Sonic Unleashed

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 382 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 284 out of 382
  2. Mixed: 70 out of 382
  3. Negative: 28 out of 382
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  1. 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!
  2. 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 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
  3. 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.
  4. paradaxarada
    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
  5. vgknight94
    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 theSonic 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
  6. S0NiC_F4NB0Y
    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    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
  7. Zilcell
    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.
  8. MmxDxx
    Feb 8, 2015
    10
    This is the real first sonic game i have ever gotten.And i am happy to got this game.The levels of sonic are breathtaking and very,i repeat VERY fast.And some minor glitches like QQS and Mspeed are very cool and i had fun playing with them.The Werehog is something that i like and adds some minor "changes" to the game.I like games like these and i'm happy to play this game.
  9. SonicDude
    Jul 19, 2015
    10
    This version is simply astounding! The gameplay is great The sense of speed is amazing even the werehog levels weren't that bothersome. The graphics are simply astounding and is worth the buy. It has only one downside that collecting the medals. But other than that the game is amazing!!
  10. spinnes
    Jul 6, 2015
    10
    Most people hate this game because of the werehog, i'm not a big fan of the gameplay but still the game is great, the story is the best for a Sonic game, my favorite game of Sonic
  11. PanamaReviews
    Jul 12, 2015
    10
    Short Review:
    Pros:
    Really good story. Gorgeous visuals Fast paced daytime gameplay Really good music Cons: Bad framerate Slow paced God of War-style gameplay at night( not usual in a sonic game) No dropshadow for platforming. Long review: My first and favorite Sonic game. It has the fast-paced platforming gameplay we all know and love from Sonic games in daytime and in    Short Review:
    Pros:

    Really good story.
    Gorgeous visuals
    Fast paced daytime gameplay
    Really good music

    Cons:
    Bad framerate
    Slow paced God of War-style gameplay at night( not usual in a sonic game)
    No dropshadow for platforming.

    Long review:

    My first and favorite Sonic game.
    It has the fast-paced platforming gameplay we all know and love from Sonic games in daytime and in night time he turns into a werehog( kind of like a werewolf but instead of human/wolf it is hedgehog/wolf ) with slow paced beat-em up style gameplay which is one of the reasons why I did not give it a perfect score. Best story on any Sonic game hands down, amazing soundtrack, great visuals way ahead of its time but it has a very bad framerate usually going from 30-27 to 22 to 17 and back to 30 which can sometimes make platforming hard.    … Expand
  12. GAMERGUY25
    Nov 5, 2015
    10
    Sonic unleashed one of the most split games in history some love some hate, me I love this game is easily in my top 5 platformers of all time. The opening cutscene itself is the best I have seen in any game and sonic is known for its amazing openings. Sonic is seen running across eggman's fortress destroying anything in sight. Just as it looks like sonic is captured he activates superSonic unleashed one of the most split games in history some love some hate, me I love this game is easily in my top 5 platformers of all time. The opening cutscene itself is the best I have seen in any game and sonic is known for its amazing openings. Sonic is seen running across eggman's fortress destroying anything in sight. Just as it looks like sonic is captured he activates super sonic and chases eggman into a room. Here eggman tricks and captures sonic and drains the chaos emeralds of their power, he uses the power to fire a beam into the earth splitting it into pieces and revives dark gaia, a creature sealed away because of its evil. But while he is being awakened sonic is still in the machine and part of dark gaia is transferred to him bringing up the werehog form .Now this game is split into day and night. Day stages are the fastest sonic has ever been and get your heart pumping every time and its also cool that it stays 60 FPS even while going through heavy traffic. Night stages are when he transforms into the werehog. slower gameplay with heavy combo attacks and puzzles to solve. Many people hate these levels but I like them. Tie in amazing bosses a stellar soundtrack and more this game is outstanding. The only thing wrong is the hub world they are better than wii and PS2 but still aren't do exciting. In conclusion PLAY THIS GAME… Expand
  13. Zashprower10
    Nov 16, 2015
    10
    This game deserves a score of 10 was the best game and downtrodden franchise, I'm sick of this fandom, I want all of you die. Sincerely I wish there Sonic Team did more games like this.
  14. RRRAAAMMMAAA
    Jan 27, 2016
    10
    Let me think... i think sonic unleashed really suceeded the thing that's holding it back was the werehog, but i like the combat mechanics is like when you wanna go fast choose day stages, wanna go all slow and have a battle choose the werehog, the boost mechanics are incredibel the speed and platforming are balanced, eggman land is frustrating but chalenging that's what today sonic games lack
  15. luizaugusto68
    Mar 31, 2016
    10
    Este que foi um dos se não o melhor jogo da hera moderna de Sonic, um jogo que me fez remeter ao Sonic Adventure pela sua exploração nos ditos Hub Worlds e principalmente dentro das próprias fases. Na questão gráfica, ele continua sendo um dos jogos com os gráficos mais lindos até mesmo para os dias de hoje. Com relação a historia e enredo do jogo, não posso dizer que foi uma das melhoresEste que foi um dos se não o melhor jogo da hera moderna de Sonic, um jogo que me fez remeter ao Sonic Adventure pela sua exploração nos ditos Hub Worlds e principalmente dentro das próprias fases. Na questão gráfica, ele continua sendo um dos jogos com os gráficos mais lindos até mesmo para os dias de hoje. Com relação a historia e enredo do jogo, não posso dizer que foi uma das melhores historias, mas tem sim uma ótima historia e um ótimo enredo. com relação a jogabilidade é sem duvida uma das melhores, os controles respondem muito bem, as vezes ocorrem alguns travamentos e isso pode acabar resultando em uma morte injusta. Mas nem se preocupem pois isso não tira em nada a grandiosidade desse jogo que é incrivel.
    Aos fans de Sonic que nunca jogaram este jogo da franquia podem jogar sem medo será um dos se não o melhor jogo do Sonic que irão ter a oportunidade de jogar    … Expand
  16. thiago52192
    May 15, 2017
    10
    The fastest sonic game, turns out to be the most fun and enjoyable game of the franchise. Focus more on speed, and making a mix of plataform and racing was the best idea sega have made in years
  17. JackTbug
    Jun 23, 2016
    10
    sonic unleashed is best ps3 game ever, after amazing game sonic 06, sonic turned into a werehog, and dark gaia is awakened, it's up to sonic and his friend chip to defeat dark gaia and his minions. Get sonic unleashed.
  18. DDarkLight
    Apr 25, 2017
    10
    frame rate issues werehog is a bad thing BUT players dont understand what sonic really is this game has good graphics responsive controls and smooth gameplay i dont see really much stuff wrong with the route sega is going with this
  19. HetAlbertkanaal
    Oct 20, 2019
    10
    This game is a masterpiece. The story is engaging and the gameplay is fun and innovative. Definitely try this one out.
  20. Zanql
    Jun 25, 2018
    10
    It's sad that such a wonderful game like this that had so much work put in to it got so much hate. Just because it was released after Sonic 06, when it was "trendy" to hate on the franchise. It even had CG mini films.
    One of Sonic's best.
    Great gameplay
    Amazing graphics
    Awesome mechanics
    Amazing story
  21. WaspyWasp
    May 10, 2021
    10
    Absolutely incredible. Even though the PS3 port of the game leaves a lot to be desired at few times, the game was incredible to revisit as an adult, 11 years after I played it as a kid. The music of the game is incredible, the gameplay of daytime Sonic is incredibly fast paced and engaging and the gameplay of the Werehog is a fun God of War clone system with tons of combos and flashyAbsolutely incredible. Even though the PS3 port of the game leaves a lot to be desired at few times, the game was incredible to revisit as an adult, 11 years after I played it as a kid. The music of the game is incredible, the gameplay of daytime Sonic is incredibly fast paced and engaging and the gameplay of the Werehog is a fun God of War clone system with tons of combos and flashy finishers. The game still looks incredible to this day too.

    I'm not ashamed to admit that nostalgia boosts the game to a 10 for me, however even without it I would give it a solid 7, maybe 8.    … Expand
  22. Blyze
    Sep 2, 2018
    10
    Best Sonic game. Gameplay is awesome, I like werehog stages too. This is the game saved Sonic for me. Good story, Good characters.
  23. TheNiceGuyHere
    Feb 4, 2022
    10
    Sonic Unleashed is one of the most underrated games in the franchise.

    The amazing day stages with Regular Sonic are smartly designed and well put together to accommodate to Sonic's moveset and new boost formula (compared to previous Sonic games). The night stages with the Werehog, while being the inferior playstyle, are also great and are a nice change of pace from the day stages.    Sonic Unleashed is one of the most underrated games in the franchise.

    The amazing day stages with Regular Sonic are smartly designed and well put together to accommodate to Sonic's moveset and new boost formula (compared to previous Sonic games).

    The night stages with the Werehog, while being the inferior playstyle, are also great and are a nice change of pace from the day stages. The combat is fun and engaging with many combos to successfully pull off similar to the hack n' slash genre, and the platforming is also fun.

    The presentation is fantastic. The graphics/visuals are some of the best looking/most polished in the entire franchise and the soundtrack is wondrous and fits the game perfectly. However, the performance is a bit lacking on PS3, but it's not a big issue most of the time.    … Expand
  24. RytroZ
    May 19, 2019
    10
    I love the game... because i love it lol. It was my childhood. For me the best Sonic game ever
  25. Khalidhamid
    Jul 4, 2019
    10
    This game us so so sos awesome it's my favorite sonic game forever the daytime stages are amazing the nighttime stages are amazing too uf you wana the werehog to be amazing level his combat
  26. Top_1_of_Japan
    Jun 22, 2019
    10
    Just The Best 3D Sonic Game Ever Made. The Graphics, the Music, the Gameplay (Werehog plays normally, all who hates him yells "AAWW MY GOD HE'S SLOW" but most of them like Adventure games wich had REALLY long and tedious treasure hunting levels. Here we at least play as Sonic), the Story, the Atmosphere, the Characters and their voice acting. All this is absolutely amazing. Fact.
    No ****    Just The Best 3D Sonic Game Ever Made. The Graphics, the Music, the Gameplay (Werehog plays normally, all who hates him yells "AAWW MY GOD HE'S SLOW" but most of them like Adventure games wich had REALLY long and tedious treasure hunting levels. Here we at least play as Sonic), the Story, the Atmosphere, the Characters and their voice acting. All this is absolutely amazing. Fact.
    No **** gaymer reviewers are gonna change that.
    Too bad it didn't get the praise it deserved at the time, only now people started to understand what a masterpiece Unleashed is. At least this is better that nothing.
    And for all the people gave it a negative review, well, if you can't play a Sonic game then don't. It's only your problem. Go play some stupid interactive movies instead. Just sayin.
    In conclusion - do not listen to the braindead people when making an opinion about Sonic Unleashed, go and try it for yourself, and if you didn't like it doesn't mean the game's bad, it means only that you don't like this type of games.    … Expand
  27. Vegeta777
    Dec 10, 2019
    10
    Bua tio k wapo t lo juro es la poya, yasta
    :vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv
  28. Braequan_623
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    Best soundtrack in the series. Best Boost gameplay of the series. Best graphics of the series. Best story of the series. Best writing of the series. I get that some people don't like the Werehog, and I'll admit that it's not perfect. But Sonic Unleashed's full package is full of heart and creativity. Nobody can say that they didn't give everything they had into making this game the bestBest soundtrack in the series. Best Boost gameplay of the series. Best graphics of the series. Best story of the series. Best writing of the series. I get that some people don't like the Werehog, and I'll admit that it's not perfect. But Sonic Unleashed's full package is full of heart and creativity. Nobody can say that they didn't give everything they had into making this game the best that Sonic could be. And if you ask me? They succeeded and created the best game in the entire series.… Expand
  29. Wisem
    Jun 28, 2020
    10
    One of the best Sonic games, with the best graphics and the most epic. The idea of this game is very interesting, especially the scenarios and its gameplay
  30. schimidtwas
    Oct 7, 2022
    10
    Ok i don't care... THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SONIC GAMES...if not the best so far!
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Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
19
#19 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 24
  3. Negative: 8 out of 24
  1. Cheat Code Central
    72
    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.
    Read full review
  2. IGN AU
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Gamer 2.0
    77
    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.
    Read full review
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