Sonic the Hedgehog has had a rough few years. His Sega Genesis glory days are long gone and his 3D adventures have been met with, at best, mixed reviews (and, at worst, rabid anger or dismal disappointment). The Nintendo Wii's unique controller offers new opportunities for our hero, however, and Sega has decided to take the blue blur in a new direction in Sonic and the Secret Rings. Motion controls rule the day in what has to be Sonic's most enjoyable adventure in a very long time.

Features

• Sonic the Hedgehog speeds onto the Wii to face a new enemy


• Steer Sonic through several worlds of adventure based on the tales of the Arabian Nights


• Upgrade Sonic's abilities with the experience point system


• Party Mode provides a few small multiplayer challenges


• Only for Nintendo Wii

Eggman's Day Off
Taking a step back from the ongoing battle with Dr. Eggman, Sonic awakens one morning in his home to find himself the new master of a djinn ripped straight out of the famous Arabian Nights tales. The djinn, Shahra, explains that she has come in search of the legendary blue hedgehog who is destined to save the stories from total destruction. One of the Arabian Nights characters, the Erazor Djinn, has grown weary of causing trouble inside a mere book and is now in the process of erasing the stories in the book. If he succeeds then not only will the world and inhabitants of the Arabian Nights cease to exist, but the Erazor Djinn will be able to cross over into the real world to cause all sorts of horrible trouble. Sonic takes on Shahra's request to save the tales, sending him into the book itself to fight the Erazor Djinn and his minions.

Sonic and the Secret Rings plays much differently than previous Sonic the Hedgehog titles. There is no free-roaming overworld, no tiny platforms to navigate, and no poorly-implemented camera to block one's view of hazards and obstacles. Instead the game plays much like a major expansion on the bonus stages from the classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in that the camera follows behind Sonic automatically outside of the player's control (alternatively, one could consider it to be a platformer version of Star Fox 64). Sonic himself is always on the move, running forwards without the need for holding down a button or the control pad. Players must steer Sonic to the left and right by tilting the Wii remote from side to side. Pressing the 1 Button causes Sonic to skid to a temporary stop until released (useful for waiting for certain obstacles to move out of the way), while the 2 Button slows Sonic into a skid while held and, when released, allows Sonic to jump. The longer the button is held, the higher Sonic will leap. Pressing the 1 or 2 Button while in the air causes Sonic to drop straight down, cutting a jump short.

While in the air there are times when targets appear on nearby enemies. By giving the Wii remote a sharp shove forward Sonic will pull off a new variation on his familiar homing attack, allowing him to automatically zero in on foes or springs and bop them silly. The grinding ability introduced in Sonic Adventure 2 also returns here, as Sonic will grind down a poll automatically if he lands on one. If Sonic races past an object of importance he cannot go back for it directly, but one can cause him to backstep slightly for a few moments by tilting the Wii remote backwards towards the player. Note that the camera angle will not change when Sonic shifts into reverse. Players still see what is ahead of our hero even though he is stepping backwards for the moment. Most other moves are handled by tilting the Wii remote, such as crawling along a narrow ledge (tilt left or right) and being hurled across terrain with a catapult (slowly tilt the Wii remote back, then tilt forward quickly to simulate the motion of launching an object with a catapult).



In the great Mega Man tradition Sonic beings Secret Rings without some of his traditional abilities. Sure, he can run right from the start, but not very fast. He can turn, but not very quickly. This may put off some prospective players from taking up the game, but luckily as Sonic progresses through the world of the Arabian Nights he earns experience points for completing various tasks. These points accumulate until a new ability is unlocked. For example, some of the new abilities to be earned include a mini turbo boost at the start of each level, a flame attack for use when backstepping, and a few bonus rings with which to start each level. Other abilities are merely upgrades for Sonic's existing move list, such as being able to accelerate faster or make smoother turns. These abilities must be turned on and off between levels as needed. The catch is that each ability costs a certain number of skill points. For instance, if an ability costs four skill points to use and the player only has three points available, then the ability is not available for use unless Sonic either earns more skill points (accumulating with experience points, natch) or abilities are disabled. There are four slots for customizing groups of abilities so that players can set up an ability set (known as skill rings) and save it for future use. If a player wants an emphasis on speed then a skill ring could be set for the improved acceleration and mini turbo abilities. Rings can be customized and equipped between levels.