Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - (Wii)
Developer: Sega
Format: Wii
Genre: Arcade


Frantic arcade action with two of the biggest names in games



Mario and Sonic return for another joint outing, relatively fresh from the rather mediocre button bashing affair that was the Olympic Games title, and now ready to face a a flurry of ice and snow based disciplines in the aptly titled Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

So have the two legendary videogame icons learnt from their unpolished mistakes of the past and delivered us a more playable, more enjoyable, set of activities to work through? Well, the answer is yes - and no.

First let's take a look at what's on offer. The game follows the same format as the original with 16 different events (or minigames) to work through. Immediately, this sequel is off to a head start as the events themselves, although perhaps lacking the kudos of Olympic track and field activities are far more interesting than half a dozen different ways to run in a straight line - as seen in the first effort. No, in this game it's all about different types of skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, bobsleigh, ice hockey and a surprise favourite, curling.

Controls are a little hit and miss - such is the nature of trying to incorporate multiple physical disciplines on the Wii remote. Tilting the remote to steer your character down a steep mountain pass is undeniable fun - even better when used in conjunction with a Nunchuk to simulate ski poles. Fortunately all games can be used with the Wii Remote alone which is ideal for party situation, but for the hardcore some disciplines are even compatible with the Wii Balance Board.

The highlight for us though wasn't so much to do with controls - or indeed visual presentation (we'll get to that). Instead we we're pleasantly surprised by the Dream Events minigames. These events are where you can see the developers have started to let their imagination run wild - as they should in a party game that has got the creative talent of both Nintendo and Sega behind it. Dream Figure Skating is a stroke of genius - a feature where players take a team of four skaters and play through classic scenes from Mario and Sonic games in an ice setting - such as Sonic playing through a 3D Green Hill Zone or Mario collecting stars. It sounds absurd but it plays really well - making the Dream Events worth unlocking the more workman-like Festival mode for.

Where the game lets itself down is on the presentation front. Once again the title lacks the type of polish that a game like this demands. Animations at times are jerky, slowdown is not uncommon and the colour palette outside of the psychedelic Dream Events sequences is just uninspiring. These iconic characters deserve better and to pardon the pun, the appearance left us cold. But if looks can be put to one side (hard, we know), there's a meaty and entertaining party game waiting to be played. Not a stone cold classic by any means but a definite improvement on the Olympic offering.