Title Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Date 11.23.2007 Genre Sports, Team Play Platform Xbox 360 Developer SEGA of America Publisher SEGA of America

When a Mario and Sonic crossover game was announced March '07, gamers were pinching themselves trying to wake up from this “early April Fools' Joke.” Turns out that Sega (with big man Shigeru Miyamoto himself overseeing the project) was making a Wii game with the two icons competing at the Summer Olympics. While the hype for the game has died down since then, (especially due to Sonic's inclusion in Super Smash Bros Brawl) the game is released to lukewarm reception from professional reviewers and a whole lot of “How can Mario beat Sonic in a footrace!?” junk.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is a Wii-Mote mini-game fest and nothing more. Get the whole gang to gather around as you play with up to four players each. There are sixteen characters available from both series. Characters include Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Eggman, Blaze, and Vector. Miis are also playable. Each character has their own stats in Speed, Skill, Power, and Stamina which have a mild effect on who has an advantage in what event, though the game has a knack for not telling you which events require which skills.

There are twenty-four events in the game. You've got track, hurdles, swimming, jumping, throwing, rowing, shooting, archery, fencing, table tennis, and a few fantasy events such as racing around a loop a la Mario Kart. Expect a ton of Wii-Mote action, particularly moving the remote up and down to sprint. The variety is pretty good and you'll have some fun trying out each one. Most events are locked from the start and you must complete some basic circuit modes (get the most points) to progress, or you can just chill and play any event you like in a free play mode. If you think Mario Party (with Sonic) and Wii Play/Sports mixed, you get this.

One thing that you notice right away is that there is no story mode available. The characters never really “interact” other than basic stuff like handing off batons or stabbing each other with blunt swords. Since this is Mario and Sonic's first meeting, you'd expect them to have a chat or just pat each other on the back, but you don't get any such thing. At least the game doesn't try to burden you with a bunch of extra tasks, as you can just jump right into the game as soon as you start it up.

This game thrives off repetition, especially the racing events. Usually, you'll find yourself waving the remote up and down to jog, while occasionally doing an additional action to either clear a hurdle or pass a baton. Thankfully, different events require different movements. For instance, in swimming, there are different movements used to swim, which I thought was pretty neat and kept me interested. Like the Olympics, you'll find yourself worried about your own physical stamina to keep up in the events, as I actually suffered from arm pains when playing this game in large blocks.

Some other events use unique movements, such as jerking up or rotating the remote, to accomplish tasks such as jumping or throwing. On most athletic events, such as the long jump, you have to get a running start then jerk up on the remote just right to increase your vertical velocity, all while timing it so you don't step out of bounds. It's really easy to screw up these events, and without a practice mode, it gets tedious having to restart. Others, such as gymnastics and rowing, involve pressing button combos in a window frame, and they prove that a few more mini-games reliant on button commands rather than remote movements were in order.

Then there are other oddball events that mix things up by using the remote sparingly to execute certain tasks.

If you aren't acquainted with using the Wii-Mote proficiently, then these tasks can be quite a pain to execute properly. Fencing is a bare-bones fighting game in which you can execute three moves—lunge, reflect, and feint. It plays out like paper-rock-scissors but with characters with knives instead, trying to predict what your opponent will do in order to get hits on him. Table tennis involves rotating the remote different directions while swinging to represent normal and backhand shots. Timing determines which direction the ball will go and if your swing is bad, you'll miss the rebound altogether. Skeet shoot is as easy as blasting things out of the sky, with the addition of a little timing mini-game that determines the size of your aiming reticule. Archery has you nudging a crosshair to hit the bulls-eye of a target while compensating for wind. The games had more depth than your typical Mario Party mini-game so I had a good time with these as well.

The game's presentation really improves the game substantially. When waving the remote to run or to jump a good three meters (which is nothing in video game distance), you want to see your character making progress and the game does a good job of it. Character animations such as jogging, running, and throwing stuff are pretty well done so much that you actually feel like you are personally doing it yourself. The pole vault is the most visually impressive as the character twists his body to get around the pole (albeit automatically). Gymnastics and fencing isn't as good as you frequently see the same animations done within seconds over and over again. The stadiums are fairly massive, save for some terrible, yet inevitable 2D sprites in the crowds that are an eyesore up-close. The menu interface is pretty clean to boot. Your basic voice actors are back and characters tend to repeat the same things over and over again. Music is pretty easy-listening but it's nothing too memorable.

Despite what fun that you may have with this game, it's still a mini-game fest and nothing more. There are twenty-four events total, some circuits and other challenges to beat, online leaderboards, and a few slapped-on mini-games that seem like something ripped out of Super Mario 64 DS. It's enjoyable but some more substance is in order if this game were to increase in value, especially considering the hefty price tag and the increasing number of games in this genre. It is worth buying but if you don't like Mario and Sonic or are burned out on Wii games like Wii Sports and WarioWare, then a rental may be in order instead.

Presentation: Nice game, but with no real story or cut-scenes behind it.
Gameplay: Different Olympic events with varying Wii-Mote controls, enough to create variety and make each event enjoyable. Some events are tricky to get used to.
Graphics: Supplements the gameplay. Most characters look great in motion. Cardboard crowds are the only weak point.
Sound: Decent voice acting with some okay music in the background.
Replay Value: A handful events but it's not a huge amount. Multiplayer keeps this game alive.

Game Score

B-

Reviewed By: Eric Fritcher