Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS)
Ultimately, when you strip Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Mario and Sonic from hereon in) down to its bare bones, it is just another mini-game compilation that we’ve seen boundless times on both the Wii and the DS. And like most mini-game compilations, Mario and Sonic is a mixture of excellent games and not so good ones. It is certainly better than a lot of games in this genre, and the Winter Olympics theme as well as the Nintendo and Sega nostalgia help this one cross over the line; however, it is by no means a gold medal performance.
With the upcoming Winter Olympic games in Vancouver, the idea to make a Mario and Sonic Winter Olympic Games title was a no-brainer. Backed by hugely successful Olympic Games titles, it was always going to happen. The game has taken some positive steps forward in that time, mainly due to the addition of a career mode which sees you helping Mario, Sonic and company thwart the evil plans of Bowser and Dr. Robotnik (yes, I know it is Eggman now, but that name really does stink).
It is not a particularly long or brilliant career mode, but it is a good way to be introduced to the various winter sports as well as partake in an adventure of some sorts. You don’t really do a whole a lot apart from walk around, solve some basic puzzles, talk to characters and participate in the various winter sports. That said, it is nice to have some sort of narrative in the game rather than simply picking your sport of choice and playing.
Aside from the career mode, the game offers the usual selection of modes allowing you to play any sport you like, play in a multiplayer (both online and offline) game, view records and collectables, and so on. Like the Olympics title before it, Mario and Sonic includes plenty of collectables and unlockables to keep you interested for that little bit longer.
Obviously the most important part of Mario and Sonic is the games themselves. There’s a decent selection of winter sports to partake in, including skiing, ice skating, luge, ice hockey, bobsleigh and others. Some sports have several variations too, such as ice skating which includes both racing and figure skating. There is also a whole heap of Dream Events, which are usually more entertaining. These events are a mixture of typical winter games sports with a little added craziness. One example is the Rocket Jump which is essentially ski jumping but with rocket packs on, allowing you to jump insane distances.
The quality of the games varies quite considerably. Overall they are quite good, but there are some which are pale in comparison to others. Perception of the games will likely vary from person to person, so I’ll leave it up to the reader to decide on whether or not the games are good. At the end of the day, some lend themselves to the DS quite well whilst others do not. However, to reiterate my point, most of them are good and the Dream Event variations can be a lot of fun.
Mario and Sonic offers quite a bit of value for money, with plenty of games, an average but appreciated career mode, unlockables, collectables, and both online and offline multiplayer. There are plenty of Nintendo and Sega characters in the game, though I didn’t even recognise some of the Sega ones. I’m sure they come up with a new character every month. The game is visually pretty impressive with nicely rendered 3D characters, impressive backdrops, and no lag to speak of. The soundtrack is quite suitable for the Olympic Games theme and rounds off a solid effort in the visual and auditory department. Controls are mostly easy to use, and there are plenty of tutorials available to help anyway.
If you enjoyed Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, then you are sure to like this one, as it is a slightly better game, despite having much less variation in sport type. While it is really just another mini-game compilation at the end of the day, it is a quality one with a good theme and some beloved characters involved. It’s always a strange experience seeing Mario and Sonic in the same title after years of being mascot enemies for two opposing companies.
Graphics 7.0
Impressive 3D effects for the DS with nice backdrops and no lag to speak of
Gameplay 7.0
Some games are better than others, but there is a good selection of sports with variations within some too. Dream Events are particulary fun.
Sound 7.0
Nothing special but a good soundtrack for the Winter Games theme.
Tilt 8.0
An okay career mode, plenty of games, unlockables, collectables as well as online and offline multiplayer.
Value 6.0
A good game overall, but lets see a Mario and Sonic platform game on the Wii please.
