Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games
Launched in November 2007 as a stylish tie-in to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the array of familiar characters featured in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is nothing short of impressive.
From track and field to pool, the game features a wide range of Olympic events, enabling the player to maximise the Wiimote’s potential when it comes to the control options. From the straightforward - such as the 100-metre sprint – to the more unusual –step forward the Single Sculls rowing event – there is a wide variety of games to compete in. However, whilst this is physically less taxing than doing it for real, you can forget any notion that this is a walk in the park - the challenge which the Advanced Circuit throws up to you sees to that and for anyone who can successfully sail through the Meteorite series of events, then well, you deserve a real Gold medal.
Not only does this mini-game menagerie for the Wii sport offer more than 20 athletic events for up to four players, some of them will undoubtedly test your fatigue and fitness levels. This game will burn some calories, that’s for sure.
If you enjoyed Mario Kart, the circuits in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games work in the same fashion. Broken down into three different difficulty levels, they boast several series of events in each. Beginner Circuit is the only area unlocked when you commence the game, but naturally, the more you play, the more events and games you unlock, and the harder it becomes. If you find yourself breezing through the first two difficulties then you may hit what may be regarded as a brick wall in the last, as you’ll be reminded of your physical limits here. It’s a case of the old adage that practice makes perfect.
The track games are divided into five different areas: namely 100m, 400m, 4x100m relay, 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles. The 100m sprint involves a straightforward dash to begin with but if you reach those higher levels of difficulty, things start to get physically tougher. Wait until you get to the 4x100m relay when quadruple the amount of stamina is required to cross that finish line. The 400m ‘full lap’ race calls on you to pace yourself and save your energies to sprint at the right time, and you’ll need to apply this same principle to the hurdles of the same length – this is perhaps the most difficult of the track events. For entertainment purposes, you must try your skills with the 100m hurdles – timing is everything should you wish to emulate Colin Jackson!
The field events boasts no surprises here – the long jump demands some ‘pump action’ on the controls to drum up some serious speed and the triple jump which requires three perfectly timed jumps and impressive navigation from you for a perfect landing to increase your distance. The high jump requires some nifty action of the Nunchuck to clear the pole, and with the inclusion of both the javelin and hammer throw, this is a strong selection of field games.
What Olympic games wouldn’t be complete without the trampoline – this is not as easy as it looks, and you’ll need to learn the craft in order to perfect your sequence.
Skeet has been offered in the shooting event – here you must use your Wiimote as a gun to shoot clay pigeons as they fly in front of you. In the rowing, Single Sculls pits you against three other competitors and the fun part here is pulling back on the Wiimote as though you were rowing the boat yourself. Archery gets interesting and may require a few practice attempts first as you’ll need to press both A and B buttons like a bow string, and pull back as though drawing a bow. Sounds simple? This one is harder than it sounds.
As for some wet fun, the pool events boast both 100m Freestyle and 4x100m Freestyle, the latter made even more engaging by the fact that each character in the relay has a different stroke. In terms of technical skills, fencing’s individual epee will require them in bucketloads as you’ll be expected to parry, feint and lunge back and forth to win points against your opponent.
Deemed one of the best events in the game, the Table Tennis single player event calls on your to execute a range of shots so you’ll need to pull out all the stops with this one – we’re talking anything from quick defensive shots to hard slams.
Finally, the other features that are worth mentioning are the Dream Events, which can be best described as contests of fantasy which depict the world of both Sonic and Mario. In Dream Race, Dream Fencing and Dream Table Tennis you are sure to recognise some familiar images from the past, but we won’t spoil it for you.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is well worth investigating, particularly against a party backdrop - it is rich in its complexity and for that alone warrants a look-in. Enjoyable and fun - but expect those arms to ache!
