Mario and Sonic at the Olympics was a pleasant surprise for me and the game is vastly underrated. In the game you will play as one of 16 characters from the Mario and Sonic universe traversing throughout a number of different real life Olympic events. Some of the events the game features are 100m dash, 400m hurdles, Javelin Throw, swimming and diving, fencing, basketball, and many more events. In total there are around 20 or so events including a few dream events. The dream events are altered versions of the Olympic Games which hold suit with Mario and Sonic. In one event Dream Long Jump the game has your character jumping off of a cliff and soaring through the air and then landing on an Island. The variety in the events is very good, but I did not like the dream events too much.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games shines in the control department as the games are fun and for the most part easy to pick up and play. Some of the games such as Long Jump and Vaulting will take some time to get use to but for the most part the controls are right on. In the running events you just rub the stylus on the screen as fast as you can to run the coarse. The same basic controls apply to swimming. In the diving event you must enter button combinations to perform tricks and must hit the water at the perfect angle using the 4 face buttons on the ds. In shooting events you use the stylus to aim your shot, and in some events you use the L or R buttons to fire or you simply use the stylus. Most of the other events use the stylus controls and before you play each event the game shows you the controls making each game a little easier to pick up and play.
The graphics and sound in the game are both pretty good but there is nothing really outstanding. Some of the character models while playing table tennis looked blotchy and rough, mainly since you are looking right at the top of their head, but other then that the graphics are serviceable. The music in the game isn't outstanding either but there are some good sound effects while the events are being played.
Overall Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games surpassed my expectations and was a fun game to play. There is a chance you could find this game near bargain bins so I would advice to pick the game up and give it a shot for around 20$. You will find that there is a staggering amount of depth to be offered in the form of the different events and hundreds of unlockables.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games shines in the control department as the games are fun and for the most part easy to pick up and play. Some of the games such as Long Jump and Vaulting will take some time to get use to but for the most part the controls are right on. In the running events you just rub the stylus on the screen as fast as you can to run the coarse. The same basic controls apply to swimming. In the diving event you must enter button combinations to perform tricks and must hit the water at the perfect angle using the 4 face buttons on the ds. In shooting events you use the stylus to aim your shot, and in some events you use the L or R buttons to fire or you simply use the stylus. Most of the other events use the stylus controls and before you play each event the game shows you the controls making each game a little easier to pick up and play.
The graphics and sound in the game are both pretty good but there is nothing really outstanding. Some of the character models while playing table tennis looked blotchy and rough, mainly since you are looking right at the top of their head, but other then that the graphics are serviceable. The music in the game isn't outstanding either but there are some good sound effects while the events are being played.
Overall Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games surpassed my expectations and was a fun game to play. There is a chance you could find this game near bargain bins so I would advice to pick the game up and give it a shot for around 20$. You will find that there is a staggering amount of depth to be offered in the form of the different events and hundreds of unlockables.