2007's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has sold more than ten million copies. Ten million. When the sequel inevitably came sliding down the slopes then, there was always the risk we'd end up with a 'playing it safe' rehash, in an attempt by Sega to replicate the phenomenal sales figures of the first game. And who could blame them?
As predicted then, Sega's not taken many risks with Olympic Winter Games; MotionPlus support is out - because that'd limit the amount of people who could experience the full game - online modes have fallen by the wayside and there's far more party games and Mii character costumes than actual meaty single-player modes.
Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games
Official trailer
1:31Festival mode revealed
Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games
Official trailer
1:31Festival mode revealed
Age Restricted Content Please enter your date of birth below in order to verify your age before watching this video
You must be at least 0 years of age.
Play Again? Missed something? Just watch it again..
Watch More Videos Browse related videos and see what's new & popular
Share This Video Email this video, or embed it into your own web page
Mario & Sonic is clearly aimed at the masses and in that respect Sega's done a good job. Each of the game's Winter-themed events support any number of control schemes. Players can jump in with just a Wii Remote in hand, plug in a Nunchuk for added control and now - in a new addition to the sequel - get the Wii Balance Board involved as well.
For example, Hockey can be played with a Nunchuk manoeuvring your character across the ice and another player joining in with just a Wii Remote held horizontally, skating with the d-pad and firing a shot off with a rattle of the controller.
Ski and snowboarding events are another example of the game's accessibility, which can have you using the Remote and Nunchuk as ski poles, or simply steering Mario and co down the slopes by tilting the Remote. With the amount of control options and on-screen visual instructions, Sega couldn't have made it much easier for players of all ages to jump in.
But of course it's the games on offer that count, and in this area Olympic Winter Games is a bit of a mixed bag. Of the 20+ events half are classic Track and Field-style 'button-mashers' (except 21st century button-mashing comes in the form of Remote gestures) while the remaining collection contains 'Dream Events'. These are particular highlights, as Sega's been set free to explore the universes of the Mario & Sonic series in nostalgia-filled arcade games.
One, Dream Ski Jumping, has characters soaring through the starry skies of Super Mario Galaxy while another, Dream Alpine, has you racing along the newly snow-filled slopes of the Green Hill Zone. There's also a take on Mario Kart with snowboards and skis - complete with all the correct sound effects and power-ups.
In comparison, the most simple of the traditional Olympic events sadly aren't worth as much time and can feel like an incredibly on-rails experience to the seasoned gamer. The original Mario & Sonic had this problem, and interaction in events such as Speed and Figure skating go about as deep as the occasional wave or tilt of the Wii Remote when on-screen instructions demand it. Your Nan'll be able to play, but it's not exactly riveting stuff for everyone else.
More complex events, such as the aforementioned Hockey and Curling provide a meatier experience, but you'll have to put up with the less strong games to get at them.
Curling is actually one surprise favourite (hear us out). The game has you lining up your shot with the Remote, before 'swinging' your stone with a Wii Sports Golf-style power meter. From here you can tilt the remote to add spin to your throw and then sweep like a mentalist with the remote to get those brooms moving. It works well - even if the CPU is frighteningly good.
Other events such as Bobsleigh Run find a middle ground between casual and core. Here you're encouraged to hold the Wii Remote vertically against your chest and tilt your body as if you were inside the sleigh. It's a simple idea but sticking to the ideal racing line can be tricky. Potential family Christmas fun is boosted by the inclusion of a co-op mode, in which you can opt to line-up four players and tilt together for the full Cool Runnings experience.
On top of the main events Mario & Sonic also offers three rather simple party games, which kick off random Olympic events with a balloon popping/wheel spinning mini-game overlay.
There's also a plethora of decal, costume and music unlockables to collect, and a 'Festival' single-player game. This carries a similar structure to Virtua Tennis 2009, presenting you with various events and training sessions each 'day'. Ultimately it's a bit simple, unpolished, and hardly the main attraction of the experience. We would've liked to have seen more work put into this.
Undeniably, some of the events on offer in 'Olympic Winter Games - mostly the Dream offerings - are more imaginative than in the previous Mario & Sonic. But - and there's always a but - we can't help but feel that a massive opportunity has been lost in the majority of the core games, with the choice not to include the option of Wii MotionPlus support.
No doubt the little device would've made almost all of Mario & Sonic's events more accurate, satisfying and added a layer of depth that's otherwise missing in its current form. It could also have given life to the couple of over-simplified dud sports such as Figure stating.
Wii Sports Resort - though failing to match Mario & Sonic in terms of unlockables, modes and... mascot nostalgia - ultimately offers a far deeper, more satisfying experience.
Mario & Sonic is arguably the more accessible of the two, but the sacrifice is that - as was always the risk with those 10 million sales - it hasn't done much to surprise. Still, that probably won't stop 10 million Christmas parties squeezing some enjoyment out of it.
I suppose Sega are not to be blamed for playing it safe. Any developer would after the mammoth sales of the first game.
That said, I would have expected something of a far better and more polished quality from a joint venture between Ninty and Sega. - I borrowed the original from a friend and was shocked at how rough and shoddy it all looked and played. Apparently, this is more of the same and riddled with frame-rate issues.
As much as I'm a fan of well-implemented motion and pointer controlled gameplay, there is just way too much aimless flailing about in these games for me to enjoy them.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
Extremely accessible
