Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)

A 5.0 from the Russian judge.
1/30/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

If you'd rather not bother with the circuits at all, you can either pick an individual event or try to complete one of the game's many Missions. Missions are event-specific challenges such as completing the 100 m freestyle in a certain amount of time, or shooting all of the fast-moving skeet targets. Their clearly-defined goals make them sound easy, but don't be fooled -- some of those Missions will put your Wii remote-shaking abilities to the test.

If you're the type of person who enjoys playing mini-game collections by yourself (it's ok, we don't judge), you're going to be annoyed by Mario & Sonic's constant interruptions. Each event is peppered with loading screens, character animations and replays, which are no big deal in a multiplayer setting where everyone has to wait their turn, but which can be maddening when playing solo. You also have to re-pick the character you'd like to use in between circuits, which makes sense at a party when new players want to jump in, but can be a drag if you're just trying to work your way through the game from start to finish.

With the exception of a handful of events like ping-pong and the epee, the events of Mario & Sonic are very brief, usually just a few seconds long for each competitor. This works well in a multiplayer environment (especially if the players in question are kids) but makes the single-player experience a shallow one.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is yet another decent collection of Wii mini-games to bust out at your next party, especially if you get a bit misty-eyed watching the Parade of Nations in the opening ceremonies or enjoy rooting for countries you might have trouble locating on world map. You'll probably want to avoid this one if you don't play well with others, however, because as a solo venture it's just not that fun.

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.