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Is it me or should it be Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games? Anyways...
It was inevitable. After seeing both the Wii and DS version top the ten million sales mark worldwide it came as no shock to hear of a sequel to the decent party game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This time however Sega have taken their focus on the Winter Olympics complete with skiing, ice hockey and more. But on a console already full with party games, does it bring anything new to the table, or does it simply feel like a cash in?
There are a good amount of events to take part in here with them ranging in type and controls. While some are more successful than others at creating an accurately controlled, enjoyable experience, a good handful are great fun and really shine in the multiplayer. Skiing for example has you hold the remote and nunchuck like a pair of skiis while tilting left and right to turn as you speed down the slopes. Bobsleigh sees you holding the remote to your chest and leaning left and right in order to maintain a good speed (while looking very foolish) Even something like speed skating is good fun with its timing based controls. Some however fall flat and lack any sort of excitement at all. Curling is far too slow paced while dream gliding and snowball fighting feel way out of place with controls that either lack motion manoeuvres at all or are just plain dull.
So let’s move onto what Sonic and Mazza does right well. As far as fans of either series go, there’s definitely more to tuck into in this sequel than before. The amount of “crazy” dream events has been more than doubled taking you to a bunch of locales from each mascots titles including Mario Galaxy, Sonic Adventure 2 and more. In each of these a smile would wash across my face as remixed music and familiar landmarks would appear on each event. Whatsmore the amount of unlockables is fairly decent too with music, decals for your snowboards and skis and funny costumes for your Mii.
The game absolutely nails the music catering for both fans and the Olympic style itself. The main menu boasts a powerful melody complete with brass and strings and really sets the tone perfectly for the fun ahead. While not every tune is a hit, especially in some of the events, having the option to unlock music from past Sonic and Mario games AND have them playable during events is a major improvement over the original where the only way to listen to tracks was via the extras menu.
For those playing alone the “Festival” mode is where you’ll want to start. Here you pick one of the twenty characters and take them through sixteen days of training, events for medals and rival battles with famous baddies from the Mario and Sonic universe. It’s a very short lived experience clocking in at only around three or four hours that can be played again with other people. The biggest issue with this mode though is simply the difficulty. It’s far too easy to win the overall Olympic trophy and it came to a point where I found myself winning by more than double that of the closest competitor. You can play with the balance board alone or just compete against other times and scores worldwide on the leaderboards. That’s right yet again there is no online multiplayer. It was disappointing not having it in the first, but in a time where Wii games like this usually include the feature it’s just a disgrace.
Thankfully the multiplayer aspect still remains great fun, and the main selling point for the title which is good as it’s impossible to recommend Winter Olympics if you’re simply playing on your own. Racing on the slopes, competing for the best ski jump and the other events come alive a lot more when you have three friends to laugh with. Whatsmore three party modes have been thrown in to mix things up slightly giving it a very Mario Party type feel but with Sonic and co thrown in too.
While the inclusion of the balance board is a neat one, it’s just a shame that the MotionPlus hasn’t been used too, as the extra accuracy would have definitely helped make some events more fun and better to control. Events like figure skating, curling and skiing could have been so much more fun to play with the added feature. Imagine more complicated motions during skating, improved accuracy a la Tiger Woods for curling and an overall better turning function for skiing and snowboarding. After playing Wii Sports Resort it just feels like a step backwards.
While playing, I also noticed the overall speed of the game felt sort of slow. During events like Dream snowboarding the pace can really drag at points which is odd for a sport usually known for its speed. The load screens are also plentiful which can really drag the experience down, especially since you’ll be going from sport to sport more often than not.
Visually the game looks pretty much the same as the Summer version. Character models are solid and backgrounds decent enough but the realistic settings look fair bland compared to the wacky Mario and Sonic ones in the dream events. It's a shame that the licenses aren't used more and taken further.
It’s funny, at no point playing this game was I ever blown away, but then again it was never a boring experience. You see the thing with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter games is that it remains in fairly safe territory. It doesn’t take many risks and feels more like familiar ground than anything new and fresh but it’s still a fun game as long as you're playing with mates. It just feels like Sega need to venture further and create something truly epic that fans of both series can get excited about.
It was inevitable. After seeing both the Wii and DS version top the ten million sales mark worldwide it came as no shock to hear of a sequel to the decent party game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This time however Sega have taken their focus on the Winter Olympics complete with skiing, ice hockey and more. But on a console already full with party games, does it bring anything new to the table, or does it simply feel like a cash in?
There are a good amount of events to take part in here with them ranging in type and controls. While some are more successful than others at creating an accurately controlled, enjoyable experience, a good handful are great fun and really shine in the multiplayer. Skiing for example has you hold the remote and nunchuck like a pair of skiis while tilting left and right to turn as you speed down the slopes. Bobsleigh sees you holding the remote to your chest and leaning left and right in order to maintain a good speed (while looking very foolish) Even something like speed skating is good fun with its timing based controls. Some however fall flat and lack any sort of excitement at all. Curling is far too slow paced while dream gliding and snowball fighting feel way out of place with controls that either lack motion manoeuvres at all or are just plain dull.
So let’s move onto what Sonic and Mazza does right well. As far as fans of either series go, there’s definitely more to tuck into in this sequel than before. The amount of “crazy” dream events has been more than doubled taking you to a bunch of locales from each mascots titles including Mario Galaxy, Sonic Adventure 2 and more. In each of these a smile would wash across my face as remixed music and familiar landmarks would appear on each event. Whatsmore the amount of unlockables is fairly decent too with music, decals for your snowboards and skis and funny costumes for your Mii.
The game absolutely nails the music catering for both fans and the Olympic style itself. The main menu boasts a powerful melody complete with brass and strings and really sets the tone perfectly for the fun ahead. While not every tune is a hit, especially in some of the events, having the option to unlock music from past Sonic and Mario games AND have them playable during events is a major improvement over the original where the only way to listen to tracks was via the extras menu.
For those playing alone the “Festival” mode is where you’ll want to start. Here you pick one of the twenty characters and take them through sixteen days of training, events for medals and rival battles with famous baddies from the Mario and Sonic universe. It’s a very short lived experience clocking in at only around three or four hours that can be played again with other people. The biggest issue with this mode though is simply the difficulty. It’s far too easy to win the overall Olympic trophy and it came to a point where I found myself winning by more than double that of the closest competitor. You can play with the balance board alone or just compete against other times and scores worldwide on the leaderboards. That’s right yet again there is no online multiplayer. It was disappointing not having it in the first, but in a time where Wii games like this usually include the feature it’s just a disgrace.
Thankfully the multiplayer aspect still remains great fun, and the main selling point for the title which is good as it’s impossible to recommend Winter Olympics if you’re simply playing on your own. Racing on the slopes, competing for the best ski jump and the other events come alive a lot more when you have three friends to laugh with. Whatsmore three party modes have been thrown in to mix things up slightly giving it a very Mario Party type feel but with Sonic and co thrown in too.
While the inclusion of the balance board is a neat one, it’s just a shame that the MotionPlus hasn’t been used too, as the extra accuracy would have definitely helped make some events more fun and better to control. Events like figure skating, curling and skiing could have been so much more fun to play with the added feature. Imagine more complicated motions during skating, improved accuracy a la Tiger Woods for curling and an overall better turning function for skiing and snowboarding. After playing Wii Sports Resort it just feels like a step backwards.
While playing, I also noticed the overall speed of the game felt sort of slow. During events like Dream snowboarding the pace can really drag at points which is odd for a sport usually known for its speed. The load screens are also plentiful which can really drag the experience down, especially since you’ll be going from sport to sport more often than not.
Visually the game looks pretty much the same as the Summer version. Character models are solid and backgrounds decent enough but the realistic settings look fair bland compared to the wacky Mario and Sonic ones in the dream events. It's a shame that the licenses aren't used more and taken further.
It’s funny, at no point playing this game was I ever blown away, but then again it was never a boring experience. You see the thing with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter games is that it remains in fairly safe territory. It doesn’t take many risks and feels more like familiar ground than anything new and fresh but it’s still a fun game as long as you're playing with mates. It just feels like Sega need to venture further and create something truly epic that fans of both series can get excited about.
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Is it me or should it be Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games? Anyways...
It was inevitable. After seeing both the Wii and DS version top the ten million sales mark worldwide it came as no shock to hear of a sequel to the decent party game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This time however Sega have taken their focus on the Winter Olympics complete with skiing, ice hockey and more. But on a console already full with party games, does it bring anything new to the table, or does it simply feel like a cash in?
There are a good amount of events to take part in here with them ranging in type and controls. While some are more successful than others at creating an accurately controlled, enjoyable experience, a good handful are great fun and really shine in the multiplayer. Skiing for example has you hold the remote and nunchuck like a pair of skiis while tilting left and right to turn as you speed down the slopes. Bobsleigh sees you holding the remote to your chest and leaning left and right in order to maintain a good speed (while looking very foolish) Even something like speed skating is good fun with its timing based controls. Some however fall flat and lack any sort of excitement at all. Curling is far too slow paced while dream gliding and snowball fighting feel way out of place with controls that either lack motion manoeuvres at all or are just plain dull.
So let’s move onto what Sonic and Mazza does right well. As far as fans of either series go, there’s definitely more to tuck into in this sequel than before. The amount of “crazy” dream events has been more than doubled taking you to a bunch of locales from each mascots titles including Mario Galaxy, Sonic Adventure 2 and more. In each of these a smile would wash across my face as remixed music and familiar landmarks would appear on each event. Whatsmore the amount of unlockables is fairly decent too with music, decals for your snowboards and skis and funny costumes for your Mii.
The game absolutely nails the music catering for both fans and the Olympic style itself. The main menu boasts a powerful melody complete with brass and strings and really sets the tone perfectly for the fun ahead. While not every tune is a hit, especially in some of the events, having the option to unlock music from past Sonic and Mario games AND have them playable during events is a major improvement over the original where the only way to listen to tracks was via the extras menu.
For those playing alone the “Festival” mode is where you’ll want to start. Here you pick one of the twenty characters and take them through sixteen days of training, events for medals and rival battles with famous baddies from the Mario and Sonic universe. It’s a very short lived experience clocking in at only around three or four hours that can be played again with other people. The biggest issue with this mode though is simply the difficulty. It’s far too easy to win the overall Olympic trophy and it came to a point where I found myself winning by more than double that of the closest competitor. You can play with the balance board alone or just compete against other times and scores worldwide on the leaderboards. That’s right yet again there is no online multiplayer. It was disappointing not having it in the first, but in a time where Wii games like this usually include the feature it’s just a disgrace.
Thankfully the multiplayer aspect still remains great fun, and the main selling point for the title which is good as it’s impossible to recommend Winter Olympics if you’re simply playing on your own. Racing on the slopes, competing for the best ski jump and the other events come alive a lot more when you have three friends to laugh with. Whatsmore three party modes have been thrown in to mix things up slightly giving it a very Mario Party type feel but with Sonic and co thrown in too.
While the inclusion of the balance board is a neat one, it’s just a shame that the MotionPlus hasn’t been used too, as the extra accuracy would have definitely helped make some events more fun and better to control. Events like figure skating, curling and skiing could have been so much more fun to play with the added feature. Imagine more complicated motions during skating, improved accuracy a la Tiger Woods for curling and an overall better turning function for skiing and snowboarding. After playing Wii Sports Resort it just feels like a step backwards.
While playing, I also noticed the overall speed of the game felt sort of slow. During events like Dream snowboarding the pace can really drag at points which is odd for a sport usually known for its speed. The load screens are also plentiful which can really drag the experience down, especially since you’ll be going from sport to sport more often than not.
Visually the game looks pretty much the same as the Summer version. Character models are solid and backgrounds decent enough but the realistic settings look fair bland compared to the wacky Mario and Sonic ones in the dream events. It's a shame that the licenses aren't used more and taken further.
It’s funny, at no point playing this game was I ever blown away, but then again it was never a boring experience. You see the thing with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter games is that it remains in fairly safe territory. It doesn’t take many risks and feels more like familiar ground than anything new and fresh but it’s still a fun game as long as you're playing with mates. It just feels like Sega need to venture further and create something truly epic that fans of both series can get excited about.
It was inevitable. After seeing both the Wii and DS version top the ten million sales mark worldwide it came as no shock to hear of a sequel to the decent party game, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This time however Sega have taken their focus on the Winter Olympics complete with skiing, ice hockey and more. But on a console already full with party games, does it bring anything new to the table, or does it simply feel like a cash in?
There are a good amount of events to take part in here with them ranging in type and controls. While some are more successful than others at creating an accurately controlled, enjoyable experience, a good handful are great fun and really shine in the multiplayer. Skiing for example has you hold the remote and nunchuck like a pair of skiis while tilting left and right to turn as you speed down the slopes. Bobsleigh sees you holding the remote to your chest and leaning left and right in order to maintain a good speed (while looking very foolish) Even something like speed skating is good fun with its timing based controls. Some however fall flat and lack any sort of excitement at all. Curling is far too slow paced while dream gliding and snowball fighting feel way out of place with controls that either lack motion manoeuvres at all or are just plain dull.
So let’s move onto what Sonic and Mazza does right well. As far as fans of either series go, there’s definitely more to tuck into in this sequel than before. The amount of “crazy” dream events has been more than doubled taking you to a bunch of locales from each mascots titles including Mario Galaxy, Sonic Adventure 2 and more. In each of these a smile would wash across my face as remixed music and familiar landmarks would appear on each event. Whatsmore the amount of unlockables is fairly decent too with music, decals for your snowboards and skis and funny costumes for your Mii.
The game absolutely nails the music catering for both fans and the Olympic style itself. The main menu boasts a powerful melody complete with brass and strings and really sets the tone perfectly for the fun ahead. While not every tune is a hit, especially in some of the events, having the option to unlock music from past Sonic and Mario games AND have them playable during events is a major improvement over the original where the only way to listen to tracks was via the extras menu.
For those playing alone the “Festival” mode is where you’ll want to start. Here you pick one of the twenty characters and take them through sixteen days of training, events for medals and rival battles with famous baddies from the Mario and Sonic universe. It’s a very short lived experience clocking in at only around three or four hours that can be played again with other people. The biggest issue with this mode though is simply the difficulty. It’s far too easy to win the overall Olympic trophy and it came to a point where I found myself winning by more than double that of the closest competitor. You can play with the balance board alone or just compete against other times and scores worldwide on the leaderboards. That’s right yet again there is no online multiplayer. It was disappointing not having it in the first, but in a time where Wii games like this usually include the feature it’s just a disgrace.
Thankfully the multiplayer aspect still remains great fun, and the main selling point for the title which is good as it’s impossible to recommend Winter Olympics if you’re simply playing on your own. Racing on the slopes, competing for the best ski jump and the other events come alive a lot more when you have three friends to laugh with. Whatsmore three party modes have been thrown in to mix things up slightly giving it a very Mario Party type feel but with Sonic and co thrown in too.
While the inclusion of the balance board is a neat one, it’s just a shame that the MotionPlus hasn’t been used too, as the extra accuracy would have definitely helped make some events more fun and better to control. Events like figure skating, curling and skiing could have been so much more fun to play with the added feature. Imagine more complicated motions during skating, improved accuracy a la Tiger Woods for curling and an overall better turning function for skiing and snowboarding. After playing Wii Sports Resort it just feels like a step backwards.
While playing, I also noticed the overall speed of the game felt sort of slow. During events like Dream snowboarding the pace can really drag at points which is odd for a sport usually known for its speed. The load screens are also plentiful which can really drag the experience down, especially since you’ll be going from sport to sport more often than not.
Visually the game looks pretty much the same as the Summer version. Character models are solid and backgrounds decent enough but the realistic settings look fair bland compared to the wacky Mario and Sonic ones in the dream events. It's a shame that the licenses aren't used more and taken further.
It’s funny, at no point playing this game was I ever blown away, but then again it was never a boring experience. You see the thing with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter games is that it remains in fairly safe territory. It doesn’t take many risks and feels more like familiar ground than anything new and fresh but it’s still a fun game as long as you're playing with mates. It just feels like Sega need to venture further and create something truly epic that fans of both series can get excited about.