This is a game that has been taken the wrong way due to the fact of being quite a bit in terms of its gameplay style to other Sonic titles. If you liked the changes done to sonic in Sonic and the Secret Rings then you should give this title at least a rent and it's also for those looking for a game focused on fast paced action, particularly one that involves a sword. It's not a disaster game as many thought it would be when they heard Sonic was going to have a sword, it's a great title to spent some time with but one that may not last you as long than expected.… Expand

Of course I give it a ten, who wouldn't? I mean, I miss the old Sonic adventures with the ring collecting and all that, but I mean, look at how amazing it has become. If you ask me, I think Sonic and the Black Knight stepped up the speedy hedgehog's rep

I like Sonic and the Black Knight. I always wondered what Sonic would be like if he had a sword with him. I don't know why people think it's a horrible game. I guess some people aren't even trying to play the game. Games are supposed to be challenging. You can't say you don't like the game if you haven't even given it a chance. Not all of the new Sonic games have to be similar to the old Sonic games. I'm glad there are some changes to the Sonic games. I don't think Sonic and the Black Knight is horrible at all.… Expand

Sonic and the Black Knight is an amazing game with a great story and fun gameplay. Honestly most of the people that rated it badly probably haven't actually played it, because what they complain about doesn't exist in the actual game. I can't see why any gamer (sonic fan or otherwise) wouldn't like this game!

I love this game. It's great, fun, and it's wifi mission with ranking, thats my favourite part. Oh. And if you need gameplay advice for Sonic ATBK you can email me. If you like adveture/action/speed/good-graphics/and like sonic Sonic ATBK is a game you should absolutely buy. My hm: granath_95@hotmail.com

I liked Chris' Comment, so I agree fully ... by the way: Most of the Magazines played through the normal campaign but didnt take themselves the time to face the later-on levels, which get really extremely hard and challenging. These levels are really well done. Make a rental, try yourself and realize, that this is a Top 10 Wii Game this year. Somehow sad, but true.

I think that this is a good stupendous game! Just because it has a few flaws doesn't mean it isn't worth buying. It's not SEGA's fault there all so many good games lately. Give Sonic and Sega time to land and get running on their feet again like the old days!!!!!1

I think this game is a great game to have i dont know why this game has been rated bad the gameplay is great sure the voice acting pretty bad but still a great game to have.

Okay, before I start this review, I want to make things clear. 1. People like this game, and other 3D Sonic games. Deal with it. 2. People hate this game, and other 3D Sonic games. Deal with it. 3. Sonic Cycle 2005-2006. It's 2009 and I'm sure that Sonic games have had mixed reactions every since. Okay, on to the review. Sonic and the Black Knight. Here we go! If there's one franchise that has suffered form opinion wars and trust issues, it's the Sonic series. With every game that was released, the opinion of them being good or bad is extremely mixed, often resulting into very violent results. No one can post their opinion without someone waiting to tear it apart these days. You have to enter at your own risk or not give a crap about it. This is where I step in. I have been playing Sonic games for years, and I have the same opinion for most of them. I like them. I think that they were blast to play and never question the reason to why I like them. Because at the end of the day, it comes down to one fact and one fact only: if you are having fun. Well I am proud to say that I enjoyed Sonic and the Black Knight. It fun, fast and provides more challenge than the famous belief of, 'Go forward to win.' This game is apart of the newly named SPIN-OFF series, the Sonic Storybook Series. In this SPIN-OFF series, Sonic ventures into classic stories, remade with a surprising twist involved. The mixed bag of love and hate, Sonic and the Secret Rings, had Sonic traveling through the world of the Arabian Nights. Sonic and the Black Knight send Sonic into the realm of King Arthur. He teams up with a young wizard named Merlina, granddaughter of Merlin, to stop the once noble now evil King, now known as the Black Knight. The twist is that he was corrupted by the scabbard of Excalibur, which made him immortal to any normal being. The only thing that could vanquish him is the witty-legendary sword, Cailburn, who takes the role as Sonic's tutor to become the knight skilled enough to take down him down. It's a different spin form the same King Arthur tale that has retold a million times. It an intriguing and simple story than anyone can understand. Not to mention that the quality in the voice acting is very well done, but the script can be cliché at times. Delivering one-liners like "Did you see my true power?". These do not take the majority of the game so it should not bother people much. Unless you want Sonic games sound like Macbeth and Oliver Twist. Much like Secret Rings, some familiar Sonic characters return as different alter-egos. Shadow takes the role of Sir Lancelot, Knuckles takes the role of Sir Gawain, Tails serves as the local blacksmith and then some. Everyone plays their part without overshadowing the star of the show. They help, play their roles, just as they should. Not just appearing for a sing and dance just to please fans. One thing that should please the fans is the quality of music. SatBK's musical score contains a mixed Celtic orchestral and classic Sonic rock. All weaved together to make an impressive sounding game. I will give props to Crush 40, Tommy Tallerico and everyone else for a job well done. Are you tired of Wii games that look like PS2 leftovers? Sonic and the Black Knight deliver very impressive Wii visuals with impressive lighting and texture detail. There is some sight to behold once you run across the field seeing ruins immerse in a large lake, fortress-like campsite or fungi infested forest; giving a more imaginative experience than just running into castles and war zone a millions times. Plus the story is told with very impressive woodcut sketchbook cutscenes. Okay, here is part that matters the most, the gameplay. It is fast pace in movement and combat. Sonic and companions are constantly on the move, slaughtering any foe that gets in the way. Like I said earlier, people usually say that Sonic games these days feel like your just moving in one direction to win. While it's true that the game is more guided than Unleashed, you're not just moving as fast as you can just by foot or jumping. This is where the game shines over the "Shadow the Hedgehog 2" theory. You will use the sword to slide down or scale walls, work as a rudder to help you slide down steep slopes and to save your blue butt when you come short on certain platforms. Yeah, loops and corkscrews are M.I.A., and would have been appreciated, but they would not contribute to making you feel more involved than running all day. So I did not see it as a huge deal that they were gone, considering that each level delivers its on share of acrobatic platforming action. Now the swordplay, don't stab me bro, worked well when I used it. Yes, it is waggle, but I have a belief to why waggle works better for some than others. You can wave the wii-mote with an exaggerated arm motion, steadily with the flick of the wrist, or like you're jacking off. One of these motions will react better than the other, so choose how you wield your weapon because I use the second choice. Waggle is like a button input, you have to know when to use it instead of just flinging your arm everywhere since the motion registers at the start of the move. Enemies are plenty and they come at you in great numbers. They will all go down with one hit, expect for the giants. Luckily, there are dumb as turkeys so slash them a couple of times and you're on your way. Now while slashing multiple bad guys is satisfying, how they operate can grain on the nerves. Sometime they will bunch up into a pile of attacking hitboxes, so you will hit one bad guy and possibly leave yourself open to another attack that you can not see. Also when you run into an enemy, they will push you back repeatedly, which can be annoying on cliffs, or knock you down and leave you wide open. Sure Sonic does have moves that can aid him before running into a pit of bad guys, but this could have been left out. Now here is one of Sonic and the Black Knight's best parts. While you are expected to fight enemies and talk to townspeople, you not required to do so unless it is the attended mission. You can skip pass them, expect the giants, and be one your way. The combat and interacting will help you gain more EXP points, but it is not needed to complete the story. The story only spans three to four hours. The missions themselves feel more different, instead of just chopped pieces of the "Race to the Goal' mission. Even though some of those missions still exist. Now if you want to go fast and rip through enemies like christmas presents. You might want to either learn the ropes of the game or use the Soul Surge. The Soul Surge is the mechanism that allows Sonic to dash through the level at high speed. If he encounters an enemy, flick the Wii-mote with good timing, to slash through them like butter and keep on running. The only downfall is that you must be careful when using it, or you might run right off of a cliff! After every mission, Sonic will level up, allowing him to move faster, strafe quicker, and fight better. And this works better than Secret Rings since Sonic Team did not break Sonic's legs at the start. So he runs at a comfortable speed at the start, and the level ups will not ruin any of his moves. You will be given a choice on what aspect of Sonic's moveset you want to improve. Knight style is the basic style, providing a balance between speed and attack; Paladin style focus more on attack strength and range, and Cavalier style is visa versa. Each style provided you with the same upgrade of attack moves. These attacks will take some time more time to get use to than the basic swordplay, and I would not recommend using them out of nowhere. If you are going to use these attacks, make sure you prepared to put it into action, or you will not be prepare to string them together. The bosses provide a challenge as well, but they are not as varied as Secret Rings. They are mostly sword duels, and that's it. Providing more moves to watch out for overtime. I will not lie that each one still feels engaging and requires you to be more on your toes as each fight passes. The game offers plenty of fan service. From Sonic swallowing down a chilidog to him reminiscing past events when certain obstacles are presented in front of him. There's one of those little touches that are always welcomed in a Sonic game. Not to mention the impressive number in unlockables, mission count, and gorgeous fan art gallery make the gamer fell more welcome, adding more replay value. You can also exchange items and weapons over wi-fi to get that special cleaver that you always wanted but were to lazy to get. Now thing that I can not support by any means is the multi-player. I know the Wii can be a fun multi-player device. Seriously, it is nothing more than an awkward battle arena where Sonic and his friends battle against each other or other enemies. The controls are different from the single-player, as character control in a weird tank motion. Moving pretty slow, making it feel tedious. Not to mention that you need a friend to join you because bots are non-existence. Honestly, this aspect should had been left out altogether, allowing more focus on the single-player. That could have made a fun game epic. HayMaker/DealBreaker This is the Haymaker/Dealbreaker part of the review. In this section, I will point out a couple of points that may be taken as hit or miss. This does not cover fanboy whining, music complaints or anything that affects all games in general. 1. Secret Rings or Unleashed Gameplay. I heard this case plenty of times. People were concern of which gameplay style Sonic and the Black Knight relates to more. I am here to say it is a mixture of both, sacrificing some of both as well. It's has more boundaries and is guided than Unleashed, but has better and more responsive controls than Secret Rings. Have an idea on what gameplay aspect you liked the most before you purchase this game. Not being able to drift or holding the wii-mote on its side can leave you disappointed. 2. The Length of the Game. This is one of the conflicting points of the game. Sonic games, expect for Chronicles, were never punish for being short and reasonably so. But if you enjoy the story mode, you might feel like more should be added; however, this is also a positive for Sonic Team, not trying to rely on making the story long to make the entire game better. 3. Waggle Swordplay. Like I said, waggle is used differently with people. Now it can be said that some people expect more than waggle, some people see waggle as lazy and hate it all together. So it depends on your stance on waggle, and if you're willing to try it out and work with it. Closing Comments. Sonic and the Black Knight is a great game. It is fast pace, adding a new tool that many did not expect to work so well, but it does. There's an interesting story, replay value galore, and a load of fan service. It's funny that a Spin-off offers more of this than some of main series Sonic games. It's a simple game, but do not expect yourself to run right through it. You will die at times, speed-runner. I just wish for better enemy placement, and more focus on the single player instead of just adding a half-bake multi-player in the mix. But for the most part, you can skip right pass both and enjoy yourself.… Expand

When I Heard Of IGN And Gamespot's Reviews For This Game, I Just Thought, "WHY THE HELL?!" Well, To Be Precise, "Sonic and The Black Knight" Was Very Good And I Think IGN And Gamespot Should've Given This A Higher Score! The Missions May Be Short, But At Least The Gameplay Pulls Off Well! Worth Buying If You Are A Hardcore Sonic Fan, But Anyone With Concern Should Rent It!

I am sad to report that Black knight took almost everything that was fun about Secret Rings and destroyed it completely. There is no point in controlling your character on such a strict linear gameplay path. The story which I will not spoil is Among the worst in the franchise, and possibly the industry. The battles with the other knights are not Cinematic or even exciting, they are more like a wagglefest you have to engage in, lose a couple of times, and then win. Not to mention Knuckles gameplay segments are COMPLETELY broken, I could not complete his origin level more than once because he wouldn't stop attacking when I so much as tilted the directional stick on the NUNCHUK forward. The game should be avoided pure and simple, save your money for something else like the upcoming colors.… Expand

Even more gimmicky than Sonic Unleashed, but even more unoriginal. Pros: Excellent production value, including beautiful graphics, cutscenes, and level designs. Cons: Boring and repetitious gameplay that lacks any kind of speed or originality; often quirky control and camera; imbalanced battle arena mode.

The once-beloved Sonic series continues its mediocrity with another gimmicky and unoriginal game, but worse. Pros: Some of the best graphics ever seen on the Wii; engrossing cutscenes. Cons: No loops, no corkscrews, no originality; poor controls; repetitious enemies; awful mini-games.

In my honest I'll say this Sonic and the Black Knight is a decent Game in the Sonic Franchise. I consider it better than both Sonic Next Gen For the PS3 and 360, Sonic Drift 1 & 2 for the Game Gear, Sonic Labyrinth for the Game Gear, and Sonic's Schoolhouse for the PC. My tip is get Sonic and the Secret Rings or Sonic Colors instead. They are better.

I think Sonic Team has just thrown in the towel at this point. They've turned Sonic into the prince of persia (Secret Rings), a werewolf (Unleashed) and a Pokemon Trainer (Colours). Now he's a knight, although a schizophrenic knight with Multiple Sclerosis. Awful controls, awful camera control, awful gameplay, the most nonsensical half-assed plot since the NES days and a boss fight that is literally two quick-time events.. To be fair, sonic team did include a large amount of extras as an apology for the laughably short campaign, but with no real desire or motivation to do so, I doubt anyone will bother to get 5-stars in the tedious 'tilt forward and waggle the remote till your arm is numb' level design… Expand

Sonic and the Black Night is nothing more then another storybook ripoff, just with sonic in it makes it the B3S7 7h1ng 3v3r, the story is like what i just said. Gameplay: all you have to do is run to the end, swing your sword, jump and OMG I BEAT T3H L3V3L. Controls: you move with the Nunchuck and swing with using the wiimote, A is to jump. This would sound fine, if not that to use the sword all you have to do is fling the wiimote. Graphics, Mehh. its ok. Overall: 4 out of 10. Want to know something sad, This is the best next gen sonic game not on handhelds and not a racer that i've played, SEGA, you betrayed sonic fans, i will NEVER buy anything from you again. >:(… Expand

All in all, this game is good, whether its graphics or music, but thats expected from a sonic game by now. The sword playing is cool but in the end you're just shaking your hand and its not too deep despite the 3 different methods. When is sega gonna learn we just want sonic adventure 3?

Holy fuck... Words to describe this game fails me. It's slow, controls seem to do whatever the fuck they like most the time and when you need to actually do something of any importance, it takes far too fucking long to respond. I'm on the mission "Finish using the Soul Surge on the ground"... Nice and informative mission there... I take it I hit the goal sign with a Soul Surge... But there's an enemy right before it. Attack the enemy and you'll never have enough time to press B to use the special attack. Don't attack the enemy, you have to dodge... Not enough time. Do soul surge on the enemy and across the goal... FAILED. What? You're not telling me what to fucking do!… Expand

hi i was very excited for sonic and the black knight to come out. i got it on the first day it came out and tryed it out the storyline and missions are really easy i compleated it in no less than 2 hours all missions compleate and so on i wouldn't recomend buying it

This game is a joke to me. Why is sega torturing "us" with these horrible games?! Make sonic run fast, no DARN gimmicks, and a couple of characters, and you got a good sonic game! Sega, is that really too hard to do?!

Sonic and the Black Knight has loads of replay value and feels like a solid, fleshed-out game. Time-attack records to beat, an upgradable Sonic who gains abilities over time, special Wi-Fi missions that earn you an online ranking, a multiplayer battle mode for goofing off with friends, and enough unlockable bonus content to give you Brawl flashbacks...all aspects of this game seem to cater to OCD gamers that enjoy massive timesinks which they can practice at relentlessly for days, and that makes it more worth a buy than a rental. (It also puts the game years ahead of its predecessor, the comparatively-shallow Sonic Unleashed on the Wii.) Unfortunately, the Wii remote is not a precise enough instrument to live up to the game's applications of it. Black Knight's swordfighting system uses a variety of different techniques that are all activated the same way, by swinging the Wiimote, so it is likely that you will flail your arm around wildly trying to use one particular attack while Sonic decides to do an entirely different one onscreen. (If the developers had delegated some of these attacks to the many unused buttons on the Wiimote and Nunchuck, this particular problem would not exist.) Quick-time events that require expertly-timed Wiimote swings are also next to impossible simply due to the remote's difficulty discerning one swing from another or detecting swings that aren't performed with wrist-snapping force. This makes the game near-impossible to play beyond its midway point when the difficulty curve takes a sharp spike upwards, preventing all but the most dedicated from seeing the true ending. Perhaps with Wii Motion Plus, this game could be more lenient. (Speaking of the midway point; anyone wanting to review this game should play beyond it, as there are quite a few features of the game you cannot access until then and which then become unlocked all at once. It truly is a shame that most reviewers won't do or haven't done this - speaking as someone who has, the game doesn't feel complete without the unlockable features, and any player who misses them won't be witnessing all that Sonic and the Black Knight has to offer.) Graphics are lush and detailed, with a surprising amount of quality for a Wii game not made by Nintendo. Blur effects are abundant and help the game feel faster during times when it actually isn't. Cutscenes are done in a storyboard style, and their art is reminiscent of a storybook; colors rarely stay within their lines and fluctuate like rippling liquids. The music is an excellent mixture of Crush 40-brand rock with more traditional Celtic themes; you may find a familiar character theme or two be re-arranged with orchestral instruments. As for the gameplay itself, the game's occasional platforming segments can be frustrating due to Sonic's inability to strafe and his reluctance to turn around and run backwards (all levels are "on-rails"), which can be considered a step back from the more free-roaming Daytime segments in Sonic Unleashed. Sonic's Soul Gauge/Tension Meter/Energy Gauge/Whatever You Want To Call It is a familiar gameplay element that has appeared in every major Sonic game since Sonic Heroes and allows the hedgehog to perform supernatural feats when it is filled up. In this game, it lets Sonic target enemies in sequence and fly between them using his Homing Attack, defeating them with a single sword slash each. Well-timed slashes prevent the meter from dropping quickly during its use, allowing Sonic to chain together long combos of attacks. The level-up system from Sonic and the Secret Rings also returns, allowing our blue hedgehog to accumulate a list of gameplay-enhancing abilities over time, but the abilities are granted automatically now and cannot be chosen at will by the player; even worse, it is now impossible to turn off these abilities once they are gained. The game tries to compensate for this lack of customization by providing three â??Swordfighting Stylesâ?�; one focused on speed, one focused on combat, and one which strikes a balance between the two. All three styles come with individual sets of abilities that must be unlocked separately through level-ups, which means lots and lots of grinding. The whole system feels overly simplified, restrictive, and cumbersome after the openness of the custom skill arrangements from Sonic and the Secret Rings. People who dislike one or two of the game's automatically-provided abilities and find them a hindrance to gameplay, like I do, will find themselves out of luck. While the game is nothing like the run-and-jump Sonic games of old by sheer nature of its design, it has a charm all its own and still manages to retain a sense of speed as Sonic dashes from enemy to enemy, slicing and stabbing like a bonafide Jedi. The tricky control system and unbalanced difficulty curve may throw some people off, but those willing to bear the game's faults will find an enjoyable experience within. Just make sure to prepare yourself in advance with lots of free time to spare.… Expand

It's REALLY not that bad. People keep bitching about how Sonic is not how it was back then. Stop and think what it was like back then. Just because Sonic is a speedy character doesn't mean that his past games were not stop-n-go. I enjoyed the old Sonic because I found his speedy style of platforming fun. Sonic Unleashed daytime levels is just him running really fast dodging things. And it too is on rails. My point is, this game is another twist to it, but stop crying. Because Sonic will never be the same as the old days again. Face it. Take this game for what its worth, and you'll see that its actually very fun. And if you even complain there's too much waggle, then go do some exercises and get active. Its really not bad. The game is very well put together and is extremely solid.… Expand

It's a great game. Gameplay has some minor issues, but works great. Good storyline, great level design, excellent options that include selecting characters without being forced to play with them, deep weapon costumization and several items to collect. Multiplayer mode is a downside, but nothing too critical. It's nice to see other characters in this mode who doesn't belong in the main single player mode. Online could be better, but leaderboard system is a really nice touch, and trading items is also nice to have around. A good Sonic game, overall, and picked up the best you had in Secret Rings. It has everything, from speed (that gradually improoves as you get to play better), platform action, a good fighting mechanism and plenty of replay value.… Expand

God-Awful. The gameplay makes no sense, enemies are just annoying, there is no fun in killing them. The game has an amazingly high production value, but their gameplay is so awful that it actually ruined my day, meaning that I should be able to give it a negative score.

The dialog is so horrid it makes me want to gnaw my own face off. The gameplay is basically a series of glorified quicktime events. Unplayable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVe28q274sU Seriously? What's with you blind fans? WHAT part of this game is a sonic game? OTHER than the characters? This game is HORRIBLE. It isn't even anywhere close to a perfect or good score. It's not worse than SOnic 06, but it is worse than Shadow the Hedgehog. Don't believe me? Then play the youtube link.

Most people buy these sonic titles for the nostalgic feeling they get when they play them and think back to the original, fun, ring collecting adventures. Sonic has followed the road of most celebrities and has been corrupted by fame and money. Nintendo insists on spawning a new sonic game every 11 minutes and spending a lower budget than the amount of money in my change jar. This game was not the worst, it was just bad. And in the hopes that nintendo will finaly put our dear rabid, old, decrepid hedgehog out of his misery.… Expand

ignore all the trash talk about this game, it is simply very well made. the layout, graphics, story and controls all work very well. also if the fact that you play as sonic bothers you then think of it as a knight kind of game, take it for what the game plays like, not for who you play as

Awesome speed, plus a sword = win excellent graphics and it's funny! Brilliant game Too bad it's going to be mindlessly attacked because it's a sonic with new gameplay elements and not 100% like the really old, out dated stuff.

To josiah h: I agree that many people do buy sonic games for the feeling of nostalgia. However, sonic games are made with anything but low budgets. The graphics for this game are some of the best to date, and the CGI films are just enticing. Not only in this game but in other sonic games like unleashed as well. Though Sonic may be getting battered with gimmick after gimmick of unnecessary gameplay, I'm looking at you werehog, the production values are quite high.… Expand

This game is a trap. The graphics, music, and overall aesthetics and visual experience is astounding, especially for a Wii game! However, then you actually play the game. The overall game just isn't very fun. There is no depth to the controls, and there are a lot of frustrating parts in the levels to break up the fast paced action.

this is a great game, of course everyone is saying this game sucks, i hate it, it's awful, but you know think of this imagine thats NOT sonic if it wasn't this game would be amazing everyone is saying sonic should go back to his roots but if the game has fun gameplay great graphics and a nice flow then why complain? don't listen to anyone this game is great.

i really enjoyed this game. i love playing it. but some tasks are hard and pointless. other wise i loved it. i recomend this game to all sonic sega lovers

This game is quite honestly disgusting. It is not even worth five dollars. I ended up beating it in 2 hours max. Everything was gimmicky, and slow as hell. The levels never really felt like it was tailored for sonic, and they encourage you to rapidly wave the wii mote to swing the sword. You wave the wii mote, and two seconds later you get a sword slash. Its freaking sonic with a sword, he should be blazing fast with that thing. Instead he just feels encumbered by it. There iss no real story, no real conclusion. The game is like a half thought out idea. "Hey! Lets make sonic collect fairies instead of rings! Dress up his friends as knights and make them fight!" Thats about how far they got before they shipped the game really. The only cool part was him eating his chili dogs that he so freaking loves. Honestly, this game is terrible. Do not buy it. Borrow it if you must but I guarantee this is a waste of money.… Expand