Published by: SEGA
Developed by: SEGA
Genre: Platformer
Number of Players: 1-4
Release Date: February 20, 2007

The last original 3D Sonic game, that was called good, was back in 2001 with Sonic Adventure 2. After that it has been a down ward spiral for our speedy friend. But now, Sega is trying to put the hedgehog back on his feet with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Can he get back in the race, or is the Sonic franchise to far gone.

First, it must be noted that this game much different the Sonic other 3D outings. The story, being one of them. Sonic is called into the world of the Arabian Nights by the genie Sharah to stop the Erazor Djinn, who is erasing the stories of the book. The story is brought entirely of stills that resemble old parchment, and from time to time, Sonic's friends will make appearances as characters(such as Eggman as the King of Perisa). While the idea is defiantly original, it is ruined by the awful writing and the sub-par voice acting. Of course, it can be entertaining if you don't except much from the story.

But the real draw here is the game play. There's no free roaming here. Sonic is on a rail the entire game, and will only move forward(but he can back up a little bit), while dodging side to side, jumping and attacking. The game play is very simple, but allows you to maintain full control while Sonic runs at blazing speed, rather then just watching him go fast. You tilt the Wii remote side to side to turn. 2 to jump. 1 to break. Turn it upside down to back up(while stopped). And off course, push the remote down(or forward) to do a homing attack, which is actually quite fun. Sadly, it's not all perfect. Sometimes backing up can be a bit hard to do. Also, the controls aren't as tight as one may like, causing death from time to time(although, mostly face to walls), but the game makes up for it with loads of lives.

It's all about speed, and of course, sppedy gimicks, like the log surf, are in full force

The other new element, is Sonic goes all Final Fantasy, and levels up. With this, he gains Skill point and can equip abilities, like making him faster, adding rings and longer homing attacks. This add a bit more depth to the game, with some missions needing you to add or remove some skills. The best part is as you progress though the game, you can make your slow sluggish Sonic, into a super speedy fiend, and trust me, he gets fast.

As such, the game offers loads of replay value. Leveling Sonic will reward you with new skills, and more opportunities. Also, the game rewards you for almost everything you do. Collect fire souls, get Golds, get silvers, bet the story levels. Everything gives you something. Most are pages for the Special Book, which consists of sketches, music and videos. There is defiantly incentive to play, only problem is that not all the missions are winners.

The Graphics in the game are defiantly the best on the Wii yet. They are nice and neatly polished, and the worlds seem much larger then the rail you run on. While the story mode stills don't prove how good they are, the few kinematics will catch you off guard and blow you away, showing some power under the plastic hood.

While linear, the areas seem larger then they really are

The music in the game is good as well, just not Sonic Rush good. Most of the tracks are generic rock, but Arabian instruments are blend in to give it a little more heart. And, they music fits the game well. The bad news is that sucky 4Kids voices are here. While Sharah and Erazor Djinn are perfectly fine(save for bad writing) everyone else is sub-par at best. Thats 4Kids.

As an added bonus, a multi player mode is added in. The mode seems a bit separate from the main game. It plays out like Mario Party, with minigames and all. While they don't use the Wii remote in a lot of ways, they're still fun; however, Rayman and Wario have done it better. But, you can complain as there is 40 fully working minigames(no sensor bar F ups or anything) and is basically an extra, is great.

Closing Statements
After the abysmal Sonic for the 360/PS3, Sonic and The secret Rings is great. Finally, Sonic can move in 3D and it's fun. No glitches. No bad camera angles. No long loading times. Just Sonic going fast. While the level ups and extras and nice, we got pure Super Sonic speed. Even if the voice acting sucks
Overall: 4/5

Overall
Gameplay-While there is a high learning curve, and it's a bit slippery, it's still fast, and works 4/5
Graphics/Presentation-The Story is stylized, levels look wides and colorful, and the CG cinematic are amazing 5/5
Sound/Music-While a bit generic, the soundtrack is fast and works for the title. Doesn't mean the voice acting still doesn't suck 4/5
Longevity-Theres a lot of incentive to play again, but the missions may not always be replayable 4/5
Multiplayer-While there are better multiplayer games out there, the minigames work well, and are enjoyable 3.5/5

Pros
+Fast, fun Gameplay
+Loads of unlockables
+great graphics
+Level-up system adds more to gameplay

Cons
+Somewhat sloppy controls
+Bad Voice acting and Writing
+Some missions suck

Should I buy this
If you never really liked Sonic, then it may not be the best buy, but those who are looking for his signature speed will enjoy it. Also, if you enjoyed the Wii racing games, then you'll like this as well.