, and there was a certain sense of discovery to see that Planet Wisp was a later level when you consider you've basically walked in on an overrun paradise.

For all it's nice looking vistas and beautiful photos you will find, these were the last things that were ever bothered exploring in Unleashed since the mission statement was creating a world that was purely based on certain continents in the most exaggerated ways. It kind of makes things a bit too predictable and I feel there's a certain lack of any stand out original locations because of it. These things should serve as inspiration rather than taking them literally.

[Gabz Girl]

Sonic Unleashed. Sonic Colours has some great level designs (I love Sweet Mountain and Planet Wisp), but Sonic Unleashed has gorgeous visuals and I think this really supports the look that these levels have. Not to mention better hardware. And I'm glad they went for a brightly coloured real world setting which still looks slightly fantastical, not like Sonic 06 where the level design was really drab and soulless.

 

It's a close call, but yah I'm going with Unleashed. HD ftw.

[Dr. Crusher]

I believe Unleashed has the best representation of realistic locations since they're actually made to fit Sonic, as opposed to the ones in 06 and (to me at least) SA2, which did it the other way around and as such didn't feel right.

 

But of the two, I'd choose Colours. Call me simple-minded or whatever else, but I don't really think too much about high definition and which one's "technically better" and whatnot, all that matters to me is the simple question of which locations look more exciting to me. And with all due respect to Unleashed and it's Windmill Isle and Jungle Joyride, the first images of Sweet Mountain and Starlight Carnival back in early 2010 made me googly-eyed. Also, regardless of what counts as "surreal" or "wacky" or other such words (again, I never paid much attention to that sort of thing), not including spinoffs, I felt Colours was the first main console game since Heroes to have genuinely Sonicy settings. One of the things I like about Sonic is that, when done right, any location can be made to fit him, so I never saw anything in Colours as being unfitting. (I... don't really get that at all.) Of course, there definitely isn't any bias for Colours simply because that game happens to take place in a universal theme park created by Robotnik, though that helps.

 

I'm not saying Sonic can't have fairly realistic locales. As I said, the ones in Unleashed were very well done and I thought the likes of SA2's City Escape and 06's Crisis City were a lot more wonderful in Generations, so there's nothing inherently wrong with them. Plus, I can make jokes about Greece being Windmill Isle and all that, because I'm immature and need to get a life. I'm just a sucker for overly whimsical areas, and Colours does a bloody good job at that.

 

And I don't mean to bring down this thread, but all this recent Unleashed VS Colours (and/or Generations) is giving me a headache.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Scar]

I understand your point Carbo, but I thought the whole gimmick behind Unleashed (aside from the Werehog) was the whole exploring fantastical reimaginings of the real world. And they did do a fantastic job of bringing those locations to a fantasy world and managed to do so without it completely clashing with what one could describe as being a Sonic-like aesthetic.

[Carbo]

I understand your point Carbo, but I thought the whole gimmick behind Unleashed (aside from the Werehog) was the whole exploring fantastical reimaginings of the real world. And they did do a fantastic job of bringing those locations to a fantasy world and managed to do so without it completely clashing with what one could describe as being a Sonic-like aesthetic.

Naturally I understand that. The game was well crafted and of course looks good, there's no denying that. But the question here is what artistic direction you prefer and for what reasons, and while Unleashed certainly does look good, I personally feel it comes without context and a deal of original elements that I felt Colors got down better as a sum of it's parts, not just when compared to it's own self, but the entire series as a whole.

[Scar]

Naturally I understand that. The game was well crafted and of course looks good, there's no denying that. But the question here is what artistic direction you prefer and for what reasons, and while Unleashed certainly does look good, I personally feel it comes without context and a deal of original elements that I felt Colors got down better as a sum of it's parts, not just when compared to it's own self, but the entire series as a whole.

 

Fair enough.

 

Like I said though, I think both games kind of let themselves down, by consequence of tangential issues, when it came to overall presentation. They looked like they could have been so much more than what they ended up being (it is the gameplay in the end that ended up putting you in a glass box). I hope that for the future, they can take the aesthetic rhythm they've found with the last 3 games and realise its potential will a less hideously inefficient graphics engine and gameplay which allows you to actually experience the world Sonic Team are trying to build a little bit better (this is assuming Sonic Team has the funding and backing to try again at building an "expansive" Sonic game again)

[ArtFenix]

I felt like this topic needs higher quality Terminal Velocity screenshots.

[Blue Wisp]

I felt like this topic needs higher quality Terminal Velocity screenshots.

 

This is beautiful. If Terminal Velocity were in Generations somehow, it'd look gorgeous. The zone already looks gorgeous by itself in the Wii version. It's my favourite zone for a reason! Speaking of great graphics, I found a picture that shows how sexy Colours' art style is, compared to Unleashed's.

 

<3

 

[Space☆Tomoki]

While I appreciate the creativity of the level tropes in Colors, I would have to say I prefer Unleashed's art direction. I think the one thing that really irks me about Colors visually, is the choice of Color palettes; the color saturation is too low, causing the colors to look dull and washed out, which takes away some of the appeal of the stages' aesthetics. Unleashed, ironically, was more colorful despite taking place in more realistic environments. Unleashed has better immersion with its level of scale and liveliness. There's even NPCs hanging around in some stages like Windmill Isle and Rooftop Run, yet I see no one hanging around in Colors, despite it taking place in a Space Amusement Park, not to mention everything feels so constrained with its overuse of 2D "blocky" platforming, which takes away from the immersion even more. Basically, I feel that Colors was too static and needed more stuff going on in each level and it would have been nice to see some NPCs hanging around the amusement park, so you can actually feel like you're at a crazy space amusement park.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Tomoki Sakurai

[Wraith]

Yeah, one problem I have with both games, but especially with Unleashed is that you see this huge, huge world with all this visual variety, yet you can't interact with any of it outside of a few instances. All the stages feel samey gameplay wise as a result as there are little  major gimmicks that set the continents apart from eachother. It's a waste to just dash past these landscapes without actually interacting with them. Like, all the stages use the same objects. ramps. Grindrails. Loops. The occasional water run. It's wasted  potential really. Colors is a bit better about this, taking more of an advantage of the environments and how you can affect the way Sonic moves with it, but it suffers from a lot of the same issues. Colors also feels smaller as a whole so I didn't notice it as much.

 

The Werehog on the other hand gets to play with the environment a lot more. Running through alleyways in Spagonia and climbing colossal clock towers. Dashing across falling ice platforms and melting pathways open in Holoska. It feels like they were putting more effort into these stages, ironically. 

[Scar]

This is beautiful. If Terminal Velocity were in Generations somehow, it'd look gorgeous. The zone already looks gorgeous by itself in the Wii version. It's my favourite zone for a reason! Speaking of great graphics, I found a picture that shows how sexy Colours' art style is, compared to Unleashed's.

 

<3

 

Same art style, different location......

[Kiah]

Round 1: Art Design:

 

I honestly had to sleep on this one, as I was totally undecided after reading the thread last night. After waking up I still needed some more time to think about it, as both art styles are absolutely amazing! The beauty of both games are extraordinary. Sonic Unleashed's art style is full of real-life, intricate, amazing details while Sonic Colors art style is full of vibrant color, imagination and creativty with its levels. After much delibration, I am going to go with the current underdog in this thread, Sonic Colors.

 

To this day when I play Sonic Colors, the visuals never cease to amaze me with its bright, colorful, and unique level design. That's not to say Sonic Unleashed doesn't possess these qualities in it's art style as well as it definitely does. Sonic Colors just seems to strike me more, especially being more fun and playful looking as I'll give a mention and praise to each of the game's levels:

 

 

 

Tropical Resort starts the game off with beautiful scenery with a breath-taking view of Earth and space in the background. The balloons provided a nice, playful touch.

 

 

I continue to be most impressed with Sweet Mountain, and how, well, delicious it looks. I thought this level in Sonic Colors was the most creative. I had no idea that a level design based on food would be so fun to both look at and play through!

 

 

 

Starlight Carnival: bright, colorful neon lights are everywhere amid a dark, star-lit sky...simply stunning.

 

 

Aquarium Park has so much life and detail...such a beautiful underwater playground!

 

 

Asteroid Coaster, while it isn't as pretty and colorful as the other levels, it still has some awesome things going on with incredible space background with the asteroid rings.

 

 

Planet Wisp: Full of vegetation and greenery with the different trees, the various flowers you run across, the streams...even though Planet Wisp is being reconstructed by Dr. Eggman, the place still looks beautiful amid the contstruction.

 

 

Terminal Velocity: You can't help but to admire the view of planet Earth in the background, even though you have Sonic running for his life at this point...

 

So yeah, in the end I am going to have to go with Sonic Colors. The bright beautiful colors throughout the levels in the surreal , fun and playful settings end up winning out for me. But then again, when I see the beauty of Sonic Unleashed's levels, notably Holaska:

 

 

 

Once again I start feeling unsure about my decision. This is so hard! But nevertheless I will stick with Sonic Colors as I find the art style more creative, more colorful, and more fun and for that reason it wins in my opinion, even if it is barely by a thread. It's a very close call. Honestly, I think you can't go wrong with eithier art style as they are both outstanding and amazing.

[...]

I honestly had to sleep on this one, as I was totally undecided after reading the thread last night. After waking up I still needed some more time to think about it, as both art styles are absolutely amazing! The beauty of both games are extraordinary. Sonic Unleashed's art style is full of real-life, intricate, amazing details while Sonic Colors art style is full of vibrant color, imagination and creativty with its levels. After much delibration, I am going to go with the current underdog in this thread, Sonic Colors.

 

To this day when I play Sonic Colors, the visuals never cease to amaze me with its bright, colorful, and unique level design. That's not to say Sonic Unleashed doesn't possess these qualities in it's art style as well as it definitely does. Sonic Colors just seems to strike me more, especially being more fun and playful looking as I'll give a mention and praise to each of the game's levels:

 

 

 

Tropical Resort starts the game off with beautiful scenery with a breath-taking view of Earth and space in the background. The balloons provided a nice, playful touch.

 

 

I continue to be most impressed with Sweet Mountain, and how, well, delicious it looks. I thought this level in Sonic Colors was the most creative. I had no idea that a level design based on food would be so fun to both look at and play through!

 

 

 

Starlight Carnival: bright, colorful neon lights are everywhere amid a dark, star-lit sky...simply stunning.

 

 

Aquarium Park has so much life and detail...such a beautiful underwater playground!

 

 

Asteroid Coaster, while it isn't as pretty and colorful as the other levels, it still has some awesome things going on with incredible space background with the asteroid rings.

 

 

Planet Wisp: Full of vegetation and greenery with the different trees, the various flowers you run across, the streams...even though Planet Wisp is being reconstructed by Dr. Eggman, the place still looks beautiful amid the contstruction.

 

 

Terminal Velocity: You can't help but to admire the view of planet Earth in the background, even though you have Sonic running for his life at this point...

 

So yeah, in the end I am going to have to go with Sonic Colors. The bright beautiful colors throughout the levels in the surreal , fun and playful settings end up winning out for me. But then again, when I see the beauty of Sonic Unleashed's levels, notably Holaska:

 

 

 

Once again I start feeling unsure about my decision. This is so hard! But nevertheless I will stick with Sonic Colors as I find the art style more creative, more colorful, and more fun and for that reason it wins in my opinion, even if it is barely by a thread. It's a very close call. Honestly, I think you can't go wrong with eithier art style as they are both outstanding and amazing.

 

I much prefer Unleashed's art style, but I 100% agree with you. You can't go wrong with either one. But, I have to give Colors credit. It has some breathtaking visuals, especially for a Wii game. It brought the Wii's hardware to its limits and it shows in every corner. The levels, like Unleashed, burst with life, but along with it brings a spirit of imaginative and colorful fantasy, and it just feels.. I don't know ow to describe it. It just feels like Sonic. Unleashed may have a very appealing art design, and does a great job at bringing Sonic into the realistic world by bringing a PIXAR-like art style into the mix, but Colors just captures the imaginative spirit of the classic Sonic games. Just look at things like Sweet Mountain, Aquarium Park, Tropical Resort, Planet Wisp and Terminal Velocity. One second, you're in a giant amusement park resort, then you're in an food lover's dream. A place made of junk food and savory desserts alike. One second, you're in the beautiful and flora-filled landscape of the planet of the Wisps, slowly being converted into an industrial machine by Eggman's evil plans. And one second, you're in a Chinese park underwater. And later, you're running down towards Earth from a black hole. I may have thought Colors was a weird title at first, but the world "Colors" describes. Variation, imagination, brightness.

 

If I could choose one thing out of everything in the world to describe Sonic Color's art design, mind, and feel, it's be this.

 

 

Say whatever you want about anything else about Colors. And although I still prefer Unleashed's art style, Colors' art style and direction is simply wondrous. And point still stands, both are great.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Felix

[Scar]

I don't understand why people refer to Unleashed and Colours' art styles as separate entities. The art style is almost exactly the same (its the same art director), just applied to different locations. 

[Nepenthe]

The art style might be the same, but you would be hardpressed to argue that they're operating under the same set of aesthetics when it comes to things like color, value, set design, scale, and so on and so forth, after which point it's easier or more convenient to call them different styles.