Sonic Unleashed

THE GOOD:
Hilarious dialog, night stages are easy to get, simple (in ways to beat) bosses, tons of extras, soundtrack alone could sell millions, astonishingly well graphics, epic in several places.

THE BAD:
Day stages are frustrating, final boss is seriously hard, learning curve is in the mesosphere.

SUMMARY:
Wow. I did not believe that game reviewers were dissing this wonder game. When I got Sonic Unleashed as a gift from a friend, I was like "Who the glitch is Sonic?" I was strictly a Nintendo fan back then, but now Sonic has a spot in my gamer heart. Hard to believe that one game did all that!

When I started Sonic Unleashed up, I thought I put a DVD into my Wii, because of the graphics. Why Sonic and Dr. Fatso (aka Eggman) were fighting was beyond me, but the way they did it was thrilling. The cut scenes had me laughing like a hyena pack on several lines, like "If you played nice, I wouldn't have to break all your toys." and Chip's running gag was just hilarious. "Want some chocolate?" is sort of his catchphrase.

The day stages were a pain-in-the-glitch for me, but at night...I DOMINATED! The battles reminded me of Zelda games but with more little quirks. The way night Sonic gained experience was also cool. The bosses were at a nice difficulty...well, most of them. Dark Guardian (the desert boss) was an epic fail, beat him in about 1:42:732. Dark Gaia on the other hand was a little to harsh for me. It took me thirteen tries to beat that glitch-hole. The night enemies were extremely well made, even the ones that were a pain-in-the-glitch.

Oh yeah, almost forgot about the music! Except for the dessert aria and the day stage music for Holoska, the music was a real treat. Normally I hate orchestra music, but the way Sonic Unleashed did it made it almost as good classic rock (my favorite kind of all music.)

Sonic Unleashed has some downfalls. The level of demand for the stages is rather high. Anyone that has never played a platform game would probably have a hissy-fit, no joke. Day Sonic's speed is also a possible turn-off. Those without racing games would be in some serious quagmires. The level of difficulty in the Eggmanland stages during the day is really intimidating, even I had major troubles with it, and I'm a veteran at platforming games! Sonic also has some very complex maneuvers that make focusing on the whole game really hard.

All daytime problems aside, the night stages in Sonic Unleashed are worth it. The monsters tend to mosh-pit you when they are in greater numbers, but when there is less, they also mosh-pit you. The battle music is really well thought out. The Big-Band style really works with what's going on. Night Sonic also has some maneuvers, but they are for getting through pits and cliffs.

Another thing that adds to Sonic Unleashed's enjoyment is the extra features. They are, Art, Music, Movies, and Secret Documents. They are placed throughout the game, but if you check out an extra you haven't gotten, it will tell you what continent it's on, and if it's in a night/day stage, the gaia gate, a special mission, or if a villager has it. Think you can handle this game? I did, and it took me 9 days (which is a long time for a platform game when I play it.)