User:TheJoebro64/drafts/Unleashed

Sonic Unleashed is a 2008 platform and beat 'em up game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to stop Doctor Eggman, who shatters the world with a powerful laser and transforms Sonic into the Werehog, a werewolf-like beast. Unleashed features two gameplay styles. Daytime levels retain the platforming and speed of previous Sonic games; as Sonic, the player races through stages that shift between third-person and side-scrolling gameplay while collecting rings and avoiding obstacles. In nighttime levels, the player controls the Werehog and engages in combat with hordes of enemies. Outside the main levels, players can explore hub worlds to converse with townspeople and advance the story.

Development began with the creation of the Hedgehog Engine game engine in 2005, before full-scale production started in 2006. Unleashed was conceived as the sequel to Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), but became standalone after Sonic Team introduced innovations to separate it from the Adventure series. Director Yoshihisa Hashimoto sought to create the ultimate Sonic game, blending the best qualities of 2D and 3D gameplay and addressing criticisms of previous 3D Sonic games. Rather than use additional characters to include new game mechanics, Sonic Team introduced the Werehog to appeal to newer players without alienating existing fans. Unleashed features the series' first symphony orchestra soundtrack, primarily composed by Tomoya Ohtani.

Anticipation for Unleashed was high; video game journalists saw it as a possible return to form for Sonic following a string of poorly received games like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Unleashed was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 in late 2008. It was commercially successful—selling 2.45 million copies—but received mixed reviews. Critics praised the daytime gameplay, graphics, and music, but criticized the Werehog, nighttime gameplay, story, and hub worlds. Many felt Unleashed, while an improvement over the 2006 game, was not the game to reinvigorate the series. It was among the Sonic games delisted from retailers in 2010 following Sega's decision to remove all Sonic games with below-average Metacritic scores from sale.

Unleashed, despite mixed reviews, influenced subsequent Sonic games, including Sonic Colors (2010), Sonic Generations (2011), and Sonic Forces (2017). In the years following its release, it became popular among fans and has been reappraised by journalists as one of the best Sonic games for its production values, fast daytime gameplay, and experimental nature. Unleashed was added to PlayStation Now in March 2017 and was added to the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S's catalog of backward-compatible games in November 2018.

Gameplay
Sonic Unleashed is a 3D platform game in which the player controls Sonic the Hedgehog in two styles of levels: speed-oriented daytime levels and combat-oriented nighttime levels. The player attempts to complete each level while avoiding obstacles, such as enemies, spikes, water, and bottomless pits, to progress the story. They collect medals, which are required to unlock further levels, and rings, which serve as health. The player starts with a limited number of lives, which they lose if they are hit without rings, drown, or fall down a pit; losing all lives results in a game over. In the PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Xbox 360 version, lives are replenished by collecting a 1-up or 100 rings, while in the PlayStation 2 (PS2) and Wii version, the player's life count is reset at the beginning of each level.

The levels are scattered across nine continents, each based on a real-world location. The player explores hub worlds where they can converse with townspeople for hints or to undertake missions to unlock items, such as artwork, videos, and music. The hub worlds also provide access to the main levels and additional missions. The hub worlds are fully interactive and explorable in 3D in the PS3 and Xbox 360 version, similar to those in Sonic Adventure (1998) and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), while they are presented as menu-based maps in the PS2 and Wii version.

Daytime stages
Sonic Unleashed daytime stages follow the same format of preceding Sonic games: as Sonic, the player races through levels filled with objects like springs and speed boosters while jumping between platforms, grinding on rails, avoiding obstacles, and defeating enemies. Levels contain quick time events in which the player, after activating a certain set piece, must press a series of buttons in quick succession; failing to do so can harm Sonic or result in the loss of a life. Unleashed introduces the Sonic Boost, a game mechanic from the 2D game Sonic Rush (2005). Sonic gradually gains speed as he moves, but if the player activates the boost, he will immediately reach top speed, allowing him to smash through objects, destroy enemies instantly, or access different level paths. The boost duration is limited by a meter but can be lengthened by collecting rings or defeating enemies.

Sonic retains his abilities from previous games: he can run, jump, home in on enemies and objects, and travel across lines of rings. He can also kick to destroy objects, sliding to pass through tight spaces, and stomping to activate switches and destroy enemies. New moves include a sidestep that allows Sonic to quickly move left or right, dodging walls and obstacles, and a drift that allows Sonic to make tight turns without slowing down. In the PS3 and Xbox 360 version, certain abilities are unlocked as the story progresses; in the PS2 and Wii version, they are available from the start. Unlike previous 3D Sonic games, the levels shift between two perspectives: third-person segments in which the camera is placed behind Sonic, allowing him to move in all directions; and side-scrolling segments that restrict Sonic's movement to a 2.5D plane reminiscent of the early 2D Sonic games.

Nighttime stages
In Unleashed nighttime levels, Sonic transforms into the Werehog, a werewolf-like beast with super-strength and stretchable arms. Nighttime levels mix slow-paced platforming with puzzle-solving and beat 'em up gameplay. As the Werehog, the player can cling to distant objects, climb poles, pull levers, and lift items.

Plot
Sonic pursues Doctor Eggman around a fleet of spaceships above Earth. After defeating many of Eggman's robots and using the Chaos Emeralds into Super Sonic, Sonic confronts Eggman in his main ship. However, Eggman traps Sonic in a machine that steals the emeralds' power, which he uses to fire a laser at Earth. The blast unleashes a powerful beast, Dark Gaia, and shatters Earth into seven pieces. The process has the side effect of transforming Sonic into a "Werehog" at night. Eggman ejects Sonic and he falls to Earth.

Development

 * https://web.archive.org/web/20081022132615mp_/http://blogs.ign.com/SEGA_SonicUnleashed
 * https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/15/eyes-on-sonic-unleashed
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20090220145352/http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/sonicunleashed/news.html?sid=6197533&om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures%3Btitle%3B1
 * https://www.destructoid.com/destructoid-interview-sonic-unleashed/
 * https://www.sonicnotes.info/2009/02/yoshihisa-hashimoto-interview-unleashed-sonic-channel.html
 * https://www.gamespot.com/amp-videos/tgs-2008-sonic-unleashed-interview-3/2300-6199140/
 * https://www.gamezone.com/originals/media-new-sonic-unleashed-screens-plus-recap-of-play-interview/
 * https://www.engadget.com/2008-05-16-sonic-unleashed-impressions-all-sonic-no-unleashed.html

Conception
In 2005, Sonic Team producer Akinori Nishiyama asked developer Yoshihisa Hashimoto if he would lead the development of the next Sonic game. Hashimoto, who had worked on many Sonic games since Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 (2001), immediately began brainstorming. He developed a set of concepts for what he felt would be the ultimate Sonic game, and Sonic Team began working on prototypes. The development of Unleashed began with the creation of its game engine, the Hedgehog Engine, in 2005, while full-scale production began in 2006. Unleashed was developed by Sonic Team in Japan by a team of over 100; Hashimoto described the team, which was separate from the ones that developed previous games such as Sonic Heroes (2003) and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), as "young, talented, and passionate".

Unleashed was conceived as the third game in the Adventure sub-series and was titled Sonic World Adventure early in development. Much of the development team had worked on the original Adventure in some capacity, and Hashimoto felt many of their "ideas and settings [were] rooted in the Adventure series". However, Sonic Team introduced enough new innovations to separate it from the Adventure games, so a new title, Sonic Unleashed, was decided. Hashimoto said the new title reflected Sonic Team "unleashing" a new and distinct vision for Sonic and added that "the development environment, development methodology, the approach to game design, and project management" were much different from prior games. Sonic Team wanted Unleashed to be the game that Sonic fans had been waiting for and would "fill[ the] void" between the 2D and 3D games.


 * https://web.archive.org/web/20100307150603/http://blogs.ign.com:80/SEGA_SonicUnleashed/2008/10/23/104478/

Technology
Unleashed was the first game to use the Hedgehog Engine. [explain Hedgehog Engine stuff here]

The engine was designed to reduce loading times, since the 2006 game was criticized for its long load times.

A primary challenge was optimizing the game across all four platforms. Sonic Team wanted the Wii version to take advantage of the Wii Remote's unique features and the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions to use the systems' processing power to the fullest.

Sonic Team sought to replicate the Hedgehog Engine's visuals in the PS2 and Wii version.

Dimps, which developed the Sonic Rush games for the Nintendo DS, programmed and designed the levels in the PS2 and Wii version.

Design
Hashimoto thought that previous Sonic games felt "a bit restrained" and conceived a set of concepts that informed the design of Unleashed. He determined that an ideal game would: prioritize Sonic's speed while retaining platforming elements; refine concepts from the side-scrolling Sega Genesis Sonic games in a way that would advance the series' design rather than serving as nostalgia; present the 3D gameplay from a third-person perspective; mix the best elements of 2D and 3D game design; devise a new control scheme to accommodate speed; and present immersive visuals.

Sonic Team's goal was to take the series in a new direction, but also return to its roots "by incorporating many of the classic elements that fans loved best," such as Sonic's speed.

The hub worlds were designed to add depth to the Sonic world without disrupting Unleashed pace.

Sonic Team sought to restrain the story to only what was necessary to avoid disrupting the pace.

Most of the levels were inspired by real-world locations such as China, Greece, and Africa. Producer Patrick Riley noted that choosing locations was difficult, since "[t]here are just too many amazing sights in the world" and Sonic Team had to narrow it down to a select few.

Sega's American and European branches began supervising the game early in development to avoid the problems of previous Sonic games.


 * https://web.archive.org/web/20081106054912/http://blogs.ign.com/SEGA_SonicUnleashed/2008/11/03/105149/
 * http://archive.videogamesdaily.com/features/sonic-unleashed-interview-p1.asp
 * https://www.engadget.com/2008-07-15-joystiq-interview-sonic-unleashed-producer-on-nighttime-stages.html
 * https://www.techradar.com/news/how-takahashi-iizuka-made-sonic-feel-like-the-fastest-creature-on-the-planet (the Sonic/Werehog split allowed Sonic Team to focus on speed and platforming separately)
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20160306214211/http://www.ign.com/blogs/SEGA_SonicUnleashed/2008/10/16/

Music

 * https://www.originalsoundversion.com/a-look-back-at-sonic-unleashed-with-lead-composer-tomoya-ohtani/
 * http://www.vgmonline.net/tomoyaohtaniinterview/

???
The dialogue was recorded in December 2007 over the course of three days, with additional work between May and June 2008.

Release
Context: off the heels of 06, which was a disaster


 * https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/04/details-on-sonic-unleashed-released-and-official/

Reception
According to the review aggregate website Metacritic, Sonic Unleashed received "mixed or average reviews". Critics generally felt Unleashed was an improvement from previous 3D Sonic games, such as Shadow the Hedgehog (2005) and the 2006 game, but too flawed to reinvigorate the series.

Aftermath

 * https://web.archive.org/web/20090304020530/http://www.videogamer.com/wii/sonic_and_the_black_knight/preview-1531.html (on time contstraints and potential sequel)
 * seen as yet another misstep for the franchise despite being an improvement from 06 (eurogamer ref mentioning how it would've been the series' nadir if not for 06)
 * Sonic Cycle meme, which originated because of Unleashed

Rereleases

 * 2010 delisting
 * PSNow, Xbox One/Series X/S


 * https://blog.playstation.com/2017/03/07/ps-now-13-sega-games-join-our-streaming-lineup-today/

Retrospective reception

 * https://www.techradar.com/news/sonic-30th-anniversary-the-5-best-sonic-the-hedgehog-games
 * https://www.gameinformer.com/2022/04/07/ranking-every-mainline-sonic-the-hedgehog-game
 * https://www.polygon.com/features/2020/2/10/21129127/the-best-12-sonic-the-hedgehog-games-ranked
 * https://www.usgamer.net/articles/gotta-go-fast-ranking-all-of-the-sonic-the-hedgehog-games
 * https://www.ign.com/articles/the-10-best-sonic-games

By 2021, Unleashed had become a popular game within the Sonic fandom. TheGamer wrote that many fans came to appreciate its production values and story, "[a]lthough the quality of the nighttime stages and the Werehog concept are still up for debate".