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Anyone else prefer the PS2 version of Unleashed over the PS3 version?


Tailsmon

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So, I've been getting back into Sonic recently and decided to revisit Unleashed.  I first played it on the original Wii back in 2009.  It was one of the last games I ever rented from Blockbuster.  I remember thinking the game was okay and I even liked the motion controls back then, but didn't bother renting it again.  Years later (2014-ish) I bought my own copy and I now hated motion controls on anything other than Wii Sports and Duck Hunt.  After getting fed up with the motion controls, I played it with a GameCube controller, which was better, but I decided to try Unleashed on other platforms (PS2 and PS3), and while the motion controls were gone on the other platforms, I still didn't enjoy the game mainly due to the werehog and gave up on Unleashed.  I guess I must have ended up selling all of my copies of Unleahsed at some point because when I went to go give Unleashed another try earlier this month, I couldn't find any of my copies.  So, I went on eBay and repurchased the PS2 and PS3 versions.  After playing both versions for a while and getting further in them than I did before I can say that I am having more fun with the PS2 version than the PS3 one.

 

The difficulty on the PS2 version feels more normal to me with the earlier levels being easy and the later ones being harder.  I'm at Eggmanland now, and this level is really tough, but I expect it to be tough given that I am almost at the end of the game.  In contrast the PS3 version gets difficult pretty early on.  I'm only as far as Holoska on PS3 and PS3 Holoska is tougher than PS2 Holoska.  I barely got through the Egg Beatle battle on PS3, but on PS2 I S-ranked it.

 

The homing attack works as you would expect on PS2, sharing the jump button like every other Sonic game with the homing attack in it, but on PS3 they put jump and homing attack on separate buttons, which really messes up my flow.

 

The werehog stages are broken up into smaller segments (acts) on PS2 whereas on PS3 the werehog stages are one big act that goes on for like half an hour and of course are more difficult than the PS2 versions.  I actually kind of enjoy the werehog stages on PS2, but on PS3 they feel like a slog.

 

The big downside to me with the PS2 version is that you don’t get to walk around the towns and instead you just click icons on a map.  Was the PS2 not capable of rendering the towns in Unleashed or did Sega cut corners? 

 

Overall, I actually kinda like Unleashed now, at least on PS2.  I still want to try and keep going on the PS3 version, but dang is it frustrating.

 

Anyone else prefer the PS2 version over the PS3 version?

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I like both version, but there are aspects of the PS2/Wii version that I think are superior. The game runs much better with a consistent frame rate, the performance issues of the HD version have impact on the gameplay, specially on Eggmanland. The PS2/Wii Werehog stages were also much more enjoyable because there were fewer enemies to battle, they were shorter, the camera was better and again, the frame rate makes all the difference.

When it comes to the daystages, in the PS2/Wii version the 3D and 2D sections were more balanced. We have longer 3D and longer 2D sections instead of switching from shorter 3D sections to shorter 2D sections all the time like it was on the HD version. I like how the boost is more balanced, too. The stages are more accessible. Furthermore, the medals aren't mandatory to progress, and you get them as a reward for having a good rank at the end of the stages or for completing optional missions, instead of having to explore the stages to get them. I also enjoy the Gaia temples.

In summary, the SD version is much more streamlined, fluid and runs much better.

The downsides of this version in my opinion are that we have more nightstages than daystages (the HD version is more balanced between the two gameplay styles), the daystages are shorter, they cut content (Empire City, Mazuri and the hub worlds).

Actually, nowadays, I prefer Sonic Unleashed on the Wii than Sonic Colors because it's more 3D, longer, it's more challenging, has a better story, etc, etc.

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I found the Day stages on the Wii version to be some of the most bland and uninteresting Sonic stages that used the formula. I get they can't be as flashy and intricately design on Wii hardware, but it really doesn't seem like they tried with the level designed here. All of the staples of later Dimps Sonic design seem to show up in full force, with homing attack chains galore and emphasis on speed over solid platforming. Yes the HD versions had these issues at times, but it still felt like more input was required, and platforming was a factor as well. Also helped it didnt look like the stages werent all designed to look like barren hallways 70 percent of the time.  Honestly felt likely I was doing time trials on subpar tracks in a mediocre racing game.  It doesn't help matters that Night levels are even more bland and it's even more clear how much of this game is dominated by the style of gameplay.   The progression system was an improvement, but it doesn't help much when the game isn't very fun to play.

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