Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games
Released: November 6th, 2007
Genre: Sports Party Game / Olympic Sports
Developer: Sega Sports
Publisher: Sega
Two of the biggest icons in the entertainment industry, Mario and Sonic, are joining forces to star in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed exclusively for the Wii video game system and the Nintendo DS system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two renowned stars have appeared together in a game. Featuring an all-star cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and Sonic, players will be able to compete as or against a range of familiar characters including Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and more.
Reviews
IGN: 7.9 out of 10
Gamespot: 6 out of 10
1UP: 6 out of 10
We Love Wii: 6 out of 10
We Love Wii Review
For almost twenty years the rivalry between Mario and Sonic has grown to the point where gamers have been waiting for the two to face off in the arena. The opportunity has finally come for Mario and Sonic to face off, though it is not nearly the way people had thought it would happen.
Mario, Sonic, and friends are for the first time competing for the gold medal in the 2008 Olympic Games located in Beijing. The types of games range from the standard 100m race to the obscure Table Tennis. Controls range dramatically between each game, and some of these games just do not work at all. A few mini games such as Skeet, a clay shooting game, work very well, but others, such as the Javelin Throw, give poor instructions and almost never work properly. The bad severely outweighs the good games in Mario and Sonic, but for those that loved Wii Sports, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games might have enough to offer in what good games there are.
There are three main modes in the game; Single Match (a single round of any one competition), Circuit (a competition with three different events), and Mission Mode (events with specific goals to accomplish). New mini games are unlocked by winning in Circuit mode. After gaining enough first place’s in Circuit mode you will unlock new mini games to play in Single Matches and Mission mode. A bonus to this is that Single Matches and Circuit mode are both playable with up to four players, which increases your odds that at least one person will win overall.
There are twelve characters (six from the Mario universe and six from the Sonic universe), so there are plenty of choices to find the perfect character for you. It is also possible to play as a Mii that you have created which would have neutral stats. If you are not using a Mii there are four categories that Mario and Sonic characters fall under; speed, skill, power, and all-around. With plenty of characters and events it is almost absolute that there will be a few games that you would enjoy.
Besides the sometimes sketchy game play, Mario and Sonic looks great. SEGA seems to have taken no exceptions when it comes to the graphics in this game, everything looks great. Screen shots do very little justice when showing off Mario and Sonic as most are of poor quality. The sound is also something not to be looked over, the music is great. But other than the music, the game is still held back by the horrid voice acting. The same voice overs are used constantly which puts a huge damper on the overall quality of the game.
Overall Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is a quality title that just doesn’t make a great attempt at bringing together these two great mascots. If it wasn’t for Mario and Sonic this game would not be worth the $50, and even with them it is a close call. With a price drop this game would definitely be something of value, but at this point is overpriced. If you are or know someone that loved Wii Sports, this may be the perfect game for them, otherwise it is not necessarily worth a second glance.
