Gamespot’s Live Demonstration of Sonic Unleashed
Just in case you missed the actual live footage of Sonic Unleashed being played by Assistant Product Marketing Manager at SoA, Ken Balough and Executive Producer at Gamespot, Ryan Mac Donald, the video has now been made available for you viewing pleasure – All 25 minutes of it.
If you’ve been looking for some real gameplay of Sonic Unleashed, this may be the best thing you’ll see all of E3. Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Werehog… it’s all there folks, and in much better quality that we saw streaming live earlier. You can set up the quality of the video from the Menu in Gamespots viewer!
Thanks to iNAUDiBLE and Timmit for bringing this to our attention. And thanks to everyone else who kept reminding me while I was out!
143 Comments
@ jujuchan
I like the homing attack animation. Its similar to Sonic Adventure’s homing attack, which was the best! Though that is my opinion, and you do have yours.
@ juaouad
remember the level that were seeing in the video is the first level, its bound to be easy. And we don’t see much of the china one, it might get a lot harder. And sonic hasn’t lost all of his rings in one hit for awhile now. I believe they started that in Shadow the Hedgehog. In this game especially because goes so fast, it would be pretty frustrating to loose all your rings because you didn’t see one enemy or some spikes. Though I can see why you wouldn’t like that. I didn’t like it at first either.
I LOL’d at Ryan Mac Donald not knowing where to put that red key. ^_^ Oh man, I’m drooling over this!
we will see when it comes out
it can go every direction till then.. i just hope that when i finish the game i will be like woww… and i hope it takes a lot of skills and not just running and sometimes getting hit with 200 rings in my possesion that would make it like impossible for me to die unless i fall in a pit by a dirty mistake,,,
all im asking for is a challenging sonic game..
in the sonic gameplay i didnt see any enemie really attempting to attack sonic..
like i said they still got a long way to go so maybe the enemies can change too
correction wiifp we are 5 months, but technically we are 4 months from SU
@juaouad:
Juaouad, you are pretty smart. I’m actually impressed… you weren’t being negative, what you said actually made sense.
@G&E: it has always been like that
running fast and out of nowhere spikes come up that will hit you if you dont jump quickly
its frustrating yess but it made me play more carefully till i reached the next few rings.. and later on you get better and better so then finishing a level with 200/300 rings would make me feel like the man
@okay: thanks man.. it pains me to be negative about sonic but im just sick of what happened to sonic…
i cant sleep at night :(
@juaouad: You can’t sleep at night? I hope that’s a hyperbole because even though I’m waiting for this too, dude, It’s just a game.
awwhahwahawh dont tell me you were really taking that seriously
You know what would be awesome! If you could go into the settings of the game and change if you loose all your rings in one hit or not, because you are right, juaouad, about the difficulty ringwise. I just made myself happy thinking about that. I’d prob prefer to loose all rings in one hit, but if I have to keep some that’s fine with me.
David Leggett, maybe you should have your friend suggest that opinion to sega during their conference.
@juaouad: Phew! Man, you never know what characters you’ll bump into on the big wide web! ^_^
@G&E: this david leggett you are mensioning… please let him do that
sonic team doesnt know what they are doing :(
My concern is whether not that.. (after you beat the game) there’ll be a mode to play as Sonic only… or WereSonic only.
This way, once the game is completed… you could really get a classic “Sonic” feel.
But I do not want this game to be “rushed…” suggesting something to Sega may cause a distraction.
I do not think your “ring suggestions” will work.
You see, if you mention this concern to Sega, they’d respond; “but this game will become very difficult due to the statistical blah blah blah…”
@juaouad: I see what you mean juaouad. I personally am a fan of old school sonic myself( since about 5) although I must admit the first sonic games were qquite challenging. The first sonic in particular was definately the hardest one for me. Obviously the games have been dumbed down considerably to appeal to a broader range as well as not make it too hard on the little guy.
Again, I completely agree with you. these games still need a perfect balance between difficulty and fun. While the first titles were challenging, make no mistake, I found them perhaps too challenging to the point of sometimes discouraging the player from running fast to begin with. Only time will tell, I think.
please do reply back anyone who agrees or otherwise with my opinion ^_^
I do not think your “ring suggestions” will work.
You see, if you mention this concern to Sega, they’d respond; “but Sonic Unleashed is already a challenging game due to the statistical blah blah blah… our main difficulty of Sonic boost… blah blah…”
It’s too direct, and too obvious… since in Sonic games you usually lose all rings when hit, it’s obvious that Sega “purposely” made this change. Asking them to change it may only offend them.
i remember myself as a 4 year old never finishing any sonic game :P
i understand what you mean but nowadays you got saves,,, only that alone make the game easy enough..you can repeat the levels and then finally finish them.
sonic 1 was the hardest sonic game ever made and now you mention it… when i think about it… it was awesome
@okay: if they cant change that i hope the difficulty will add up to it
I’m so glad they added this to their list of videos. Otherwise, I would have gone insane, knowing I missed it. But there’s still nothing for the game on Xbox Live…
I’m definitely one you would call a “classic Sonic” fan, and I am also one of the gamers who has been disappointed and upset by many of the recent titles in the series.
However, despite my absolute love for and devotion to the Genesis classics, I grow increasingly frustrated with people constantly clamoring for Sega to make these new next-gen titles EXACTLY THE SAME AS GAMES MADE ALMOST TWO DECADES AGO.
I understand that there are some important mechanics that should not be changed, and elements that have become almost iconic and should therefore be included in every game… and part of why we’ve all gotten so excited over this game is because it’s promised a return to many traditional styles and ELEMENTS of the previous games.
However, if we’re really going to get all anal and nit-picky about every single way these newer games differ from the originals, you may as well start screaming about the third dimension too… and the fact that there isn’t a patch of checkerboard colored dirt to be found. Constant complaints like these almost seem as ridiculous as someone whining that the mushrooms in Mario Kart give you a speed boost rather than make your character larger.
I love Sonic. I love classic Sonic more than next-gen Sonic. However, I recognize that they are two separate categories altogether, and the smartest thing Sega can do is to take the positive elements out of both games and attempt to fuse them in harmony with one another (as was the idea when creating this game). This means changes. Compromise. Sonic can’t stay stuck in the second dimension forever, even if that’s where we originally became friends, and Sonic can’t continue to be the exact same Genesis game repeated over and over from console to console.
Here’s to hoping for a beautiful, harmonious fusion of the old and new.
okjj
but still sonic should lose all his rings when being hit
@juaouad:
There could be an alternative to losing “all rings” when hit. However, this is something I recommend only for the 3d games.
Perhaps, a weak enemy could take 20 or so rings… and a STRONG enemy could take 50 rings when hit. This way, you may actually “fear” some enemies more than others. Sonic 06 seems to have atleast “attempted” that.
This way, you may actually “fear” some enemies more than others. This could work in 3d. Perhaps, this game may be like that.
Amen, I feel the same.
…
Even if you do hate Shadow. ;) See, at least disliking 3D Sonic is popular within the community. You know what’s horrible? Having an unpopular stance like “I dislike 3D…Mario games”. I swear, the entire Mario fan community thinks I’m an idiot but I don’t get the same feel from the new games as the 2D ones. That said, they are quality games. I hope Sonic has the same thing happen…carry the “feel”(in Sonic’s case…that’s an Adrenaline Rush) but at the same time be entirely different. Revamps of our childhood will never be as good as we’ve built things up to be. It’s why I can’t enjoy Superman Returns as much as the 80’s movies, despite appreciating it’s quality.
I think I can appreciate both 2D and 3D because I was a kid for both eras. I was 7 when Sonic 2 came out, and I was a teen when I played SA for the first time. Both versions of the series have nostalgic value to me. They could have kept putting out improved versions of SA2 and Heroes and I would enjoy it. But…the games aren’t made for me. So, I’m all for whatever makes the series best for both new and old. What we want are new Sonic fans!
Wait, why are we arguing? Let’s enjoy what looks like, at worst, an entertaining product(even if it ends up flawed).
That was “@” chaotic fox
@ okay: Yeah, I think that makes sense. I personally think it’s nice to have some reward for collecting lots of rings and if it means that “weak” enemies only cost you some rings…then it carries a long the idea that rings make you more powerful.
If I were making a 3D Sonic, I’d toy with the idea of ring energy being a shield in some ways. The more rings you have, the stronger the shield. The stronger the shield, the easier it is to break that shield. That said, some enemies should always cost you all rings.
It makes sense, but I guess it’d be like explaining why a goomba shouldn’t cause the same damage as Bowser in a Mario game. Messing with established practice is always risky, but maybe since you can accumulate rings as a shield…they will then make enemies tougher to kill and more plentiful? Just a thought(probably a bad one).
So, back to the real game…a space level seems pretty likely now, right?
@Crazee: Now there’s some solid logic. I like that. Cheers! -raises glass-
I meant the programmers could make the enemies tougher…here I go typing when tired again. And quadruple posting.
@Crazee:
Well, my ring idea is for 3d games… not 2d. You see, in Mario.. (and Sonic) you are more likely to smash into an enemy when on a 2d plane.
In 3d… Sonic… it’s really just the bottomless pits that get you. While I’m not saying to add an “energy bar” like Mario, there needs to be more of a challenge than just… avoiding pits. Instead of “hardest level” just meaning “the most pits…” perhaps it could also mean the “strongest enemies.”
all enemies should let you lose all the rings it doesnt depend on how strong they are it depends on if they CAN hit you… if thats what you mean by strong
you guys talk shit you know
whats this whole shield idea all about
dont compare sonic with mario;)
This whole losing all your rings thing is getting ridiculous. In all reality, any classic Sonic gamer should know that the ring factor was NEVER a source a difficulty in the older games. ONE ring was all you EVER needed, and obtaining thousands of them only made it easier to retrive them when lost. The only time anybody ever died in a classic Sonic game is when falling into the dreaded pits we keep talking about, or during the boss fights where the rings tend to bounce off of the stationary screen so you can’t get them back ><
I never really liked how in sonic heroes and later sonic games that some enemies take more than one hit to kill. I hope that all the enemies in Sonics story are killed in one hit, hopefully that doesn’t make the game too easy. I just feel like that’s how it should be in a sonic game. However, the werehog level enemies should take more than one hit, because its mostly about combat. It’s not that big of a deal to me though, I don’t want it to sound like I’m complaining because I’m not, I’m just saying what I prefer. There’s nothing that could change my mind about getting this game anyway. I can’t wait!…,but I really can because I don’t want it to be rushed.
@ChaoticFox: thats not true
in older sonic games when losing all rings you had to struggle through a few obstacles before getting that one ring again like fire shooting from walls or enemies in the way,,,
pits didnt get used alot in the older days ;) just check it out
nowadays its like the pits are the only ways you can lose a life
so why dont they just remove all the enemies in the game if they only slow you down,, they dont kill you anyway if thats what you mean :)
Everyone seems to have good points, but now I’m going to bed, as I should have like 2 hours ago.
@juaouad: In the older Sonic games you only had to travel through those obstacles to obtain more rings IF you were unsuccessful at retrieving any of the ones you dropped (which I don’t recall being too troublesome, most of the time).
Hell, what these new games SHOULD do is bring back the spike traps. Those don’t seem to get a lot of use anymore (though I can understand the difficult in placing them in a 3D environment), but maybe with this new transition to 2D, they could add more trap elements. Things that require reflexes to avoid.
As for the enemies only slowing you down, that’s WHY they’re there! In a Sonic game, the thrill comes from moving quickly through the stages and avoiding things which would cause you to lose that momentum. I was never afraid of a motobug actually KILLING me, but I certainly always made the effort to jump over or on top of him to ensure maximum speed. Again, more reflexes.
classic sonic was annoying for me… also sonic HEROES is SA3,the director guy wanted it to be more appealing to other people who were new to the series and stuff look it up on wikipedia!! one more thing im writing this from my Wii XD §±∞·%×|/\÷=[]{}^~™©®ºª♭♪*←→↑↓#$¢€£¥àáâäåæãçèéêëìíîïñòóôöœøõßùúûüýÿÀÁÂÄÅÆÃÇÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏÑÒÓÔÖŒØÕÙÚÛÜÝŸαβγδεζηθικλμνξοπρστυφχψωΑΒΓΔΕΖΗΘΙΚΛΜΝΞΟΠΡΣΤΥΦΧΨΩ;΄΅Ά·ΈΉΊΌΎΏΐΪΫάέήίΰςϊϋόύώ◎☆○◇□□△.,‘:;„“”’”?!()_¿¡«»&ö told ya! XD
i can zoom in yay!!!
Let me be honest… in 2d, I do not mind losing all rings when hit.
In 3d, I’d like the game to be longer, and have more challenges. I’d like it if certain enemies were more threatening than others.
If I see a flaming dragon, I’d like that enemy to be more damaging than a monkey throwing coconuts. This way, I could try extra hard to avoid certain things. I mean in 3d… I’d be annoyed to lose all 300 rings… just because I slipped on a banana.
I don’t know. When the game comes out, let’s just see what happens.
@ChaoticFox: wahwah maybe in the first levels :P
but later on the enemies used to kill me a lot
remembering sonic and knuckles the first act was normal but the rest,,, it was so well balanced you had bits where you were running like a crazy mofo through spins and all kinds of stuff,
and then you had to stop cuz there was an obstacle continued by various enemies that shoot all sorts of stuff,, and i am really not a bad gamer or anything but they killed me a lotta times when i played it for the first time.. now of course they just do damage obviously after repeating lotta times.
the ring factor did ad on the difficulty
and difficult games are fun
easy games SUCKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Xeternalstar: wagwawwhhwahwahwahwahawhwahwahwhahwhwa!!!!
@juaouad:
In the 2d games, you get hit often… in 3d Sonic games… it’s usually easy to run AROUND the enemies…
Anyway, let’s just wait and see when the game releases. If anything, the werewolf parts should be difficult… like how “Mad Space” made Sonic Adventure 2 difficult.
3d Sonic games tend to not have the same challenges… like getting squashed, hit, or water hazards. It may be difficult to implement those things in 3d… making it seem a bit easy in some ways… without the pits.
A complicated ring system may make up for that.
@juaouad: Agreed. I do dislike the lowered difficulty level of practically all the newer games (homing attacks, robots that just STAND AROUND, lack of traps, etc).
I just don’t think the ring thing plays as MUCH of a factor as it’s being made out to be. Granted, it DID occasionally present problems and thus added to the difficulty, but for the most part, rings were so plentiful, and losing them ALL happened so rarely that I wouldn’t consider it a factor that made the games incredibly difficult – again, except in those no-ring boss stages.
Considering that rings grant you speed and abilities in this game, I think it would lose a lot of play value if every minor hit caused you to lose all of that progress. A way to compensate for only losing a portion of your rings might be to create enemies that could hit multiple times, or cunning placement of enemies that required reflexes and timing to get past….
But judging from the trailer, it seems as though enemies will not be made out to be the primary threat for Sonic (that boost ability is hax, lol), which I think is a shame. Still, there are other, equally fun ways to add to difficulty, like jump timing and whatnot.
Let’s just hope they give us a nice challenging mixture :)
(What might also be cool is more difficulty settings, though that’s not very common in Sonic games)
jupp well see
there was a question about the difficulty in the gamespot demo above. he answered that it would start easy and eventually get harder and harder and it would challenge all ages
hope hes right :D
I think the real question on everybody’s mind is: Can it challenge the physically, mentally, or otherwise challenged? ;)
lol (sorry, that’s awful) XD
I’m beginning to like Weresonic a lot more now. The one thing I would like to know if the Wii version will be able to connect to the DS with Chronicles.
And some Wii footage would also be nice. :)
@juaouad:
Oh come on, you’ve obviously played many Sonic games. if the Sonic levels themselves don’t challenge you, the alternatives will. Think about it… people had trouble “finding” levels in Sonic Adventure.
In Sonic Adventure 2, the mandatory treasure hunting levels… bothered people… atleast 30 minutes of random wandering. Sonic 06… the load time made a simple task like “finding the captain” long and difficult.
Obviously, the WEREHOG is there for difficulty. Instead of forcing you to treasure hunt or shoot, you are playing as a werehog. This is the basic formula for most 3d Sonic games. Remove the treasure hunting, and Sonic Adventure 2 is a very easy game.
Treasure hunting was easy too… just REALLY boring. Thank God that’s over XD
Lets hope there is not so long loading times.
Werehog’s gameplay remainds me Sonic Next Gen gameplay, but it’s more better.
lol @ people always nagging on something, it’s like people want this game to be bad.
Especially since it’s arguing over losing all rings.
*lol*
It looks awesome to me :3 Even the werehog parts look interesting and the controls seemed to be pretty good, too.