Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review
Back in the early 90’s, Mario and Sonic were bitter enemies – two key mascots, facing off on competing consoles. It was a rivalry as intense as that between car manufacturers Holden and Ford and despite your better judgements, you were either a Mario fan or Sonic supporter. Now, many years later, Sega no longer competes against Nintendo on the hardware front and instead develops games for Nintendo and other platforms as a third party. What this new relationship between the two companies means is now, Sonic and Mario, once extreme rivals, have finally appeared together in the same game across both the Nintendo Wii and DS. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (MSOG) marks the very first occasion in which these former enemies have now joined forces (well, at least compete in a friendly manner) in celebration of the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games.
Whilst most readers will probably be more looking forward to Super Smash Bros Brawl as a means of seeing Sonic and Mario duke it out, MSOG at least offers you the chance to have the two mascots compete in a variety of official Olympic sports. Ignoring the fact that player skill will ultimately decide who is the superior mascot, and that Sonic would clearly outrun Mario in a 100 metre dash, MSOG still gives you the long awaiting chance to pit the classic characters against one another. And if Mario and Sonic weren’t enough, they have each brought along a number of friends (and enemies) to compete as well. Expect to see characters from both Mario’s and Sonic’s worlds, including Luigi, Yoshi and Bowser from the Mushroom Kingdom and Dr. Eggman, Tails, and Shadow from…well, wherever Sonic is from. Chaos World? Enough on the rivalry though, is the game actually any good?
MSOG at the Olympic Games was a solid title on the Wii, despite competing in the crowded “mini-game” genre. The combination of Sonic and Mario in the same game, official Olympic licencing and a misture of Olmypic events meant that it offered something a little different to what was already out there. The unique Wii controls also made the game a logical release. The DS version is a somewhat toned-down version of the Wii release, and whilst there is still a good amount of events (over 16 events to choose from), there are less computed controlled characters and, for obvious reasons, the graphics and sound certainly don’t match that of the Wii release. Despite this, Sega have done a good job of converting the Wii game to the popular handheld format, and in some ways, the DS is actually superior. A more accessible multiplayer mode and a number of events that are more suited to the DS help the handheld version along. The similarities are more noticiable than the differences, and choosing a version (if not both) will ultimately depend on your preferred control method (touch screen vs. Wii-mote and Nunchuk).
MSOG contains two main modes which are split into various submodes. Single player and multiplayer make up the two main modes, with your choice depending on whether you are playing alone or with friends. The single player mode includes event mode, where you can choose from any of the available events and go for Gold, circuit mode and mission mode. Circuit mode involves progressing through a series of predetermined events. This mode is divided up into different difficulty levels, each containing a number of cups to win. On the easy mode, each circuit is made up of three events. Depending on your place in each event, you will be awarded a certain number of points with the player amassing the most points at the end of the circuit being crowned the winner. As you progress through the circuits in the game, they will increase in not only difficulty, but also in the number of events being played. You will also have to progress through circuit mode in order to open up new events, as well as new circuits. During any circuit, you can use the chance feature which will double the points awarded for that event. Best used on an event in which you are confident, as it is extremely valuable as a means of racking up points.
Mission mode involves trying to accomplish a number of challenges set for each of the characters in the game. Challenges range from beating events in a certain position (e.g., third) to achieving specific goals such as jumping a certain distance in long jump. Again, there is a good spread of difficulty involved here with some missions being quite easy while others can be quite tough. Mission mode offers a chance to play the events from a slighly different perspective and acts as a solid companion mode to the main Circuit Mode.
Perhaps the most important part of the game are the events themselves. As mentioned, there are over 16 events in the game (including Dream Events – unique variations on the already included events), most of which are pretty well replicated from the real thing. Events range from track and field events (long jump, 100m dash, hammer throw)to gymnastics (trampoline), archery and even table tennis. Using the DS stylus and touch screen to play the game (as well as buttons in some cases) mostly works well. Different characters have different skills (i.e., speed, stamina, strength) so choice of character will effect your ability in the game (e.g., Bowser will throw further then a weaker character). Some events are simple, such as the 100m dash which involves rubbing the stylus back and forth as fast as possible, whilst others are more complex. It should be said that some events are more entertaining than others, with some being a bit of a chore to play after a few goes. Personally, I enjoyed archery, skeet, and trampoline the most, as these games had some more depth to them and lasted more than just a few seconds or a minute. Despite this, even the less entertaining games (e.g, fencing) have enough merit to warrant inclusion. The stylus/touch screen controls are usually well implemented and most of the time they are suitably responsive. The game does require a bit of touch screen abuse, so if you’re concerned with quite intense and rough rubbing of the touch screen, it might be best to avoid this one.
The game also includes a lobby mode, which allows you to view your own personal records, trophies and medals awarded during play. You can also view Olympic Games trivia by playing mini-games, which is a neat addition. Graphically, the game is impressive, with nice 3D models and a colourful, vibrant presentation. For a portable console, the DS is certainly capable of rendering suitably detailed 3D backgrounds and this game makes good use of it with the crowds, stadiums, and other backdrops. There’s certainly not a huge amount of detail, but it definitely showcases the quality of the DS. Aurally, the game is a mixed bag. Whilst the soundtrack is upbeat and very reminiscent of typical Olympic Games music, the DS’s speakers mean the sound is a bit muffled and not as clear as one would hope. A solid, if a little less than impressive, effort.
Overall, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is a commendable effort from Sega. It faithfully recreates many of the popular Olympic events, with mostly good controls that usually utilise the touch screen effectively. The events themselves range from ok to very good, but this will depend on your personal interest in those games to some degree. There are plenty of medals and trophies to collect, as well as plenty of missions to accomplish with each of the characters. Combine that with the ability to play over Wi-Fi with mates and there’s enough replay value here to justify a purchase. In the end, MSOG makes good use of the Olympic license, and as a portable Beijing Olympics with Mario and Sonic characters, it’s certainly worth a look.
