Hey I'm Charl. I also write on dooyoo as Charby, so please read my reviews there too if you're a mem...
Hey I'm Charl. I also write on dooyoo as Charby, so please read my reviews there too if you're a member. Thanks for all rates and comments, and I try to return rates when I have the time.
Member since:01.03.2006
Reviews:81
Members who trust:28
Nintendo's had a great idea with this one: a game which appeals to fans of Mario, Sonic, sports games, and children who want a brightly coloured game thats a lot of fun. I think you'd have to look far to find someone who couldn't find anything to like in this game.
In this game, you get to play a variety of Olympics sports on the wii, either against the computer or with a group of friends, providing you have enough controllers. You can choose between 20 characters, who are all from the Mario games on Nintendo or Sonic's Sega games, for example you can play as Tails, Yoshi, Amy, and even Princess Daisy, who my friends tell me is from the first Mario adventure. Each of them has their own strengths: for example sonic is fast, but dr robotnik (annoying called dr eggman in this game) is really strong. This means that if you're doing a 100m or something then you will have a better chance with a fast player, but you may want to go for a more 'skilled' character for trampolining etc. You can also play as your 'mii', which is a little wii character that you make (if you have played wii sports
then you know what I mean), but I think that its much more fun to play as one of the nintendo or sonic characters.
There is a good selection of events to choose from arranged into categories such as athletics, water, gymnastics etc. You can play events one at a time, and compete to win a medal like in the proper olympics. You can also play circuits, where you play a few events in a row and get points for which place you're in, and then the person with the most points wins. Playing circuits and winning unlocks new events and more difficult circuits, so if you find the game to be too easy at first, then don't worry because it soon becomes a lot more challenging.
One of the things that I like most about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is that it's a lot of fun to play with friends, as none of the games are one player. As long as you have a wii remote per player you can play most of the events, although several of them require a nunchuk per person as well, which is a bit annoying because they're £15 each. However this only affects a couple of games, so its not much of a problem.
Fortunately, Mario and Sonic is still fun when you're playing by yourself, because of the circuit modes which allow you to unlock new games, and also because of the medals and emblems you win. There is a section on the main menu where you can see what medals etc you have, and if you want to it's fun to try to get them all. You get trophies for each circuit you get first place in, and emblems for certain things like getting a world record or winning table tennis 11-0. I don't know what else you can get emblems for because it doesn't tell you til you get it, but it's entertaining to try things to see if it'll get you an emblem.
The graphics on the game are all pretty good: Mario looks as he does in Super Mario Galaxy and so do his friends, and Sonic and co look pretty good too. The movement is all fairly flawless, and it looks realistic even when the characters are doing flips in the air or throwing javelins. The backgrounds are based on the stadiums in China that will be used in this summer's Olympics, but all you really see is the track and parts of the crowd, and while you're playing all you're really concentrating on is what your character is doing, so its not hugely important.
The controls has to be the best thing about this game, as it uses the wii remote and nunchuk to great effect. Unlike sports games on other consoles, where everything is done with an analogue stick and buttons, in this game the player actually moves in a similar way that the character does. For example, when you're rowing you move your arms backwards and forwards, and when you're playing table tennis you swing your arm. There are some games however where the controls have little to do with how you would play the event in real life, such as for trampolining you have to press buttons in a certain order and twist the remote. It's still a lot more fun than using a typical controller though, and it actually is quite good exercise! I can only play this for a few days in a row then I have to stop for a week or so, because my arms get too tired and weak. All the running events involve you moving your arms really quickly, so after I've been playing it a lot, I get too tired and keep losing cos I can't do it fast enough. I often get into a bit of a sweat if I'm playing for an hour or so, so it must be good for me, if even slightly.
All in all, this game is brilliant. It's really enjoyable for one player or multiplayer, and because the events are short you don't have to commit to spending a long time playing it. You don't have to be a fan of mario or sonic to like the game, as you can always just play as yourself. It's been out since December 2007, but it's still about £30-35 in most shops, but you may find it cheaper in a few months or on ebay.
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Advantages: lots to do, great fun, great graphics, good for family of all ages Disadvantages: my arms got tired very quickly, some bits were too tricky
Advantages: Lots of sports, can play with balance board, ability to play with a mii, dream events are fun. Disadvantages: No real story, Balance Board controls poorly on most mini-games, might get boring quickly.
Advantages: Some great events and a chance to dress your Mii up for winter. Disadvantages: This game will hold your attention, but for how long is a different matter.
Apr 28th, 2008
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