You'll wish that you could play the whole game as fast Sonic
When I first heard about the new Wii exclusive Sonic game "Unleashed" I was half hoping that it would be a return to the good old days. Where it's just you, Sonic, and enough speed to potentially outrun the game camera. And in a way, I got what I wanted, but in another way, I also got something that I didn't.
The catch is that the game's stages are divided up into two polar opposite experiences which I like to call "Fast Sonic" and "Hulk Sonic". Each separated by day and night. During the daytime, when you're good old fast Sonic, it's the kind of gameplay experience that I wish that I could spend the entire game with. It's
where fast reflexes and even faster thinking will reward you with better and faster paths through the stage. There is a couple of new moves at Sonic's disposal, such as drifting and sliding, that takes some getting used to but fits into that style of gameplay very well and makes it that much more exciting. The only Wii motion sensing mechanic in this gameplay is that you flick the Wiimote to do his mid-air homing attack or to give an enemy crushing boost of speed on the ground. And the stages are designed well enough that you'll want to start over half way through a run just to try and get to that higher path.
Than there's the nighttime gameplay, there Sonic turns into the "werehog" and the game turns into a brawler- taking fighting mechanics from Kingdom Hearts, Crash Bandicoot, and God of War. There's no fast paced action here. In fact, you'll find yourself waiting around for a floating platform to come back around more often than you'd like. It involves you hulking about the stage, breaking creates and jars like you have a grudge against them and fighting off the hordes of rather uninspired enemies (they're like if the Heartless were designed by someone with no imagination). What kills me most about these stages is that the fighting system boils down to shaking the wiimote and nunchuck repeatedly like you're banging on a drum. And trust me, that gets really tiring after a while. And if these stages weren't bad enough, you'll also be a victim of sudden-death-platforming. Apparently, Sonic can no longer hold his breathe and water equals instant death. You only get 2 extra lives per stage so if you miss that tricky platform more than twice, than it's game over. Which wouldn't be a problem if these stages didn't feature the more unresponsive controls I've ever used. I'm serious, there was actually a point where I was repeatedly mashing the jump button and Sonic just strolled off the side of the cliff. It's very frustrating and it's very not Sonic. And the sad thing is, you'll find yourself stuck playing the "Hulk Sonic" more often than the "Fast Sonic" most times.
That being said, I did find lots of things that are genuinely impressive about this game where I truly felt that the developers made an effort to learn from past mistakes. The opening sequence really grabbed me. I'm all up for a game where the villain wins right off the bat. The animation and lip syncing in the cutscenes are extremely well done (compared to Sonic on the Dreamcast for sure) and I really liked how all of the human character were noticeably NOT anime. I'd say they were more Pixar inspired than anything else. Which is a very refreshing and welcomed change of aesthetic. There is one gripe that I have about the characters while I'm on the subject. Sonic's new spunky sidekick (You'll know who I'm talking about) is really not funny, he's just annoying and is always stealing the spotlight. His design is just stupid and he's really only around to point out the obvious (I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to pull a lever on my own).
In the end, if we weren't forced to play through those dreadful "werehog" stages, this would have been the game to put Sonic back in the big leagues. Sega, if you're reading this. We only want one good Sonic game. Like the good old days. Don't give us any more gimmicks or annoying side kicks. We only want to run fast. But, since the next Sonic game will have him wielding a talking magic sword, I'm afraid all hope is lost.