Yep, you read the title right. We won't be seeing Sonic for quite some time in the future. When talking about the recent announcement of the Nintendo-Sega collaboration, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Sega president Simon Jeffery told Newsweek that they're planning to give their blue hedgehog a bit of a make-over, meaning no new Sonic titles in the near future.

We are actually undergoing a fairly considerable refresh of Sonic as an intellectual property, as a character. Sonic on the Wii is probably the first product that's come to market that reflects that. We're not going to be bringing another game out on the other platforms for quite some time, because we feel that it is time to reinvent Sonic, to make Sonic contemporary again. At the same time, even the recent 360 and PlayStation 3 games have sold extremely well.

Reinvent Sonic, eh? Wonder how that's going to end up. Well, they already have started going back to "the original Sonic" with Sonic and the Secret Rings. I say that's actually a good start. Of course, before you give someone some make-over, you'd have to revisit your roots first. It's going to be interesting to see how they will "make Sonic contemporary again" though.

We fished the picture above from a Neoseeker forums thread on Sonic art. Well, let's just hope that "Sonic In a Dress" remains as a fan's concept art, and not make it to the final drafts of Sega. (pink looks sooo good on blue though)

Time to clear out your current playlists, people, because the Sonic and the Secret Rings soundtrack will be making its way to retail stores in Japan a couple of days from now. Called "Seven Rings in Hand," the soundtrack will be on sale starting March 15 for ¥3,400 (US$ 30).

Those of you who want to import a copy might also want to wait for a few autographed copies to show up on eBay. Apparently, there's also a launch event for the soundtrack in Japan where lucky buyers can get their copies autographed by the Sonic and the Secret Rings soundtrack composer and producer.

As for the reason why you'd want to buy this soundtrack, well, that's up to you. Some of the game's music was actually pretty cool. A bit cheesy, maybe, but still fun. We just want a copy so we can make our own "defeating the evil genie" video and maybe get a mountain of hankies in the process. OK, that didn't make sense.

Ubisoft's next gen videogame title Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 hasn't just stirred up controversy, it has also muscled its way onto the top of the UK All Formats charts, knocking down Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII from the top spot in the process.

Despite logging impressive sales and winning a BAFTA award, the original Ghost Recon for Xbox 360 never got to to take the top spot.

This ends Final Fantasy XII's two week reign at the top, and it's now lodged in the number two position. Rockstar's budget-priced Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories sits at number three, while Sega's Sonic and the Secret Rings climbed up one spot to number four. Rounding out the top five is RealTime Worlds' Crackdown, which dropped three places to number 5.

North America and Europe have only recently been treated to a flashy blue goodness with the release of Sega's Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii. And yet, while there's a whole lot of coverage already for the game to give ample preview to awaiting fans, there's still lot more to learn about this newest Sonic version.

PALGN got to find out more from no less than one of the Sonic team directors, Yojiro Ogawa. Here, he reveals that The Secret Rings were especially made for the Wii alone, so much so that he couldn't imagine having any other gameplay that would have otherwise been "un-playable" in the Wii, but plausible for other game consoles.

Yojiro Ogawa also gives his reassurance that the controls have been developed in such a way that "people will be able to play with the Wii remote for a long time no matter what position the players are in."

For the Australian and Japanese gamers who have yet to catch a glimpse of the game, you'd be thrilled to know that there are around 40 multiplayer games for you to get yourself immersed into. Ogawa gamely describes some of them:

• Play Violin - here, you get to use the Wii remote as if you were actually playing a violin
• Fire! Marksman - hold the Wii remote down, aim at the screen after the countdown and shoot. First one who shoots the pot wins
• Go! Mine Cart Race - pull the lever of the mine cart up and down and speed up to get to the finish line first

To find out more revelations about the secrets in Sonic and the Secret Rings, feel free to click on the Read link below.

Game is set for an Australian release on March 8, while it will grace Japanese gamers' Wiis on March 15.

GAME, Europe's leading videogames chain, is celebrating of the launch of Sega's Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Nintendo Wii in Hamleys from March 2 to 3.

If you're in the area, you might want to come down to the store for the opportunity to take part in a wide range of competitions running throughout the two days. You might even get the chance of winning some cool prizes, including a Nintendo Wii and a copy of the game.

You might also want to take along a younger sibling or something if you're going. The launch celebration will also feature appearances by Sonic the Hedgehog and AiAi from Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, which, incidentally, is available for UK£ 19.99 when bought with Sonic and the Secret Rings. The concession will also have Nintendo Wii consoles back in stock for anyone looking to grab one for themselves.

We sincerely hope you read the title of this post. If you don't want Sonic and the Secret Rings to be spoiled for you, don't watch this. You have been warned.

YouTube user Hyperfludd has uploaded a video of the final movie in Sonic and the Secret Rings. This isn't a gameplay video of the last battle between Sonic and Erazor (Heheh, Erazor. Eraser.), but a full cg movie showing how Sonic finally beats the evil Djinn. We're putting the video behind the "Full Article" link to cut down on the "Damn it QJ, you spoiled it for me!" comments. Remember, you have been warned (*cue suspense music*).

Yeah, we said a few days ago that Sonic and the Secret Rings was going to hit Europe on March 3. As it turns out, European gamers will be getting their hands on this title a day early, as Sega has just announced that it has started shipping Sonic and the Secret Rings.

The Sega PR machine recently sent out a press release that specifically states "Sonic and the Secret Rings hits the streets on 2nd March in Europe." Great news for those of you out there who are dying to start making Sonic erase some evil djinn ass. See what I did there? The bad guy here is named Erazor Djinn -- "Eraser" Djinn. Get it? Meh, I never was good at the funnies.

Anyway, if you're looking for some videos to watch so you can evaluate this game based on its own merits, check these out.

Okay, first off, yes, you read that title right and nope, you're not hallucinating. Sonic and the Secret Rings has officially shipped to stores and is now up for grabs.

I'm sure a lot of you guys will agree with me when I say that this Wii-exclusive game is hands down one of the most anticipated titles for the console and will surely be spending long hours on your Wiis.

Featuring 40 multiplayer mini-games, 10 levels with 10 missions each, and exotic settings and creatures inspired by the Arabian Nights tales...well, you can pretty much rest assured that this game is worth the seemingly endless wait you had to go through.

Rated E by ESRB, you can now head on to your nearest retail stores to grab a copy of Sonic and the Secret Rings, which is being sold for the suggested retail price of US$ 49.99.

Third time's the charm. This rings true for RealTime Worlds' crime-fighting superhero title Crackdown as it rolls into a dominating third week on top of GameFly's 360 charts. Despite what other people may say about what triggered Crackdown's success, this US$ 60 game is making waves.

And what's this? Electronic Arts' NBA Street Homecourt still latches on to Crackdown's tail, keeping the second seat warm and comfortable. Capcom's Lost Planet: Extreme Condition still hangs on to the top 3 spot. But the highlight of that week was the significant requests for God of War II for the Playstation 2.

Here are the rest of the results of GameFly's game popularity charts for the week ending February 16.

Xbox 360

1. Crackdown
2. NBA Street Homecourt
3. Lost Planet: Extreme Condition

Playstation 3

1. Virtua Fighter 5
2. Major League Baseball 2007
3. Formula 1
   

Wii

1. Sonic and the Secret Rings
2. SSX Blur
   
3. WarioWare: Smooth Moves

Nintendo DS

1. Diddy Kong Racing
2. Wario: Master of Disguise
   
3. Hotel Dusk

PSP

1. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
2. Ghost Rider
   
3. The Warriors

Sonic has had a long and brilliant game career dating back to the Genesis days. The franchise has had its ups and downs as it transited from generation to generation. To date, Sonic has found a home in the Wii and is blazing across levels faster and more stylish than ever.

In Sonic and the Secret Rings, the Sega mascot finds himself in the world of the classic story book Arabian nights. There's just one problem= some of the last pages are missing and it's up to the speedy, blue hedgehog to live the tales and supply the right ending.

The Wii architecture has allowed the developers to add a new twist to the controls. While storming across levels at breakneck velocities, the Wii controller can be tilted from side to side to steer Sonic. This, added with supporting game modes make either single or group play that much more exciting.

We've shown you some screens in the past and we're back with more to feast your eyes on.

See more images after the jump.