By now you should have read our review of Sonic Unleashed, a title that Sega has been calling a game of two halves. Indeed it is, but not just because it's split between running and brawling, but because it's also split between amazing and terrible.
One of the problems with recent Sonic games is their lack of purity. Sonic Team seems incapable of just allowing Sonic to do his thing without cramming in Werehog brawling or terrible faux-RPG hub worlds. One Sega member was asked about this, and he gave an interesting answer.
"I was like, come on, everybody just wants Sonic running, like, what's up with the werehog?", explains David Clayman of IGN, detailing how he took Sega to task at TGS. "And he was like, well, here's the deal ... he runs at this miles per hour, kilometers per hour, and he laid out all of the statistics on how fast this hedgehog goes, and he was like, 'In order to make a game where Sonic is running and everybody enjoys the whole thing we'd have to design this many miles of level, and it was some ungodly number'. And he's like, 'And that would be like maybe a three-hour game'."
Certainly an interesting reason, and one with a kind of twisted logic to it. Indeed, the speed runs of Sonic Unleashed are only five to ten minutes long, and with so much work put into those ten minutes, I can see how it would be difficult to extend it. However, I don't think broken platforming sections, forced NPC interaction and unresponsive Prince of Persia-style acrobatics are the answer, really.
Stay tuned to Destructoid for our own Q&A with Sonic Unleashed producer Yoshihisa Hashimoto!
Contest:
12:48 PM on 12.02.2008
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I don't see the math behind it as back in day when Sonic was on Sega it was pretty sweet and it wasn't just a "hold forward to run and beat the game" type game. Sega just sucks balls at doing something good.
I personally liked the Emerald and Shooting levels. They should have it be 2/3rds Sonic, but it would be a nice way to balance out the game. Chao Gardens also add a TON of replay value.
instant millions made if thhey just did that.
my idea wins, rite?
adding to my original comment. i found the sonic segments rather enjoyable compared to previous games in 3d. it was still slippery, but it looked really nice when it was side scrolling.
the mileage for super speed sonic game and space restrictions is a bullshit statment.
the original games were more densely packed with paths and platforming elements, that if they took the time to actually design a fun level then they wouldn't need a level to be over 9,000 miles long for us to play it.
make a game with a time limit so the score junkies can have fun replaying well-designed levels.
it's really not that hard. i mean, they made the original sonic games and those were what, on 16 bit systems. don't give me bullshit about space restrictions.
Of course if people keep buying mediocre/sub-par games that can be knocked out with little thought or care why bother?
Also, why not just make you have to go round each track twice? That would be fine.
Length =/= Value.
I'd love to see where some of you work.
(Good article, Jim.)