Content Warning: I already have two strikes against me when it comes to this Impression's credibility:
1. I've actually played the game.
2. I'm not IGN.
Ahem, now that that ugly business is out of the way, I'd really like to get to the point of this thread: Is this game good? I mean, can you really put the Sonic & the Black Knight disc in your Wii, play the game, and get enjoyment out of it? Well, short answer: yes. Yes you definitely can (I sure am). Long answer: well, now that's the point of writing this thread isn't it? Let's continue!
The first thing that you'll notice when you boot up the game is how nice the menu looks (*Oh lordy, he's praising the Menu. The poor guy's in denial*). It's really clean, sharp, and an overall enjoyment to transition through. The game contains the single player Adventure Mode, Battle mode (which I haven't tried yet...), NWC Ranking system (Just got my friend code), and the Options tab (plus some others which aren't very important). But let's continue, as commenting on a game's Menu system is quite unimportant compared to meat of the actual game itself. So let's get going.
When you first boot up the Adventure Mode, you'll find yourself in the middle of another well done Sonic CG Intro. I have to admit, I was elated to see Sonic holding not one, but two Chili-dogs as he fought against some underworld baddies. I mean, seriously, I haven't seen a Chili-dog refrence since the original cartoon series. Brilliant stuff. However, the script is in regular corn-dog (pun) fashion, and while the voice acting is good enough (I still cringe every time Amy talks however. I now understand your pain Sonic), it's still cheesy (some would say that it's gouda cheese. Another pun). After the initial CG Cutscene, character interaction is seen through "storybook" type animation. It's in a similar vein to Secret Rings, and it suits the world of King Arthur quite nicely (VO is present here as well).
Okay then, now that the menu and Cutscenes are done with, let's get to the actual game (*a sigh of relief ensues through the audience*)! Unlike Sonic & the Secret Rings, The Black Knight is controled with both the WiiMote and the Nunchuck. The Nunchuck's control stick moves Sonic to and fro, and directly controls how fast the hog goes (as opposed to continual running through the Secret Rings' way of doing things). You can stop on a dime, easily jump backwards (*Secret Rings fans utter another sigh of relief*), and have complete control of Sonic the Hegehog, which feels great (much like how Sonic is controlled in Sonic Unleashed). The WiiMote controls Sonic's sword swinging antics, and here's where The Black Knight is set apart from the usual Sonic pack. A swing from the WiiMote will equate to Sonic swinging his sword in the game. That's it. It's not exactly intuitive, as you can accomplish the same thing by pressing a button. In fact, where in Force Unleashed a horizontal swing meant a horizontal slice, and a vertical swing meant a vertical slice; The Black Knight's swordplay is a step back when it comes to motion based control. A simple swing just equates... to a simple slice. It's not inspired... but it works. It really does work. No, this doesn't mean I'm a monkey that can work with "retarded controls", I just find that it works, and it definitely gets the job done.
Like in Secret Rings, Sonic comes with a power bar that fills up when he collects Red Fairies (Yellow Fairies: Rings, and Blue Fairies: Speed Boosts/Springs). When this Red bar is filled, you can hold B and go into a special mode where Sonic can take down a foe with a single blow (rhyme). Each slash (and each enemy killed), takes away from the Special Bar, and when you run out, your foe slaying shenanigans are over (until you find more red fairies). This is a really satisfying part of the gameplay, where you feel like Swinging the WiiMote really means something. The Z button will allow Sonic to block incoming attacks, but in reality, Jumping/Running out of the way feels a lot better than just waiting for your foe to finish his attack sequence. In fact, the only time I found blocking to be useful was in the boss battles.
If you've reading this so far (I hope you have), then you've noticed some gorgeous screens of the Blue Blur. I would like to confirm this assessment by saying that yes, this is one beautiful game. Whether it comes to the Misty Lake, Camelot itself, or the Plains (there are other areas to play, I just haven't gotten to them yet) they're all great looking in their own way. And may I say that the Plains area is one of the most beautiful places I've ever played in a Wii game. The graphics and art style is Sonic & the Black Knight's strongest point (though it's not to say that the GamePlay is severly lacking, just that S&tBK is a gorgeous game).
Probably the most underwhelming part of the game is the boss fights. I've fought three of them so far (Lancelot, Gawain, and the Black Knight himself), and they're definitely not the Black Knight's strong points. In fact, when I first fought Lancelot (the first of the Roundtable Knights you fight), I actually thought it was one of those bosses where you were supposed to lose on purpose. But nay, you were supposed to actually beat this guy. Unlike regular areas where you can take down foes with single strikes and keep going without a care, bosses require you to be patient and look for a pattern in the boss's strikes and then slash back. It took me a while, but I finally got a hang of it and came away victorious (and with a 1/5 star ranking... whoops).
So that's all I have for you thus far. I really am enjoying myself so far, and I'm definitely having fun. It's no Sonic revivial version 4.0, it's a whole 'nother beast. And if you enjoy lighting quick action and platforming, then you should take it upon yourself to check this game out. I can't promise you'll fall in love with it, as it definitely has some problems, but I know a fun game when I play it, and this is one of those fun games. If you have any other questions for me, ask away. I tried to fit everything in this thread (and in fact I wrote a lot more than I thought I was going to), but maybe I missed something that you're still curious about. Cheers. 
