Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games Review [Wii]



£17.97

£29.99

£24.99

It's no secret that the previous Mario & Sonic olympics title sold well and for good reason; it was a great example of how a minigame compilation should work. We've always known sport games do well on the Wii - Wii Sports demonstrated that - but the diversity of disciplines offered by the first Mario and Sonic game was unparalleled. It delivered fun in spades and anchored itself at the top of the sales charts for quite some time as a result.

It's a tall order then to follow this success. Despite the great gameplay the original title offered, there were niggles and issues raised by gamers, such as progression and unlockables - that is, not being able to unlock stuff in multiplayer modes. For the game to work this time round - especially a winter version where there are fewer events to work with - Sega had to nail it and make each minigame as engaging as the next.

The good news is that's exactly what Sega did.

For a start, you can now use the balance board for a variety of events, which makes the whole experience of bobsledding immediately more enjoyable (especially if, like me, you enjoy indulging your Cool Runnings obsession). If you don't have a balance board you don't miss out - you can play all of the games with the Wiimote and the nunchuck too. 

And, to Sega's credit, it has nailed the controls. The level of response is well-judged, it's immediately accessible and, regardless of which event you're competing in, it's never frustrating to control your characte. And yes, there are more characters to choose from in this latest iteration of the game.

So let's talk a little about game modes and what type of events you can expect to compete in. Of course you'll be able to partake in all of the disciplines, including slalom ski events, bobsledding which I mentioned earlier, figure skating, ski-jump (one of my favourite events in real life, although I'd never do it), curling, snowboarding, ice hockey and speed skating. Because all of the games can be played on the Wiimote, one might think there's only so much you can do with one remote. You'd be right, but because each event is different, you're not focusing on your actions or movements. Instead you're engaging with the event itself, and having similar controls across the board means that the game is accessible. For example, all of the mini games incorporate the same basic control principle - tilting the Wiimote to steer you. Some events will require you to shake the Wiimote to push you off the starting grid (like bobsledding), others will require you to complete motions (such as flicking up, down or drawing patterns) to acquire your points, like figure skating.

Ice hockey is the only exception to that rule, and plays using the Wiimote's d-pad and very much like an old school videogame - voving around with the d-pad and firing by flicking your controller up is both refreshingly simple and great fun.

The real difference, however, comes in the form of the Dream Events, and that's what I've been waiting to talk to you about.

You can probably imagine playing the same games again and again can get repetitive and boring, especially when there aren't that many events to play! Well, Sega has managed to address that and put a twist on the whole thing by adding some classic arcade staples to the action. These Dream Events are like the regular minigames on steroids, so you can expect to do slalom races across some crazy landscapes, riddled with loop-de-loops (Hotrod style-e), zoom pads and item boxes to take out competitors. And it's not just slalom, it's bobsled, figure skating and the rest. And each level offers you a different level of madness, adding a whole new set of factors to consider when playing.

It's these extras that make Mario and Sonic so compelling. Yes the previous game had achievements which celebrated your progression through the game, but the winter games seems to reward you so much more. Even playing through the Festival Mode with a friend or family members unlocks games, and this is a massive relief. Instead of having to play through the game on your own, you can play with your friends and still continue to unlock new events.

And you get money to spend. Not real money, obviously,  but money that can be spent on kitting out your Mii at the Boutique or even at the Library to learn about the origins of the events in the game.

The main point here is that the game is what it's always been; accessible, fun and entertaining. Like its predecessor it will undoubtedly appeal to the Wii's casual audience and I'm sure we'll see it take up residence in the charts for a long stint after the yuletide festivities pass.