Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Put Mario, Sonic, Winter Olympics and Wii together and what should you get? A cracking sports game with enough nostalgia to create an excitement about days gone by, whilst using your skill to navigate ski slopes and ice rinks.

Yes, this is the follow up to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, only this time they’ve added snow, ice and winter sports to coincide with the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver in 2010. Mario, Sonic and friends all have their roles to play in competing in the Olympic Games, and all have different skills to share along the way.

The layout of the game is quite straightforward, and I would expect nothing else. There are two play modes; Winter Games and Party Games, both of which have single and multiplayer options, bringing this game’s full potential to light as a party and family game. Winter Games mode is packed with features including Training, Single Match, Festival and Wii Balance Board. I think the Winter Games section brings the best things about games like this to light, in that it simply allows you to play what you want and when you want. There is no complicated “level” system, and you don’t have to collect enough “points” to take part in an activity. That’s not to say that you can’t improve and move on, but from the first play you are not restricted to just a few activities.

The Wii version of this game appears to succeed where the DS version fails, in that on the Wii you can simply pick a character in Festival mode and see him/her through a full Olympic games including training. This loosely makes for a realistic sports game with the obvious bonus of fun characters and the use of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk (although the Nunchuk is optional).

The Training mode comes in handy and it actually allows you to practice as you go along rather than making you read a lot of information at once and throwing you in the deep end. There is some help along the way if you choose not to take part in the training exercises, but I think they’re pretty fun as well as informative, so I’d recommend you give them a go.

The controls in all events are mostly very simple, but not too easy that it would put you off playing again. The Wii Remote is usually used to direct your character, so when playing Alpine Skiing events for example, the Remote is first used to force your player out of the gates, then tilted up to brake and turned side to side to steer. The balance in the steering in all events is very good; it’s not so sensitive that it’s frustrating, but it’s responsive enough to do what you want it to do.

There is also the added bonus of being able to use your Balance Board if you have one, and I imagine a lot of you do. You can sit on your bum to really engage in the Bobsleigh events, and use your legs to steer yourself in Skiing events. For events such as these, the Balance Board increases the fun factor, it’s just a shame that only one person can take part.

The Dream Events are really where the party fun can be had. A basic way to describe these events is “Mario Kart on ice, with a bit of added Sonic”. You basically race against three other characters and there are Mario Kart style boxes to collect and use along the way. You can play these levels alone, and maybe you would just to unlock more fun packed courses and events, but they are best played in a group the same way that Mario Kart is not a game to be played alone.

Partner the Dream Events with the Party Games mode, and you’ve got yourself a fun filled evening. There’s plenty of variety in the Party Games, and they add a further competitive streak to a get-together. Out of Balloon Attack, Wheel Challenge and Panel Flip, Wheel Challenge is my favourite. You spin a wheel to randomly pick the “leader” out of the four chosen characters in the game. You then score more points for finishing ahead of the “leader”. This takes you briefly away from just playing the Olympic Games, and concentrates on creating a game show style atmosphere.

When you peel yourself away from the main fun and games and venture to the Shop mode, you can buy clothes and accessories or your Mii, as well as music tracks, books and items for your sports equipment. These items are all purchased with coins that you make throughout your progression in the game, and there are items that need to be unlocked before you can buy them. I personally don’t feel this adds much to the game, unless you are constantly using your Mii character, which sort of takes away the “Mario and Sonic” element of the game altogether! Having said this, if you should choose to use a Mii to play the games, the items in the shop are pretty cool and allow for multiple outfit options to say the least.

As far as sounds and graphics go, the bright and colourful characters and backgrounds really stand out to make sure this is attractive to players of all ages. The characters are really well animated as you would expect, but to add to this are the vivid images of the backgrounds especially in events on the Ski slopes. Obviously, it hasn’t taken Wii graphics to a  new level, but it is impressive all the same, and brings back all of the fun elements of Mario and Sonic games of days gone by, while managing to update them to their current forms.

There is one main annoyance for me throughout the whole game, and that’s the voice that repeats everything you have just clicked on in a menu. I find myself saying “I know what I just selected, so there’s no need to tell me, and if I didn’t mean it then it’s too late anyway!” Unfortunately, this irritation only increased over time even though I had hoped I’d get used to it. I didn’t, and I noticed it more. But that’s just me.

It is also quite unfortunate that there is no online mode in this game. Let’s face it, sometimes you want to play when there’s no one else around, but playing against a computer doesn’t really make up for your lack of company. An online mode would have solved that problem and really brought the fun of competitive winter gaming to your living room.

Overall, I think the real winning factor for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the controls. From Curling and Figure Skating to Snowboarding and Speed Skating, the controls using the Wii Remote really do make sense. There is enough to keep an interest in the game in that it helps to memorise the controls, but there is also a logic behind the way you move the Remote and Nunchuk.  The Balance Board also makes for an all round interactive experience, partnered with all the fun you’d expect characters from Mario and Sonic titles to bring.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is one for all ages and genders, and will work for new and experienced gamers. I can’t see how it fails if you simply want a bit of cosy winter fun with friends or family. Maybe the next title could incorporate MotionPlus controls for those who want to make this more of a “sporty” gaming experience.

+ Interesting winter sports selection
+ Simple but varied controls
+ Balance Board makes some games more realistic
+ Great for parties

- No online option
- Irritating voiceover at times
- Does not use MotionPlus

Score – 7.5/10