Sonic Unleashed is getting over rated

[Quicksilver]

I should get this out of the way, I think Sonic Unleashed is a fine game. But seeing people praise Unleashed like its a amazing work of art doesn't make sense to me. Because, the argument I hear all the time is, "The Day-time stages are so good and better then anything the Sonic series has done before". However you can't ignore the Night-time stages entirely. If you like them, that's great, but ignoring them is just saying "Half of Sonic Unleashed is good". Because you still have to play them. And guys, Sonic Colors Ultimate isn't bad just because it's not Sonic Unleashed Ultimate. Yes Unleashed deserves a remaster, but so does Colors.

[charmsb]

I mean I think there is PLENTY more to say about why Unleashed isn't that great besides the fact that the werehog can be clunky. It was a pioneer of its gameplay style and borrowed from an era that doesn't support its gameplay style. It definitely falls apart in a lot of aspects.

But moreso on topic - it IS overrated now, and I think there are a few good reasons why:

1. Contrarianism. The attitude about this game, up until recent, has been pretty negative. Ironically, as people strive to go against the grain, they stop being contrarian and start contributing to a status quo instead. Also, that sonic fan vendetta against IGN and their review of Unleashed certainly contributes to this. In general the game came out at a time that would absolutely doom ANY sonic game - being after Sonic 06 and Secret Rings, any form of experimentation would be frowned upon heavily, and it was. So it feels like many feel like they have to "make up" for the somewhat unfair treatment this game got.

2. The Story. Sonic fans tend to also exaggerate the importance of the story and characters in the games. They are no doubt an extremely vital part of this franchise, but it seems like whenever someone 'defends' Unleashed against the now nonexistent attackers, they tend to get emotional and claim how it was "the last good sonic game" or "the last sonic game that took itself seriously." It certainly was in the end of an era in terms of narrative, but story holds no credence when trying to dissect Gameplay, the most important aspect of a game. They attach themselves too much to the narrative of the game rather than what they felt actually playing the levels.

Overrating a game is dangerous and tends to "hide" the problems a game has. Criticizing a game heavily is what allows you to see how the series can improve. People need to stop being so sensitive over this game. It feels wrong that I have to clarify that I overall enjoyed the game and actually agree with a lot of the points people bring up to defend it, just so I can openly criticize it. Games are not people, and you can't hurt their feelings.

[Quicksilver]

3 minutes ago, charmsb said:

I mean I think there is PLENTY more to say about why Unleashed isn't that great besides the fact that the werehog can be clunky. It was a pioneer of its gameplay style and borrowed from an era that doesn't support its gameplay style. It definitely falls apart in a lot of aspects.

But moreso on topic - it IS overrated now, and I think there are a few good reasons why:

1. Contrarianism. The attitude about this game, up until recent, has been pretty negative. Ironically, as people strive to go against the grain, they stop being contrarian and start contributing to a status quo instead. Also, that sonic fan vendetta against IGN and their review of Unleashed certainly contributes to this. In general the game came out at a time that would absolutely doom ANY sonic game - being after Sonic 06 and Secret Rings, any form of experimentation would be frowned upon heavily, and it was. So it feels like many feel like they have to "make up" for the somewhat unfair treatment this game got.

2. The Story. Sonic fans tend to also exaggerate the importance of the story and characters in the games. They are no doubt an extremely vital part of this franchise, but it seems like whenever someone 'defends' Unleashed against the now nonexistent attackers, they tend to get emotional and claim how it was "the last good sonic game" or "the last sonic game that took itself seriously." It certainly was in the end of an era in terms of narrative, but story holds no credence when trying to dissect Gameplay, the most important aspect of a game. They attach themselves too much to the narrative of the game rather than what they felt actually playing the levels.

Overrating a game is dangerous and tends to "hide" the problems a game has. Criticizing a game heavily is what allows you to see how the series can improve. People need to stop being so sensitive over this game. It feels wrong that I have to clarify that I overall enjoyed the game and actually agree with a lot of the points people bring up to defend it, just so I can openly criticize it. Games are not people, and you can't hurt their feelings.

I should've talked about the story and stuff, but I was laser focused on the Wearhog and . And I was glad Unleashed is getting praise since its a decent game. But I saw it rise when Colors Ultimate was announced and people were crying about how Unleashed deserved the remaster and "Colors is a bad game." When i think both games deserve it. (and to be honest, colors is the better game in my opinion)

[Wraith]

I don't think Unleashed has gained much ground at all with the gaming mainstream, and Sonic fans have been arguing that it's an underrated darling since Colors came out and was better received. I guess Colors Ultimate getting announced ahead of the Unleashed port people wanted reopened some old wounds but overall I'm not noticing anything too different to when I was in the Sonic community back in 2012. You can even look back at the old "Unleashed vs Colors" thread to see people having the same arguments about the game that they do now.

[JezMM]

Hellloooo huge Unleashed fan here, this argument comes around so often it's getting kinda tiresome, so I'll try to be concise as to what I've observed and feel myself about this.

A person who says Unleashed is underrated is usually in one of the following camps:

• They know the night stuff is bad, you don't need to tell them.  But what they're actually saying is that the gameplay of said daytime stages is the best the boost gameplay has ever been (or even the best Sonic gameplay has been, rarely) what they want to see out of the series as a focus, and their frustration that no game since has provided as such.  Colours and Forces both have simplified, lower difficulty level design with significantly less 3D gameplay and thrilling setpieces.  Generations' Act 2s pretty much provide the experience they're after, but that's still another case where it's only half the game.  This fan is getting frustrated that Unleashed is getting thrown to the dogs in its entirety due to the night gameplay, and disagrees that Sonic Team were successful in "taking the good parts of Unleashed and leaving the rest" when they made Colours.  Apparently 3D/challenging gameplay was not considered good, and this fan says otherwise.
• They actually think the night gameplay is fine or even the best as far as gimmicky alternate gameplay styles go (you know, that thing that Adventure and Adventure 2 tend to get a free pass on all the time - maybe not in the bigger picture of the internet but certainly within the fandom - in comparison to Unleashed, anyway).  This fan is arguing that the whole game is good, which of course is entirely subjective, but it's still a valid opinion.
• Somewhere between the two above extremes are fans who just feel it's a game of very high highs and very low lows - but the lows are completely tolerable in the context of the highs.  And they'd take that over a game where there are no high highs or low lows - just a tepid experience all the way through.  They might well think both day and night have their good bits and bad bits, but that the former moments make up for the latter.
• And then finally there's the consideration of beyond just "day vs night" argument, that can tie into almost any of the above positions.  That is, for many Unleashed fans, it's not just about the day and night gameplay, but everything - the sense of adventure, the narrative, the aesthetics and vividness of the locations.  It's easy to simplify down to "the day gameplay vs the night gameplay" but for many people it's more like "the day gameplay and the soundtrack and the atmosphere and the environments and the cute little NPC side stories and the amount of content on offer when DLC is factored in too and that amazing opening cut-scene... vs the night gameplay".  It's much easier to see the downfalls of the night gameplay as a lesser issue in that context.

 

In spite of all this though, as much as I too want it in general and would happily take it over Colours Ultimate, anyone who says that they were wrong to do Colours Ultimate over an Unleashed remaster is living in a fantasy world.  Like I hear you, I have more fun with Unleashed too, but the wider populace clearly disagrees, so of course SEGA should've done Colours.

[John43]

2 hours ago, JezMM said:

And then finally there's the consideration of beyond just "day vs night" argument, that can tie into almost any of the above positions.  That is, for many Unleashed fans, it's not just about the day and night gameplay, but everything - the sense of adventure, the narrative, the aesthetics and vividness of the locations.  It's easy to simplify down to "the day gameplay vs the night gameplay" but for many people it's more like "the day gameplay and the soundtrack and the atmosphere and the environments and the cute little NPC side stories and the amount of content on offer when DLC is factored in too and that amazing opening cut-scene... vs the night gameplay".  It's much easier to see the downfalls of the night gameplay as a lesser issue in that context.

This sums it up pretty well.

My history with Unleashed was this: grew up with the Wii version  playing with a controller. Thought it was fine, with some annoying elements ("Hyyyyyaaaaaaaa"), the Werehog was inoffensive but outstayed it's welcome by the many acts of Eggmanland. I thought Colours was better after that came out.

Until I got an Xbox 360 sometime in 2016. And I finally played the HD version. I fell in love with the game. The complete package really does feel special and I was in Awe. In retrospect, the different direction of the storytelling works in this game, Chip kinda grew on me, and it was one of Jason's best performances (with Black Knight being his best). Getting to actually walk around in the world made everything click when it felt kinda disjointed in the Wii version I was so familiar with. And then there's the content. Everything felt epic and grand. I also don't mind the Werehog, it can be fun, but there are some painful bits to slog through. It's worst crime for me is interrupting the beautiful music just to fight a couple of enemies. I wouldn't recommend investing leveling up daytime Sonic if you have bad reflexes, Sonic can get pretty hard to control (or is it just me).

It feels to me like the last time Sega and Sonic Team put a truly AAA effort and budget into every aspect of a Sonic game. Even though there have still been some high quality released since, I acknowledge the quality of Generations, ASRT and Mania. I also have a soft spot for what Lost World tried to do.

It's been a long time since I played Unleashed HD. If I ever get an Xbox Series S I'm buying and streaming it day 1.

[BadBehavior]

No game is either underrated or overrated. It's standing within the fandom fluctuates until it reaches an equalibrium.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Why are we still using the word “overrated” in 2021? That word has lost all the meaning it used to have due to overuse for things someone doesn’t care about that other people like more than they do.

[Kuzu]

2 hours ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Why are we still using the word “overrated” in 2021? That word has lost all the meaning it used to have due to overuse for things someone doesn’t care about that other people like more than they do.

Because buzzwords exist and young adults will always use them to sound smart. Its never gonna stop, so its best to not fight it. 

 

 

No Unleashed isn't overrated, it's still firmly in the mediocre territory as far as the mainstream opinion is concerned. The vocal subsect of Unleashed fans are just pissed off because Sega chose Colors, a game that's had its own change in opinion over the years for the controversial, over it. No Sega probably doesn't care. So yea relax, nobody but a few hundred of people will praise Unleashed. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Just now, Kuzu said:

Because buzzwords exist and young adults will always use them to sound smart. Its never gonna stop, so its best to not fight it. 

Now you know full well you’re 10 years too late to be telling me not to fight it. 

 

[Kuzu]

1 minute ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Now you know full well you’re 10 years too late to be telling me not to fight it. 

 

 

In this case, I mean it. You can't stop dumb children from using things they think are smart. Just let them grow up and realize they're being stupid like we all did. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

11 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

 

In this case, I mean it. You can't stop dumb children from using things they think are smart. Just let them grow up and realize they're being stupid like we all did. 

But that’s what we’re still here for: to help them grow and realize it (without being too much of an asshole). 

Of course, I can still watch it blow up in their face when they don’t listen. 

[Roger_van_der_weide]

I get the feeling a lot of Unleashed love stems from a desire to have a Sonic game with serious production values again, Unleashed was the last Sonic game that felt like an event, every Sonic game since has just been "Merely" a platformer.

Of course Sonic games being epic events rather then simple platformers caused their bad reputation as it felt like all the production came at the cost of good gameplay. So fair enough on it being toned down for a while. But now we had several gameplay focused Sonic games, with Generations and Mania the only ones who made good use of their simplified gameplay focus while all the others were still Meh at best.
So now I guess a lot of people, including me, feel like we might as well return to huge epic adventures, since it's not like the gameplay is all that much better in the smaller games for the most part.

...

....

And then Sonic Forces came along, to demonstrate that current Sega's ability to create epic events is just as impressive as their ability to design good gameplay these days. So never mind, all bets are off. Everyone's screwed.



I find the rivalry between Unleashed and Colors so interesting, since they get the reputation being mostly the same game styles, despite the fact it's clear they're each others polar opposites. Even taking the story and the Werehog completely out of the equation.
Give me Unleashed's clunky specatacle over Color's stupid claustrophobic puzzle "Wait for the elevator" level design any day.

[Kuzu]

Unleashed and Colors debates only make sense if you have any knowledge of the games past the surface level.

 

To the average person, they're more or less the same thing. 

[Cube]

I personally enjoy both day and night gameplay of Sonic Unleashed (well, the night platforming is annoying in a few places). My main issues with the game are the pacing due to the Gaia gates and sun/moon models, something a remastered version could easily rectify. 

[batson]

I find Unleashed to be perhapes the most difficult Sonic game to grade in terms of enjoyment since I belong to the many many people who like the day stages and dislike the night stages. I think the most fair thing to do is to give each half its own score and then take them both into consideration. In fact I'm gonna do it now:

Daytime stages: 8/10

Nighttime stages: 3/10

Score: 5,5