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(Lazy Force Unleashed joke goes here)

You may have heard, but a new Sonic the Hedgehog game called Sonic Unleashed had been announced a while back. Well, the first screens have been revealed and they are actually somewhat ... impressive.

While some of these have to be pre-rendered, the shots that appear to be in-game are pretty damn beautiful. That said, after so many games rendered only with browns and grays, any game with some actual color is going to look gorgeous.

Take a look over the screens, see what you think. They sure look pretty, but Sonic has struggled time and time again to remain both entertaining and relevant in the modern gaming world. While Mario appears to go from strength to strength, the character who was supposed to be edgy and cool has, ironically, ended up appearing deflated and aged in comparison to his old rival. As someone who grew up adoring Sonic, it's demoralizing seeing my icon of old fail to recapture his magic so many times.

Will Sonic Unleashed break the trend, or will I once again invest naive hope in this game, only to be thoroughly disappointed again and end up cutting myself? It's far too early to tell, so I'm going to just gawp at these pretty pictures some more.

[Via Cheeburga's CBlog]

[Update: S'apparently fake. Blah. That's what I get for thinking something interesting might happen on a Saturday] 

[Update again: Okay, so NOW they're f'n real again! I'm getting mighty sick of this. They were apparently leaked from an FTP client and you can see even more screens here. Frankly, I'm done trying to decide.]

[Update ten billion: Might be real. Might not be real. I don't care anymore. We'll find out after the weekend. Now go eat Easter eggs.]

[Update? Yes, Update: We've had to yank the images for legal reasons. This has no become both the most updated, yet least useful, page on Destructoid.] 








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76 comments | showing # 1 to 50
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next 50 comments

vexed alex's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:35
vexed alex
Beastiality kthx.
atheistium's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:35
atheistium
*sigh* I can only hope this goes well. Sonic had that "rad" attitude back in the day when words like "cool" and "awesome" still felt clean to use :D

I am skeptical.
Neonie's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:37
Neonie
I just wish... that... they would go back to 2D. Enough of this sonic three dimensional storyline bull shit. Give me a new 2D sonic game. I don't care if it's for a console, just becuase you CAN use those graphics doesnt mean you HAVE to for it to be good. Give me a new 2D-HD side scrolling sonic game for XBLA and I'll buy it.**

**Copy Pasta from Chee's blog becuase it applies here.
Rainbowblack's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:40
Rainbowblack
I just wish... that... they would go back to 2D. Enough of this sonic three dimensional storyline bull shit. Give me a new 2D sonic game. I don't care if it's for a console, just becuase you CAN use those graphics doesnt mean you HAVE to for it to be good. Give me a new 2D-HD side scrolling sonic game for XBLA and I'll buy it.**

**Copy Pasta from Neonie post because it applies here.
Cheeburga's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:42
Cheeburga
Dude you gotta use the picture I made.
evil chad's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:42
evil chad
It looks too good to be on the wii and that frightens me alot. pleaaaase let this be the game that digs sonic out of the et style hole he's fallen in!
deiga-the-semivaliant's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:51
deiga-the-semivaliant


If this picture isn't used for some epic lulz, I'll be very disappointed.
atheistium's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:51
atheistium
Actually I don't mind sonic being all 3D and such but side scrolling would be preferable.
Marioland's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:53
Marioland
I wish upon a star for this Sonic to be good. Please Sonic Team... DON'T SUCK AGAIN!
interbutts's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:55
interbutts
For some reason, when I saw that Super Sonic screen shot I got..
a small glimmer of hope.

I have a good feeling about this game.
BluFire's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:57
BluFire
Sure, it looks great and all, but I really am not looking forward to pushing the analog stick forward for 10 hours while sporadically pressing a face button.
FiveStar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 13:59
FiveStar


Stuff like this is the reason Sonic has gone down hill. I don't want to fight some reject Final Fantasy boss, I just want to fight whatever Eggman's new robot is and free all the woodland critters. It is nice to see that Eggman has gone back to his old look, though.
aborto thefetus's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:00
aborto thefetus
I can tell that this will suck. I seriously have no hope for Sonic games anymore.
silentstrike27's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:00
silentstrike27
Watch out! Sonic's gone Super Saiyan!
Marioland's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:01
Marioland
Oh from the screenshots i can assume that there will be a story... Oh well.. i hope that they payed a real author to write the storyline at least....
Anus Mcphanus's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:12
Anus Mcphanus
Must resist laym bestiality unleashed joke..... and please no human characters!
Unicorn's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:18
Unicorn
please be good. if this fails, i've lost all hope for my hero from my childhood.
STUVNING's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:19
STUVNING
They seriously need to kill off all the lame sidekicks for this one. Big the cat I'm looking at you.
13thDragon's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:27
13thDragon
It looks like his power level is over 9000.
Rucksack's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:31
Rucksack
The last "Sonic" game I put any real time into was Sonic and Knuckles back in my Sega Gen days.

This doesn't look like this is going to change that...
Geoff Henao's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:37
Geoff Henao
Do want. Keep it to a Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Robotnik minimum, plz, unless if it's gonna incorporate SatAM/Archie Sonic characters.
Shin Oni's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:40
Shin Oni
sonic looks like he's breakdancing in one of those pics.

If Sonic REALLY were to breakdance in this game. It wins.


on a serious note, I really do hope this game is good. I'm wanting to play a new and good sonic that doesn't suck and lately i'm getting pretty tired of Mario. Only cause they're just about being the same.

I need just about being the same with Sonic though.
The Wizard's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:41
The Wizard
Sonic Team: Why do you hurt me like this?

Why isn't Sonic in Mobius!? That's where he belongs, not the human world! And why are we fighting some new monster! I wanna beat up Robotnik (not Eggman, Robotnik)! OH well, here's hoping its gameplay is a mix between Rush, Adventure, and Secret Rings, cause that would pretty much make up for the crappy story.
Samit Sarkar's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:56
Samit Sarkar
@atheistium: Um, I still use words like “cool” and “awesome”...

Well, these screenshots actually do look rather promising. Here’s the thing, though: I don’t believe that being in 3D and being a good game are mutually exclusive, and I also don’t think that doing a “2D/HD” side-scrolling Sonic game would automatically make it good. There’s no magic formula, but as STUVNING and Video_Cognito have said, getting rid of the damn side characters would be a big step, in my book. The only people I want to see are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik.
MechaMonkey's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:56
MechaMonkey
Sonic goes Super Saiyan?

No thank you.
infinity's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 14:59
infinity
1- this game is destined to fail. i absolutely won't mind if i am wrong in that statement, but i don't expect that to happen.

2- do people actually NOT know about the existence of super sonic?
killatia's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:01
killatia
@The Wizard
the sonic games nevered took place in mobius, only in the archie's comicbooks and cartoon show.
The Wizard's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:02
The Wizard
Wait, there's hope:
-Robotnik doesn't look realistic
-There's a speed meter and sonic is sidestepping in one picture, so it could sorta be on rails
-there's also a "ring energy" meter, which either could be like Rush's "Tension Gauge" or could indicate how many rings sonic can burn up as Super Sonic

THERE'S HOPE!!
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:17
pedrovay2003
So... What system is this supposed to be for? It looks great, but I can't see it being on the Wii with those visuals (although that'd rock)...
Maurice Tan's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:18
Maurice Tan
Make-believes reborn
Myths in minds re-thought
Question all that's known
Legends blurred and torn

Make-believes reborn (Make-believes reborn)
Myths in mind re-thought (Myths in mind re-thought)
Question all that's known (Question all that's known)
Legends blurred and torn (Legends blurred and torn) (Blurred and torn)
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:20
pedrovay2003
And the only reason I immediately thought of the Wii, by the way, is because some of those shots look a lot like Sonic could be on rails, like Secret Rings.
BluFire's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:22
BluFire
This isn't as cool as SONIC CHRONICLES. The enemy is called the ICEBO in that game. Kind of. Not really. I don't feel like explaining.
Mecha Rabb's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:35
Mecha Rabb
00pz
Pedro Blandino's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:37
Pedro Blandino
i have a feeling this might not be from teamsonic. aka fan made.
this looks like maya
DeusPayne's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:40
DeusPayne
Other than the Sonic game for the DS, I haven't played a sonic since they went 3d. And the DS one only has 3d boss battles, all the other stuff is old school 2d, and even the 3d in the bosses is really just glorified scrolling.
charliesuh's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:46
charliesuh
Is this a 360/ps3 title?
AgentMOO's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:46
AgentMOO
Super sonic is as yellow as my stream of urine that will grace the game disc.
Up2NoGooD's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:49
Up2NoGooD
maybe its like the wii game but on the next gen consoles! wayhey!
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:52
pedrovay2003
Also, I just noticed that Super Sonic's eyes aren't red in those pics. I don't think Sega would leave out that kind of detail when the rest of the shots look awesome, would they? Maybe this is fan made like Pedro was saying...

Wow, and just when I started to have some faith...
Crunshii's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 15:52
Crunshii
Sonic team should hire the artists from Odin Sphere (Atlus) and make Sonic 2D HD in supreme gorgeous animated sprites.
Riser Glen's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:00
Riser Glen
Pedros 1 & 2, I believe, are correct. Looking at the HUD bars (which look Photoshopped on) and the other details make this look pretty fake.
charliesuh's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:00
charliesuh
PEDRO IS RIGHT!
This shit is totally fake! For one thing, these images were leaked from some random private photobucket under the name of Aisha Clan Clan Prower. Also the detail that pedrovay2003 noticed about Super Sonic's eyes not being red, it's definitly not a detail Sonic team would forget.
Also in one picture showing the HUD he has 00 rings and no ring power and in another he has ring power and still 00 rings. And also in a third he has 24 rings yet the score is still at 00000.

All just maybes but it's a pretty damn good maybe
Riser Glen's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:15
Riser Glen


You may not be able to see it in my resize, but Sonic's blur does through the lifebar HUD. Also, the placement of the text is inconsistant both in sharpness and placement. So basically, these were more than just rendered in Maya, they were touched up (a lot) in Photoshop.
Phoenix Gamma's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:21
Phoenix Gamma


sup guise
Morrius's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:25
Morrius
So they've given sonic an angry beastial dark side? Who FUCKING CARES! Just make a game where you run from left to right, jumping on things REALLY REALLY FAST. No shitty RPG hub, no awful ancillary characters. Just stuff, to jump on, really fast. Just Sonic. No shitty shooting sections, no fishing.

Thanks very very much.
MetalGearROFFLE's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:27
MetalGearROFFLE
Why the FUCK does he appear to have a were-hedgehog form? Fuck you Sonic Team for continuing to screw up a good thing.

@The Wizard: "Mobius" was just a planet made up by Sega of America to make it seem like Sonic really lives on some other planet or some shit. Apparently he actually lives on Earth. When you think about it, having him from another planet makes about as much sense as having robots come from Cybertron! Oh wait...

If this game sucks, I'll lose ALL faith in the little blue guy period. It's a shame that what was once one of the greatest video game series back in the day has fallen so far from grace.

P.S.: Does anyone else HATE referring to him as Dr. Eggman? I'm an old-school purist, so I still insist on calling him Robotnik. It just sounds better. And yes, that picture of Sonic making the "OH WTF!?" face is epic WIN.
Phoenix Gamma's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:28
Phoenix Gamma
Zelda taught us that wolves are like ten times better. Enjoy your Sawnuk the Werehog.
Trowble's Avatar - Comment posted on 03/22/2008 16:41
Trowble
Sega stop fucking around. Make this a good release a good.
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