Sonic and the Secret Rings

by Sega Of America, Inc.

Product Features

• 1-4 Player
• 100 missions set in a scorching desert, a prehistoric jungle and more.
• Fun interactive environments featuring catapults, magic carpets and flying pots.
• 40 Party Games including Sonic and his friends

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000IONGVI
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 6.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 4, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,397 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #32 in Video Games > Wii > Action
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

THE LAND OF MYSTERY MEETS THE LEGEND OF SPEED. Sonic races through the exotic world of the Arabian Nights to harness the awesome power of the secret rings before they fall into the hands of the evil genie, Erazor! The blue dude is unstoppable with the new ability to slow time and boost forward faster than ever, but he's never gone up against a genie before!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So much packed into a $30 game!!, February 3, 2008

By 

L. Lumsden - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Sonic and the Secret Rings (Video Game)

In reading reviews to avoid repeating the same sentiments -- I was befuddled by the negative reviews. This game is so much fun and is always building on itself, that I anticipate it to continue to be my favorite game for some time. Why spend $50 on a game that can be broken in one weekend? The only thing I can figure is the negative reviews are from hard-core gamers, which I certainly am not. I got the Wii for Xmas 07 and previously had only had the Atari 2600 in the 80's. (clue as to why the reviews of the hair band sound track doesn't bother me)

People should post what level they have gotten to and how much time they have given to a game. I've had it for a month and have gotten the 3rd Dinosaur level unlocked. I didn't play for about a week and had to revisit some of the Prologue to get back in the groove. Which I think is awesome. The game is still fresh. I think it's amazing how much they've packed into one disk. So many levels, so many skills.

Why does anyone care about the quality of the story? Buy a novel if you want a good read. And the graphics...I'm too concentrated on the skills to reach the goal, making medal level time, and finding fire souls to notice how many pixels are used to build the fires.

I recommend reading C. Alfaro "Teo" 's review for an in depth review of the game.

And if that wasn't enough for $30, you get bonus party games that are a like getting a whole other disk. Way more variety than "Carnival". And contrary to another reviewer, yes you can choose the games you prefer in the "library". More party games are unlocked as you beat more levels in the main game.

Yes, the Prologue is mandatory, but it has a purpose. You have to learn how to use the remote to make the future games enjoyable. And the games there are still fun. I've returned back to beat the clock and earn a medal. (The table of contents keeps track of medals won, fire souls found). So if you rent first -- you should give it a fair chance. (In comparison, I found the mandatory start up in Boogie and Play to be far more annoying).

I recommend disconnecting the wrist strap for comfort (yes, shame on me, but your not going to fling the remote it's used more like a game pad [party games however do use more of the Wii movement, so put the wrist strap back on]). The + will get you past the story book. Yes, jumping is on the release of 2, that is because the length of depressing 2 determines the strength of the jump (read the CD insert). You need to press the directional up to last longer while fighting multiple enemies. Equip your ring with as many possible skill points as you earn them. Read the skills -- several reviewers mention slowness, but there is a skill to get a burst of speed when the count down is at one. You will eventually earn the skill to resume speed after losing it to rugged terrain. The directional up gives Sonic his burst of speed. Later on when you earn skills like faster breaking and smoother grinding, you can return to previous beaten screens for faster times or more points.

55 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars How Sonic got most of his groove back., February 26, 2007

By 

Cale E. Reneau "audiooverflow.com" (Conroe, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

= Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Sonic and the Secret Rings (Video Game)

Call me crazy, call me a fan of deep gameplay, but I've just never understood this whole Sonic the Hedgehog hullaballoo. Back when Sonic made his console debut in the early 90s he immediately separated himself from his biggest competitor, a chubby plumber, and in doing so, set himself apart as the "cool" console mascot. And cool he was. While Mario was busy breaking bricks and lollygagging his way through pipes, Sonic was flying through worlds with ease, doing all sorts of cool tricks in the process. However, what Mario lacked in "coolness" he always made up for with deep, addictive gameplay. Sonic was cool, yeah, but when it came down to the quality of the gaming experience, he just never could gain ground on that chubby guy.

This flaw of Sonic followed him into the 3D era as well. The arrival of the Sega Dreamcast brought Sonic fans the Sonic Adventure series, which often slowed down the speedy hedgehog in favor of more traditional 3D platforming. In a way, it worked. But this was Sonic, and you can't very well have Sonic and not have speed! So Sonic the Hedgehog has been in sort of a drought over the better part of a decade, trying his best to keep up in his old age. Often plagued by poor camera control and even poorer character control, Sega's mascot is no longer the poster child for "cool" gaming, but the perfect example of what a video game shouldn't be.

The light at the end of the tunnel for Sonic was supposed to be his latest adventure, Sonic and the Secret Rings, and at first look, it seems like a pretty solid idea. Bring Sonic back to his roots, make him fast, recreate the 2D Sonic experience in 3D. So the folks over at Sega have Sonic constantly moving in this game along a set path, the player steers him left and right by tilting the Wii remote accordingly. To jump, simply hit the 2 button. Shove the remote forward mid-air to perform a homing attack (a gesture that really feels quite solid).

So far so good. Sonic is once again running through worlds, collecting rings and other valuables while blasting into enemies. But then the core flaw of Sonic the Hedgehog once again becomes apparant. The gameplay is still pretty shallow. Sega has tried to paint over this problem by allowing Sonic to gain experience points throughout his adventure, making him faster, stronger, and more cocky. Still, this is 2007. Running fast and collecting rings may have been compelling, or jaw dropping in 1991, but we've come to expect more from our games nowadays, especially when they're platformers. Sadly, Sonic and the Secret Rings does not recreate the excitement and experience of the traditional Sonic game, nor does it create a new experience to get excited about. It's simply disappointing.

However, from a visual standpoint, Sonic and the Secret Rings does not disappoint. You won't find the benefits of high definition gaming as you would Sonic's other current-generation endeavors. But what Sonic and the Secret Rings lacks in polish and shine, it makes up for in beauty and detail. The worlds that Sonic speeds through are beautifully and meticulously created, often giving players something to gawk at when the game slows its pace occasionally. Having played Sonic the Hedgehog on Xbox 360, I can safely say that Sonic and the Secret Rings is a much more satisfying game where both visuals and gameplay are concerned.

In the end, the gamers will decide if Sonic and the Secret Rings is a hit or a miss. Sonic fans of old may enjoy the new twist on the old gameplay, but fans who never really latched on to the series will most likely be disappointed again. Is it the best 3D Sonic game? It really depends on what you're looking for. As a traditional 3D platformer it fails, but in recreating the 2D world of Sonic in 3D it at least comes close. Sonic may not be as cool as he used to be, but at least he's trying.

6.0 Presentation
Menus and cutscenes are artistically created, and work in setting the environment of the world of the Arabian Nights. But the story is a little silly, and largely unnecessary.

8.9 Graphics
Some of the best graphics available on the Wii, and the level design is often meticulously crafted to enhance the experience.

4.9 Sound
The music in the game is worse than Excite Truck, but unfortunately the game does not offer the custom sountrack option. As always, Sonic is better when he's not talking, but he still won't shut up.

4.5 Gameplay
Going fast is fun for a while, but then it wears off. The game suffers from the same follies of the original Sonic games, with the added problem of going backwards which is neither intuitive nor fun.

6.0 Lasting Appeal
RPG fans may find some saving grace in the experience points, but the tacked-on party games are just lame and poorly presented.

6.2 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dont think, just run, March 18, 2007

By 

C. Alfaro "Teo" (Radcliff, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Sonic and the Secret Rings (Video Game)

I see a lot of bad reviews for the game and after reading them, I find a common problem at lot of players get aggrivated with and quit before the game gets a chance to show its merit. 2 of the reviews I found the user was actually playing the game wrong. I'd like to add that when reading reviews for a game, if the review is short, the user probably knows very little about the game. Take the time to read longer reviews.

The game is an interesting one though and it should always be remembered when playing, Sonic runs on his own; if you want to slow to avoid something, you are going to have to slow him down. Sonic is Built for speed, most problems in the game you can get through using such, very rarely does the game require you to stop and wait. However there is that occasion that you want to stop and readjust yourself, or backtrack for some loot; the Camera will not turn around you mostly have to just backtrack knowing what was there.

This gets into the control scheme, which is so simple, it was throwing many users off. The remote is held sideways, with the + button on the top.(Which incidentally is also the Start Button as well as how you skip Cut scenes; The book explains this people, read it, it has a LOT of game tips) To run, do NOTHING, Sonic will automatically accelerate to top speed; as well as this, the game is built in a track which you can very rarely veer off. This being known, Sonic turns most corners for you. By tilting the remote to the sides, you can make sonic move left and right no the track. He isnt walking left and right, but more "changing Lanes" which attributes the game to more a Racing feel, you need to remember that Sonic will always be moving forward. To back track, you must tip the controller far enough back, which is nearly upside-down. [2]button is slide and Jump. tapping it is a small hop, holding it will slide, then long jump when released. [1]button is your brakes, stopping sonic, even in mid jump. The only complex manuever is using the homing attack/air-dash; to do so, the player must 'thrust the controller forward.' I found this description very innacurate as there are in fact 3 ways to do this and get the same result, the players who read this can pick the best one for them: First there is the obvious, thrust the controller forward; I find this one uncomfortable as you often have to exagerate the movement. Second theres a flicking motion that works, let go of the remote wit the hand thats is
NOT strapped to it and simply flick it forward; this one is easy to do, but sometimes you get a wrist cramp. Last, and my personal favorite; flick the remote instead upwards then back down, just like flicking the reigns of a horse; I find this one works because its easy and reliable and gives Sonic his "giddy-up." Lastly, the D-Pad is eventually used for your super moves.

As you progress through gameplay, you'll accumulate experience and eventually levels, allowing access to those cool skills you saw in the teasers for the game. Such skills as Speed Break and Time Break, making your normal moves do damage, such as sliding and cancel jump, and lastly give boosting abilities to Sonic Manuevers, like smoother control, longer jumps, and easier execution. Any of these skill can be equipped through the skill rings once they are unlocked, however you only have so many Skill points and must choose your skills wisely. They can be changes any time between missions however.

Story wise, if you are a normal watch of anime or anything subbed. I first recomend that you go into the options and change the game to Japanese with subtitles. The Japanese Voice Actors sound a hell of a lot better and it usually makes for less agitating Cut Scenes. Yes, I did just say the cut scenes are agitating, but not always. After certain missions a cut scene will automatically play, this happens every time you beat the mission, even if you just go back to get a better time. Luckily, all these can be skipped by pressing the [+]button. The Story is represented through these Cut Scenes in a comic book style, representing Sonic Being in 1001 Arabian Nights, the setting for the game. Sonic, accompanied by Shahra the Genie must collect the 7 World Rings and stop the Erazor Djinn from destroying 1001 Arabian Nights and entering the real world. On the way he meets all heroes and legends from the book with some famillier faces as they help him on his way to stop Erazor Djinn and the beast he brings to life from the old stories. My first impression of the game story was not so good, I though the PS3 version had a much better game premise, but the more I played the more I got into the idea of the game and found myself more attracted to the idea of being in 1001 Arabian Nights. Many of the side characters and heroes from the tales are personified by Sonis's old friends. Tails as Alibaba, Knuckles as Sinbad, etc. and is met with some comical features too, such as the Erazor Djinn with a 'switch-blade' sword that looks to be an old shaving razor.

Gameplay itself is fast paced, as Sonic can get moving pretty quick, but you still get a chance to observer the beautiful surroundings. You'll meet several stages per world, some with new challenges than the other stages, others suspiciously simmilar to another stage in the same world, but with a completely differnt objective, giving plenty of mix to the game. Sometimes you'll need to beat the clock, other times you'll neet to collect 100 rings to beat 20 baddies. Sometimes its just ot make it through the level in one piece. No matter which way you play it, Sonic will give you a high speed ride through some fantastically beautiful worlds.

The only drawback to the game is the music score. Every level of each world is met by the same song per world. You'll also find you're quickly put off by the repetitive song played at the end of every stage or mission. I dont think the musoc score for the game had much thought put into it. My recomendation, turn off BGM and put some CD's in your stereo.

Overall, Many skeptics have blammed the game right off, though they refuse to commit to it to actually find out if it is any good. Finish the intro world (Last Prologue) and play through a couple real game stages, you'll get a much better feel for it. Also, relax, you dont need to drive Sonic on, remember, HE RUNS ON HIS OWN. You'll still need to guide him, but theres a reason that he always runs, and he always tried to get to top speed, he wouldn't be called 'Sonic' for any other reason if he wasen't made to go fast. So, ignore the 2 line reviews that say, oh I rented this game and it sucks. If you have a Wii, you can afford to try it for yourself, renting isnt that expensive, But if you keep this guide in mind, you'll find that you wont be dissapointed in your purchase.