Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board: Laura - Viewing Profile - Sonic and Sega Retro Message Board

Hello everyone.

I got Sonic Adventure DX on Steam a few months ago and was rather surprised how all the mods seemingly didn't work on it. It was irritating, although I can understand why hackers like MainMemory didn't want to start over from scratch on the Steam version.

I also saw that there was no clear tutorial for how to convert Sonic Adventure DX Steam into the 2003 PC version (which is what can be modded).

So, here is my own guide, intended for the clueless (like myself )


1) Download the conversion files

Sonic Adventure DX conversion files

These are the files you will need. Copy these into the Steam folder where Sonic Adventure DX was installed. Use the Sonic.exe file to run the older version of the game that is moddable.

There is a slight snag though.


2) Download the music for Sonic Adventure

Due to music-copyright the above file used different music. As we all know, Sonic has a great soundtrack and cannot be replaced.

Here is the file to restore the music:

http://www.mediafire...%C2%A0Music.rar

Simply extract the music from this file into: sonicadventuredx/system/soundata/bgm

Simply replace all the files to have the awesome original soundtrack back!


3) Finally, allowing windowed mode

By far the most stressful part of trying to convert Steam Sonic Adventure DX is trying to get it to run in windowed mode. Nothing seems to work and it's incredibly frustrating. HOWEVER, there is a solution!

MainMemory's mod loader! (As you can tell, I'm a big fan of MainMemory!)

Simply go to this page and download the SADX Mod Loader: Mod Loader

This ModLoader has loads of great functions but we are interested in the 'config editor'

In the 'Config Editor' click the Screen Mode to be 'Windowed Mode' (this is in the Video Tab which is the default tab)


Taa Daa, Steam Sonic Adventure DX is now moddable!

On a sidenote, MainMemory's ModLoader only works with the US Sonic.exe file. But no worries, because MainMemory has provided us with one and all you need to do is copy and replace the EU Sonic.exe with the US Sonic.exe. I would know, I'm English and had to do it

SonicUS.Exe

It's the link MainMemory has on Post 9 of the above link.

I hope this thread helped everyone out! Here are my video sources for the files. I certainly don't want them to be uncredited. Also, thanks for MainMemory for all the great stuff he has done for us over the years!

https://www.youtube....h?v=xd4dKWIarbI (for the conversion files) [InTheGame Kiah]

and

https://www.youtube....h?v=y48vEj0p4jI (for the music files) [SonicCreations]

Some of you may remember my original email. Unfortunately, I was unable to collect questions as this was not permitted on Sonic Retro unless it was done by official Sonic Retro staff. I decided to ask my own questions and make it my own interview. Well, Craig got back to me and was very generous with his time.

The interview is rather lengthy and features some very interesting info! It's obviously not as mind-shaking as IceKnight's fantastic interview, but it's something!

Here are pictures of our email correspondence:





Now, onto the questions!



What was the main theme or motif you wanted to create with Hidden Palace Zone (or was this suggested to you by other members of Sonic Team)? Where there any inspirations on Hidden Palace Zone?



I remember right, the actual art/look of Hidden Palace was left up to me. I was given a map, but it was just laid out as rough blocks and paths. I can't remember if I was asked to make it underground or not. I don't think it even had a name until after I had finished it. If it had I probably would have made it more 'Palace' like.

The one thing that was just a given was that it had to match the general look and feel of the Sonic Universe. I wanted to d0 something a little different. Back then you were REALLY limited by how much unique art you were allowed, and how may colors you could use. 'If' I remember right, I was allowed 256 8x8 pixel blocks and probably only 8 colors on any given screen (there were ways you could fake more colors, I.e. the underwater color shift. These 8x8 blocks where then put together to make larger tiles (I believe 8x8 if the 8x8s... but I can't remember exactly)

]I wanted to do something 'crystalline' in nature. The color palette was left up to me. The crystalized look did not have anything to do with gameplay or story. All the 'power crystal' stuff came after I was no longer working on Sonic.

The big problem was creating a crystalline pattern that would repeat without looking too much like wallpaper. Also I needed to come up with a way of doing the classic Sonic loops and slides. Made even more complicated since some of them needed to have running water. I can't remember what the 'super tiles' were really called, nor do I remember how many of these 'super tiles' I was allowed, but it was not very many. Fortunately you could flip and rotate the tiles for 'free'. Back in the days of 'cartridge' based games, it was all about memory limits!

I'm trying to remember what I used for inspiration. I believe I saw a stylized painting of geometric rocks/shapes and the was 'springboard' for the general look of the gold colored rock. By far the hardest part of that level was the far background. I don't remember how many backgrounds I tried but it was a lot. Color and size limitations were REALLY tight on the background. Plus Sonic, the enemies, and everything else had to stand out. I'm never was completely happy with the background I ended up using, but I was out of time.

The Zone that has been recently released is very similar to what I built back in 1992. A few changes were made. The biggest one I noticed was the addition of the boss screen/room. This is something that was not on the original map I was given.

One of the most die-hard rumor/myths about the level was the giant crystals that Sonic has to smash in order to gain access to tubes and other areas. Various forums were full of people convinced that these were somehow related to the 'Chaos Emeralds' found in later Sonic games. When I made the Hidden Palace Zone, the concept of Chaos Emeralds did not yet even exist. They were just meant to be a big, interesting way to block Sonic's path.

As for why HPZ did not make it into the original Sonic 2... it simply came down to poor planning and a lack of time. The art was done for the level and as far as I knew it was going to be in the game. It wasn't until about 2-3 days before we shipped the game that I found out HPZ had been cut. At the time I was told because there wasn't room on the cartridge. Of course we all know that was not the truth, since an 'unfinished' version of HPZ is in fact on the original Sonic 2 cartridge. The truth is that they did not have time to finish programming and testing the level. Even now, the art I did for HPZ is some of my favorite art I've done for a video game. I was VERY excited that it was FINALLY going to see the light of day.

Most all of the Japanese were a joy to work with. One person who never was given the credit he deserved was Hirokazu Yasuhara. He was the lead game designer behind Sonic, and if you ask me Yasuhara was the reason Sonic was the game it was. Naka wrote the engine to move graphics fast, but Yasuhara created a game that made it fun. Without Yasuhara there would be no Sonic, at least not like we know it. Also Yasuhara is one of the nicest guys you can know.




Do you remember any levels you worked on/had ideas of that also didn't find their way into the game? You said in a previous interview with a member called ICEKnight that you worked on a circus level? Do you remember anything like this?



I was not the only person to have levels cut. Actually, I'm fortunate that mine even made it into the game, even if it was not originally playable. There were several other levels, created by another artist, that were cut AFTER the art was done. I can't remember all of these levels. I know one of them was a forest level, one was a desert level, and I do have some vague memory of a circus level. I know the forest and desert levels were all but finished when they were cut. The Circus level I can't remember much about. I can remember doing some concept drawings for it, but I can't remember much else. It's been too long



Are there any things you would have done differently to how they worked in Sonic Team?



What would I have done differently. That pretty much goes back to what I was saying about Yasuhara. I don't know what I really would have done, but I would have done my best to make sure Yasuhara got the credit he deserved. On the other hand, Yasuhara is a very quite and humble guy. He may not have wanted the attention, I don't know.

The thing I definitely would have done differently is how the transition of Sonic to SEGA's new platforms was handled. Then again, at that point, SEGA was releasing new platforms so fast it was impossible to make games to support them.



Did you prefer your time working on Sonic 2 or Sonic Spinball? Which game was the more rewarding to work on, so to speak.




Although Sonic 2 was a blast to work on (I was very fortunate to have two levels make it into the game, IF you count HPZ... Oil Ocean is also mine). So it was very exciting to be working with people like Yasuhara and Mark Cerny (actually, Mark is who originally hired me in 1990 for SEGA) But back to your question... the two games were rewarding in different ways. Sonic 2 was a HUGE game, and the opportunity to work on it was incredible... but it had it's down sides. While Sonic Spinball was rewarding because I had a little more say in what was going on.

I don't know if there was any 'direct' influence from working on Sonic to working on Spyro or Ratchet, other then just experience of what worked on screen and what didn't. Back in the days of Sonic, an artist, to a certain extent, placed EVERY PIXEL you see in the game. By the time we got to Spyro or Ratchet, there were still limits, but you just painted textures. Memory and frame-rate were still issues, but noting like the limitations you had during the era of the 8-bit systems. That's not to say a LOT of time was spent optimizing art for Spyro or Ratchet. Not so much so it would 'fit' on the disc... but so that the game would maintain a steady frame-rate.



Finally, I noticed that you haven't been credited on a game since Ratchet and Clank: Deadlocked in 2005. Have you decided to leave the video game industry?




Deadlocked was in fact the last game I've worked on. When we made the first Spyro game (which I consider 'my baby' since the initial concept/design was mine), we made the game with about 6 people. By the time I left Insomniac I had almost 20 people under me and there was something like 165+ people at the company.

I love to work with a small group, where everyone bounces ideas off each other.

Right now.... I'm still taking a break. I doubt very much I'll go back to making games, unless I can find the right people working on the right game. Although I my degree is actually in Art Education, so if I had my way, I'd love to teach art to kids between the age of 12-18 years old. Probably because it was an art teacher when I was 17 that really did change the course of my life. I would have never seriously considered going into art with out her support.




I asked Craig for permission to use this interview, he was very generous, allowing me to post the interview in most of its entirety, and even gave me some extra info!




Hello Laura!

I'm glad I was able to help with your questions.

Actually... let me tell you a little more of the story. You can add it in as Question #1b - or 'Why was Sonic 2&3 made in the United States.

When I started at SEGA, actually, 'technically', I worked for "SEGA Technical Institute".. part of SEGA of America, but we had a certain amount of independence. The group was started by Mark Cerny (now well known as one of the video games greatest designers/programers/Producers, and most recently for his role as the lead architect in the creation of Sony's PS4. Mark wanted to create a group in the US, but one that made games the way he wanted to make games and bring into that the skill and style that made all the Japanese games (at that time) far more successful then American made games.

STI was SEGA's first design group on US soil. Mark's plan was to bring over a handful of artists, designers and programmers from Japan, and at the same time, send over artists, designers and programmers from the States to Japan, so that we could learn from each other. Unfortunately, the 'exchange' only ended up going one way, with Japanese coming to the US. (I was really hoping for a chance to live and work in Japan for a couple of years. I did get to visit for a week, but no one was ever transferred over there to work. But there were many Japanese sent over to STI.

The first game STI did was Richard (LOL, the filter blocks it) Tracy on the Genesis. The first game I worked on was Kid Chameleon, STI's second game. SEGA was looking for a 'mascot' (like Nintendo's Mario). Mark, and the rest of us a STI, hoped that Kidd would be that game.

At some point we got this very early version of a new game called 'Sonic'. It was rough and unfinished. Great character, great background... but it just wasn't fun. Everyone spent a couple of minutes 'playing' it and then handed the controller to someone else.

Then some time later, we received what I am guessing was the beta of Sonic. The first version did not have the rings scatter when you were hit. This version did, and it made all the difference in the world. Now people were lined up to play, and it was hard to find time when someone was not playing the game. There were also lots of technical aspects of the game that had even Mark impressed. Unfortunately, we also now knew there was a very good chance that Sonic would become SEGA's mascot, and Kid would be just another game.

At this point STI was located miles away from SEGA of America... but SEGA wanted us to move closer, so Mark finally gave in and we moved to Redwood City.

But let me back up a little. Before anyone knew that Sonic was going to be the stellar success it was, Yasuhara had already finished his work on Sonic 1 and was in the US working at STI.

So the lead designer and the lead programmer were both at STI, which is why Sonic 2 was done in the US. Everything to do with Sonic 3 is a bit more complicated, and I was not on the 'inside' on that one.

One funny story....

We were busy making Sonic Spinball while they were making Sonic 3. We finished Spinball first and were having a 'wrap party'. Everyone was partying, eating and drinking (while Spinball was playing in the corner). Yasuhara asked us how we got permission to use the original Sonic theme music. We didn't understand what he meant... until he explained that SEGA did not own the rights to the music!!! It was done by some band in Japan, and SEGA had paid them to use it JUST in Sonic 1 and then for Sonic 2. Between Sonic 2 and 3, the band became very successful in Japan, and they wanted a lot more money for the SEGA to use their music. SEGA refused to pay, so the Sonic 3 team was informed that they could not use it and needed to come up with their own theme. No one ever told the Spinball team this! We found out because Yasuhara happened to hear the opening scene music to Spinball... the DAY BEFORE we were scheduled to ship the finished game! Our sound guy RAN from the room and started composing music as fast as he could so he could swap it out in time to still make out deadline!! He did it.

I wish there was a good way to prove that I am 'the' Craig Stitt.

Here are some simple graphics from Kid Chameleon. The first 'character' is ME. (the entire STI team is seen as these little avatars, either at the beginning of the game or at the end). The others are some of the first characters I did. All the other digital art I have from Kid or Sonic I've pulled off the internet. Back when those games were made, there was no good way to 'copy' the art, and I didn't have a computer of my own for several years to come.



I don't know if this would constitute 'proof' that I am who I say... but the license plate on my car reads "GO SPYRO", and the plate on my motorcycle reads, "GO SPARX" (and yes, the same motorcycle I laid down and busted up my shoulder. I can take pictures of the plates if you want.

Or I could take a picture of me wearing the very limited edition 'STI' jacket... or the Sonic 2 denim jacket that I believe was only given to team members.

A few months ago, I did an interview with an individual who is writing/publishing book on the early years of the Genesis, and told him much of the same that I have told you. Not sure when it's set to be published. I believe he was in the U.K. as well.

I guess if people believe, they believe, if they don't... they don't. (although a while back, I did have someone on FaceBook pretending to be me!??)

Which reminds me of a few quick stories...

Kid Chameleon had JUST hit the stores, so I went to a game store to see it on the shelf (kind of a rush the first time you see something like that). But better yet, they had a kiosk where you could play the game. I walked up to it and there was this +/- year old kid playing the game. He was literally banging against a wall, trying to jump over it. I watched for a moment, saw he wasn't getting anywhere, so I leaned forward and told him how to get past the wall. He looked at me, said 'What do you know about games" and went back to beating his head against the wall. Little did he know who I was and that the level he was on was one I had done the art for.

A few years later the whole STI/Sonic 2 team was in New York City, for a big press conference/release of the game. The day of the event, I went down to the waiting limo. When I got in I noticed that Jonathan Taylor Thomas (from the TV show 'Home Improvement') was in the car. (SEGA had brought a handful of kid celebrities to play the game for the cameras). When I got in the car, he asked me if I was security. I told him I was one of the artists on the game. He then asked for MY autograph! Ever since then, any time I see him in something I think that he asked for my autograph.

On that same trip, one of the other kid celebrities was a kid named Dustin Diamond. He played a character named 'Screech' on a TV show "Saved by the Bell". That night a few of us had dinner with him and his father. When we got back to the hotel, I went to my room and turned on the TV. By pure coincidence, 'Saved by the Bell' was playing, and there was 'Screech'. It was a rather surreal moment.

Well, I hope this helps. If you come up with a good way to verify my identity do you readers, just ask. Of course I've aged 'a bit' and sometimes I have a beard and sometimes I don't. Actually, I've had a beard for the past couple of years, but just shaved it off since trimming it with only my left hand was getting to be far too much work!

Take care

- Craig


I hope you enjoyed this interview. I would like to take this opportunity to say how gracious and friendly Craig was. He deserves all our thanks!

I have no idea what to do on this matter so I figured you guys would have the answer!

I got Sonic Adventure DX on Steam (part of a Sonic collection) and was wondering if it is possible to mod it. I'm not talking huge mods here, just simple character swaps (say play as Tails in Sonic's levels).

I've become aware that the trainers, such as MainMemory's, don't work with the Steam version. Is there any patch that fixes this? I downloaded a patch that reverts the game back to the original pc version (which should be moddable) but I can't run in in windowed mode so I can't use the trainers.

Is there any way to fix this, or does Steam SADX and mods simply not mix.

Here's the patch I used:

https://www.youtube....h?v=xd4dKWIarbI

https://www.youtube....h?v=y48vEj0p4jI

Hello everyone. I have a problem I need help with, as I just cannot find the answers no matter what I do.

I have a very particular memory from childhood about a certain Sonic game, in fact, the first Sonic game I have ever seen.

It all started when I was at my cousin's house. I don't speak to my cousin anymore (family issues...too long-winded to get into) and this was the only time I ever went round his house. I don't remember why I went round his house, but it honestly doesn't matter. What does matter is the Sonic game he had. I can't remember if it was for the Megadrive or the Master System, but if I had to guess, I would bet on the Master System. He wanted to show me this really cool game called Sonic. It looked awesome and I was super excited to get it for Christmas. Ever since, I have obviously been a massive Sonic fan, but I have never seen this game anywhere, not in any of the compilation games, nor on the internet.

I'll try my best to describe the game, as much as I can remember.

I only saw the first level, as my cousin seemed to lack the skills to beat the first level. I remember that the first level looked like Green Hill Zone, typical Sonic fare.

However, there was one aspect about the game that was very unusual and a bit odd. Every time you would take damage, say run into a badnik or fall into spikes, you would lose all your rings and immediately fall straight underground. Thus, there was no way one could take their rings back and Sonic was stuck in the dark underground of the Hills with no protection. After running for a short time, Dr Robotnik would show up in one of his death machines and chase after Sonic.

Now, I'm assuming that the player would be able to escape Robotnik if they managed to run away correctly, or perhaps there was some way of hiding from Robotnik, but I remember that my cousin was never able to outpace Dr. Robotnik. No, Sonic was virtually already dead when he fell into the underground.

I'm also assuming that the level would come to an end if the player was skilled enough to make it to the end without taking damage, and thus, not falling into the underground. However, my cousin lacked the skills to do this and he always ended up in the underground.

This is the game I remember, and I have no idea what it is.

Am I simply remembering incorrectly? Did I see one of the Master System titles and has time re-interpreted the game in my mind?

It cannot be an official Sonic game, can it? After all, I know a lot about Sonic and I have never seen or heard of this on the internet (usually a good place to look up obscurity).

Was it a bootleg or hacked game? Perhaps, as I remember that my cousin had friends who at least had pirated games. One of them gave me a copy of Jet Set Radio on Dreamcast that I never played because I was afraid that it would somehow destroy my Dreamcast (my parents were anti-piracy and used to tell me incredible stories that I believed). Then again, would it be easy to make a homebrew game of this standard in that late 1990s? I remember that it was well-made, with good physics and the like, so to speak.

So, what was this game?

Sonic Retro, you are masters of all Sonic, and perhaps you can help me!

Introduction

One topic that I keep seeing emerge during Sonic-related discussion is the recent love affair for Sonic Unleashed. No matter the conversation, whether Lost World or the future of Sonic, fans seem to keep coming back to Unleashed. In particular, many fans use Unleashed as a pointer for where Sonic can take his identity back (this is probably due to the recent Mario influence and decline of Sonic's story).

Now, I'm aware not all fans like Unleashed, but this seems to constantly crop up and I really feel the need to speak up about it.

Sonic Unleashed is terrible, and not the kind of game Sonic Team should look back at going forward with the franchise. I can understand the love affair with games like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. Sure, both games are very flawed (particularly Sonic Adventure 2), but they have their own quirky charm, along with expansive (SA1) and high-speed levels (SA2) that the Sonic series hadn't emulated well until Sonic Generations. But Unleashed? What are people thinking?

Everyone is aware that Unleashed is a critical disaster, so I won't address that. But let me show you my honest feelings on this game, and why I feel it should be distanced, far away, from the franchise.

The Werehog

It's become a bit predictable for threads that critique the Werehog. Indeed, it's become predictable, much in the same way that Big the Cat is always leveled against Sonic Adventure. The difference, however, is that whilst Big has appalling gameplay, he is only a side character that takes up a very small amount of the Sonic Adventure experience. The Werehog, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. The Werehog has just as many levels as Sonic and they are often far longer than Sonic's levels. An average Sonic level can take around 4 minutes to complete, whilst a Werehog level is, on average, 20-30 minutes. It's a complete joke, especially when one considers that the Werehog's gameplay has nothing in common with what one would expect from Sonic's gameplay history, spanning almost two decades upon Unleashed's release.

The significance of the Werehog on the game makes this issue so paramount, and far more so than Big's sideshow. With this knowledge, the Werehog better offer some damn good gamplay. After all, whilst the Werehog may be the opposite one expects from Sonic, if the gameplay stands up on it's own right there may be some justification for the creative decision. However, the Werehog's gameplay is utter tripe.

To put it very simply, the Werehog is a watered down and badly done copy of God of War. The game even has the audacity to copy some of God of War's animations and design ideas almost exactly (the door opening is a good example of this). It's not a good copy though, far from it, with boring and plodding levels that break down to endless brawls that are all exactly the same. The variety, spectacle and interesting fighting situations are absent, and in their place are mindless button bashing and slow platforming with very poor level design.

This should all be very apparent and well-known to all but, incredibly, there are some who defend the Werehog and say it is not as bad as people make out. They often compare the Werehog to the Emerald Hunting, Big's Fishing and Mechs and argue that the Werehog is better. This is, obviously, very debatable, yet even if the Werehog was better (which I am rather skeptical of), it's still awful in it's own right.

I hope Sonic Team take no inspiration from the Werehog at all. I don't, and don't believe most Sonic fans, want slow and poorly designed platforming with a heavy focus on repetitive and mundane fighting that is badly copied and pasted from a far superior game (God Of War).

The Medals

The Medals are another crushing blow to Sonic Unleashed's overall quality. Arbitrary unlocks are, sadly, no stranger to Sonic games and one could point at Sonic Generations (with the Boss Keys) and Sonic Lost World (with the Flickies) as other offenders. This is a fair point, but, the boss keys and flickies are much simpler, and crucially, less time consuming to unlock. The Boss Keys only take a few minutes, and the Flickies can be unlocked with Circus Farming. Granted, the Flickies in Lost World are pointless and terrible, but at least they can be farmed in an efficient way.

As for the Medals, they are incredibly tedious and obnoxious. There is no way to efficiently get them, and the player needs to replay the levels, checking every nook and cranny, to find the stupid medals. This isn't such a problem with the Daytime Stages, but with the Werehog, it's unforgivable. One is glad to be pat the Werehog stages and to be forced to replay them is soul-destroying.

Yet, despite being so offensive, fans often try to defend the medals. They say that it encourages exploration, or that it is not such a big deal. Exploration should be a personal choice, and one that is for more than being forced to get what are effectively level-keys. In addition, It's not even what the game's focus is based around. In games like Mario 64, the levels are vast and expansive worlds to wander and discover the Stars in. In Unleashed, the levels are far more linear A - B affairs that task the player with getting to the goal ring. Shoe-horning medals into the game is completely against the game's most fundamental philosophy.

The soul of the medals lives on in Generations and Lost World, and it needs to go away. Note that I am not against items like the medals that serve as unlocks (for example, for concept art or music). However, in a game like Sonic that is more linear by design, arbitrary level-keys should be completely eradicated from the franchise. The medals in Unleashed serve only to bring the game further down and should never be drawn upon as inspiration in bringing the franchise forward.

Hub World

The Hub Worlds have always been an offender in Sonic History. Unbelievably, some fans love these Hub Worlds and want them to return. These fans even compares the Unleashed Hub World to the Hub Worlds from recent Sonic Games, such as Generations and Lost World, and say how much better it is. The bad Hub Worlds, Unleashed included, are more than simply a conventional Hub World, like Mario 64 or Crash Bandicoot 2 and 3 (or even the most recent Sonic Games). They are more like Hub Environments, puzzle sections that have to be traversed to get to the levels. They serve as little more than pointless fluff that obstructs the way to the actual game and attempts to stretch the game's lifespan out. Meandering around these environments, guessing where to go with the Keys (Wind Stone and Ice Stone E.T.C.) and talking to random people to find how to progress the story is the absolute antithesis of what Sonic is about: pure fast-paced platforming action. These Hub Worlds are boring beyond belief and offer nothing to the player but frustration and sometimes confusion.

Sure, once you have beaten the game, and know where to go, the Hub Worlds are less confusing and more familiar, but that is not an excuse. The game's merits should be taken as first-playthrough as well as when the game is mastered, and upon first playthrough, the player has no idea where to go. The Hub Worlds are nothing more than a desperate attempt to stretch the game's lifespan.

The Hub World in Unleashed is one of the worst in franchise, beaten only by the even worse one in Sonic 2006. The Hub Worlds have been far better refined in recent Sonic games, and they should stay that way. We should give absolutely no reason for Sonic Team to consider revisiting these abominations.

The Story

Now, for what perhaps most fans laud Sonic Unleashed for: the story. I have no idea why Sonic Unleashed's terrible story gets such praise. Is it because Lost World had such a bad plot, is it because Generations barely had a plot or is it because the series' atmosphere has significantly changed with Colours? Whatever the reason, many overlook the glaring problems with Unleashed's story, and presentation of it. The game focuses on yet another tiresome 'monster of the week', and runs through a very Sonic Adventure formula. However, it also has cringe-worthy 'humour' in the form of Chip. Chip is, by far, the worst Sonic character ever created, and, hilariously, started the current trend of Sonic's Saturday Morning humour. That's right folks, it was Unleashed that started the current story direction that everybody hates in the form of Chip. Nearly all of his scenes involve embarrassingly terrible humour, far worse than anything in Colours.

Of course, one has to deal with more than just awful story direction, one also has to endure some truly terrible voice acting. True, Sonic has always had poor voice acting, but Chip takes the bad voice acting to new levels of horrendous.

The current state of Sonic's story is controversial, and I myself think they need to reconsider their story directions, but they should not draw upon Sonic Unleashed for inspiration. Sonic Unleashed is but a poor attempt to capture the feeling of Sonic Adventure, whilst also attempting to imitate Disney, very badly, with characters like Pickle and Chip, who is a complete disaster. Sonic Team either need to return to the Adventure formula, or stick with the current formula and rediscover Sonic's identity. They should not go back to Unleashed, a messy mismatch of both worlds.

The Daytime Stages

The Daytime Stages are a funny business. They are far better than every other aspect of the game, but they are by no means exempt from problems. The levels are often shallow and automated affairs, ones that involve very little input from the player. In addition, they are very focused on reflexes, ultimately boiling down to trial and error. Unleashed also suffers from twitchy controls and poor button mapping. Whoever thought that boost should be the same button as the homing attack is a complete idiot. Not only does this often cause one to accidentally air-boost to death, it also removes Sonic's air dash. The air dash gives the player more control in their jumping precision, and without it, platforming is far more difficult.

Compared to Generations the Daytime Stages are blown out the water. The controls are far smoother, the button mapping is sensible and the air dash is given back to the player. As for the levels themselves, they are far more complex and well designed, even the more speed-focused levels (with perhaps the exception of Modern Green Hill).

If Sonic Team wants to take inspiration from the Boost Trilogy it should stay far away from Sonic Unleashed. Sonic Generations is the clear candidate to draw inspiration from.

Conclusion

To conclude, the love affair with Sonic Unleashed is bizarre. Sonic Unleashed is incredibly flawed, critically so, and these flaws should not be brushed aside. Of course, it's perfectly fine to enjoy the game. We all enjoy games we know are deeply flawed. I like Lost World, despite being well aware that it is incredibly flawed and not really a good game, objectively speaking. What irritates me about the Unleashed love affair is that fans, seemingly blind to these glaring problems, try to brush the flaws away or poorly attempt to argue that they are good decisions.

Of all the games to draw inspiration from, Sonic Unleashed, should not be one of them.

Let's end the Sonic Unleashed Love Affair.