Sonic and the Black Knight box art revealed

Today, Sega revealed the box art for the North American release of the upcoming Wii game Sonic and the Black Knight.

You'll see that it uses the familiar render of Sonic holding Excalibur, however there is now a castley scene in the background. Also, at the bottom-right is a "Sonic Story Book Series" label. This is a continuation of the series that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings.

Although the box art is adequate, I really don't approve of the series. Why is Sonic even a character in the series when nothing bears any relation to the main games, in story or gameplay? Wouldn't it have been easier to come up with a completely new character, or is Sonic used because he sells?

Whatever the reason for Sonic's use, we can see that Sonic is drifting further and further away from his roots with every game. All I am hoping for is a "proper" classic-style Sonic game, something only seen on handhelds in recent years. No werehogs or swords please.