Nintendo’s well known Italian plumber is back and teaming up with SEGA’s most infamous mascot, in this new style of competitive game play supporting the London 2012 Olympics from your very own Wii console. We see Mario and Sonic pared off against one another with their loyal friends by their side, while they compete in 31 activities that test anyone’s abilities at competitive play. I recall some time ago Mario and Sonic being rivals and competing for the top spot in the charts, now we see the combination of Nintendo and SEGA as they compete for top spot on the same game. Could this joint adventure be an insight into the future of these renowned characters?
You’re Teams:
Team Mario:
- Mario
- Luigi
- Bowser JR
- Princess Daisy
- Yoshi
- Bowser
- Wario
- Donkey Kong
- Princess Peach
- Waluigi
Team Sonic:
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Amy Rose
- Blaze the Cat
- Shadow the Hedgehog
- Metal Sonic
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Vector the Crocodile
- Miles “Tails” Prower
- Dr.Eggman
- Silver the Hedgehog
I cannot really say much about the first 21 events as I am stumped for words apart from saying that they consist of the standard athletic events you would expect to see in any
Olympics game from athletic events and gymnastics right up to the equestrian events.
The 10 dream events have to be the most fun in the game as your avatar gets to run across clouds, ride massive spinning discs through a valley taken directly from Sonic Adventure, get to fly through the heavens toward a piranha plant and many more slightly odd events.
My favourite part of this game has to be The London Party Mode where the developers have attempted to tie Olympic events into a new and meaningful way. You simply choose an event and you can either play though it alone or with up to three friends or computer AI. There is a little twist to London Party mode as it raises the bar and adds a little drama by placing your characters on to a map representing the city of London. Your goal is to complete each map by collecting stamps and be the first to fill a stamp sheet. Before you start any game you can select the amount of stamps required for each round based on the amount of time you expect the round to take. 16 stamps can take up to 30min sometimes 45mins this is only an estimate however like with all competitive sports you are quite likely to finish very fast.
The London party game first reminded me of Mario party, which I have to say I totally loved until they used the franchise too much and just made a rubbish version. However with this game you don’t just roll a dice, hop along on the board while gathering coin and stars etc.You are expected to control the field by jumping on your rivals to beat a non-playable character that could offer special events or more stamps. There is never a time in this game to waste as every move means something never rest as chance based games can easily chip away at your commanding lead.
The games 31 events consist of:
Athletics
- 100m Sprint
- 110m Hurdles
- 4x100m Relay
- Long Jump
- Hammer Throw
- Discus Throw
- Javelin Throw
Gymnastics
- Uneven Bars
- Trampoline
- Rhythmic Ribbon
Aquatics
- 100m Freestyle
- Synchronised Swimming
- Canoeing
- Canoe Sprint 1000m
Equestrian
- Show Jumping
- Badminton
- Beach Volleyball
- Table Tennis- Singles
- Football/Soccer
- Shooting – Pistol
- Fencing – Epée
- Tracking Cycling – Team Pursuit
Dream Events
- Dream Long Jump
- Dream Rafting
- Dream Discus
- Dream Uneven Bars
- Dream Hurdles
- Dream Equestrian
- Dream Sprint
- Dream Trampoline
- Dream Space Walk
- Dream Fencing
The London party game first reminded me of Mario party, which I have to say I totally loved until they used the franchise too much and just made a rubbish version. However with this game you don’t just roll a dice, hop along on the board while gathering coin and stars etc.You are expected to control the field by jumping on your rivals to beat a non-playable character that could offer special events or more stamps. There is never a time in this game to waste as every move means something never rest as chance based games can easily chip away at your commanding lead.
Sega have implemented a number of ways to engage you, even when not playing the London party game mode. With best performance recording for each event, and a kind of lottery ticket which you scratch to reveal special prizes, you are able to hold a maximum of 99 tickets at any one time. Prizes include the likes of clothing for your Mii character which can also be used with-in game, musical scores from the Mario and Sonic games and some crazy accessories to add to the overall look of your Mii and in-game character. What I found to be awesome was being able to change the music in the events to the ones I had unlocked through the ticket.
The game is controlled with a varied amount of option to how you use your Wii remote, from pressing the A & B buttons to run faster or jump, you get to use your Wii remote upright and swing down toward the ground, sometimes you would need to hold the remote sideways or add a the nunchuk to the mix. No matter what and how you decide to use your remote expect your arm to be hurting like hell after.
Luckily the game gets easier as you master the controls and events; the mini games challenge you in a very good way which will keep you coming back for more. Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympics has taken almost no real risks, it is more or less as you would expect. It seems this game will draw upon the fan base of the mascots, Mario and Sonic, as a way to vend this title; however the game still provides an array of mini-games and bonus content to satisfy any fans that follow the character combo or the Olympics.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
