![]() ![]() There is also an experience point system that is entirely out of place. The game is lacking linearity where it could use some – since you're unlocking everything out of order, often you have to go back to the early stages to play a mission you missed before you can progress. It's a really sadistic level that you may have to play many times before completing. ![]() It also just so happens that in this level gaining rings is your top priority. It is also hard to actually hit the pads, and if you miss a few of them, the Triceratops will trample you. The camera is often looking in the wrong direction, or at an awkward angle that confuses your left/right movement. The problem is that Sonic Team has attempted to create a cinematic dinosaur chase that is shown from many different angles but, for simple gameplay purposes, I need to see where I'm going. One early level puts Sonic in front of a pack of raging Triceratops, and he must hit as many of the familiar “speed pads" as he can to avoid them. Some of these levels are inadvertently fun, but they're few and far between. It must be said that the level design does not reach Shadow the Hedgehog's heinous heights. It is also awkward in general to have 3-D movement controls intact while playing from a 2-D perspective. It is awkward when Sonic stops in one of these areas so you can have complete control over his movement, then once he is past a specific obstacle will begin running automatically again. Other times, the levels will have long side scrolling portions where you must inch yourself left and right to avoid spikes and jump over barricades. The on-rails concept just doesn't fit the exploration necessary in this level. One area has you transporting dinosaur eggs to their appropriate nests, but since there are many branched paths, you have to loop around the level just finding the darn eggs before you can go on a hunt for the nests. These obstacles range from simple obstructions to groups of enemies that must be defeated or puzzles that must be solved. Replicating the main mistake of Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Team has put too many obstacles in the way of Sonic as he attempts to zoom through a level at high speed. Where Secret Rings really falls apart is in level design. Sonic Team wanted the game to be fast paced, but why did they make Sonic's attacks so slow? There's never enough time to dodge, jump, or attack. This means that whenever something unexpected shows up in the levels, you will die. Two, you must be in the air for a certain amount of time before you actually “lock on." If you are running at full speed towards a gap and see an enemy at the last minute, you are likely to jump, performing your homing attack without locking on, and fall to your death. There are two problems here: one, it takes too long to jump. Also, homing attacks can only be performed after jumping, and you must “lock on" to an enemy to perform them. Even a quick tap of the jump button has a delayed reaction, and jumping overall slows Sonic down. Jumping is a different matter: holding down the jump button causes Sonic to grind, and only upon releasing does he jump, causing a delay. Moving left and right with the Wii Remote is a fine feature, and I hope Sonic Team uses it again. The control system isn't awful, although it is quirky. ![]() While jumping, the player can thrust the Wii Remote forward to perform a homing attack on a nearby enemy. Players can also make Sonic jump, stop, and move backwards. Sonic moves forward automatically while the player moves him left and right by tilting the Wii Remote, similar to Excite Truck. Secret Rings main innovation is quite welcome: no longer do we have open, 3-D levels that Sonic must roam about, but rather there are linear levels that Sonic progresses through on a track. ![]() I'm really surprised that Sega was able to screw this up. Like those games, Secret Rings revels in gameplay features that bastardize Sonic and have nothing to do with the core concept of his original 16-bit games. While the basic game design seems to be revolutionary for Sonic, the game itself makes no apprehensions about existing in the same realm as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360 and PS3, and Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic and the Secret Rings is miles ahead of the crew of hedgehog miscarriages that Sonic Team and Sega have turned out over the past several years, but this is unfortunately not enough to save the game from falling into some of the same traps as its older brothers. ![]()
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