After nearly sixteen years since it first hit the shelves in November 2008, Sonic Unleashed has finally made its way to PC with a native port known as Unleashed Recompiled. This exciting development is thanks to dedicated fans and their efforts in creating the XenonRecomp and XenosRecomp tools. These tools have paved the way for converting PowerPC code and Xenos shaders into x86 PC-compatible C++ and HLSL code, making this port possible.
What makes this even more thrilling is that theoretically, any Xbox 360 game could now be recompiled for a native PC port, including those titles currently unsupported by modern Xbox Backward Compatibility. It’s a real game-changer, liberating several games from the past and offering an expanded horizon for modding enthusiasts. If this feels like déjà vu, you’re not mistaken; similar projects have led to the development of Zelda 64: Recompiled and N64: Recompiled, both of which we’ve previously discussed.
Focusing on Sonic Unleashed, one might wonder what motivated fans to develop a native PC port before Sega managed to do so. The reality is, Sonic Unleashed has been a much-desired target for the Sonic modding community on PC. Mods like the Unleashed Project have attempted to bring the game’s best elements, especially the adrenaline-pumping Daytime stages, into Sonic Generations on PC. Before the advent of Xbox Series S/X Backward Compatibility and FPS Boost features, modding Generations was the only way to experience these stages smoothly at 60 FPS. The original hardware often struggled to maintain even 30 FPS due to the game’s hefty levels and impressive graphical elements such as full Global Illumination, albeit pre-baked and not as sophisticated as today’s RTGI.
Recently, emulators like Xenia for Xbox 360 and RPCS3 for PlayStation 3 have made significant strides, allowing players to experience the full game on PC, though with some performance hiccups compared to mods for Generations due to the demands of emulation.
Now, with Unleashed Recompiled, Sonic Unleashed fans can enjoy the game optimized for modern systems. The port, built on the foundation of Xenia’s emulation progress, is more accessible for PCs and comes packed with features like uncapped resolution support and adjustable graphics settings. Notably, it even includes unique extras such as “Music Attenuation,” which mutes in-game music when you’re listening to something else. While you can max out the frame rate beyond 60 FPS, be cautious of potential physics issues. Using tools like Lossless Scaling or your GPU’s Frame Generation feature can help maintain performance at higher frame rates.
As a word of advice, if you’re planning to dive into Unleashed Recompiled or start your own Xbox 360 recompilations, make sure you legally own the Xbox 360 games and necessary DLCs. This approach is crucial for any project even remotely connected to emulation. Given that Unleashed Recompiled supports elaborate graphics and gameplay mods such as the Foreign Input System and Improved Progression via HedgeModManager, the choice of playing Xbox 360 games on PC has never been more enticing.
Sonic Unleashed, welcome to the PC world — we’ve been eagerly anticipating your arrival.
