Sonic blasts through Europe in new Unleashed trailer
Posted by Chris. Filed under Chris, Multi-platform, Video. Tagged with Impressions, Sonic Unleashed.
Holy Shit!
That was my initial reaction after watching the newest Sonic Unleashed gameplay trailer, which showcases the High Europe stage and Sega’s new Hedgehog Engine at work. Many Sega Nerds have been critical of the game over the past few months, some even saying Sonic runs too fast, and this video probably won’t change anyone’s mind who subscribes to this theory.
While I’m sure many Sonic fans enjoyed the stop and go aspect of the old 2D Sonic games, I always preferred the balls-to-the-wall action that took place by holding down right and hoping for the best - it just seemed more fun to me that way, so I’m really digging what I’ve seen so far from Sonic Unleashed.
Keep reading for more observations.
But this level isn’t completely about going as fast as you can as there are several instances where Sonic is wall jumping and floating down a tube, trying to avoid spike balls. So Sega is putting a little variety into the gameplay, but it appears that the developer is pushing for a more action-oriented experience, which I completely welcome with open arms.
Switching between 2D and 3D has been another topic we’ve all had lengthy discussions about, but it looks like the Hedgehog Engine seamlessly switches perspectives in a way that doesn’t look like it will hinder gameplay.
While there’s tons more we can talk about in this trailer, perhaps the most impressive aspect is how well the engine renders the environment. There looks to be no pop-ups, even though Sonic is flying through the level at break-neck speed, you don’t see any nasty texture loading and the game appears to stick with a pretty constant frame rate. To be completely honest, this is all extremely impressive.
It still remains to be seen if Sonic Unleashed will be the next-gen Sonic game that we’ve all been hoping for, but what you can’t deny is that the game looks to be really fun. And really that’s all I can ask for.
Comments on this article
There have been 32 responses to this article.
This graphics are so friggin’ amazing. And the speed is incredible.
Now I wonder what the werewolf sections are like….
Dr. SEGA Monkey
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 8:44 pm.
And the music is catchy too! ‘Bout time they brought back some infectious tunes instead of that lame rock nonsense. Bleh. So far looking pretty darn good. I would prefer animal/insect type badniks, but you can’t get EVERYTHING. ;)
Overall, still pumped about this.
cliffjumper78
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 9:07 pm.
In–credible.
I really hope this isn’t the only good level in the game or something like that. I also hope that QTE that pops up is ALWAYS the X button. Random QTEs would seriously screw up the speed of the game.
Don’t screw this up, SEGA.
shinneri
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 9:26 pm.
I know I shouldn’t be getting my hopes up so high, but damn does this look great.
T
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm.
wooo! my initial reaction was also , oh shit!
love this site… this year will be the best sega year in years if only shenmue 3 is announced.
joei
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 9:47 pm.
Cool! It’s nice to see this game has interactive cutscenes. When do you think we will get some actual gameplay footage?
Chozo
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 10:04 pm.
^e3 ….I IMAGINE
joei
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 10:12 pm.
man ! i really think this is really sega hehe
paly
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 10:14 pm.
Those aren’t QTEs.
Think about it, X always meant “use the boost to get through”, LB/RB always meant “quick hop to the other side of the screen (which we see Sonic do at other points in the trailer too), and something else always meant “slide under the narrow surface.” We never saw the other buttons, most likely because they do something else.
S3&K is perfection, but it would have been better if that thing in Carnival Night had a popup that showed the up and down arrows. I think that’s what they’re trying for here.
Kijuna
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 11:07 pm.
What’s funny is that, while it shows that Unleashed isn’t going to play like the Mega Drive games, this video showcases all the stuff we used to watch Sonic do in cutscenes for various games (Sonic CD, Sonic Adventure) and think “Why can’t we do that in the game?”
We still haven’t seen the optional Adventure field yet, so I’m hoping for those of us (I among them) who enjoyed the exploration elements of past games will still get our fix without getting in the way of those who just want their straight-up “balls-to-the-wall” action.
Resident nEvil
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 11:08 pm.
Second-by-second analysis:
0:23
Sonic has an animation specifically for switching rails. Every entry in the series has had serious issues switching rails except, somehow, Shadow the Hedgehog, so it’s relieving to see that it took the only good thing from that game.
0:25
When Sonic comes down the ramp onto the… uh, thing that makes him go quicker… you can see that there’s a separate path leading there, complete with rings. It looks like you can actually fall off the rails, or not get on them, and have a whole new part of the level to explore. oh my god yes.
0:27
Beautiful new ring collection animation. I love it. =)
Seamless transition into 2D. Looks like that only happens during parts where you have no control, so there won’t be any control problems when it has it.
Spring! I love the new design, it’s so Sonic.
0:29
A target appears on the fountain when Sonic gets closer. Looks like Sonic will have the Homing Attack even in 2D and it’ll keep the target thingy from Secret Rings.
0:30
There’s a launch thingy with the A button on it, but it looks like this isn’t just a simple QTE. It charges, it’ll probably launch you farther depending on how much you charge it.
0:31
Balloons! From Carnival Night! And there are rings leading up to it. Split path alert!
The camera changes, looks like even during the sidescrolling parts it won’t always be a traditional sidescrolly camera.
The dying animation for the robots clearly hasn’t been finalized.
0:32
You can jump over the spring, another split path.
0:34ish
I bet you can jump off that building instead of running on it.
0:37
Split path again! You can jump and wall jump up. I think I’m going to love the wall jump.
0:41
This one is an ordinary QTE, but if you don’t make it or don’t want to there’s a thingy you can jump up. Looks like a one-time thing.
0:43
I don’t think this even is a QTE, just telling you that you need to use the boost to get through.
Sonic is tearing that **** up.
0:47
Is this that unfinalized move in the previews? Looks like it…
0:50
This is the other unfinalized move they said, where Sonic can take a quick jump left/right. I suspect that the player for the trailer had infinite boost, and it looks like this would actually be a pretty good platforming section without it… I doubt it’ll even last long enough for most players.
0:54
This The Homing Attack seems to work like it did in Secret Rings, although it looks like you have a choice in what you target now omgyes. Also those badniks lok great, and they have dying animations.
1:03
Looks like one of those unique gimmicks from Rush Adventure. Nothing to say here that isn’t totally self-explanitory.
1:17
Split path alert. Balloons on one side, or mini-ramp on the other. You can fall down, too, which is what the player does.
1:20
Nother split path. One with the launcher, one with what can only be the Light Dash! It looks like that may not be implemented at this point though…
1:21
Sonic homes on the balloon, confirming what I’ve said all along, and that there may be another split path around there.
1:22
How did Sonic even get up there?! fjdfjadafafd epic.
1:25
Some popup issues. Pretty far away though so it doesn’t look like it’ll interfere with gameplay. Also I can see a spring, which means another split path.
1:29
Sonic hits a balloon and it launches him high into the air. =D
1:55
Delayed until Holiday 2008.
Kijuna
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 11:13 pm.
Hey guys I got feedback.
If you want some feedback maybe make a post about it or put it on the sidebar instead of some ****ty flash popup that makes my computer want to kill itself.
Kijuna
Posted June 16th, 2008 at 11:39 pm.
The tire-skidding sound at 45 seconds sealed the deal. That made my night.
Do want.
TRAViS
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 12:02 am.
I cried manly tears.
this shit looks awesome.
Solace
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 12:13 am.
It looks incredible already but I will still buy it no matter what. ;)
Diogo
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 2:11 am.
Initial reaction:
The gameplay is incredibly fast.
The world that our blue guy is in, has a back drop! It’s not an abyss of nothing anymore!
Some cool gameplay features seem to be in this game!
The only thing I hope they include is the ability to go of the normal track and explore the level. That is what made the original games great! Levels that had enough paths to make them interesting, but weren’t so complicated that you forgot them all. That’s where the Rush games faltered. It’s a fault caused by the speedy gameplay really. Having Sonic run so fast, means that the levels have to be longer, which in turn means that the best aspect of the classic levels is lost.
Hopefully SEGA will prove doubts wrong and finally make a great game!
Wonder what the online features are going to be like!? XD
m1ke.tayl0r
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 2:12 am.
I want to like it but i’m so tired of being let down time after time. So, i’m just gonna say it’s looking good but i’m going to wait to play it.
And then there’s always the bastard-werewolf thing in there too. D:
DiGi Valentine
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 2:32 am.
It’s an amazing spectacle to see a video game moving that fast, but if they forgot to put the platformer in it I’ll pass. I for one hate the whole hold right and watch. I just feel I’m not doing anything and that’s the vibe I’m given here.
Still, surprisingly nice music, which is a minor victory already in my book.
Leaf
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 6:52 am.
This can be the Sonic i was waiting for, the only issue i saw in the trailer were the enemies.
The just don´t look good, anyway the gameplay looks awesome, Sonic is fast and the “new” movements are very easy to do.
MADSYSTEM
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 6:58 am.
And they said that he isn’t on rails (he doesn’t run on his own) because it sure seems so in this trailer…what do you guys think?
Renato
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 7:49 am.
It seems like he’s on rails, but every so often I see coins in places that he isn’t running - it looks like there’s a bit of exploration going on.
My initial reaction was ‘holy crap! this is incredible!’. The beauty of this title is that there is absolutely nothing on the market right now that looks and plays this beautifully. I’m definitely reserving a copy of this gem.
psv
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 8:22 am.
coins? gtfo mariofag xDD
this is looking to be great! But so was Sonic 06, so I dont know anymore what to expect..
crackdude
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 10:44 am.
Looks like it has some potential. I have no doubt in SEGA’s ability to make a game look good(graphics don’t mean a thing at this point, so mentioning them seems asinine). I do lack their ability to create quality Sony titles that do not use 2D graphics.
This company has dropped the ball big time over the last 5 or so Sonic related releases(they need to hire testers, because the glitches are what have broken their games), and I don’t have faith in this one at all. I’m waiting for this to come out so I can rent it for a few days.
Kataztrophy
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 10:48 am.
Rings, sorry. I just finished Super Mario Galaxy. :-D
psv
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 11:55 am.
Alright, IT looks nothing like at SGD and I doubt all the issues were fixed in one month. So I’m going to say its camera tricks etc.
Issues we still have:
- Two levels shown…
- Werewolf not shown
- You will play with sidekicks
- Game heading to 4 plateforms
- Games aim is to run at 30 fps (Adventure was too but it wasn’t this fast, GC versions where 60 but it dipped well be below this)
George
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 12:24 pm.
When Sonic is sliding down the rails above that suburban neighbourhood, that’s some pretty good-looking shit going on.
Nadia
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 2:17 pm.
The only thing I hate is when we watch him run from behind [such as 0:43 thru 0:50] - his legs should be a blur of red like in 1991. I miss the blue body attached to a spinning red blur when he runs. Everything else looks incredible.
Chun Li
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 2:41 pm.
“I do lack their ability to create quality Sony titles that do not use 2D graphics.”
whatever.
dont you guys think we’re beeing picky?
crackdude
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 5:54 pm.
If you want a game that is not full of glitches and piss-poor level design, then year we are being really picky. I don’t get how the Sonic Advance series could be decent, but Sonic 2006 and Shadow the Hedgehog turned out so bad. SEGA should not had gone away from the SA formula so quickly. They had a chance to improve upon it.
Kataztrophy
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 6:00 pm.
Because the Sonic Advance series was developed by Dimps, not Sonic Team. It has noting to do with formula, but with the competence of the developers; Shadow and 06 were bad because ST lost its way for awhile, but this new(ish) team seems to be shaping up nicely.
Also, in 06 they mostly showed us CGI, but these videos are of actual gameplay - it makes the difference when you can see what’s coming. Take it as you will.
Dub
Posted June 17th, 2008 at 9:22 pm.
Magnifique… exciting times!
60Hz
Posted June 19th, 2008 at 11:48 am.
Ok. kinda lame. everything is hand fed to you. he is following a pre-set path, high speed. you aren’t really doing any of the work yourself.
twisty rails? cool for show. but its just show. all you’re going to do is just WATCH this game.
Sean
Posted July 4th, 2008 at 12:24 pm.