Sonic Unleashed

 Xbox 360
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
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  1. noasisblaze
    Sep 22, 2013
    7
    This game is a massive improvement on Sonic 06, but it still has problems like the Moon Medals and the homing attack can be glitchy but it's still a good game.
  2. ResidentnEvil
    Nov 28, 2008
    5
    Don't listen to the reviews. They'll lead you to believe that the Sonic levels are good, and the only downside is the Werehog levels.

    In fact, the Sonic levels are anything but. Too fast for their own good, with sloppy controls and gameplay that's more shallow and two-dimensional than any of Sonic's portable offerings. Sonic Adventure is a far better game. And for    Don't listen to the reviews. They'll lead you to believe that the Sonic levels are good, and the only downside is the Werehog levels.

    In fact, the Sonic levels are anything but. Too fast for their own good, with sloppy controls and gameplay that's more shallow and two-dimensional than any of Sonic's portable offerings.

    Sonic Adventure is a far better game. And for a game that has the benefit of years of development and superior hardware, that's simply inexcusable.    … Expand
  3. litb007
    Feb 16, 2009
    6
    Sonic Unleashed is half n' half. The daytime stages are very fast and completely redone to make a great Sonic game experience. Enemies only hurt you when they attack you, rail-switching locks onto available rails even when they curve off and the homing attack comes with a lock-on graphic to help players land attacks without flying off into the distance by mistake. Sonic's Sonic Unleashed is half n' half. The daytime stages are very fast and completely redone to make a great Sonic game experience. Enemies only hurt you when they attack you, rail-switching locks onto available rails even when they curve off and the homing attack comes with a lock-on graphic to help players land attacks without flying off into the distance by mistake. Sonic's 'Sonic Boost' lends him the ability of high-speed when you want it and the ease and satisfaction of smashing enemies at the speed of sound, Quick-step helps greatly in avoiding incoming objects but I feel the Sonic-Drift is annoyingly too slippery in turns. Despite the controversy with the Night-time Werehog levels, it offers a new fighting experience that tends to run on for a long time and tedious when you don't level-grind stats well. The second werehog level is downright difficult for first-time players and my god, the checkpointing they did for the Werehog levels was unbearable! The town hubs used in the game work out pretty good! Obviously based something like Sonic 06' but less crappy, the NPC townspeople look and emote like characters you would see in Pixar movies, very emotional at times to fit the text dialogue. The voice-acting for Sonic Unleashed has said to be 'improved' though I honestly couldn't tell the difference, it's okay to me, though Chip has a voice that's very different I must say. One big drawback is the medals system they put in place, requiring to collect Sun medals to unlock Daytime stages and Moon medals for night-time stages, for those trying to get to the end quickly will end up getting stuck because they didn't slow down to find them hidden throughout the stage, and towards the end of the game, the requirement gets irritatingly high. It would've been more suitable to just make it optional for extra powers or unlockables instead. Despite the crap reviews this game gets, I feel it's only because the Werehog wasn't just a strange gimmick but was poorly executed, much like a downgraded version of 'God of War'. What Sonic Team did with the Town hubs and especially the daytime gameplay was truely spectacular, it could've toned down the Quick-time events bit but a whole game involving the daytime gameplay would be a true revival of the Sonic series. In short: Daytime levels rocks, please do more. Werehog levels are occasionally fun when you max stats but so very tedious. It has some gems of awesome Sonic gaming but just has a whole load of boring crap strewn around it.… Expand
  4. EpicLadySponge
    Nov 30, 2017
    6
    Don't get me wrong on the score. I totally love Sonic Unleashed at what it tries to do. I basically love everything that relates to the daytime stages where you play as Sonic the Hedgehog, which aren't that very long compared to his Werehog alter ego. I would love to give the game the score it deserves had the Werehog not take over literally more than 50% of an average walkthrough for aDon't get me wrong on the score. I totally love Sonic Unleashed at what it tries to do. I basically love everything that relates to the daytime stages where you play as Sonic the Hedgehog, which aren't that very long compared to his Werehog alter ego. I would love to give the game the score it deserves had the Werehog not take over literally more than 50% of an average walkthrough for a casual gamer all in such. Many people are very divided on this game and I'm fine with that. Some people may like the Werehog while others don't and I'm fine with that. The problem with Sonic Unleashed that can easily be avoidable due to people's different perspectives when playing the game is that Sonic the Werehog gets too much playtime in a game that otherwise focuses more on speed. Sure I love the combat system for this game but it feels awkward to have such a thing in a Sonic game and it eventually becomes stale as you progress through the game. Even if the Werehog is much of a critical issue, I can't seem to find a way to replace it with something else without affecting the game's plot since the Werehog is served as another important plot element in the franchise.

    Everything about this game is eye-appealing candy that eventually goes horribly wrong when the Werehog is given more of the balance than the Hedgehog. In short, the game itself is a mix between excitement and attraction for the daytime stages and disappointment and repetition for the nighttime stages for some of those first-timers out there. It's been a while now and I believe some people got used to the nighttime stages, but I still believe that the Werehog felt out of place in a game that focuses on speed and maybe it could have worked if it was its own thing.    … Expand
  5. mslurr
    Dec 4, 2011
    7
    While the hub worlds are annoying, the medal collecting tedious, and the Werehog stages plain frustrating, the daytime stages are well worth the frustration. While it's nowhere near as good as the recently released Generations, for $10-$20, it's well worth it.
  6. Zay
    Dec 5, 2015
    5
    This is probably the greatest sonic game ever. And not just because the music and graphics look like something that Pixar made, but because in other sonic games sonic is pretty fast ,but the speed in unleashed is through the roof. Just try not to lose your mind while playing rooftop run. And the night time levels are like God of War so if you don't like the werehog you don't like kratos.This is probably the greatest sonic game ever. And not just because the music and graphics look like something that Pixar made, but because in other sonic games sonic is pretty fast ,but the speed in unleashed is through the roof. Just try not to lose your mind while playing rooftop run. And the night time levels are like God of War so if you don't like the werehog you don't like kratos. But they aren't exactly god of war, just try it!… Expand
  7. bonnin40
    Feb 21, 2013
    6
    Sonic unleashed is the prime example of a mixed bag, if ive ever heard of one. The night time levels are boring and uninteresting, and the day time levels are fun and exciting. The game is litteraly bi-polar, with it basically being half good and half, well, bad. The first time playing through this game, i loved it, absolutely loved it. i found the night time levels boring and tedious, butSonic unleashed is the prime example of a mixed bag, if ive ever heard of one. The night time levels are boring and uninteresting, and the day time levels are fun and exciting. The game is litteraly bi-polar, with it basically being half good and half, well, bad. The first time playing through this game, i loved it, absolutely loved it. i found the night time levels boring and tedious, but playable none the less, and the day time levels to be awesome. but the more ive played it over the years, the more ive realized that the day time levels, are actually very shallow, and are nothing really but hold foward and go. theyve since mastered this design style, but it really hasnt aged well. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous, and the music is great as well. the controls, while a tad slippery, are decent. Sega took a long time to create the new sonic engine, and while i love the new "Hedgehog Engine" compared to the later titles, this formula really isnt that great in this game, though i still definitely recomend it. This game is alot of fun during the day time levels. The speeds you can achieve are unreal, and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous. all in all, Sonic unleashed is definitely a mixed bag, but i would still reccomend it to any sonic fan.… Expand
  8. Kazu
    Oct 23, 2010
    6
    Sonic Unleashed is an aquired taste certianly. On the one hand you have some of the best level design and platforming action the series has ever seen, and on the other we find an absurd beat-em-up that has no place in a Sonic game. To focus on the Daytime stages for a minute, they are fantastic but not without their flaws, you can be blitzing around europe at insane speeds and gettingSonic Unleashed is an aquired taste certianly. On the one hand you have some of the best level design and platforming action the series has ever seen, and on the other we find an absurd beat-em-up that has no place in a Sonic game. To focus on the Daytime stages for a minute, they are fantastic but not without their flaws, you can be blitzing around europe at insane speeds and getting second-perfect button presses to keep your speed going then, bang, you've hit a wall where no warning has been given. These moments are few and far between but they are noticably more common in the later levels. Though even with this slight problem I still find these levels to be a great way to pass the time. Seamlessly switching from a blisteringly fast 3D view into a side on sidescrolling section is a sight to behold and it works incredibly well, providing for fans of both the modern and original games.

    Now for the Werehog. Now for the Werehog. No that wasn't a typo, it was a metaphor for the Werehog experience. Repetative. Each level consists of swing to point A bash in a group of monsters, swing to point B, bash in even more monsters, swing to point C and beat a big boss monster. This couldbe bareable if the levels wern't so long, I found many of my playthroughs of a Werehog stage took over 20 to 30 minutes on some of the longer levels. This is ridiculous in a Sonic game, whee speed is key and you can make it through more day levels in under 5 minutes. The combat is broken to the extent that even leveling up and getting new combo's takes a backseat to repeatedly mashing the light and heavy attack buttons.

    In all Sonic Team should have used the time they used for the Werehog to add more day stages and improve upon the ones that are already there (Not that there is all that much to fix) Unfortunantly the Werhog blunders in and smashes all the hard work the day stages provide and almost ruin the whole experience. The only thing keeping this game from sinking into the dreaded red zone are the day stages and their fast and fun gameplay. Take my advice if you do buy this game; Spend a few hours blitzing the main story, then sit back, relax, enjoy the daytime stages and hone your skills for Sonic Colours.    … Expand
  9. StevenEvans0
    Nov 3, 2011
    5
    A huge letdown for my Sonic fanboyness. Honestly, it is my least favorite 3-D sonic game I have played so far. I just didn't enjoy the story or feel as strong of a connection as I did in the other games, and I felt that the presence of the Wherehog was ultimately detrimental to Sonic's legacy as a whole.
  10. PulseEnder
    Nov 24, 2012
    6
    Sonic Unleashed returns the blue blur to his former glory but has a very hard time reassuring audiences with all new concepts. Plot: In an ambush on Eggman's space armada, Eggman tricks Sonic into his energy absorbing trap and drains the energy out of the 7 Chaos Emeralds to fuel his weapon. This weapon fires upon the Earth causing a re-awakening Dark Gaia to spread out onto the EarthSonic Unleashed returns the blue blur to his former glory but has a very hard time reassuring audiences with all new concepts. Plot: In an ambush on Eggman's space armada, Eggman tricks Sonic into his energy absorbing trap and drains the energy out of the 7 Chaos Emeralds to fuel his weapon. This weapon fires upon the Earth causing a re-awakening Dark Gaia to spread out onto the Earth causing it to divide into 7 pieces dettached pieces. This also causes Sonic to transform into a Werehog with advanced combat skills, and highly extendable arms. Upon Sonics ejection back to Earth, he lands in the continent of Apotos and meets a small creature he calls Chip who has lost his memory but has a passion for food. Sonic realizes that during the daytime he will transform back into a Hedgehog, but during the night he will transform back into a Werehog. After saving Tails, he gives Sonic the ability to travel to broken continents via his airplane, Tornado 1. After saving Proffesor Pickle, they learn that if they bring the 7 drained Chaos Emeralds to the 7 temples of Gaia then they can restore power to each Emerald and put each continent back onto the Earth's core. Day stages: In Sonic's hedgehog form, he can run at super sonic speeds which are unbelievably fast but satisfying in the least, but these stages only last a few minutes and even then are hard to manuver but are part of the Sonic experience. Night stages: In Sonic's Werehog form speed isn't the gameplay theme but a combat platformer in which button combos must be mastered and stages drag on. The Medal problem: Sun and Moon Medals must be obtained in order to unlock stages that require a certain quantity of them which make the game frusterating when you can't proceed due to lack of Medal's. Opinion: Hedgehog stages are revolutionary but Werehog stages make up the majority of the game which do not properly represent Sonic's legacy. Because of the Medal system the game becomes very annoying when you cannot procede due to such stupidity. The idea of levels built off of real world locations is very fresh and showcases locales. Running across The Great Wall of China at super sonic speed is satisfying as well as grinding rails that circle Big Ben. If you are a Sonic fan I would try this game as well as if you are a gamer who is into travelling this is a nice one to try.… Expand
  11. MrSonicFan
    May 8, 2013
    6
    If you play Sonic Colours & Generations prior to this game, Just don't bother with it. The day time style stages are just much better handling in Colours and Generations. The soundtrack is better in Colours & Generations, The one thing i think this game does better is it's graphics, it's pretty obvious that Unleashed 360 is a better looking game than Colours but why does Unleashed lookIf you play Sonic Colours & Generations prior to this game, Just don't bother with it. The day time style stages are just much better handling in Colours and Generations. The soundtrack is better in Colours & Generations, The one thing i think this game does better is it's graphics, it's pretty obvious that Unleashed 360 is a better looking game than Colours but why does Unleashed look better than Generations? Anyway the truth of the matter is that Colours & Generations are just the far superior games. Buy them instead :D… Expand
  12. kerglis711
    Aug 3, 2013
    6
    Gameplay-6: The Controls are terrible, during the night they're somewhat tolerable but during the day he moves so fast you can barely control him, and as he collects rings (which he needs to stay alive) he gets even faster, making the controls even worse. The levels are boring and I don't get that much fun out of them, and at night the fighting is just plain boring. This game doesn'tGameplay-6: The Controls are terrible, during the night they're somewhat tolerable but during the day he moves so fast you can barely control him, and as he collects rings (which he needs to stay alive) he gets even faster, making the controls even worse. The levels are boring and I don't get that much fun out of them, and at night the fighting is just plain boring. This game doesn't measure up to the classic style 2d games, and is very poorly designed. However, the game is interesting in terms of level design and puzzle style.
    Sound-7: The music is ok, but nothing really immersed me.
    Graphics-9: Nearly flawless, there are very few quirks, my only problem is a few camera quirks.
    Fun-4: This game's poor controls, plus odd and boring gameplay, makes the fun of this game sub-par.
    Overall:6.5, I'll round it down because fun and gameplay are more important than sound and graphics, and they got lower scores.    … Expand
  13. BritMboh
    Sep 6, 2013
    5
    As someone who does not usually play Sonic games, the night levels were probably a saving grace for me. Day levels feel too hectic and completely reliant on trial and error; you are running too fast to dodge anything! In addition, having to save up sun and moon tokens to unlock levels is just taking the piss, and was on Sega's part a terrible design decision. With day levels especially,As someone who does not usually play Sonic games, the night levels were probably a saving grace for me. Day levels feel too hectic and completely reliant on trial and error; you are running too fast to dodge anything! In addition, having to save up sun and moon tokens to unlock levels is just taking the piss, and was on Sega's part a terrible design decision. With day levels especially, having to treck back and snoop around for medals is hugely frustrating. On the plus side, I thoroughly enjoyed the night levels, although enemies are a little predictable with attacks. The reason this doesn't give it a positive review is that a Sonic game is meant to be about the 'proper' Sonic game play, and it doesn't get that part right. Sonic Unleashed was nice idea by Sega but it crashes and burns.… Expand
  14. smahlt
    Jul 8, 2017
    6
    Werehog is bad and drags the score down to 6.

    Now that that's out of the way, the daytime stages are fantastic and the pinnacle of 3D Sonic gameplay. They are worth suffering through the werehog segments to play. I prefer the way this game plays to Sonic Generations. Sonic feels more loose and harder to control, which actually works with the high speed he goes at. Getting good enough at    Werehog is bad and drags the score down to 6.

    Now that that's out of the way, the daytime stages are fantastic and the pinnacle of 3D Sonic gameplay. They are worth suffering through the werehog segments to play. I prefer the way this game plays to Sonic Generations. Sonic feels more loose and harder to control, which actually works with the high speed he goes at. Getting good enough at the game to be able to go full speed through the levels is extremely satisfying. The graphics are amazing and the music is fantastic.    … Expand
  15. campoutor
    May 14, 2016
    5
    first of all sonic games should not have a deep story and only the sonic stages are decent the stages that sonic becomes a monster are at the very least bad they feel like a rip off of other good beat em up games
  16. Terracraft
    Jun 27, 2018
    6
    Its Great In The Day Time Platforming But Bad In The Werehog Stages Because God Of War Is Bad
  17. ZXSth
    Feb 25, 2023
    5
    I found Sonic Unleashed a challenge to enjoy. Neither the daytime "Boost" levels nor the nighttime "Werehog" sections were particularly fun, and gating levels behind the collection of Sun and Moon medals felt like an arbitrary and frustrating decision that actively made me not want to play the game. While quite pretty and possessing solid sound design, very little about Sonic's transitionI found Sonic Unleashed a challenge to enjoy. Neither the daytime "Boost" levels nor the nighttime "Werehog" sections were particularly fun, and gating levels behind the collection of Sun and Moon medals felt like an arbitrary and frustrating decision that actively made me not want to play the game. While quite pretty and possessing solid sound design, very little about Sonic's transition to this style of movement excited me, and I left this game unfinished due to my personal gripes with it. A disappointing experience overall that I truly wish I had found more enjoyable than I did.… Expand
  18. Ben3033
    Oct 22, 2022
    5
    Pros of the game:

    - Speed stages are solid and fun to replay - Story is decent, at least compared to the recent Sonic games - Good artstyle; graphics are pretty overhyped though, most of the textures are low quality/blurry and the game is very unoptimized, but animations and such are great, especially in the CGI cutscenes Cons: - Werehog. Look, I get some people may like this,    Pros of the game:

    - Speed stages are solid and fun to replay
    - Story is decent, at least compared to the recent Sonic games
    - Good artstyle; graphics are pretty overhyped though, most of the textures are low quality/blurry and the game is very unoptimized, but animations and such are great, especially in the CGI cutscenes

    Cons:

    - Werehog. Look, I get some people may like this, but this is a Sonic game. For me, it's extremely tedious and boring. Levels can take up to half an hour if you don't have all the upgrades, and the combat comes down to mindless button mashing and QTE events. Not to mention other issues, such as the lack of a dropshadow and the battle music that plays CONSTANTLY. It's just a shame as it makes the game such a chore if you just want to play the daytime stages.

    - Medal collecting. I swear to god, the medal hunting in this game is DEVASTATING. It gets to the point where you have to spend hours looking for them, wasting your god damn time roaming hub worlds and replaying stages just so you can either spend half an hour doing a werehog level, or a couple mins in a daytime stage. Please, if this game is remastered/remade, MAKE MEDALS OPTIONAL. It makes the game take so much longer than it should, and it only serves as a way to pad out gameplay.

    - Daytime stages are far from perfect. Yes, they're fun to replay and all, but with a game like this, the stages NEED to be almost perfect because of all these other issues, like the Werehog. Controls are slippery, the homing attack being mapped to the airboost is frustrating, the drift is bad(fixed in generations), and large sections of stages play themselves or are on rails(literally and figuratively). These stages definitely have great moments but they just aren't worth all the trouble. Personally, if Unleashed is ported to PC, I'd probably just get a 100% save file and play the daytime stages.

    Take the werehog, medal collecting, and boring hub worlds out of the equation, and you'd get yourself a solid 7 or even 8/10 game if you're feeling generous. But with all these issues, I'm forced to give the game a 5.    … Expand
  19. spencerplewe
    Sep 14, 2022
    7
    Wiping nearly all the mistakes of Sonic '06 off its sneakers and packing plenty of positive changes of its own, Sonic Unleashed brought the franchise back to a sense of challenging, fun, but there is the commonly frustrating caveat of its uneven pacing, a certain required Sun Medal collect-a-thon towards the end, and underwhelming new characters.
  20. mikufan84
    Oct 21, 2022
    7
    If you want to play it and enjoy it, EARN IT. That's what this game tells you and you have to work around it. This game is pretty demanding at times. The daytime stages at first are a fun casual breeze, but the werehog is tedious at times and slowed down by a lot of PRECISE platforming. If that isn't your thing, then I do not blame you. For me, the speed stages made it worth it because youIf you want to play it and enjoy it, EARN IT. That's what this game tells you and you have to work around it. This game is pretty demanding at times. The daytime stages at first are a fun casual breeze, but the werehog is tedious at times and slowed down by a lot of PRECISE platforming. If that isn't your thing, then I do not blame you. For me, the speed stages made it worth it because you had to execute it in a certain fashion. That became the reward because it's so fun to enjoy. But there are signs this game was rushed. The final boss is very segmented and odd, and not to mention the physics Sonic has aren't refined, he feels slippery and is often just controllable barely from the drift. Other than, when you're good at it, it's a lot more fun. It just demands a lot from you and assumes you know how to play it well. It's a very rewarding game for the more experienced players, but I can't imagine it being fun for a casual player sadly. I think it could have benefitted from a difficulty mode.… Expand
  21. VegeST
    Jan 8, 2022
    7
    Kinda cool Sonic game, which is pretty rare for such suffering franchise. Werehog gameplay is... interesting, seriously. Modern Sonic + Boost gameplay in Unleashed is the best concidering another boost 3D Sonic games. Eggman land for will be the bst final level from the whole series. Worth to play it even in nowadays.
  22. SonicUndergroun
    Nov 20, 2022
    5
    the werehog is sexually attractive but everything else about this game is a hot steamy pile of dinosaur ejaculate
  23. JosephC.
    Jul 27, 2009
    7
    Late 2008, Sega released a game called Sonic Unleashed and I expected a lot of great things from the reviews. However, the results were anything but: X-play, Zero Punctuation, IGN, Gamespot, you name it; no one had any good things to say about it. Now X-play gave it a 2/5 which, according to their
  24. aspentitan
    Nov 14, 2020
    7
    Pretty easy game to rate it's not bad, nor must play so 7/10. I always find it funny if you don't innovate you hear the series is getting stale and hasn't innovated, and then when you do it the same fans are all upset lol. Much like spy hunter this is a great innovation that works and carries on with the main theme of the series. All the classic stuff is there plus some, as you shouldPretty easy game to rate it's not bad, nor must play so 7/10. I always find it funny if you don't innovate you hear the series is getting stale and hasn't innovated, and then when you do it the same fans are all upset lol. Much like spy hunter this is a great innovation that works and carries on with the main theme of the series. All the classic stuff is there plus some, as you should expect as gaming goes up in computing power each generation. Games like this however are my least favourite, and induce what I call the game zombie state where you are just sitting in a chair brainlessly becoming numb just wasting time. For many that's what they want in games but I go for at least some brainpower. So this game for me is much better than old sonic. Unfortunately the game is still pretty shallow and other games focus on the dynamics better. That said this is a pretty decent offering. I found the graphics pretty decent and the game had some story to give you enough repetitivity (zombie numbness) breaks. If you had to be stuck with this as your only game this could keep you entertained for a long time although the game is pretty shallow. I guess this point brings me to the rating, E for everyone, no matter your age I do think this is a game anyone can pick up and play and enjoy on some level whereas classic sonics were more suited to a niche crowd.… Expand
  25. SonicAndMegaMan
    Feb 11, 2014
    7
    Just bought sonic unleashed a week ago and its a decent game if u can get by the wearwolf levels. i mean the games story is decent. The gameplay for the speed levels is absolutley fun because its almost exactly the sane as generations but the werewolf levels kinda suck,. i mean the combat system is decent and fun but not for sonic and i don't like how they didnt explain how he became aJust bought sonic unleashed a week ago and its a decent game if u can get by the wearwolf levels. i mean the games story is decent. The gameplay for the speed levels is absolutley fun because its almost exactly the sane as generations but the werewolf levels kinda suck,. i mean the combat system is decent and fun but not for sonic and i don't like how they didnt explain how he became a werewolf. But all the little mini game levels and walking around the city and the speed levels make this a solid decent yet debatable 3d sonic game… Expand
  26. harryjc
    May 13, 2014
    7
    Honestly, not that bad. It's a decent Sonic the Hedgehog game. Very much reminds me of Sonic Adventure. If you can pick it up at a good price, I would definitely recommend it, if you are a Sonic the Hedgehog fan.
  27. Snup
    Nov 20, 2014
    7
    This game is just good. Not great, not terrible, just...good. This game is split into two game play sections, day and night. I'll go over both of them. Day is just your standard Sonic fare. You go fast. There. That's...pretty much it. I prefer this mode because the stages are short and offer enough nooks and crannies with collectibles to keep me interested. My only gripe with this mode areThis game is just good. Not great, not terrible, just...good. This game is split into two game play sections, day and night. I'll go over both of them. Day is just your standard Sonic fare. You go fast. There. That's...pretty much it. I prefer this mode because the stages are short and offer enough nooks and crannies with collectibles to keep me interested. My only gripe with this mode are the cheap deaths. There were several times when I was going really fast and feeling the adrenaline pumping and all that, but completely out of nowhere, I get hit by spikes. Why. This game really tests your reaction time, but when one of the game's modes encourages out-of-control speed and then shoves some spikes that requires the reaction time of a god in order to dodge, it just feels unfair. Other than that, this mode is pretty fun.

    Night has some beat-em-up style game play featuring Sonic as a "werehog", and this is where most of my problems begin. The levels go on for a really long time, and the combat can become repetitive pretty easily. It's not terrible, but it can just get boring at times. You can level up Sonic so that you can do more combos which takes out mobs of enemies more easily, which keeps this mode from getting too boring. Whether or not you'll like it though depends on your preference really, but I found it just ok.    … Expand
  28. dislexicpotato
    Oct 21, 2018
    5
    Despite the pretty graphics, great music and creativity that Sonic Unleashed has, the daytime stages rely too much on boosting and lack platforming and the night time werehog stages are simply repetitive and boring resulting in a game that is both mediocre and forgettable.
  29. Shrekening
    Feb 25, 2017
    5
    Sorry but this game is more frustrating than it should've been. I love the graphics and it can be fun but it's more of an endurance test with sloppy controls and poor werehog sections. It's also filled with boring hubworlds. The daytime sections can be fun but they have problems and there's too much fluff.
  30. BadOpinion
    Mar 23, 2017
    6
    This is the only 3D Sonic I've played and it's okay. I wish there weren't any werehog stuff and the levels are too simplistically designed compared to the Genesis games. Still this game has high production values and is memorable.
  31. SAGP6
    Aug 15, 2018
    7
    I love this game not the best but at the time it was redeemable than the terrible 06 kind of game. This game change story that's actually more inspiring than any other modern sonic games where this one introduces two ways to play sonic daytime where you go fast with the new boosting power with great level design and nighttime with the combat with more of a exploration this feature is notI love this game not the best but at the time it was redeemable than the terrible 06 kind of game. This game change story that's actually more inspiring than any other modern sonic games where this one introduces two ways to play sonic daytime where you go fast with the new boosting power with great level design and nighttime with the combat with more of a exploration this feature is not too bad actually it's just a way of changing the pacing of how you play the game which is fine not that big of an issue the music great actually cause instead they use orchestra with one of the best music in a sonic game even though the game is difficult at times, frame rate can be a bit of a problem, the voice acting is cheap due to 4kids at the time, collecting sun and moon medals to unlock stages can be a hassle but fair, and the controls can be weird at first but once you adjusted on how it handles you'll be fine. So far the visuals in this game is great I really wish sonic games have CGI stuff like this and how it has high replay-ability value even if concept like the were-hog is out of place if you give this game a chance you'll find a lot to love about Sonic Unleashed.… Expand
  32. Akira_The_Kat
    Dec 16, 2020
    7
    Sonic Unleashed. A very polarizing game amongst fans. Some say it's one of the good Sonic games, others say it's one of the worst. I'd say it's just like the whole theme of the game. Day and night, light and darkness, Sonic and Werehog Sonic. Each have their good parts and bad parts. This game is split into two gameplay segments, daytime Sonic and nighttime Sonic. Daytime is theSonic Unleashed. A very polarizing game amongst fans. Some say it's one of the good Sonic games, others say it's one of the worst. I'd say it's just like the whole theme of the game. Day and night, light and darkness, Sonic and Werehog Sonic. Each have their good parts and bad parts. This game is split into two gameplay segments, daytime Sonic and nighttime Sonic. Daytime is the considerably better half. Extremely fast boost gameplay, it's in my opinion the fastest we have ever seen Sonic to date. It's super fun and exciting to blaze through stages with exhilarating speed. The game also introduces a leveling system which allows you to level up daytime Sonic's speed meter and ring meter. Allowing you to go faster and hold more rings repsectively. That's about it for daytime Sonic when it comes to leveling. Now for nighttime Sonic. Leveling up Werehog Sonic let's you level several different stats. From combos, health, shields, and unleashed. Combos gives you more attacks. Health let's you take more hits before you die. Unlike daytime Sonic where it's ring based. Shields let you block more attacks and for longer without it breaking. And Unleashed let's you stay in Unleashed form longer. Which the form itself let's you deal more damage and move faster for a short time. During the actual gameplay segments the game slows down drastically, both in gameplay and preformance at times. You control Werehog Sonic which the game turns into an action game. You then spend the next 20-40 minutes mashing X or Y until you get to the end of the stage. You also solve light puzzles and platforming. Which I don't like. Controlling Sonic while platforming in these stages makes me super nervous since grabbing onto ledges is a bit finicky and your jump isn't the best either. I don't hate these stages as much as others but I feel like they were added for a few reasons. One is because I feel like Sega looked at what was popular at the time and saw that God of War and Devil May Cry were doing well so they decided to mimic that. And my other reason is because they needed a new mechanic to pad out the game and the Werehog fit that role perfectly. There are also a few other things that pad out the lenght of the game. Such as needing 120 Sun Medals and 80 Moon Medals to beat the game. Eggman Land being an hour long and so on. The most likely reason for all these things was more than likely the short development time this game had. Coming out two years after Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 this game was more than likely quickly made to try and get Sega back on their feet after the disaster of 06. But looking at it from that perspective. It's quite impressive what Sega did in about two years of development time. The world itself is pretty neat and diverse. Covering many cultures we don't see all to often in media. Each stage and is based around the theme of the segment of the world you are at. I especially love the music from each of the places. That's one good thing Sonic will always be known for. No matter how bad the game the music will always be better. But, the music is super great. The Werehog gets more chill variations of the daytime themes, with it's music being more jazzy to match the slower gameplay while Sonic has more upbeat energetic music to match the faster gameplay. My personal favorite theme is Shamar at night. The story is alright. Eggman fires a laser that breaks apart the earth, in hopes of releasing Dark Gaia, so he can use it to take over the world and build his own amusement park in his image. Sonic goes to stop him as usual, but Eggman drains the power of the chaos emeralds, turning Sonic into Werehog Sonic. And the story goes on from there. I think it's fine. There's a twist near the end which isn't too big of a surprise. But it's fine. Overall I think Sonic Unleashed is a very strange experimental game. Stuck in this weird limbo of being a good and bad Sonic game. It has its good moments and bad ones. But I don't think it's as bad as everyone gives it credit for. I would recommend giving it a try if you have the chance… Expand
  33. lidwang
    Mar 1, 2019
    6
    A shame the day stages of this game had to be drageed down by the night stages. But even then it's still a preety good game with and interesting story, great graphics and great character/moster designs.
  34. MaxShibe
    Sep 7, 2019
    7
    Is is the best Sonic Game? No, that title goes to SA1, but this Game is still very good. The graphics are beautiful, the lighting is the best in the entire franchise, and while i'm not a fan of the boost Gameplay, this Game handled it very well. The story isn't anything special, it's pretty basic, but it doesn't try too hard to be funny or lighthearted like Colors, it still remainsIs is the best Sonic Game? No, that title goes to SA1, but this Game is still very good. The graphics are beautiful, the lighting is the best in the entire franchise, and while i'm not a fan of the boost Gameplay, this Game handled it very well. The story isn't anything special, it's pretty basic, but it doesn't try too hard to be funny or lighthearted like Colors, it still remains somewhat serious. The night stages were also pretty fun, although i prefer them on the Wii version.… Expand
  35. PlayerNr03
    Oct 6, 2019
    7
    While this game isn't bad by any means, it isn't perfect either. The OST is great (this is very normal for Sonic games btw), the graphics are beautiful, the locations and characters are flowing with life and the levels are pretty fun too (The DLCs are a hit or miss).
    While I did enjoy the werehog for providing a break from the fast-paced boost, I feel if Sonic Team refined the beat-em-up    While this game isn't bad by any means, it isn't perfect either. The OST is great (this is very normal for Sonic games btw), the graphics are beautiful, the locations and characters are flowing with life and the levels are pretty fun too (The DLCs are a hit or miss).
    While I did enjoy the werehog for providing a break from the fast-paced boost, I feel if Sonic Team refined the beat-em-up gameplay to play a bit better (like Bayonetta or Nier:Automata) I would have enjoyed it more than I did.    … Expand
  36. ElephantEric
    Nov 5, 2019
    6
    This game was a bit of a missed opportunity by SEGA. The day levels are all really great. I particularly like Cool Edge and Rooftop Run. The cutscenes and visuals are also quite impressive. The Egg Dragoon and decent final boss make this one of the best Sonic games ever... until you play the night levels. I really don't like night levels. They are boring, slow, and more difficult then theThis game was a bit of a missed opportunity by SEGA. The day levels are all really great. I particularly like Cool Edge and Rooftop Run. The cutscenes and visuals are also quite impressive. The Egg Dragoon and decent final boss make this one of the best Sonic games ever... until you play the night levels. I really don't like night levels. They are boring, slow, and more difficult then the day levels. There is a lot to love about this game, but the poorly done night levels make this an average game.… Expand
  37. CustardPuff
    Mar 23, 2023
    7
    While the werehog stages can be incredibly frustrating at times, the exhillarating daytime stages, the decent story, the fantastic art/sound design and polish all partially make up for it.
  38. Rezapoc
    Apr 9, 2021
    6
    It's a decent enough stab at Sonic and massively improves over the clearly unfinished 06. But it has 1 main problem and it's not the werehogs gameplay, it's the poor checkpointing and overlong levels the werehog fights through.
  39. dylansgaming48
    Jul 28, 2023
    6
    this one is really not the best but not the worst the graphics are not bad even for a 2008 game im really not a big sonic fun my self but i dont hate

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. Game Informer
    60
    As much as I disliked lumbering through levels as Sonic’s hulky Werehog, I disliked hunting through the hub worlds looking for coins even more. Sega, if you really want to fix Sonic, the first thing you should do is stop trying to fix him.
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  2. 1UP
    50
    Ultimately, this simply isn't the fresh start Sonic fans were so desperately hoping for...but at least it's not as execrable as the last two efforts.
    Read full review
  3. Hardcore Gamer
    90
    Sonic Unleashed is a glorious return to true console form for Sonic.
    Read full review
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