Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed released in 2008, coming off of the decent Sonic Heroes and the disastrous Sonic ’06. When Sonic Unleashed was revealed, Sonic Team was thought to be making another mistake, introducing a concept that had no place in a Sonic game. Development began in 2006 and the idea was to focus only on Sonic as a playable character but add the Werehog to provide a jumping-on point of sorts for new players. Criticism from fans was already expected for the same but the developer also sought to implement new mechanics and find a good balance between the older 2D titles and the newer 3D gameplay introduced in Sonic Adventure.
On release, Sonic Unleashed had a Metacritic score of 60 based on 50 critic reviews for the Xbox 360 version. Only a few were positive – many were mixed, praising the return to a more traditional Sonic platforming experience while criticizing the beat ’em up style combat of the Werehog segments. Some of the more negative reviews advised Sonic fans to stay away altogether while criticizing the levels, controls and camera.
Sonic Unleashed would sell 2.45 million units and user reviews leaned more towards the positive side. There was praise for its visuals, which implemented global illumination for the first time in the franchise, and the day-time sections which channeled the speed and excitement that many felt was missing from recent titles. Make no mistake – plenty of fans disliked the Werehog as well but those who ignored it appreciated Sonic Unleashed’s most positive aspects. Thankfully, the day-time gameplay would be utilized in future titles like the more positively received Sonic Generations and served as the basis for the series’ new hybrid 2D/3D gameplay.
