Oh, Sonic. How the mighty have fallen.

This may come as a shock, but I was actually a Genesis gamer during my 16 bit days, so it pains me quite a lot to see how low Sonic has sunk. The recent 3D Sonic games have suffered from some pretty big problems. Most Sonic fans see what’s wrong and believe they know how to fix it, but it’s not quite so simple, according to Sega of America’s Marketing VP, Sean Ratcliffe:

The quality is something that will be fixed over time. It’s not something where you wake up one morning and say, ‘You know what, we’re going to improve our quality on this franchise,’ and it magically happens. A lot of hard work goes into striving for quality. Interestingly, I think Sonic Unleashed was very well received by the kids. There was some talk about the werehog aspect, the slower pacing and more combat-oriented gameplay, but when we go out and test this stuff and sit down with the consumers, kids actually like that. I think older, die-hard Sega fans who grew up with the franchise and the first Sonic the Hedgehog associate Sonic more with 2-D side-scrolling super fast, and they liked the daytime gameplay, but when it came to the slower paced gameplay they were fairly critical of that, and that’s fine – they have their opinions.

I think if they really want to fix Sonic, they should just hand the IP over to Dimps. They made the incredibly fun Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure for DS, and they were responsible for everything that was good about the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed. It sounds like they’re still just interested in marketing Sonic to children, though, with a complete disregard for older gamers who demand a certain level of quality. I guess that’s the easy way to do things.

Industry Gamers

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Apparently Sega’s going into overdrive with the Sonic Unleashed campaign. In addition to the Wii trailer we got a few days ago, I’ve just added some new artwork, screens, and European box art to the gallery. All of the screens are from the Wii version of the game – you can tell.

In other news, it looks like the werehog is no longer a spoiler either. It’s right on the cover, which means all you potential buyers will know about the other side of Sonic before deciding to buy the game. That said, this better be a darn good Sonic game, with good word-of-mouth reviews, if people are going to be buying it…

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I’ve added sixteen new screens of Sonic Unleashed in the gallery past the break. If they look unrealistically amazing for a Wii game, that’s because they’re from the 360/PS3 version of the game. Nonetheless, it gives you an idea for the visual style of the game, and hey, anything to get us excited for a Sonic game that’s supposed to launch next month is good, right?

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Here’s one of the few looks we have at the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed in motion. Yep, it’s pretty much the same running and jumping and slashing around as in the 360/PS3 version of the game. Some things we do find out are that the two areas shown in the above trailer are (currently) called Apotos and Spagonia. Roll right off the tongue, don’t they?

Sadly, we were originally given this trailer (for the Wii version) upscaled to a 720 HD resolution. Horrible on the eyes. Thankfully, none of us should expect to see so many jaggies on our televisions come November. Hopefully.

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If you can handle high quality video, full-screen the sucker. Right now. This is the E3 trailer for Sonic Unleashed that I’ve been waiting to upload in as good a quality as it’s in, and it’s full of awesome. It’s even got one of the main theme songs sung by Bowling for Soup’s Jaret Reddick! What more could you want?

Oh, right – Less werehog. That aside, check out the trailer if you’re at all interested in this game. I think you’ll enjoy it.

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Sonic Unleashed looked pretty solid when we got to see the game demonstration on Wednesday. Well, the daytime half of the game did, at least. As for the nighttime half, well, I’m pretty sure I have yet to be sold. I’m being cautiously optimistic for now, and the trailer above will give you an idea of the mood they’re trying to set with this game.

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Few hours ago we reported that the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed may be gimped, having not only inferior graphics, but two fewer levels than the PS3 and 360 versions. Reader Ah2190 over at Camp Sonic submitted scans of the latest issue of gamesTM Magazine and while the article doesn’t completely refute the as-of-now-rumor, it does give us some reassurance that the Wii will see a full version of Sonic Unleashed.

As well as the action stages, Sonic Unleashed will also feature nine hub-world, themed around real geographical locations…

Camp Sonic does not make mention of which version of the game was played, nor does the magazine say which copy of the game the interviewer is citing, so, again, rumor bin for now. You can go enjoy the new magazine scans over at the gallery, which are available after the jump.

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Camp Sonic

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I’ll get straight to the point: the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed will not only be graphically inferior to its 360 and PlayStation 3 counterparts, but it will reportedly contain less levels. It’s no secret that the Wii’s guts are nothing to brag about when compared to the other consoles this generation, so I was expecting the “graphically inferior” part, but fewer levels? The 360/PS3 version will ship out with a total of nine levels while the Wii version will contain two less (seven for those who are math-impaired).

Sonic will be the only playable character in Sonic Unleashed; Tails and the like will have to sit this one out as previously reported. The games engine, appropriately named the “Hedgehog Engine,” was made from scratch specifically for this game. Lastly, levels will run long, with the shortest of the nine (or seven) being six miles.

Here’s hoping the seven-level aspect is just a rumor. It’s hard to believe a game could easily drop two stages and still flow as it’s supposed to.

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Crispy Gamer

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Some new details regarding Sonic Unleashed are coming in from a Polish magazine, and depending on how you received certain aspects of Sonic ’06 and Secret Rings, you may or may not be happy.

The preview revealed that, like in Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic’s abilities will be able to be improved through experience points gained throughout the game. The magazine also confirmed that Sonic’s other friends, including Tails, will be playable during mini-games throughout the game. Other locales that will be present in the game will New York and China. In their impressions of the game, they were impressed with the camera and how the Hedgehog Engine handles the transitions between 2D and 3D, but they noted some noticeable slowdown at some points.

New York and China? …and RPG elements are back to start you out slowly? Wonderful. At least the camera is sounding promising. That’s the best thing I’ve heard about this game yet.

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Scans do NOT do this game justice. Four grainy screens are after the break, though you might consider restraining yourself if you’ve been spoiled by all the HD versions from the PS3 game. We definitely need some direct feed screens right away to get a better feel for how Sonic Unleashed really looks on the Wii as opposed to the other platforms, but rest assured – Sonic’s model and environments are clearly above and beyond those in Sonic and the Secret Rings.

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GameSpot Forums

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