Sonic the Werehog has always been one of the most successful beat 'em up franchises on the market, starring the famous Sonic, a werehog who is really stretchy and can't swim because he took a bite of a Gum Gum fruit, and the recently released "Sonic and the Secret Coins" was one of the best Dreamcast games I've ever played. However, with this game, it seems the series has taken a turn for the worst.
Story: 7/10
This is probably the best part of the game. The princess of the Ring Kingdom, Amy Rose, is hosting the festival for the 100th Sparkle Festival, and Sonic the Werehog attends. However, when he gets there, Eggman comes in with his airships, freezes the animals, and takes off with the princess. Sonic is sent blasting off again, and has to collect sparkles to rescue her. He then meets a helper character, Chip, who also serves as the game's main source of sex appeal. It's, simple, charming, and good...up until Eggman takes off the leash that Sonic had since the series began, hence the title, Sonic Unleashed. He then destroys it, so one of Sonic's most iconic traits seems to be gone for good.
Music: 5/10
For whatever reason, they decided to make this game have 8 bit music, like the first game in the series, River City Ransom. However, in this day and age, such beeps and boops are not acceptable as music, even though they are good beeps and boops. Also, I noticed that a lot of the music seems to be recycled from River City Ransom 2: Custer's Revenge.
Graphics: 6/10
The graphics are rather disappointing. They hardly push the limits of the Sega Wii's graphical capabilities. This is a very bad thing, because since River City Ransom, graphics have been a huge part of Sonic games. Look at River City Ransom 2. That game had amazing graphics for its time. Then look at this. This game looks like it could have been on Sega's previous console, the Sega Gamebox.
Gameplay: 3/10
The gamplay is a massive letdown, even though gameplay isn't a very important part of a game. During the day, we have the classic beat 'em up gameplay that has been with the series since the beginning. However, the day levels in the game are very limited. What makes up most of the game? The night levels. Here's where it gets ugly.
During the night, for some unexplained reason, Sonic turns into some sort of hedgehog, and the game becomes a high-speed platformer, where he's moving too fast to even see. What is this!? Sonic games have never, and should never be about platforming, and these levels are a clear rip off of the father of all platformers, Fire Emblem. What's worse, these levels make up most of the game! Why Sega would disgrace Sonic like this, I don't know.
Overall: 4/10
Rent or buy:
Only buy this if you're a HUGE fan of the series. Otherwise, rent, or avoid it altogether. You won't be missing much.
