Does Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Finish Strong?
By Eric Ha
Here's your chance to root for your favorite Nintendo or Sega character as you help them beat their opponents with your awesome skillz, that is if you don't get tired.
I remember back in the days with Track & Field for the NES when you had to push the A & B buttons as fast as you can to simulate the two legs running. It was really tiring and our fingers would hurt after a long game. Here's a tip if you still have the game and are stuck with ancient gen gaming. Place a piece of paper over the A and B buttons and slide your finger back and forth really fast. Using a controller with turbo mode also helps tremendously.
Ok, let's get back on topic and back to the future. Now that wii have the We remote, instead of mashing buttons to simulate running we actually have to simulate running with our body parts. That means holding the nunchuck and Wii remote and shaking them as fast as you can. This can get really tiring really fast so it's a great way to keep in shape if you're a 24/7 gamer.
The controls aren't that bad in the game but it sure can be tough depending on the event you play. I always had trouble with high jump and triple jump. I just can't seem to get the timing right when I flick the remote upwards to jump. The javelin throw event also gives me trouble because it also requires you to flick the remote up with good timing. Swimming and rowing is also a pain to play especially against the computer on Masters difficulty. Sometimes I don't even know if my movements are helping.
The game is not that easy to pick up and play for newcomers because you have to explain the controls to them more often than other party games and different events have different controls. Once you get that out of the way though, the game is pretty fun with multiplayer. We had a blast in the Dream Race which is essentially Mario Kart on foot. Archery was also fun because it really requires you to act like you're holding a bow and arrow. However, to get the most out of multiplayer, you'll have to play single player to unlock events for multiplayer. Good thing it's not that hard as long as you're strong in a few events. You just have to place third in a circuit to advance.
It's a shame that online multiplayer didn't make it into the game, but you can still use Nintendo WFC to check the records of players all around the world. There's some pretty darn good players out there and they don't let tough control schemes stop them from setting a world record. You gotta work hard and practice, practice, practice to make it on the list. You might even get healthy and buff on the way there.
This game doesn't scream fun, but it's nice to pick up and play once in a while especially with some friends or family. There will be times when you get frustrated with the game because of the controls, but then there will also be times of laughter when your opponents get frustrated by the controls and you win. If it wasn't for the multiplayer and online rankings, I would have given this game a 6. Overall this game is a 7 and it would have scored higher if online multiplayer was included.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review Page
http://www.nhotspot.net - Nintendo WiFi Games Site
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