Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

"Yes! Mario & Sonic clinch Olympic glory!"

Imagine if you went back in time to a decade ago and found a Nintendo and a Sega fan. Then you told them that Ninty's and Sega's mascots, Mario (the platforming plumber) and Sonic (the fastest thing in the universe) had joined together in a sporting game on an Nintendo console. What would they say to you. They would probably slap you and tell you to go to a mental clinic. But the thing that seemed impossible then has arrived: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

Sixteen (Wow) characters from the Mario & Sonic worlds are playable, complete with their own abilities. For example, Bowser has an advantage when it comes to power; Mario is an all-rounder; Sonic is best when it comes to speed (dur...) and Tails is a winner at skill types. Sadly though, all the characters are available from the start, meaning there are none to unlock.

Over 20 Olympic events and four dream events are included. While I won't spoil what these Dream Events are, they take a lot of inspiration from the Mario & Sonic worlds. Nice. The Olympic events do include 100m, trampoline, shooting, long jump, etc. Not all events are available at the start though.

As you'd expect, motion-sensor controls are used in every event except some of the mini-games. They're very inventive: Running, for example, is performed by shaking the Remote and Nunchuk alternatively. Returning balls in table tennis is performed by swinging the Remote and jumping by lifting it upwards.

Apart from the Single Event mode, there are Circuit, Mission and Gallery modes. The Circuit mode is multiple events that are based on points, just like championships. So first place gets 10 points, second gets 8 and so on. On Mission mode, you complete objectives on all the events unlocked so far. Each character has different missions, often against your characters abilities. The gallery mode is a bunch of mini-games: some are good (Bound Ball), some are OK (Count Master) and some are terrible (Voice Memory).

Onto the multiplayer. And what multiplayer! All modes (except the Gallery mode) are available in multiplayer, and all 24 events and 16 characters are available. You and up to three of your friends can play on one Wii console. What about online play? Who imagined competing against other people from around the world? If you did, you'd be disappointed: Nintendo WFC is only available to upload records from around the world, not playing Olympic events with friends. Shame.

VERDICT: 8/10

+ Brilliant Controls
+ Fun in multiplayer
+ Loads of replay value
- What? No online play? Oh come on...
- Very tiring

This is my favourite athletics game. Its controls are inventive, loads of unlockables and a lot of replay value. Put the disappointing lack of online play aside, this is the best.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/12/08

Game Release: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (EU, 11/23/07)