Sonic and the Secret Rings Hands-on
Sonic the Hedgehog is one of those franchises that gamers truly love, even while the individual games get consistently slammed in reviews. With the recent 3-D entries in the series, the overwhelming consensus is that Sonic has largely deviated from his 16-bit roots as a smack-talking speed demon. SEGA has added a whole cast of supporting characters to the mix, consequently placing the focus on timed platforming, combat, and exploration rather than on pure, unadulterated speed.
Sonic and the Secret Rings is the first Sonic title developed exclusively for the Wii. With this game, it is obvious that SEGA took all of these complaints about recent Sonic games to heart and devoted itself to creating a game that remained true to Sonic's roots, while at the same time making interesting use of the Wiimote. Sonic and the Secret Rings is set in an Arabian Nights-inspired setting, with Sonic and crew taking part in an epic quest, while tangling with mythical beasts and mysterious enemies. Of course, storyline has never been the strength of a Sonic game, and Sonic and the Secret Rings is absolutely no exception. While the storyline does serve to break up the level progression, it is far from being the focus of the game.
Full Article at IGN
