Sonic and the Secret Rings

The Good
It's been a long time in saying this, but Sonic has finally returned to his roots. Gone are the exploration elements and multiple characters, Sonic returns to straightforward "I want to go fast" gameplay where everything focuses on speed and moving forward. The return to this simplicity is a thankful sigh of relief, and the first step in the right direction for the series in a very long time. The supporting cast is there, but they remain in the background, and are reintroduced in a fun way that relates to the "Arabian Nights" theme of the story.

There are two aspects that really stand out in the Wii Sonic: The graphics and the control scheme. From the first time the CG intro plays, to the blinding speed Sonic tears through levels with all the various stages, it's a real step forward to see a Wii game that is neither a tech demo or a game that was intended for/ported over from the Gamecube. It's a very pretty game with lots of animation, and looks more like a classic Sega game than any that have come to recent memory in a while. To note for graphics enthusiasts, the CG intro is beautiful.

The controls are another surprising factor. With the newness of the Wii, it's hard to tell which games are going to get a "novelty" control scheme without really doing anything that relates to or changes gameplay, or offer something that's truly different. Sonic actually makes good use of the Wiimote. The game feels a bit like a racing game, and though the control scheme sounds daunting in execution, it becomes quite intuitive after a few plays. The control scheme ends up making sense for how they chose to do something that could have been a total bust, but it works.

As mentioned above, it's just simply refreshing to see a Sonic game focus on its title character, and not push him to the background. Sonic runs. That what set him apart from Mario. This game finally allows players to run again. It's disturbing to think how long Sega actually pushed that feature to the back burner, and equally as disorienting to have it back again. But don't mistake my comments for not appreciating that it is. They also introduce a "level up" factor that gives you experience points based how well you perform, so it gives players incentive to go back and redo levels in order to have better control over Sonic.

The Bad
The controls, while unique and responsive, has a small problem of not doing what you think it should do at times. It works a lot more than it doesn't, but there are just moments where you don't feel in control of what should have happened.

That in itself has always been a point of contention in the Sonic series. Those moments where you don't feel in control. With this game, it's those moments where you feel trapped on "rails" and are along for the ride, but you can break free of the "rail" pretty easily, and equally put yourself back on, so it's bearable. There are also those moments of going so fast to where you're not feeling like you're doing anything but watching, praying that when it ends, you'll land in a safe spot. But all Sonics have these moments.

Musically, the game is a mixed bag. Some of the tunes are really appropriate, while others.... Sega needs to stop with the "rock" tunes for Sonic. I think of those great and memorable tunes from the earlier games, versus how they try to "rock out" Sonic, and these themes don't feel like part of the world, being just simply "there". Same for the voice acting. It's simplistic, but the main voice I haven't liked is the main villains.

The cut-scenes are a disappointment after the CG intro. I would have liked to have seen something more than storybook pictures with full animation, but in an artistic way the style chosen for the intermissions blend in with the story ideas.

The mission layouts are another things I'm not sure if I liked. They do offer a sizable amount of variety within each mission, but with such a large step in the right direction with returning to Sonic's roots, perhaps I would have enjoyed a more linear experience instead of having to revisit sections of the worlds.

The Bottom Line
To be perfectly honest, it's been a long time since a Sonic game has actually "done" anything for me. Sure, there was Sonic 1 and 2, CD, and the first Sonic Adventure, but the franchise came out with too many sequels to quickly in the beginning, and then in the 3D versions, deviated from what made Sonic games fun in the first place. By the time the gun-toting Shadow the Hedgehog came out, I was ready to walk away from the series altogether.

And then Sonic and the Secret Rings appeared.

It's a good step for the series. A good step back, but much like the gameplay itself, the Sonic franchise needed to return to its "rails". This is probably the most fun I've had with Sonic since the four above-listed titles. Sonic Team has scraped away all the garbage from the Sonic series and left this entry where it should be. Fast and fun with Sonic as the hero of the story.

For a Sonic game, it's one of the best titles in recent years. For a Wii game, it's beautiful, and finally looks like a game designed with the new system's capabilities in mind. This is the most fun I've had with a Wii game since Zelda and Wario Ware.

Recommended for Sonic fans, platformer fans or someone looking for the next really impressive Wii title.