Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) Review

Before I start this review, I have to confess something potentially shocking:

Despite owning all of the Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog classics,I have never completed any of them by myself. This is not to say thatI'm not hardcore - because I am - but it is to say that I have personalqualms with the series, and always have. I have felt for years that thegames simply don't allow the player total control. For games whichthrive on split-second reactions, your character is simply tooHeavy--feeling. Sonic never felt any different than Mario in handling -he was just faster.

Fast-forward to a month ago. In the years past I've played manySonic games and felt that none rose above Mediocre in quality. I'vebeen following Secret Rings since it was entitled Sonic Wildfire, withrapidly increasing interest. I wasn't letting my guard down, though;this was one slippery hedgehog. Intrigued by positive reviews, I put myreservations aside and plunk down a couple of games to make use of themodern-day barter system we call the Game Exchange. I walk out withsuspicion and just a hint of glee in a bag emblazoned with twoobnoxious red letters.

I get home, do my chores, and head downstairs to utilize theawesomeness of my sleek Wii [pun absolutely not intended]. I slide thedisc in and play for 2 and a half hours. I have fun.

Repeat: I have FUN. This was the one thing I was really concernedabout with the game. In past Sonic titles, I've felt quite restricted,and while that issue hasn't been totally resolved with this title, aclear series of lightning-quick steps has been made in the rightdirection. Let's get to the nitty-gritty.

Inthis game, you move Really, Really Fast. You start out just Fast, thenNotably Fast, then Really Fast, and finally, you move Really, ReallyFast. Most of the time, though not always, you have total control overSonic T. Hedgehog. As you progress, you get faster, as you get faster,it becomes harder to avoid obstacles before you become the Blue BerryPancake. Never fear, though, because as your speed increases, you gainmore options to augment your control, stability and abilities. Theserange from simple things like quicker stability times after an attack,to incredibly complex and somewhat confusing new abilities.

I think the main fault is how the new abilities are presented.While navigating the disorienting, overly complex menus, you can visitany of 7 worlds, and one tutorial stage. This “Lost Prologue,” as it’scalled, accustoms the player to the controls in several boringpreliminary skill tryouts. Once you pass the bar, and move onto themuch more enthralling main game, you’ll be invited back to the LostPrologue periodically. Every time you acquire a new ability, a newstage will open up. But there’s really very little reason to re-visitthese stages, as the game can technically be completed 100% withoutyour continued appearance in the Lost Prologue.

Gameplay, like I’ve been saying, is at the core of your enjoymenthere. It’s actually hard for me to elaborate on the actual control, asthe game moves so fast and is just so damned enjoyable that it’s hardto notice if what you’re actually doing is affecting the onscreenaction. Of course, I kid, and it really does feel intuitive, tiltingthe Wii Remote left and right to strafe and hitting the 2 Button tojump. That the best Sonic game ever uses essentially one button for 90%of all the gameplay is a testament to the effect of dynamic gamedesign. In fact, it makes you love the Wii even more than you probablyalready do, playing this game. The inclusion of Prince of Persia-styletime warping really doesn’t hurt matters, but as speeding up time onanything other than a direct straight-away is madness and slowing downtime is only really used effectively at maybe five points in the game,it seems unnecessary.

Thevisuals are, far and away, the best on the Wii. Even in the earlystages, particle effects and environments look stylized, colorful andgorgeous. It really does make you question all those nay-sayers whoattest to the Wii’s graphical inabilities. To say this would look muchbetter on the 360 is definitely questionable.

While the story is mainly told in stylized (and somewhat dull)cartoon stills, there are two cut scenes, which open and close thefinal stage, which push the limits of how next-gen storytelling can bepresented. While the disc space would obviously cop out if more ofthese sequences were implemented, these works of digital art trulystand out against even the beautiful in-game artwork. Gorgeous.

Now for a few grumbles. With all of this constant forward motion,Sonic Team would be hard-pressed to figure an effective manner ofbackwards motion. I mean, who would need it, right? Well, sadly, it isneeded. Sometimes you’ll miss a crucial power-up and have to backtrack,but it’s harder than it should be to come to a complete stop and hopbackwards. You almost have to trick your wrist muscles to do it, asthey’re at this point totally accustomed to being immobile and twistedforward. Pulling back is really quite tricky, especially when Sonicseems to hop forward after every backwards skip, and you have to resetyour motion. It’s a definite oversight, and the title would have mostlikely been close to perfect without it.

Anothergripe is the sound design. While kids will love the punky voice work,it seems pretty archaic to one who’s used to more mature stuff. Ofcourse, the Wii is aimed at everybody, so this isn’t the major worry inthis department. No, that would be the “Theme Song.” This irritatingmix of grunge and crap almost makes you want to turn the sound offwhile navigating the menus or after completing a stage. These one ortwo examples of repetitive, awful soundtrack choices really detractfrom an otherwise stellar selection of rhythmic tunes during gameplay.

All in all, what he have, here is an excellent launch window title.In fact, it’s the best Sonic Team-developed title in years, andperfectly utilizes the Wii’s capabilities in simplistic, intuitivecontrol. The system-headlining visuals and – mostly – cool techno scoreonly add to what would be an otherwise great game. Minor qualms aside,if this is what we’ll be able to consistently expect from Sega on theWii, then I would actually advise Nintendo to strike an exclusivepartnership with their one-time rival. Don’t let any of the Blue Blur’spast missteps dissuade you – if you have a Wii, you want this game.