Well, no sooner does Wario's Woods WiiWare get disproved does Sonic Unleashed get "leaked". For those of you not following Go Nintendo (Yes, all two of you), here's some more info on the supposed game:
- Sonic becomes afflicted with a curse…that turns him into a werewolf. Sonic will have to battle himself, essentially.
- gameplay includes Sonic and the Secret Rings style running with switches to 2.5D platforming thrown in
- Sonic will transform at certain points in the game, and his new form will include some sort of new mechanic
- another new character will be introduced
- Sonic Unleashed is not the final name, and no platform(s) were mentioned. File names of the original leaked images indicate a multiplatform release of 360/PS3/Wii
Source
So, it seems pretty Sonic Team-like to me: Lots of potential with a hugely crappy gimmick (Werewolf Sonic?!?!). Also, did you catch the second-last part of the above quote? Here it is again, just to drive it home:
- another new character will be introduced
Oh boy. Crappy gimmick. Another new sidekick. It all sounds so familiar. So the crappiness of the above adds a substantial amount of credibility. Because seriously, when was the last time Sonic Team made a good game? I'm not trying to be harsh, but the bleak future of this "game" does indicate a Sonic Team project. It's just a fact.
Also adding to the authenticity of this possible game is the following video:
There are a few spotty parts, such as the robot bouncing off of Sonic, but otherwise it looks pretty real (Who can say how far it is in development, any way?). Very smooth, with seemingly high production value. And the original video was removed shortly after being posted... Seems like something SEGA would do to try and stem the flow. The likelihood builds!
Now, for the things pointing away from this being true. First of all, there's the whole Wario's Woods WiiWare thing we just got over. April Fools is approaching, and there are people out there who can make things like this. Just look at the Nintendo ON hoax, or the Super Mario Galaxy DS video. Those were both made by one guy, and they were amazingly well done. What's stopping Sonic Unleashed from being yet another fake? Heck, the Nintendo ON guy could be behind this one, too!
Also, someone pointed out that Sonic's life counter in the top-left corner of the screen uses the Sonic Team logo. That's somewhat odd, don't you think? Why would a game company use their logo as an indicator for Sonic's remaining lives? Granted, it looks like Sonic, but you'd think they'd use concept art for the time being, at least during development. But the Sonic Team logo? Odd.
And there are a few factors that can point in either direction, depending on how you look at them. The score counter doesn't work, for one. This could be an indication of a fake video, but it could also point to the fact that this is a work-in-progress. Also, this could be another April Fool's prank that just got out a little too soon, or it could be an honest to goodness leak. Things can go either way in this gray area.
So, what do you think? Is it for real? Or is it just another April Fool's prank let out a little too early? Until SEGA stands up, we won't know for sure. For now, I'm still calling it a little fishy. It looks great, but the fact that it's so close to April Fool's really makes me think twice, especially after John Thomas' Wario's Woods hoax. What do you think of it? Real, fake, unknown? Feel free to voice your opinion on it in the comment section or in this forum thread.
UPDATE: Confirmed by Joystiq (Via SEGA Magazine), Sonic Unleashed has been officially announced as an in-development title slated for this November. The platform(s) still remain in question as of now, but signs point to a Wii, PS3 and XBox 360 release.
The Duck Has Spoken.
No comments:
Post a Comment