Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360 preview build)/Comparisons

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General comparisons

Preview Build

Final game

The title screen has a different background. It also uses the same sound effect for pressing as in the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game.

• The claw slash effect doesn't play in the main menu.
• The loading screen is different for both nighttime and daytime.

Gameplay comparisons

Preview Build

Final game

Sonic the Hedgehog's jump animation is different, being much more transparent.

Preview Build

Final game

Sonic the Werehog's HUD is unfinished, and identical to the one seen at E3 2008.

• The game runs at an uncapped framerate. This is fine on hardware, but produces poor results on emulators using powerful computers, as the game's physics start breaking at framerates above 60. You need to cap it using external software.
• The player cannot Drift by pressing or holding - they have to brake, then make a sharp turn. Much harder to pull off, and makes snaking much harder to do.
• Sonic the Hedgehog makes an annoying sound everytime he slides. He also exclaims "WOO!" everytime he Stomps.
• The visual effect for boosting is a work in progress.
• The camera is much less dynamic, zooming out less while boosting. It creates a placebo effect of daytime feeling much slower, despite Sonic the Hedgehog having identical speed values to the final game.
• The physics are overall much less refined. Sonic the Hedgehog has less air drag, feels even more slippery than the final, and cannot turn as effectively. Sonic the Werehog is slow, and lumbering. Both of them feel worse to play.

Preview Build

Final game

The lock-on reticle for the Homing Attack is different.

• Sonic begins the game with all of his moves, and the upgrade system is not present.
• At the end of a level, S Ranks are always achieved no matter what.
• There's a 'replay' button on the end of level screen. This is missing in the final, but returned in Sonic Generations.
• In-game cutscene music continues into stages and hub worlds when skipped. This does not apply to FMVs.
• Sonic the Hedgehog is even slower in the hub worlds, and slides around in a neutral stance when paused.
• Neither of Sonic's forms play an intro animation at the beginning of stages. The only exception is Cool Edge Act 1 (Daytime).
• Sonic the Hedgehog's quickstep is much less powerful outside of dedicated quickstep sections, barely moving Sonic at all.
• The global illumination is much higher resolution than the final game. It looks better, and doesn't have any noticeable impact on performance.
• Despite the GI being higher resolution, the lighting is overall worse on the majority of stages. Most likely because compiling the advanced lighting could take days, and it'd be far too much effort to go through for every single minute layout change.
• Entrance stages use the same UI as action stages, having a timer counting down along with a score counter during the daytime.
• Entrance stages all have their stages laid out in the beginning of them, likely for playtesting purposes.
• The transformation cutscenes for Sonic changing between forms in the hub worlds is not present.

Preview Build

Final game

Sonic the Werehog's fur is a slightly different coloration. He resembles the textures used in the Wii version far more than the final game.

Preview Build

Final game

Sonic the Werehog's claws use white trails, rather than the purple used in the final game.

• M-speed is much easier to pull off, requiring less precision.
• Sun and Moon Medals are not present, however the UI for them still exists.
• Motion blur is significantly less intense.

Stage comparisons

Apotos

Windmill Isle Day Act 1

• Nearly identical to the final game
• Slightly buggier collision, Sonic is able to get hitched on stray collision occasionally.
• The only SET data difference is that the final Quickstep section lacks spikes.

Windmill Isle Day Act 2

• Same as Act 1, this stage is nearly indiscernible from the final game.
• There are a few minor SET differences
• Camera angles are slightly different during the Rail Grinding segments.

Windmill Isle Day Act 3

• This level has finalized lighting and geometry.
• The SET data is very incomplete.
• The camera is far too zoomed in to see properly while playing.
• This stage lacks any music.

Windmill Isle Night Act 1

• Geometry and lighting are finalized
• SET data has minor differences such as ring placements and enemy varieties

Spagonia

Rooftop Run Day Act 1

• Nearly identical to the final.
• Some scripting is unfinished, leading to occasional unfortunate deaths or fails.
• Some of the camera angles are a work-in-progress.

Rooftop Run Day Act 2

• The scripting for the 2D section is completely broken, so the player has to use Debug Mode to break into 3D to explore the level.
• The SET data is completely unfinished, and the level is near impossible to traverse.
• The lap counter hasn't been implemented here yet so the stage isn't even beatable.
• No music plays.

Rooftop Run Day Act 3

• The Chao aren't present, so the level cannot be beaten.
• The SET data is unfinished, with most platforms, enemies, and rings not put into the stage yet.
• No music.

Rooftop Run Day Act 4

• The lighting is unfinished.
• There's no scripting to speak of, so Sonic isn't locked into a Quickstep section, and the loop-de-loop can bug out sometimes.
• There are no Aero-Chasers present, just a bunch of Egg Fighers littered about the stage.

Rooftop Run Day Act 5

• The concept for the level is here, but the SET data is completely different.
• The level design just... stops, at one point, and Sonic gets dumped off of a grind rail into a pit.
• There's no goal ring present, so the stage is unbeatable even if you use Debug Mode.

Rooftop Run Night Act 1

• The skybox parameters seem to have been set incorrectly, so there are low-poly buildings from the skybox littered throughout the level.
  • Thankfully, they have no collision so the player can press onward without worry.
• The goal ring is present directly at the beginning of the level, however the rest of the level is explorable.
• The SET data is incomplete.
  • There are swinging hammers littered about the level's first third, they can't hurt you but they're just.. there.
  • There are no enemies in the level.
  • The Clocktower has no gears or platforms inside of it, so the level ends there if you don't have debug mode.
  • There are buttons to open doors in place of what are supposed to be puzzles.

Rooftop Run Night Act 2

• The game immediately crashes the second the player takes a step forward.
  • You are able to pan the camera around briefly, however.
• The stage seems to just have incomplete SET data from what's able to be gleamed.