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Ranking Sonic Unleashed levels?


SpaceySpace

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How would you rank the levels in Sonic Unleashed (HD or not). You can also choose whether or not to include the Werehog levels too. For me it's:

Best Tier (Replay the most and absolutely love): 
Jungle Joyride, Arid Sands, Eggmanland, Skyscraper Scamper

  • These levels imo contain the best themes in the game. Eggmanland and Jungle Joyride are really long though once you've S rank the levels a few times it feels REALLY satisfying completing those levels. Plus, Arid Sands, SS, and JJ all contain Acts that I enjoy and don't hate.

Meh Tier(Don't Exactly Hate or Love):
Cool Edge, Windmill Isle

  • Windmill Isle is great until you get to Act 3. Cool Edge is also pretty...cool til Act 2 starts up and it gets pretty difficult dodging those ice glaciers while running on water.

Worst Tier (Don't replay that much):
Rooftop Run, Savannah Citadel

  • RR is pretty long just for one of the beginning levels, the Act 2 version can rot in hell, and those Green robots can weirdly hit Sonic when it just starts grinding (thus ruining the S rank). Savannah Citadel in general is just a level that focuses a lot more on Sonic's Drift. And I hate Unleashes' Drift.


Note: My list is the HD version and the Daytime Acts. 

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Would you mind expanding on the reasoning of your choices? List-based topics are discouraged around here, and whenever topics like these are made we always try to have members talk about why [x] is their favorite or why the rank games/characters/levels/whatever in a certain order.

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1 hour ago, Sean said:

Would you mind expanding on the reasoning of your choices? List-based topics are discouraged around here, and whenever topics like these are made we always try to have members talk about why [x] is their favorite or why the rank games/characters/levels/whatever in a certain order.

That sounds fair and reasonable. I've already edited the topic post to provide more information on my choices. Will this new info I provided work?

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Rooftop Run is definitely my favourite overall.  The aesthetics are a big part of it - being a European myself (well for a couple more years at least >_>) it's the level that is most "relatable" for me so has the maximum sense of Unleashed's very unique feeling of getting to blast through realistic, relatable scenery in an unrealistic, Sonic power-fantasy style.  I also love ALL the extra acts for this one, they all have a really nice unique high up view of the city, and I particularly like the homing attack focused gameplay of Act 5 and how Act 2-2 took us all around the big castle that, in regular Act 2 just seemed like non-solid background scenery.

Following that, Eggmanland is a definite highlight.  No other final Sonic stage has had such a sense of weight and progression to it.  The ones that have come close have always been split into Acts with loading screens to break them up.  Infiltrating an intimidatingly huge Eggman base at such speed is super cool and the roller coaster flying off the tracks is my favourite scripted set-piece in the entire series.  I was enthralled on my first playthrough.

Skyscraper Scamper, Windmill Isle and Dragon Road would be my next favourites, again aesthetics are a big part of them.  Skyscraper Scamper has fun gameplay on all of it's acts, and I love how the multiple routes branch out in the second half of Act 1.  Windmill Isle is of course fairly easy but my favourite aesthetically here.  The various times of day add a gorgeous feel to them, but in particular I LOVE that we had a first stage in a Sonic game be set at Sunrise rather than daytime.  Sunrise aesthetic is so underappreciated and I'm glad they turned it into a full length stage in Act 1-2 with some great views.  Dragon Road is just one of the better Act 1 stages, but it's extra acts are pretty decent too, even if Act 2-2 got a bit obnoxiously hard.

Savannah Citadel and Jungle Joyride would be next down the list for me.  I like them both a lot but just slightly less than the above.  Savannah Citadel's DLC acts were great though, I loved that they turned the boss arena into a regular stage.  I also felt Jungle Joyride's DLC was a satisfying send-off for the game's content even though we never got an Eggmanland DLC pack.  I love the waterfall running segments added to Act 1-2.

Finally bottom of the list would be the two "desert" stages, just due to their slightly lonely atmosphere and being at the opposite end of that "relatable" feeling I mentioned regarding Rooftop Run.  Cool Edge and Arid Sands are just a little dull visually due to their very singular colour palette, but they're both fun stages (and obviously the first half of Arid Sands Act 1 has that nice "blasting through a populated place" thing, at least).  Cool Edge Act 3 though was very annoying despite the lovely sunrise visuals, but Cool Edge Act 4 did some really fun, satisfying to play stuff with unscripted ramps and air movement.  Arid Sands extra acts were generally weak I felt.  Trying the open-ended feel with Act 3 searching for Chao was an interesting experiment, but ultimately the choice is to follow a fairly intentional singular path through the environment or not be able to access all the areas/fall down to an earlier section.  And of course, Unleashed's controls just really weren't meant for that sort of environment.

 

Sonic Unleashed is my favourite 3D Sonic though so with the exception of a few particular annoying gimmicky or overly hard Acts (or at least, how difficult it was to S-Rank some of them), I pretty much love every stage, just some more than others.

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World Adventure stands to have the most quality put into it than any sonic game(S and K 3 also counts). It's my personal favorite of the series.

I pretty much love all the levels. However, I do have ones that are least...

(No particular order).

Windmill Stages:

Act 1 of Windmill really makes me wish they had another act with you just running across the hillside. I love the geography in the beginning...

It's a good tutorial stage to give you a taste of all of what the game is going to give you.. Windmill Act 2 is a nice breezy stage. Some goodies to find if you actually explore the stage a bit and the music is so goddamn great.  The Act 1-2 normally aren't that interesting but this one definitely was the most unique out of all of them in terms of Act 1-2's. DLC in general for this is really good so I don't have many complaints here.

Werehog stages were good. Same with Day Windmill act 1 and 2. By the way, I love the werehog stages too~

Werehog-9

Daytime-10

Chun-Nan Stages:

Chun-Nan are one of my top favorites in the game. Act 1 is sooo good. The platforming is simple yet using the fastest method can be challenging once you get stomp and air boost. The asthetic where sonic gets a blue fire on the loops were a nice bonus too.  I especially love how during the later half of the stage, you can skip actually skip running segment and go on water to find an isolated rocket to get a shortcut. 

Act 2 and the DLC act is also pretty great. I'd say one of the better act 2's in the entire game. It's an entire 2.5D obstacle course but changes everytime you do a lap. Adds a nice element of surprise.

Werehog stage here is much better than the first one. A little more of alternate routes and the ending of the stage was pretty neat. Throwing that electric robotnic robot into the water and electrifying all of them was satisfying. This was rewarded through exploration in the level so I'm glad Sega gave the Werehog more to do here.

Werehog-10

Daytime-11

Mazuri Stages:

Sadly, while a great act, seemed a little too short to me. But it was a great stage overall that introduced drifting as an important element to Sonic's movepool. Music is fantastic as always and the aesthetic from the dirt roads to the giant tree was sweet as honey.

Werehog stages for this is good here but the beta DLC they added was even better.

DLC was mostly good except for the first 1-2 stage for day time..Not so great.

Werehog-9

Daytime-9

Empire City Stages:

I didn't like this stage at first but I came to appreciate it more with all the routes you can take. I think the best thing I loved was those tubular parts in the level with those rectangle spikes. You can actually run under and over them if you are boosting and Sonic doesn't go off the path instead, you shoots around it like crazy.

Werehog stage (act 1) is the only stage where it is one of my least but I enjoyed most of act one. The rest of the stages and DLC were better.

Werehog-8

Daytime-9

Cool Edge Stages

While the aesthetic is more consistent, making it a little blander in result, it's still pretty damn good because of the ice physics and gimmicks of the stage. Though stages with Water on them can be a little broken. If you decide not to follow the path to get to the whale towards the end of the stage, you can just touch the not-solid whale and you'll trigger the scene as if you went on it. I like that I can go a different path but they should have made sure the whale was either solid or there was a solid ice path leading up to him. 

The DLC stages for this level is awesome and 2-2. So damn great. I just love water levels like these. The DLC stage of act 2-2, you can either homing attack your way(really creative use of it) to the end or time your jumps right to avoid the dangers of the bottom path of it. Can't say I have much to complain about these day levels other than it needing a little more aesthetic changes.

Werehog stages looked better than the day stages honestly. 

I like the freezing gimmick of this stage. Both ice physics and mechanically. You can actually pick up those pesky freeze-robotnic and use them to your advantages. Plus it's hilarious watching them freeze mid animation.

The Act 1 feels a little boring at times but its decent enough. I don't remember the DLC stages or others but I know I liked them a lot more than Act-1.

Werehog-7.8

Daytime-9

Arid Sands Stages

Okay so this is a weird one...The gimmick seems to be consistent of the Ring dash, Loops you can jump off of, emphasis on falling hazards and unique 2D sections.The only big criticism I have with World Adventure are the gimmicks. Needed more of them to make the levels more expansive and diverse. Level structure is 100% solid. That is what saves a good portion of it. 

Act 2 is below average. Just trick ramps and trick pads.

The DLC stages are good and Act  3 is very interesting but it needed not to feel so linear. If it offered more paths and room, I'd give it a 9. Sonic doesn't handle bad in 3D space. You just have to master Drift, jumping, stomping and his movement so it won't feel so slow. Nice experiment however...

Werehog Stages:

I like this one a lot. You can't approach the fire wizards because you'd get flamed on and those healing gaias were fun to fight too.

But those Bees were not coded properly. Their hitbox seems to be on the head instead of the body! I love the challenge but I understand those who hate em..

One of the better designed stages and the DLC for it is good.

Werehog-8.1

Daytime-8.5

 

Internet is dying so I'll post this now but will return in  the future to finish it..

 

 

 

 

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