Sonic Unleashed Vs. Sonic Unwiished; Which version do you prefer?

[Milo]

Though I haven't played the WIi/PS2 version, there isn't really anything I can see from it that the HD version does in a less poorly-executed manner (if not better).

 

 

Yeah no. The version that takes like no time to beat? The version with no plot? The version without the NPCs and sidequests? I'd rather have all the good content as well as the middling content like the Werehog, rather than a barebones, if polished, experience with little more than the day stages.

 

OK then, you have fun with that. Personally I don't want to sit through "middling experiences" like medal collecting and the Werehog and just want to get to the daytime stages, so I can understand why one would think a mod that allows easy access to what most consider the best part (if not the only good part) of the game with additional polish is the superior "version".

[Kuzu]

Most likely because the Wii is so full of shovelware that Unwiished stood out in comparison, versus the HD title compared to other 360 and PS3 games. It was most likely a matter of two completely different consoles having two completely different sets of standards, rather than every reviewer saying that the Wii version was in fact better than the 360/PS3 version.

 

I'd believe that, but then what about Unwiished compared to some of the Wii's bigger titles.....then again, that was 2008...and the Wii only had like what, two major titles worth looking out for.

[ImPantsAtThis]

OK then, you have fun with that. Personally I don't want to sit through "middling experiences" like medal collecting and the Werehog and just want to get to the daytime stages, so I can understand why one would think a mod that allows easy access to what most consider the best part (if not the only good part) of the game is the superior "version".

 

It could be the superior version, and probably is -- I'm not arguing against that -- but 'the only good version'? Nuh-uh, not when the other offer other upsides (i.e. story) to counteract the middling content.

[Blue Blood]

Yes, it's a boost game.

I mean, yeah, Colors is generally emptier and blockier, and has a hell of a lot more 2D, but it's still cast from the same mold.

 

If you want to put it that way then fine, I don't disagree. But it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference when it's practically Unleashed Wii + Colour Powers.

[Nepenthe]

OK then, you have fun with that. Personally I don't want to sit through "middling experiences" like medal collecting and the Werehog and just want to get to the daytime stages, so I can understand why one would think a mod that allows easy access to what most consider the best part (if not the only good part) of the game with additional polish is the superior "version".

 

Having a bunch of stages with no context for any of them- as well as altered segments and handling that were so unnecessary as to be easily argued as a downgrade- is also a middling experience in and of itself. Level packs just...aren't all that fun.

 

I'd believe that, but then what about Unwiished compared to some of the Wii's bigger titles.....then again, that was 2008...and the Wii only had like what, two major titles worth looking out for.

 

You just further answered the question. =P

[StaticMania]

The Wii version cuts out Empire City and Mazuri's levels because those weren't that important to keep in the game regarding the story.

 

The Good Points of the Wii version:

 

Regarding the main levels of the Werehog...they'd pretty much be as long as the HD version's levels except split into multiple shorter levels(for some reason).

 

Some people like to think that it also has the better final boss(maybe its just easier).

 

It makes achieving medals easier(even though you don't need them for the main stages anymore).

 

The levels in general are a lot easier/shorter than the HD version's.

 

The most negative points towards the HD version is from stuff like Medal Hunting, obvious examples of "trial and error" level design, the Eggman land stage, Overly long Werehog stages with too much combat, and QTE(s) in a plentiful amount.

[Person]

I'd definately have to go with Unleashed HD for this topic.

 

I love the daytime stages in Unleashed HD. They were a blast. Unwiished's levels, like many have stated before, are barren, empty, and poorly designed. Sonic Adventure, which came 9 years before, felt more polished, more alive, and was overall more fun. Whether that was to do with time, develpoment, or otherwise, it still remains that Dimps did a poor job with the daytime stages in UnWiished.

 

However, I do like the werehog stages in UnWiished a tad bit more that the ones in Unleashed HD. They were much shorter, though there were more of them. This aside, I still feel like HD had a lot more care, time, and effort put into it, and Unwiished was more of an afterthought, like it was something they had to do in order to please everyone, rather than having just as much effort put into it.

 

I don't hate Unwiished (actually, I have the PS2 version), I play it every once in a while and enjoy it, but It certainly does not compare to the real deal. That's like comparing Sonic Generations HD to the 3DS version, there is obviously one that has had much more development and thought put into it, and the other version is more or less a side project to please those who don't own a given platform.

[Nepenthe]

The Wii version cuts out Empire City and Mazuri's levels because those weren't that important to keep in the game regarding the story.

But... Mazuri is important to the storyline. It's where the first Gaia Gate is located, and Gaia Gates are only opened by essentially beating both stages.

[Celestia]

Having a bunch of stages with no context for any of them- as well as altered segments and handling that were so unnecessary as to be easily argued as a downgrade- is also a middling experience in and of itself. Level packs just...aren't all that fun.

That's more than fair, but I'm curious what you mean about handling. Most of the changes in level layout/segments are minor, though, so I can't see that being a downgrade by any means.

 

The Wii version cuts out Empire City and Mazuri's levels because those weren't that important to keep in the game regarding the story.

It was probably the other way around regarding EC. That is, I wouldn't be surprised if Empire City had originally been more involved story-wise but due to it being cut from the SD version they had to work around it. Or maybe I'm reading into it too much.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Yeah no. The version that takes like no time to beat? The version with no plot? The version without the NPCs and sidequests? I'd rather have all the good content as well as the middling content like the Werehog, rather than a barebones, if polished, experience with little more than the day stages.

Well gee, you must hate Colors then.

[ImPantsAtThis]

Well gee, you must hate Colors then.

 

Never played it. It's also irrelevant to the current discussion.

[Milo]

Having a bunch of stages with no context for any of them- as well as altered segments and handling that were so unnecessary as to be easily argued as a downgrade- is also a middling experience in and of itself. Level packs just...aren't all that fun.

 

Not trying to argue that it's not a middling experience, I was just trying to argue why someone would think it's superior.

 

Also wanted to add to why the Wii version got better reviews, Unleashed Wii IIRC lacked NPCs and medals, which considering the HD version got marked down for by some reviews, some would view as an improvement. It to them was probably the least offensive Sonic game to date (aside from Unleashed HD, the only other seventh-gen/then-current-gen console games were Secret Rings, which had it's notorious waggle control scheme, and 06....which speaks for itself) until Colors.

 

EDIT: Just found out the Unleashed Project only ported Act 2 levels of each world...huh. I thought they ported all three acts, guess ImPantsAtThis has a point.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Gabe

[Celestia]

Well gee, you must hate Colors then.

Plenty of people do. I don't, but there's valid reasons to not like Colours. Err...what's your point, exactly?

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Never played it. It's also irrelevant to the current discussion.

Wrong. It's a game made completely up of stages with gameplay (not level design) akin to that of unleashed, with little plot, no NPCs or sidequests that takes little time to beat and doesn't have the werehog.

 

And it's a great game.

[ImPantsAtThis]

Wrong. It's a game made completely up of stages with gameplay (not level design) akin to that of unleashed, with little plot, no NPCs or sidequests that takes little time to beat and doesn't have the werehog.

 

And it's a great game.

 

The topic is Unleashed vs. Unwiished. Ergo, not relevant. The fact that Unleashed Project is similar to Colours (in your mind) has no bearing on the discussion.

[Nepenthe]

That's more than fair, but I'm curious what you mean about handling.

 

The way Sonic feels to me in Generations when moving feels off in places. I don't feel as confident making jumps and handling in the air. Indeed, I've been killed more by the mid-air handling, subpar jump, and tiny platforms in Generations than I have across all of the Day Stages combined, even the ones with a heavier platforming focus. There's also the fact that the boost doesn't feel as satisfying to use, probably as a result of different things: a potential speed-cap, fewer camera moves, and perhaps even different sound effects? There's small but noticeable tweaks in there to me that makes Sonic just feel less powerful, so he's not nearly as gratifying to use. It's like gameplay Uncanny Valley; close but not quite. As a result, the Generations mod does nothing for me on even a mechanical level because it feels like a less impressive, censored, and stripped version of the original Unleashed.

[StaticMania]

But... Mazuri is important to the storyline. It's where the first Gaia Gate is located, and Gaia Gates are only opened by essentially beating both stages.

The boss is important, that Gaia gate is found right after the boss...they didn't need to keep the level(s) or maybe they couldn't really include all the levels without much space and kept the Mazuri boss for it actually having its own cutscene.

[KHCast]

The boss is important, that Gaia gate is found right after the boss...they didn't need to keep the level(s) or maybe they couldn't really include all the levels without much space and kept the Mazuri boss for it actually having its own cutscene.

By that logic, why did half the stages get included in Unwiished? Why was Dragon Road used when the Gaia Temple was found after the Dark Gaia Phoenix? Or Cool Edge? Or Rooftop Run? Lots of Temples were found after bosses.

[Nepenthe]

The boss is important, that Gaia gate is found right after the boss...they didn't need to keep the level(s) or maybe they couldn't really include all the levels without much space and kept the Mazuri boss for it actually having its own cutscene.

 

The Gate being found after the boss- which in turn is only activated once you beat the two main acts at day and night- is consistent with how it is in the other countries. This argument supports the notion that the stages are irrelevant because you could just fight the boss to get to the Gaia Gate, but Mazuri specifically introduces you to this piece of game flow and is thus important. Thus, if Mazuri is irrelevant on these grounds, so are, well, Spagonia, Shamar, Holoska, Chun-Nan, Adabat, and Eggmanland. xP 

 

Really, the only reason they would have cut it out would be due to time constraints or space.

 

EDIT: Beateeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnn.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Nepenthe

[Komodin]

When it comes to Sonic Unleashed, it's the HD version that easily gets my vote.

 

Admittedly, it's not perfect -- the required medal collecting mingled with the game's pacing too much for my liking, the Werehog's gameplay and level design could've better, and the Daytime stages could've offered more free-roaming areas to stretch your legs in. With all that in mind, however, it's practically Super Mario Galaxy compared to the SD version. That version is simply unenjoyable and a complete slog to go through.

 

BTW: This is off topic, but since it's already been brought up, let me just say that I don't really find the Unleashed Project mod for Sonic Generations to be all that hot, either. I appreciate the effort that went into making it possible, coupled with that it actually got finished, but having just (and only) the Daytime stages without any of the context or world building from the original game is just plain boring to me.

[Da Blu Hedgie]

When it comes to Sonic Unleashed, it's the HD version that easily gets my vote.

 

Admittedly, it's not perfect -- the required medal collecting mingled with the game's pacing too much for my liking, the Werehog's gameplay and level design could've better, and the Daytime stages could've offered more free-roaming areas to stretch your legs in. With all that in mind, however, it's practically Super Mario Galaxy compared to the SD version. That version is simply unenjoyable and a complete slog to go through.

 

BTW: This is off topic, but since it's already been brought up, let me just say that I don't really find the Unleashed Project mod for Sonic Generations to be all that hot, either. I appreciate the effort that went into making it possible, coupled with that it actually got finished, but having just (and only) the Daytime stages without any of the context or world building from the original game is just plain boring to me.

So you'd rather have something like this except with sonic unleashed then? With all of the cut-scenes intact and the hub worlds?

 

[MamboCat]

I haven't played Unwiished (lacking a Wii!) but I have been watching Clement's LP. Also I have limited experience with motion control games so I feel I can only comment on what the Wii/PS2 game looks and sounds like.

 

I have to say, I loooooooooove the HD version because it's so damned pretty, and the Wii/PS2 version looks so lifeless in comparison. I also see that Unwiished has much more werehog. I couldn't put up with so much werehog if it wasn't looking and sounding so nice... if only the game would let me listen to the damned Night music raaargh!

 

Other than that, I like the hub worlds. I like going around and doing all the side missions. Although I can appreciate some will think such levels are unnecessary padding, for me I think it's extending what the player knows about the world you're playing in... so if Unwiished doesn't have them then that's another point to the HD version.

[StaticMania]

By that logic, why did half the stages get included in Unwiished? Why was Dragon Road used when the Gaia Temple was found after the Dark Gaia Phoenix? Or Cool Edge? Or Rooftop Run? Lots of Temples were found after bosses.

I did say that it was possible they couldn't have included all of the stages...its also possible that they found Mazuri one of the lesser important stages to keep in the game compared to those others listed. The Mazuri temple in the Wii version literally only has the boss(as mandatory), there must be some reason they axed that stage over the many others.

 

Also the temples coming after the bosses wasn't the "main" point, if it was that they couldn't include all of the stages in the Wii version...they didn't Need the Mazuri stages, they would've only needed the boss...Why would it be this specific stage, I don't know.

[Komodin]

So you'd rather have something like this except with sonic unleashed then? With all of the cut-scenes intact and the hub worlds?

 

 

Something like that would be relatively serviceable, I guess. Anything to give it a more "full" feeling than just some mission pack of levels.

[Krockhead]

I've only played the HD version, but I have seen enough of the Wii version to compare everything other than the way it plays and feels. Let me start by saying that a major part of my enjoyment with Unleashed comes from how good it looks. We all know it's a very pretty game. Its worlds are detailed and lush, and the effects while moving give off a major sense of speed and movement that's very satisfying. With that speed, you aren't really able to see exactly how detailed and alive the game truly is, but it gives you the sense that you're part of an exciting ride through a beautiful world. I'm speaking purely level aesthetics here, as I have my fair share of gripes with some control things and specific levels.

 

Unwiished lacks all of that. It's very flat and empty, obviously not in the same way that Lost World is flat and empty, but it's glaring how dull the world looks when you compare it directly with the HD version. The best thing I can compare the Unwiished levels to are the tracks of a generic cart racing game, specifically in the empty time trial mode. If you've played a cart racer, specifically a bad one, in time trial mode, you see how empty and boring everything is. That's what the SD version of this game is to me. There's nothing cool happening, there's just your obstacle course that you're running through. Visuals are a huge part of a game and an experience, regardless of what some people say, and one of the best things about Unleashed is the visual component, so neutering it is not a good thing.

 

There's also more Werehog in the Wii game, which was my main gripe with Unleashed in the first place, so another point to the HD game.