User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 48 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 48
  2. Negative: 5 out of 48

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  1. Sep 27, 2010
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm a long time Sonic fan, since Genesis, and I absolutely LOVE this game. It's alarming to see so many giving it so little credit, and highlighting their woes about certain aspects. Personally I had a fun time playing as Sonic the Werehog, but more than that, the speed levels are utterly incredible. Spectacularly crafted, graphically too. Couldn't be more pleased with the outcome![2] 10 for that one Expand
  2. MarkD
    Jan 5, 2009
    6
    The Warehog bits maybe arn't as bad as some reviewers have said but it's glaringly obvious that they pale in comparison to the brilliant Sonic bits. Why then do the Warehog bits and the even more tedius RPG bits make up more then half the game Sega? I must stress though that Sonic bits are a genuine return to form and for the the first time in years i'm hopefull for future Sonic games. Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. Apr 28, 2011
    6
    Its hard to imagine how this was a "good" Sonic game back in 2008. I loved Sonic Unleased on the PS2, I thought it was simple, and easy to navigate. This game... is broken. Its hard to ignore the fact that the controls are extremely touchy, depth perception is difficult to master, and an unfriendly camera makes the experience a mess. Compounding on that... framerate drops are present in cutscenes and night scenes. The Werehog is a love it or hate it relationship. I am honestly not a huge fan of it, but I can deal with it. It however is frustrating that you spend as little as 1 or 2 minutes on a day stage and spend as little as 6 to 7 minutes on a night. It is a jarring change in pace. If you see this game marked down... leave it now that it is 2011. Sonic Unleashed on the PS3 is Okay. It is not the most spectacular experience of Sonic you have available today. Expand
  4. Apr 20, 2011
    7
    When I first saw gameplay footage for this game (aka. the daytime stages), I rushed to get an HD console. The daytime stages, although platforming-devoid and linear, are so thrilling and fun, complete with gorgeous environments, ear-climaxing music, and a ton of cinematic camera angles, switching from the 3D to 2.5D perspectives. It's everything that made Sonic Adventure famous back then, except on complete overdrive. Although the controls were a bit unresponsive, it was a thrilling part of the game that impressed nearly every person I showed. Then, *sigh*, we get to the Werehog stages. Why is there a Werehog? Don't Know. However, while it's not as bad as people made it out to be, it certainly is a below-average combat experience. Think God of War, except a hell of a lot easier with an annoying combat music (that comes on EVERY TIME you encounter an enemy). It tries to be cool by being completely different from the daytime stages, but it just comes off as completely flow-breaking and unneccessary. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the game despite that. The hub worlds feel like they have been done right, and they're a hell of a lot better than the ones in Sonic 06 and Sonic Adventure. While people have been annoyed with the mandatory medal collecting, it honestly never bothered me until I got to the Adabat daytime stage, and even then, I only had to play a few of the optional stages to easily collect the medals I need (the majority of them being in the Werehog Stages). There are a few other setbacks like the frame rate (although I heard that the Xbox 360 version had less framerate problems), but other than that, this is generally a good game. Not great, but simply good. My suggestion is to download the demo and try out the first daytime stage to get a good glimpse at the gold mine of speed and excitement, then look at the Werehog Stages. If you're still cautious, then I suggest renting it. Overall Rating: 7.5/10 Expand
  5. Oct 9, 2011
    10
    I am not a man of big words... so i could review this game just whit 4 and a half Words....... THIS GAME IS F****ING AWESOME! But I cannot do that since my review has to be 150 characters long.... Yeah This game is one of the most fun loaded games i have ever played! The Storyline, The Graphics, The Details... everything well done! yeah what more can i say? i don't know... well it would be cooler if there was more playable characters, for example blaze, silver etc. but besides that i still love the game! and it was worth trading it for CoD-MW2, Big Time!!! : P Expand
  6. Dec 8, 2011
    4
    Sonic Unleashed seemed to continue the downward trend of modern Sonic games. OK, I will admit - it's a step forward from 06, but that doesn't automatically mean it's great. What people overlook so damn much is that: 1) The MAJORITY of the game is played as the Werehog, which is absolute CRAP. I can't believe people can be so blind and brand this as 'such a great game' and yet they themselves had a horrible time with this disgusting gameplay style. 2/3 of the game is played as this piece of crap, which automatically makes it a bad game. But no, SEGA had to make it even WORSE! Let's go deeper, shall we? 2) Surprisingly, the incredibly overrated daytime stages are bad as well. At first, you'll be in love with them, because of their insane speed, seemless gameplay and literally effortless fun. But once you decide to play them again... the fun is gone. Why? Because you're constrained in a tight hallway surrounded by invisible walls and doing nothing but plough through everything at breakneck speed with no thinking required. I really don't understand what the hell is so fun about this turdfest. It's WAY too easy and gives nothing for the player to do but RUN. Sounds fun, right? 3) Pace... ugh. Remember the good old days, where simply beating a stage would lead you onto another? Well, Sonic Unleashed throws all of that away and forces you to explore hubworlds, talk to random people, wait through loading screens to access ANOTHER hubworld and as soon as you reach the level gate, you're prompted by this annoying pest known as 'Chip' that you haven't collected enough sun or moon medals. This means that you have to replay the crap you've just played to collect more medals hidden throughout the stages in order to progress. It enhances replay value, but then again, why 'enhance' replay value on something that nobody would enjoy (well, at least the Werehog, anyway)? It's just a stupid gimmick to pad the game out. OK, so, I don't like this game, which is pretty clear. But is there ANYTHING that this game did right? Hell yes. 1) The graphics are stunning, especially in HD. It makes the pain more bearable to see all these pretty landscapes that you wish you could explore but can't because the stupid game won't let you. 2) The music is fantastic. The daytime music is usually more fast and upbeat, featuring some catchy tunes packed with variety. These just give me a feel-good feeling. The nighttime music, on the other hand, is much slower, somewhat orchestral and relaxing. Personally, I prefer the daytime music, but there's no denying that both types of track are just great. 3) While I do NOT like the daytime stages, I can praise it for at least one thing: the technical achievement. Even though ploughing mindlessly through everything is NOT my kind of fun, you've got to admit that it's pretty darn stunning to see Sonic run that fast with incredible graphics to boot. There's not a single slowdown issue while doing any of this, either. There are a few framerate dips, however, espeically in the later stages. So, all in all, I would recommend Sonic Unleashed ONLY to diehard Sonic fans who want to 'check it out'. Otherwise, (send me death threats for saying this, I don't care) Sonic Unleashed is a smelling piece of crap and it should never have been released in such a state. Expand
  7. AnthonyL
    Jan 3, 2009
    10
    I'm a long time Sonic fan, since Genesis, and I absolutely LOVE this game. It's alarming to see so many giving it so little credit, and highlighting their woes about certain aspects. Personally I had a fun time playing as Sonic the Werehog, but more than that, the speed levels are utterly incredible. Spectacularly crafted, graphically too. Couldn't be more pleased with the outcome!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. MartinS
    Oct 6, 2009
    5
    This game is a pretty big disappointment. I actually thought this game was the next Sonic Adventure but I was wrong...for the most part. Don't get me wrong, the day stages are AMAZING! But getting the medals & playing as a "werehog" is what made me hate this game! Sega, please make a tue sonic game! Like *cough* Sonic Adventure 3 *cough*
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. JalexD.
    Dec 16, 2008
    10
    I can't put my finger on why exactly this game has received such poor reviews. Personally, I thought this was the best Sonic game since 'Adventure' on the Dreamcast. I know people weren't crazy about the Werehog idea (and I admit I'm not exactly a fan of Sega's Sonic gimmicks, either), but it seems as though they wrote their negative opinions about it before they even tried it. Sure, it's a lot different from the 'regular' levels, but it's not bad. I actually found it to be a nice contrast. Anyhow, I think this is the best Sonic game this decade, and one of THE best Sonic games, PERIOD. Buy it if you love the Blue Blur. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. MarkK.
    Jan 3, 2009
    5
    When it plays like Sonic Rush it's great. But once the Sonic Adventure formula kicks in you wonder why Sonic Team just doesn't accept that 3-D Sonic games simply don't work.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. VV
    Jan 16, 2009
    8
    The best 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2 on the Dreamcast, playing the day levels with Sonic is fast (FAST) and fun, frustrating at times but very regarding as well, great locations and amazing graphics... sadly the same can't be said about the clumsy and ugly night levels with the Werehog, bad concept and execution, totally unnesessary. I hope SEGA to listen to their fans and keep Sonic and only Sonic for the next game. Expand
    • 0 of 1 users said yes
  12. StevenS.
    Dec 24, 2008
    10
    Sonic Unleashed is simply the best Sonic game released this generation. Reviewers need to stop comparing this game against previous Sonic games and review it on its own two legs.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. JimT
    Dec 31, 2008
    8
    This game is pretty great. If people could just get over the stupid "OMGZ WEREHOG!!??" mentality they'd realize that even the werehog portions of the game is a good, challenging platformer. The Daytime levels are perfect and amazing. So amazing day levels + rewarding and fun night levels = Good game.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. Nov 5, 2010
    7
    Just as maniy other reviews state, 1/3 of this game is amazing(the sonic daytime levels) 1/3 of it is Decent (that being the were hog night lvls) and the other 3rd is completly slow and un needed (the town exploration areas) The Sonic levels are fast furious and amazing, I can say that for the time being this is the fastest sonic game ever made up to this time. They make the game worth playing for any fan . The were hog lvls are not horrible. They are a blend of combat (which is really dull and under developed) and platforming/ puzzle solving, almost remenescent of early crash bandicoot games. The problem is that while they are not horrible they just drag the game down from the amazing Sonic running stages and last well over 4 times as long (which is being generous, it could be more than that.) The only portion to fall flat are the towns, the controls are crappy and loose though that isn't really relevant as much as it is just a minor annoyance. What is terrible is that they are slow and filled with retarded diologue form deformed retarded and generic human characters that are totally out of place and really with the overall structure of the levels, this portion didn't need to be there in the first place, a menu to select stages would have been sufficient with a cut scene between stages here or there ala sonic adventure 2. Bottom line, chances are, if your a fan and still curious about the game at this point, then chances are, you will enjoy it enough to overlook its shortcomings. Expand
  15. Jul 4, 2011
    8
    After playing the utter disappointment which was Sonic 2006, which followed another horrible Sonic game - Sonic Heroes, I wasn't really optimistic when buying Sonic Unleashed. However I was pleasantly surprised. This game is surprisingly good: the graphics are stunning, Sonic levels are action packed and the gameplay itself looks impressive (my friends like to watch me play them because they look so cool). The Werehog levels are fun too, although sometimes they have frustrating moments - level checkpoints could have been placed more wisely. They have a "God of War"-like mechanic with several different combos and finishing moves. I haven't experienced any major bugs (I was playing the latest update though), although the framerate sometimes drops significantly. The game may also be too juvenile (as compared to e.g. Sonic Adventure 2) and Chip might be the most annoying Sonic character of all time (even more annoying then Amy) but overall the game is very good, probably the best Sonic game after Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic fans can add 1 point to this score. Expand
  16. Aug 19, 2011
    10
    Sonic Unleashed is a game where SEGA pulled out all the stops. They worked in an enormous amount of side challenges, including around 30 side missions, a few side levels and hundreds of collectibles. I am not exaggerating with that. There's around 300 things you can collect including a record player and TV which actually have a function. They allow you to listen to soundtracks from the game and view cutscenes. The gameplay is split between Day and Night levels. Day is full of Sonic's speed gameplay ramped up to never-before-seen speeds. The speed is augmented by the Boost which makes Sonic go faster, but also makes him a speeding bullet, damaging enemies in the way. You gain boost energy by collecting rings and you can upgrade your boost bar and normal speed to go even faster. The Night stages features the Werehog. This unfortunately controversial gameplay shouldn't be controversial (see below).The Werehog can be upgraded as well, but features more things to upgrade. You can upgrade the life bar, the "Unleash" bar which is similar to God of War III's Rage of Sparta. You can upgrade the Shield gauge; You have a shield/block ability, but it wears out with damage, so you can upgrade your shield gauge to make your block more durable. Now, you see, the reason the Werehog shouldn't be controversial is thanks to how much work was put into it. The Werehog can gain 30 new moves by upgrading. That's more than popular games like God of War and Darksiders. And there's a few additional moves you start out with. This takes a lot of dedication and hard work which sadly goes unappreciated. The platforming in the game is good as well. It's easy to some extent, but it's good and fun to relax with. You also have excellent bosses which have cinematic quality and are very high-end. The levels have amazing graphics and there's a lot of variety between them. Each new level has many things to do. In fact, the main game will run you around 10 hours, but the entire game, to finish it all, could take 30 hours if you're lucky. Of course it would be less if you know what you have to do, but many levels and challenges are very difficult. In closing, this is Sonic and Sonic Team's best game and the most underappreciated. It's a shame so much hard work got so much hatred for the sake of the masses' nostalgia. The Werehog didn't ruin the game, it added to it. New gameplay styles shouldn't be hated for trying to refresh the game and make it better. Games are about change and improvement. That's why sequels are made. Expand
  17. Nov 7, 2011
    10
    I really liked this Sonic game. Sonic is still very fast hedgehog we all know, but at night he becomes the werehog. Although he travels slower than normal Sonic, Sonic the werehog is actually pretty cool to play as if you want a combat-heavy experience, but it is more diffucult than traditional Sonic gameplay. The game is a mix of hedgehog and werehog levels.
  18. Nov 22, 2011
    8
    A very good game, not to fond of the warehog; not to hate on it, but for me its just not sonic. Sonic is an icon for speed and agility, a game franchise that requires fast reflexes and pushes one to strive for record times. If speed were not such a trademark of the series I might be alright with a change up like this, I do love the daytime levels! I appreciate that they tried to add something new into the game, but Warehog should be an unlockable bonus mode or something, not part of the main storyline. Expand
  19. Dec 7, 2011
    7
    I strongly believe that Sonic Unleashed does not deserve a 54/100 if the 'average' score on Metacritic these days for games is an 80. This game does indeed have its flaws, such as the nighttime levels being quite tedious, however the day time levels are so good that this game stayed enjoyable for me for quite a long time. I've been playing Sonic Generations recently and I've noticed that the daytime levels in Unleashed are generally *much* better than Generation's, purely because they are much more fun and feel a lot more fast-paced and satisfying to beat. I would certainly recommend this game to younger gamers. It's not perfect, but is certainly worth the low price. Expand
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Negative: 8 out of 24
  1. Despite the game's clumsy story progression and repetitive werehog combat, it manages to be the best Sonic game released in recent memory. This is thanks mostly to the excellent hedgehog levels that evoke memories of classic Sonic titles while still managing to feel fresh and new.
  2. 60
    Even with no expectations going in, we can't imagine many in our ADHD generation holding patience enough to wade through 20-to-30 minute intervals of repetitive room clearing again and again just to find enough Sun tokens to unlock the next decent racing portion. It just isn't enough fun to warrant the effort.
  3. To be quite frank, Sonic Unleashed is half great game, and half unnecessarily unleashed. The Sonic levels are extremely fun and bring back the memories of yesteryear, and the night-time levels will leave players wondering why Sonic Team continues to torture their fans by continuing to add pointless things to prolong good gameplay.