Sonic Unleashed - A Back-to-Back Comparison
1,833Spagonia
Rooftop Run Act 1 (Day)
You might have noticed that I didn't put in which version of Sonic Unleashed in the title. Well, something I've kept in the mental back burner for at least several months is a comparison of the same stage between the Wii/PS2 version and of the 360/PS3 version. I've chosen Rooftop Run Act 1 because there's the biggest difference between the two versions and probably demonstrate their respective day stage styles the best.
Rooftop Run, by the way, is the name of the stage set in the country of Spagonia. This is where Professor Pickle lives, an old gentleman who helps Sonic by finding Temples of Gaia for him. They restore the Chaos Emeralds after Dr. Eggman tainted them. Although Sonic meets him very early in the game, Eggman doesn't attack Spagonia until later, when Sonic the Hedgehog chases after him and trounces the robots in his way.
This place kind of resembles St. Mystere from Professor Layton, doesn't it? Well, except way bigger.
The music and appearance may be the same, but you can see that the layout and the mechanics are very different. I won't be forcing any opinions; you decide for yourself which version you like better. I will, however, point out some of the differences.
The Wii version's emphasis is getting to the end as quickly as possible. The entire stage is designed like this: Almost all of the obstacles are designed to slow down or stop Sonic rather than kill him. In fact, it's nearly impossible to die in the Wii version of Rooftop Run Act 1 unless you're doing it on purpose. That robot may be hanging out at the end, heavily armed, but he's got really bad aim. Shortcuts are plentiful and may be pretty difficult to find...and some make Sonic lose time. A goal of 2 minutes 50 seconds sits menacingly in the upper-left corner from beginning to end, waiting for Sonic's timer to surpass it. Rare among Sonic games, the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed doesn't even keep score. Your grade at the end is determined solely on your clear time.
The 360/PS3 version (I played the 360 version) is about survival. It's longer; busier; more filled with enemies, traps, and bottomless pits (functional, not literal); and culminates in a duel along the Spagonian aqueducts against a trio of Golden Bots. It's also arguably faster, though Sonic can slow himself down as much a he needs and the path is narrower, giving the illusion of faster speed than a wide path. He won't get an S-Rank doing so though. Sonic DOES keep a score in this game. The ending score consists of his time, the amount of Rings he's collected, how much of the stage he remains boosted, the enemies Sonic takes out on his way to the end, and how quickly you finish the Quick Time Events (where you must press a certain button as quickly as possible). You get the S-Rank if you can finish Rooftop Run Act 1 with at least 150,000 points.
So, which is better? Well, it's up to you, to be honest. The styles vary too widely, an both versions have their fans.
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