London 2012 (Xbox 360)

I had been eager to get an Xbox 360 ever since I saw the new SSX game be released and I wanted to play it as there was alot of talk that it is like the originals. I saw a deal online that was selling this game with and Xbox 360 and with the Olympics coming up I thought why not get it.

---------------Gameplay & Difficulty-----------------
I think this game is very good to occupy time if your into competitive gaming. The one thing I would say it's definitely not easy and takes some skill to get really good scores. The game has the modes easy, medium and hard which I feel is a good way to get everyone involved. I usually play the medium mode as hard is just beyond me. I think although there is an easy mode it still does take skill to even play easy because they haven't made it that easy.

----Modes of Gameplay
*****Olympics Mode
When you play in the Olympics mode you pick you team the pick you events and see weather you are good enough to qualify for finals. The way this mode works is you pick two sports from the list then try and qualify for the final. Once you have/haven't gotten through you will be able to win medal to add to your medal on the medal tally board. This is like the story mode of the game and I like it because it is competitive and it's like I am working to take my team to glory at the Olympics. The only thing that I don't like about this mode is that it's not long enough as you only compete in about 16 events over 8 days. I think it would have been better if it was like 2 weeks with one chance at each event.
I really like the structure of the Olympic Mode because it's like you are really at the Olympics. It starts with a introduction from an English man and a overview of the stadium and what's to come which sort of felt like the opening ceremony. After each final you get an overview of the medal tallies and it's just like the real Olympics. I think they did an excellent job of capturing the moment.

*****Event Play
This mode you can pick any individual event and play just for the fun of it. In this mode you can also put together your customs Olympics with what events you want and play it like the Olympic Mode but your own events chosen. These are also a few pre loaded ones on the game. I like this mode because everyone has there favourite sports and this allows you to only play only what you like.

My general overview of the Gameplay of this game is very good because I like this sort of thing and get really into it when playing. The only thing that I would say is that the don't have all the events from the Olympics. An example of what they are missing is Gymnastics uneven bars, floor. With some events they only include men and not women or visa versa. An example of this is the Gymnastics trampoline event only includes men's trampoline and not womens. I found this a little odd that they have done that to be fair.

The game has 3d capability so that's a bonus although I haven't checked that out yet. The game can be played against people on Xbox live but I haven't checked that out yet as I haven't got a subscription to Xbox live just yet. I has multilayer ability also but due to not having a second remote that's another thing I will have to update when I get one. I assume multilayer would be good because I'd like

----------------Graphics & Sound---------------
The graphics are very good in this game and they have captured everything extremely well. The athletes are very realistic to the countries featured which I thought was added to the game. When I say realistic I mean the body types, hair, structure, features and abilities. The Americans are good swimmers,the European countries do very well on the field events and Jamaicans are good runners. Since that is generally true to life it's good that it's like that in the game. All characters have very athletic builds and some have bandages and Athletes body language.

The sound couldn't be and better if you ask me. I think the introductions and commentaries are exactly what you hear in the Olympics. The sort of phrases used are very much spot on and I think it's what makes the game so real. I like that they don't just keep saying the same phrases in the game they have a large variety which helps you not hear the same thing over and over.
One thing that I was impressed with is the national anthems at the awards ceremony's at the podium because sound near enough correct and In the Mario version of the Olympic game that I have they aren't to good.

----------Overall Opinion----------
Generally I think this is a good game and I would definitely recommend it for the competitive types. With the Olympics ahead why not get this get and have some fun of your own. As this game is very new and has been out for only a few weeks it costs quite abit being the cheapest buy I have found for it is £20 second hand in CEX. I do think it's worth the money if your the competitive type and enjoy sports/Olympics. The game is rated 3+ so it is definitely family friendly.