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"Shoryuken!"
Moderator
on 28/10/2009 at 12:41:01PM
Total Posts: 10339 |
I must admit that I got rather frustrated with the first Mario and Sonic Olympic game. It was probably the point where it felt that my arms were being pulled off by a mad Chuck Norris.
So it took a lot of convincing (by my kids) to get the new Winter Olympics game featuring the two classic game rivals. And do you know what? I’m glad I gave in.
Snow Joke
Mario and Sonic At the Olympic Winter Games is, despite being an awfully long title to keep saying or typing, a great example of how to make a fun Wii game without resorting to too many gimmicks.
It picks and chooses 27 games from the Winter Olympics while omitting those like cross country skiing, which might be a bit much for non-Olympic Wii owners. What you do get is some great fun events like bobsleigh (think Cool Runnings with hedgehogs and plumbers) and downhill Skiing (Eddy the Eagle replaced by pink hedgehogs in dresses and princesses), as well as the surprisingly fun figure skating. Eggman has never looked so graceful!
Also included in that list of 27 are new Dream games, based loosely on the Winter Olympic games but set in classic Mario and Sonic worlds with added bits and pieces from their games. My favourite Dream event has to be Snow Boarding which has power-ups and some cool stunts during jumps, it’s all completely over the top action and a brilliant multiplayer game.
Winter Wonderland
The graphics are pretty good for a Wii game, colourful and bright with some lovely CGI style character intros and even a few nice particle effects. They’re still not going to look fantastic on an HD TV of course, given the limits of the Wii’s graphics, but they’re good enough.
Music is wonderful, however, being a mix of Olympic style tunes and classic or remixed songs from old Mario and Sonic games. Old time fans of these gaming icons will lap up the references and the homages Sega has paid to both characters.
Snow Control
Controls are well thought out with 2 control systems to choose from, one simple one which often relies on just the Wii remote and a more advanced method with the Nunchuk added. This has 2 advantages, firstly it allows you to play with more players if you have more Wii remotes than Nunchuks and secondly it means you can handicap older players and allow younger players a fairer race by making the control system easier for them.
The only thing missing is the use of the Wii MotionPlus, which is a big shame as Sega have missed a big opportunity to emulate Wii Sports Resort’s much better motion control here. I can only assume that the game was in development before Sega got their hands on the Motionplus kit.
Olympic Feet (and hands, heads…)
Gaining coins from events allows you to unlock new songs, clothes and even library books on the Winter Games. You just head to the shop section to choose these items, with different shops for each of the 3 things.
Playing through single player also unlocks the Dream events. This is an improvement over the first Olympics game as all the other normal events are unlocked from the start, giving you a lot of choice from the moment you first load the game, but the dream events also give you the incentive to keep playing through in single player, despite this being best as a multi-player game.
The Winter of our Discontent?
There are, however, some issues with games like this that aim to appeal to everyone. Some of the mini-games just don’t work all that well, like the bobsleigh, which is a bit too basic. However, there are enough games for the majority to work well.
The coin collecting may have you coming back for more, but the interface is a bit clumsy at times and while the shop idea is nice the menu could have been a bit more slick.
The library idea is nice but it’s a bit like owning an encyclopaedia on the Winter Games, ultimately a bit boring and left to gather dust.
And the winner is…
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a well made package that should appeal to the whole family. My 3 and 5 year olds both managed at least some of the events, thanks in part to the choice of simple or more complicated control systems. I also enjoyed the homages to the characters and loved the multiplayer dream events.
It’s by no means perfect, but it’s far better than last year’s Olympic Games and is worth a purchase.
8/10
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pb
"Shoryuken!"
Moderator
on 28/10/2009 at 12:41:01PM
Total Posts: 10339
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I must admit that I got rather frustrated with the first Mario and Sonic Olympic game. It was probably the point where it felt that my arms were being pulled off by a mad Chuck Norris.
So it took a lot of convincing (by my kids) to get the new Winter Olympics game featuring the two classic game rivals. And do you know what? I’m glad I gave in.
Snow Joke
Mario and Sonic At the Olympic Winter Games is, despite being an awfully long title to keep saying or typing, a great example of how to make a fun Wii game without resorting to too many gimmicks.
It picks and chooses 27 games from the Winter Olympics while omitting those like cross country skiing, which might be a bit much for non-Olympic Wii owners. What you do get is some great fun events like bobsleigh (think Cool Runnings with hedgehogs and plumbers) and downhill Skiing (Eddy the Eagle replaced by pink hedgehogs in dresses and princesses), as well as the surprisingly fun figure skating. Eggman has never looked so graceful!
Also included in that list of 27 are new Dream games, based loosely on the Winter Olympic games but set in classic Mario and Sonic worlds with added bits and pieces from their games. My favourite Dream event has to be Snow Boarding which has power-ups and some cool stunts during jumps, it’s all completely over the top action and a brilliant multiplayer game.
Winter Wonderland
The graphics are pretty good for a Wii game, colourful and bright with some lovely CGI style character intros and even a few nice particle effects. They’re still not going to look fantastic on an HD TV of course, given the limits of the Wii’s graphics, but they’re good enough.
Music is wonderful, however, being a mix of Olympic style tunes and classic or remixed songs from old Mario and Sonic games. Old time fans of these gaming icons will lap up the references and the homages Sega has paid to both characters.
Snow Control
Controls are well thought out with 2 control systems to choose from, one simple one which often relies on just the Wii remote and a more advanced method with the Nunchuk added. This has 2 advantages, firstly it allows you to play with more players if you have more Wii remotes than Nunchuks and secondly it means you can handicap older players and allow younger players a fairer race by making the control system easier for them.
The only thing missing is the use of the Wii MotionPlus, which is a big shame as Sega have missed a big opportunity to emulate Wii Sports Resort’s much better motion control here. I can only assume that the game was in development before Sega got their hands on the Motionplus kit.
Olympic Feet (and hands, heads…)
Gaining coins from events allows you to unlock new songs, clothes and even library books on the Winter Games. You just head to the shop section to choose these items, with different shops for each of the 3 things.
Playing through single player also unlocks the Dream events. This is an improvement over the first Olympics game as all the other normal events are unlocked from the start, giving you a lot of choice from the moment you first load the game, but the dream events also give you the incentive to keep playing through in single player, despite this being best as a multi-player game.
The Winter of our Discontent?
There are, however, some issues with games like this that aim to appeal to everyone. Some of the mini-games just don’t work all that well, like the bobsleigh, which is a bit too basic. However, there are enough games for the majority to work well.
The coin collecting may have you coming back for more, but the interface is a bit clumsy at times and while the shop idea is nice the menu could have been a bit more slick.
The library idea is nice but it’s a bit like owning an encyclopaedia on the Winter Games, ultimately a bit boring and left to gather dust.
And the winner is…
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a well made package that should appeal to the whole family. My 3 and 5 year olds both managed at least some of the events, thanks in part to the choice of simple or more complicated control systems. I also enjoyed the homages to the characters and loved the multiplayer dream events.
It’s by no means perfect, but it’s far better than last year’s Olympic Games and is worth a purchase.
8/10
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