GWN has some info direct from the March 2007 Nintendo Power. Concerning Sonic and the Secret Rings:
“Originally, we were going to produce Sonic the Hedgehog, the game we did for Xbox 360, on all platforms, including Wii. But after we looked at the Wii remote and the features of the controller, we decided to produce a new, completely different Sonic title for the systemâ€â€¦one stage you’ll be exploring a wreckage of a pirate ship on a storm sea, another an ancient ruins with giant flying beasts.
The game features No Treasure Hunting (Sonic is the only playable character), No Wonky Camera, No Brooding Anti-Hero, No Guns and No dim-witted obese felines. NP says it would be misleading to think it’s a game on rails as it serves some platforming as you can jump with the 2 button, physically moving Wiimote to launch him at enemies etc. 1 Button allows you to slow down/hit the breaks.
Swing through ropes by swinging the remote back and forth, take a magic carpet ride by tilting the remote and fire Sonic from a catapult (twist remote toward you then snapping forward to fly). The finale of each level includes impressive boss battles, one of the bosses is described as a “hulking metallic monstrosity†which comes out of a pool of molten steel (Sonic runs around a circular walkway during boss battles). Ogawa continues “When we started thinking about it, the system was still called the Revolution. So we thought we should revolutionize Sonic. I wanted to do something people haven’t seen in previous Sonic titles.â€
The tale begins when Shahra, a genie, appears before Sonic warning him of the Erazor Djinn who is absorbing the power of The Arabian Nights and causing pages to disappear and legend has it that the one who can defeat him is a blue hedgehog. So Sonic agrees to save it and gets transported into the storybook. Cutscenes are done in sketchbook presentation, levels based on different stories, Knuckles appears in the game as Sinbad, Tails as Ali Baba and Dr. Eggman returns as the king of Persia. The “secret rings†possess power in the world of Arabian Nights and there are seven of them throughout the game that you need to collect to see the “true†ending of the game. Nintendo Power describes it as it feeling like “Kingdom Heartsâ€.
100 RPG-like Skills can be learned. Earn powers like extended range for homing attack, ability to move quickly from left to right, and a ground pound. You must equip skills. Sonic gains experience based on your score in order to level up and earn skill points. Tons of secrets are in the game that must be used with a certain skill. Leveling up allows Sonic to have super powers like Speed Break (super fast speeds with blur) and Time Break (Matrix style). Sonic hosts 8 stages with 12 missions each with different stipulations. You don’t have to play every mission, but it is better too in order gain more skills including a “special book†that includes bonus features in the game like concept art, history of Sonic etc.
Complementing the game is a set of 40 mini-games with up to four-players. Minigames include musical violin (you actually perform it with the Wiimote like a violin) to Genie’s Lair, a “open the right chest to find a coin.â€
And concerning Super Paper Mario:
“Mario finds himself in the interdimensional town of flipside as a black hole looms overhead along with floating math equations. You have to use the controller sideways moving the control pad and jumping with the 2 button (OLD SCHOOL!).
A button allows you to switch from 2D to 3D and later in the game you’ll encounter creatures called Pixls that will give Mario new abilities that make an interesting use of the Wiimote. Tippy (a butterfly) allows you to search areas for secrets, you can point the Wiimote at the screen to spotlight hidden doors or learn info about the enemy. When you jump on an enemy, if you shake the Wiimote you can gain extra points.”
