Sonic Unleashed

 Xbox 360
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 50 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 50
  2. Mixed: 33 out of 50
  3. Negative: 10 out of 50
Buy Now
Buy on
  1. Play.tm
    48
    It's too fiddly and obtuse to appeal to children, and too generic and tacky to cater towards the discerning taste of a gaming adult. The only possible reason you'd have for wanting this game is because it's cheap.
  2. IGN
    45
    They tossed in one of the dumbest "twists" in the history of gaming. A werehog? Really? Stretchy arms? Did anyone actually believe this was going to be fun? Gone are any elements of speed, replaced with mindless and poorly designed brawling segments with some terrible platforming sections.
  3. Kombo
    45
    If you're a true hardcore Sonic fan, give the game a rental and enjoy the day stages. Otherwise, don't bother.
  5. Extreme Gamer
    45
    Sonic Unleashed had promise, and actually part of the game is pretty decent, but its too bad the entire game wasn't completed with the mindset of "Day" Sonic. Sorry Sonic, gamers pass on this one.
  6. Game Revolution
    42
    The amount of backtracking required in Sonic Unleashed is absolutely inexcusable, and this mandatory medal hunting is the nail in the coffin.
  7. Eurogamer
    40
    Compared to Mario Galaxy or Ratchet & Clank - heck, even compared to Crash Bandicoot, another platforming mascot mired in mediocrity - Sonic Unleashed is an obviously poor effort from a series that is still hopelessly lost in the modern gaming landscape.
  8. X-ONE Magazine UK
    40
    Terrible stuff, and what’s more quite predictably so. The problem’s made worse by how much better things would be if its fat was simply trimmed. Oh Sonic, where art thou?
  9. G4 TV
    40
    Oh Sonic, you’ve raced so far to only find yourself where you started. While Sega inches ever closer to finding that magical combination to create their Sonic empire once again, the rest of the game drags down whatever hope gamers had for reliving the better parts of their childhood instead of the parts where they were sorely disappointed.
  10. Boomtown
    40
    All I can do, and it kills me to say this, is advise you don’t get this game. Simply because it’s a poor game, with a score propped up by a better, more traditional Sonic available to play. Sadly it’s not available to play with enough.
    All this publication's reviews
  11. GameSpot
    35
    Terrible level design, unresponsive controls, and a poor camera are just the beginning of the problems in this awful adventure.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2008
5
#5 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 809 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 649 out of 809
  2. Mixed: 106 out of 809
  3. Negative: 54 out of 809
  1. DukeJon
    Aug 17, 2011
    10
    A much better game than the reviews suggest. Loads of secrets and replay value, fantastic graphics and music. If you love sonic you'll loveA much better game than the reviews suggest. Loads of secrets and replay value, fantastic graphics and music. If you love sonic you'll love this. Hell, you may even learn to like the Werehog.… Full Review »
  2. KnucklesChaotix
    May 16, 2012
    10
    This game is nearly perfect. It's only flaw is the medal hunting. You have to roam around the hub worlds and levels searching for more sun andThis game is nearly perfect. It's only flaw is the medal hunting. You have to roam around the hub worlds and levels searching for more sun and moon medals to advance to the next level. The problem is that they're unnecessarily hard to find. Another (minor) flaw is that the difficulty of this game spikes dramatically about halfway thorough. At that point, it takes some real skill to be good at the game. Otherwise, everything else is perfectly executed. Good graphics, story, day and night gameplay, hub worlds, voice acting, cutscenes. character choice, level design, etc.… Full Review »
  3. rbee
    Aug 9, 2009
    8
    First my take, then my 10 year old son's take. We bought an Xbox 360 very, very recently and loaded up on a few essential dad-kid games First my take, then my 10 year old son's take. We bought an Xbox 360 very, very recently and loaded up on a few essential dad-kid games before leaving the store, unconcerned about reviews or seeing gameplay in action. For me, a few red flags were raised during the opening sequence and later in the game was a bit bored by the nighttime werehog elements but so far have not been troubled by them beyond fact they are different. It is certainly true that I would have passed on the game had I see those elements in action at the gamestore or online, and especially if they were not plastered with the Sonic brand. My son, on the other hand, is still thrilled. In fact, he preferred the slower and what he called "Kingdom Hearty" gameplay as werehog Sonic, and felt more like he was progressing in a game with a character he could build. Speeding through levels hje gets flustered and disinterested, gains and loses coins at random, and has no reason to feel nostalgic. His first exposure to Sonic in game form, beyond images of older Sega titles in magazines, was actually Super Smash Bros (Wii). (His first exposure to Mario was Galaxy, as well.) I feel that this Sonic game is a fantastic balance. The developers have gotten their slaps on the wrist in sales and are making up for things bit by bit to classic gamers by releasing DLC, but I don't think they've put a foot wrong here. Another thing to consider about my review: we live in Japan, and the Japanese release of the game is in both Japanese and English. Perhaps so are other versions. This makes the game particularly exotic to one or both of us, as having the ability to log in under two gamertags with save games in two languages and spice up the experience. It's rather like watching a classic Disney film get remade in a foreign language -- interesting and bizarre and much easier to accept.… Full Review »
See all user reviews »