Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games

7 Comments

Fact: there have been seven copies of Mario & Sonic sold for every Wii in the UK. Okay, that's not exactly a fact but sometimes we wonder. The game has pretty much been a regular feature in the top 20 all-format game charts since its release a year and a half ago and has sold over 7 million copies worldwide (as well as over 4.5 million copies on DS). It's a shame there can't be a sequel any time soon, what with the next Olympics in 2012... hang on a minute though. Aren't the Winter Olympics next year? Bosh!

To be fair, that sounds a little bit harsh, like we're suggesting Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games is just cashing in on the success of the original game. In fact, the reality is that, from what we've played so far, it's clear there have been genuine attempts made to improve on the last game.

Advertisement:

We recently went hands-on with three events from the Wii version of the game. The first was downhill skiing, which works well. As in the previous game, you can choose to play with either a Remote or a Remote and a Nunchuk, depending on how many controllers you've got knocking about. We went for the Remote and Nunchuk option, which requires you to hold both controllers upward in front of you like ski poles. To turn you tilt both controllers to the left or right and to go faster you tilt them both forward. It seems a bit basic but the fun's in the way you're supposed to play the game. If you do the proper motions a real skier would perform (leaning left and right and crouching to pick up speed), the natural position the controllers end up in make it all work as it's supposed to.

It's the same deal with speed skating. Despite the name, this event isn't all about how fast you can waggle the controllers. Instead, it's based on timing. You swing your arms left and right (the same way a speed skater would in real life), but you have to do it to the proper rhythm. Do it too slow and obviously you won't pick up speed, too fast and you'll mess up the rhythm and stumble.

Slippy Toad
The last of the three events we tried was the most unique. Bobsleigh can be played by up to four players, and is most enjoyable when all four players sit behind each other as if they were in a real bobsleigh. Once you build up speed and jump into the bobsleigh you then have to hold both controllers up to your chest and lean left and right as you go round each corner. All the team members have to coordinate their leans to gain the most speed and avoid making the bobsleigh flip over. Of course, you don't need to all sit behind each other; you can all sit on the couch if you like. But where's the fun in that?

Some of the events also allow you to make
use of the Balance Board. You don't have to use
it of course - it's only optional. It does add to the enjoyment though. The skiing feels a lot more realistic when you have to physically tilt
left and right, for example.

It's still early days for Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games but we're impressed
with the improvements made to the gameplay and graphics. Fingers crossed that the rest of the events are as enjoyable as the ones we've seen.