Game Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games for Nintendo Wii

Ah. What a beautiful day at the 2008 Olympics!! Such a great breeze, the sun is shining, and what's this?!!??! The competitors are entering the stadium!!!!! But wait, it can't be!!! Mario, the heroic plumber and mascot of Nintendo, and Sonic, the hedgehog or heroicness and mascot of Sega, are entering the stadium in one competition together!!!! And they are being followed by such heroes and villains like Luigi, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Bowser, and Peach, to name a few!! This, is Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games!!!

The main selling part about this game is the fact that this is indeed the first game in which Mario and Sonic clash!! Many people that are fans of both protagonists have been waiting for them to be together in a game, and this is their chance to see them together. Of course, this isn't really what fans were expecting. I would think most people would have wanted the two to have their own epic journey in which they face annoying pests such as Dr. Eggman and Bowser. Atleast this is a start of possibly a big game including Sonic and Mario. Anyways, this game sets Mario, Sonic, and their comrades (and your Miis) as contestants in the 2008 Bejing Olympics.

And with the Olympics come a wide array of sports events! These events range from Swimming to Athletics (Track and Field) to even Table Tennis!! The games are divided into six categories, each utilizing either just the Wii Remote or the combination of the Wii Remote and the Nunchuck. I think that this game is much similar to Wii Sports, except a wider choice of characters and different activities. The most fun out of the activities, in my opinion, is the Trampoline. This event, classified in teh Gymnastics category, has you first trying to jump a certain distance, and then peforming tricks by pressing the A and B buttons and twisting the Wii Remote. Speaking of the Wii Remote, this event uses only the Wii Remote. It is pretty tricky to get all of the buttons and tilts in time. I always keep getting in the low to mid-7s for my score on the performance!! As for those who played Wii Sports for a fun way to sweat off some pounds, I would recommend the Swimming events. the events in this category have you moving the Wii Remote and Nunchuck in different ways to swim with your character. Some of these characters make you move the pair of controllers up and down to swim with them. i have found that by rapidly doing this method of swimming, it is easy to break a sweat. As for those who want a mental challenge, I would recommend the Fencing game. In this event, you use the Wii Remote held vertically to block, fake, and fence at your opponent. It takes a good mind to know what the opponent will do and how to counter it. Mabye you're thinking that the opponent is about to fence at you. Block the shot to leave your opponent open for a fence. Or, go backwards and dodge the shot. There are also many games that I didn't talk about that are fun, so try them out!!!

Overall, I would say that this is a great game that utilizes all of the motion-sensory features of the Wii, whether it's aiming the Wii Remote at flying disks or quickly alternating the Wii Remote and Nunchuck to run. And it's also a bonus for those Mario and Sonic fans.

Gameplay: 8.5/10 - Pretty bad concept, but very nice gameplay in my opinion.
Graphics: 8.25/10 - Not really detailed, like most other Wii games, but just as crisp and clear as an Olympic day!

Also, I want to say that for my album review this week, be prepared for a blast from the near-past!! I am Jaykk, signing out!