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Sonic Unleashed Speedruns : Game Reviewers Don't Have This Level Of Skill

Surfing online can find you some really great gameplay videos. Originally I recall finding videos of Guitar Hero / Rock Band songs being played on Expert difficulty, with players achieving high scores without missing a single note.

On nicovideo.jp we found a couple of videos of Sonic Unleashed Speedruns. Apparently some Japanese gamers couldn't wait for the release of the game in Japan (where it will be retitled 'Sonic World Adventure' - a more fitting name!), and they're already making videos of their incredible speedruns through the game's massive levels. Here are just a few of the more impressive ones we've seen:

Original source: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm5503340 Credit goes to the Japanese player who posted the video at the link provided.



This Empire City video is most impressive when you see how the player just drops down at point blank range on one of the rails to effectively shorten his trip around the level: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm5528074


Now this video below makes it look easy....it isn't! It's very easy to fall to your death in Spagonia Act 2: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm5445564




Another video: Chun-nan Act 3. Source: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm5383085



If game reviewers can't appreciate the depth of the gameplay in games like Sonic Unleashed, then why should we bother with their opinions? Are they gamers in the truest sense? Or are they just writers who happen to just write about games? Those are two completely different things. If game reviewers can't recognize great gameplay for what it is, they're doing an immense disservice to their intended audience.

I could much more easily get feedback about a game from reading on various messageboards online, and then come up with what I think is the right decision, rather than relying on a person paid to do the job of reviewing games. If these people can't cope with the number of games that they have to play on a daily basis (and, as if THAT kind of a job is really a JOB, jeez), then maybe they're better off writing for some other publication or online site.

Then again, judging from the writing skill of most gaming reviewers online, I doubt they'd get hired by mainstream media outlets anyway.

When game reviewers go too far:
"...characters and a world with a level of depth previously unseen in gaming and elevates its story from a mere shoot-em-up to an Oscar-caliber drama..."

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