Sonic the Hedgehog

From its incongruous RPG-style leveling up to its endless recycling of levels to its utterly ridiculous Arabian Nights-themed story, Sonic and the Secret Rings feels horribly padded from top to bottom. To top it off, the sloppy controls make the game way harder than it should be. There might be a serviceable game buried somewhere in here, but I don't think it's worth anyone's time to try and find it.

Game Description: Sonic brings his trademark speed and attitude to the Wii in his first solo adventure since 1991. In Sonic and the Secret Rings, Sonic finds himself in the colorful and vibrant world of the Arabian Nights tales. There he embarks on his most outrageous journey to date through an expansive 3D world brought to life with realistic water reflections, light bloom, and lifelike physics. Sonic and the Secret Rings makes custom use of the innovative Wii remote to create a truly immersive gaming experience.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Cartoon Violence

Sonic Gems Collection basically dares its audience to ask one question: does merely being old qualify a game for 'classic' status, or did the game have to be good in the first place? Sonic Gems offers three previously unrereleased Sonic games, as well as eight other 'bonus' titles, bringing the grand total up to 11. This shotgun approach is actually the secret of the title's success, because while the three marquee titles are a bit of a letdown, a few of the lesser titles are interesting and fun enough to make the game worthy of a look.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Cartoon Violence

Game Description: Sonic Gems Collection gives old-school Sonic fans, collectors and newcomers a reason to rejoice! This full collection of classic Sonic games compiles all the most popular games featuring Sonic The Hedgehog. On top of that, there are other classic Sonic games hidden throughout the disc. See if you can unlock them for even more great arcade action!

As a critic, I don't like to admit that I'm wrong but I can, and do. Still, that doesn't mean I like it. Naturally, I try to be wrong as little as possible—but today, I need to 'fess up big-time. See, I used to think Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg was a bad Sega game, but that was only until I played Sonic Heroes. Now, I see lil' Billy as a virtual masterpiece by comparison, practically the digital equivalent of a Guernica, or Starry Night. Why? Because Sonic Heroes has so much wrong with it, that three lefts couldn't make it right.

Although this Sonic update has good ideas, they are sadly bogged down by the game's implementation, which features a wonky camera, faulty collision detection and questionable physics. I felt like the developers started out with a vision or goal for the game, but got lost along the way.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Mild Fantasy Violence

Game Description: Sonic Heroes takes you blazing through a world of great adventure! Use multiple teams and formations to conquer the ultimate hero, once and for all.