A roller coaster, in terms of speed AND quality.
The average yarn found a Sonic game is never expected to push the boundary of videogame narrative, but Secret Rings' storyline is exceptionally bad. Somehow, Sonic has been transported into the world of the story of the Arabian Nights, and soon discovers that the world is in peril from an evil fellow called the "Erazor Djinn" who is trying to collect the seven world rings to destroy the world. Along the way, Sonic will meet some familiar faces such as Eggman, Tails and Knuckles who appear as characters from the ancient tales. While the cameos may sound interesting on paper, in motion, the story fails in every way conceivable. Bad voice acting, horrid script and a jumbled and messy timeline create a confused and incredibly hard to follow storyline.
While the gameplay isn't as bad as the story, it is still very patchy. Sonic and the Secret Rings fully integrates the Wiimote for every action needed. In order to move Sonic from left to right, the Wiimote is tilted horizontally in the desired direction. Sometimes, in a somewhat idiosyncratic nature to the Sonic franchise, Sonic will have to stop or even reverse, and this is done by tilting the Wiimote backwards. Sonic can also perform charged jumps, speed boosts, attack jumps and various other manoeuvres, but these usually have to be bought with the experience gained during missions. It seems however that Sega got a bit carried away with this system, and nearly completely crippled Sonic thanks to it. You see, to make Sonic go even faster, you have to buy an application after playing for a bit. Doesn't that seem a little odd? Having to wait around for ages to get Sonic to be fast?
When Sonic does eventually get up to speed is when the game truly shines for a short while, and the game is good fun when you're just speeding along, discovering a new level, with no worries, and just simply enjoying yourself like you did with the original Sonic on the Megadrive. Soon though, you are dragged straight back down to Earth thanks to even more issues with the gameplay. The aforementioned controls have a nasty habit of only working when they want to, and the game only has seven different levels, which can all be done within a few minutes each; it's just that you are forced to play the same levels dozens of time performing many menial tasks. The camera can also be a huge issue when Sonic is reversing, leading to many an unnecessary death.
Sonic is however proficient at all times in one department: presentation. Secret Rings is the owner of a constantly smooth frame rate, which really helps to give the game a sense of speed which other 3D Sonic outings have lacked. Character models are well done, and the levels which Sonic speeds through are varied and vibrant.
While Sonic's visuals are a definite step up from most Wii games, the same can't be said in any regard to the game's soundtrack. Sonic's voice is still as irritating as ever, but what really grinds on your nerves after about 20 seconds is the absolutely atrocious song list that Sega compiled for Secret Rings. The entire compilation of music is an uneasy mix of rock, dance and rap, and with some of the worst lyrics seen this side of the Spice Girls. There is one song however that will haunt you forever, as Sega thought it would be fun for gamers playing Secret Rings to hear after every single mission, and during the menus, and whenever you're not actually playing. The song, which is known by some as "Make believe some noise", will make you sick after the first time you've heard it.
Sonic is also a short game, and its very mixed nature means that all the extra missions which aren't needed, go to waste, as there's no desire left in you to carry on for more time than you absolutely must. The main game is only about 6 hours long, but that's plenty once you're done with it. There is also a poor Mario Party clone tacked on to add a multiplayer mode, but you would be advised to stay well away from it if you value your friends.
Closing Comments: Sonic and the Secret Rings is an incredibly mixed bag. While it can be great fun once it gets going, getting to that cherished speed which the series was once famous for is a painful process which will leave you with more than a few scars.