With every industry there has always been a desirable, 'cooler' alternative; for footwear where Nike and Addidas lead the mass popularity, brands like Converse and Macbeth grip the alternative following. In music where Pop and RnB brainwash the majorities, Rock and Metal lead the likings of those unwilling to succumb. With the games industry not too long ago, it was Mario that was the main centre of attention, and the blue, spiky haired speed freak hedgehog known as Sonic that was left in the shadows. The difference was however, both of them were 'cool' and you had to be a pretty dedicated Sonic fan to pronounce unrivalled devotion to the latter. Nonetheless, many did. Playgrounds saw debates like no other that gave teachers hell and made even the most stuck-up History teacher think proudly of their student's arguments… that is of course until the fists came out…

Yes, Sonic Vs Mario is a tale for the ages. It raged though both the 80's (on the Sega Genesis and Super NES) to the 90's (with the critical transition to 3D worlds on the Dreamcast and N64) where the poor blue critter failed to impress as Mario glorified his new 3D state. And it only got worse for the little fella as Sega eventually pulled out of the console race and focused solely on software production. Sonic was now on Nintendo consoles. Those Sonic kids in the playground were, and still are in some cases, understandably livid. Their hero has stumbled through mediocre 3D game after mediocre 3D game ever since; Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog… countless attempts made to raise Sonics reputation once more with limited success. Fear not for the blue icon though, he's about to star in his most brilliant 3D escapade to date…

The PS3 and 360 await a brand new, stunning high-definition Sonic in a sparkling, shiny new template that would make even Sonic himself gleam with more arrogance. But the truth is; it is us Wii followers that are in for the biggest treat. Sonic may look fantastic in these titles but it's just another notch in the disappointment belt waiting to happen. There's only one way that Sonic will ever be the legend he was, and that's by returning to his roots…

Cue Sonic Wild Fire, a Wii exclusive title that promises to reward fans for their support through their past emasculated years. In it, Sonic will fly alone with none of those ridiculous TV series tie-in characters, no token game-play 'advances' and no pointless gimmicks; just pure simple Sonic action as we all knew and loved. You know what I'm talking about; get from A to B as fast as possible collecting rings and avoiding death by creatures or environmental peril. It's Sonic bliss.

As it goes, Sonic Team witnessed the Wii controller last year at the Tokyo Games Show and evidently a talking light bulb flickered above their heads and whispered the words 'innovation and simplicity'. Sonic Wild Fire couldn't be simpler; holding the WiiMote horizontally in two hands you simply tilt it side to side to steer left and right and press 2 to jump. And that's it really. Of course, there are underlying skills that will separate the mice from the men in terms of mastery but the idea is, anyone can pick this up, give it a whirl and laugh their faces of with enjoyment.

The skill resides partly by holding 2 to jump as it charges Sonics speedy legs resulting in him jumping higher. Whilst in the air, slamming the controller down (not literally, you really want to break something so genius?) or shaking it downwards so to say, makes Sonic do a charge down like attack to crush his enemies from above. And that's simply executed too as your enemies are automatically targeted depending on where Sonic is facing. You can also try hitting enemies in succession for combo attacks to really tally up those scores and you can, if needed, tilt the controller towards you to backtrack should you get sick of the intense speed.

And that's what it's all about… speed. Sonic rushes through levels faster than we've ever witnessed before. Darting through at an insane level of knots, spikes will shoot out of nowhere in attempts to gauge your eyes out, falling towers will barely miss Sonics quiff hair as he scurries beneath and the scenery zips by so quickly it's a wonder he doesn't burn his little red shoes off. What's truly incredible also is that, skill foreboding; you could be able to get from start to finish without even stopping for a breather; that's with collapsing platforms, spiked corridors and trap laden meanders at every turn.

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To truly feel the speed though, you have to hit turbo pads on the ground or collect balls of Wild Fire. These are scattered along Sonics designated 'on rails' path through the levels. Collecting these fills your Wild Gauge at the bottom right of the screen with satisfying gradually raised pitched sounds as it accumulates to reward with Wild Fire ability. Activating this takes a simple shake of the controller and away you go, vision blurred leaving a wake of trailing fire and feeling blessed with temporary immortality. Collecting gems will apparently upgrade Sonics abilities too, though Sonic Team is remaining tight-lipped in accordance to this at the moment.

Whilst you won't have the time to sit back and enjoy the scenery whilst playing, witnessing somebody else at the helm makes you see how glorious it actually is. Themed in an Arabian Nights setting (do resist singing the Aladdin song now wont you), you'll be treated to glamorous architecture, tropical palm tree gardens, glistening oases, sun scorched sand dunes and gargantuan palaces you can only dream of inhabiting. It's beautiful. Impressive also are the draw distances out to the horizon, you can literally see to the far depths of the scenery of which you'll be zooming through mere seconds later without a hint of slow down in the frame rate. Because the game has you run on a predetermined path of sorts also (you still have screen wide freedom), the camera work is truly sublime. Feel engrossed as it swerves around bends, sweeps higher for a more aerial angle on hectic sections, pulls around to Sonics front as he tip-toes across high ledges with his back to the wall and feel it add to the speed feel as it plays catch up to Sonic after he catapults forward using Wild Fire. It's really cinematic and a treat to behold. And you doubted the Wii hardware, tsk…

The aim of the game aside from reaching the end of a level without dying (you die if you fall or get hit by something without any rings in your possession) is to get high scores determined on your time and amount of rings and Wild Fire balls collected. Achieving high enough scores will unlock prizes and secret levels. You're bound to be drawn to running through levels time and time again as you learn each and every trap that occurs and where all the rings are hidden (it will take a fair few runs to reach truly great scores that's for sure). Collecting rings easily becomes an addiction and it is aided further through the WiiMote's speaker capabilities for the Wii, chiming out those classic 'd-ling' tones right in your hand as if you were literally holding each one.

As far as a story is concerned, we know Sonic is alone in this feat and that also this time around Dr Robotnik (or Eggman as he is also known) is not the evil force behind his planned peril. Clues from the E3 demo hint towards a story of Sonic trapped inside a magic lamp and a book embossed with holdings for missing chaos emeralds. Is it that Sonic will have to traverse numerous pages in this Arabian Nights book to find the emeralds and free himself? It seems likely, though it has also been queried that perhaps pages are missing from the book. Has Sonic self willingly entered himself in there to find the pages? Is Sonic a genie?! Is there a genie even in the game?! It's a mystery thus far, but time will see Sonic Team divulge exact details soon. Time will also see them let out more information on action sequences in the game; they are currently toying with more ways to use the controller as innovatively as possible with simplistic game play enhancements, much like ledge shimmying, hill bursts and bridge scurries currently seen. We expect more precise details on all this at this year's Tokyo Games Show in September.

Our only negative thought about Sonic Wild Fire at present is that it may become highly disorientating after prolonged sessions due to its zipping scenery and camera swerves. It may ultimately leave you just wanting to turn the damn thing off to give your eyes and mind a rest. Attempts have been made to ease the tempo in-game though, as seen with short cut-scenes that are triggered upon reaching certain points in the level. In the E3 demo for example, a cut scene has Sonic surf aboard a falling chunk of building as it collapses back to earth before shifting back to your control on land. It certainly isn't a game flaw though, and maybe were wrong, but it's just a side effect were cautious of.

A lot is still secret on Sonic Wild Fire at the moment as we know nothing of potential multiplayer or WiFi inclusions, nor that of WiiConnect24 possibilities. The prospect of online sprints through these levels with a friend in a race like fashion however makes us salivate. What we do know is that were extremely excited and almost honoured that Sonic Team has chosen the Wii to resurrect classic Sonic game play. This will be quite special…