Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

There’s no doubt about it, the world has gone mad.

Sega have released another Mario and Sonic sports game.

To most of today’s youth this wont seem like a big deal, but back in my day you were either a fan of Mario, or Sonic – not both. Never both! Probably because both characters were the faces of their respective machines, with Sonic being the face of Sega and Mario the face of Nintendo.

You’d have more chance of getting John Lydon to publicly endorse a dairy product… oh wait, hang on… Yes, the world has gone mad.

Ever since Sega announced that they were no longer competing in the hardware market, I’ve always felt uneasy playing Sonic games on non Sega platforms – it just seems wrong, like listening to a bad cover version of a Stones classic. In fact, in my humble opinion, Sonic has not had a significant outing since Sonic Adventure on the Sega Dreamcast.

And then in 2007 the unthinkable happened – Sega and Nintendo settled their differences and released Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. The game was a commercial success and naturally, a sequel was announced.

Skip forward to here and now, and we have Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games.

Featuring 25 winter Olympic-based events, essentially the game is bit like a chilly version of Wii Sports, except that you can choose to play as Mario, Sonic, Yoshi, Tails and just about every other character that has appeared in their respective flagship games.

Sega have quite wisely included the option to play as your mii, meaning if you want to add a personal touch to the proceedings you can see yourself ski-ing down the slope next to Donkey Kong and Dr Eggman (aka Doctor Robotnic as it was in my day).

As mentioned earlier, there are 25 different events available, ranging from the good (alpine skiing), to the bad (curling), to the downright weird (snowball fights).

When you start out, there are the bog-standard events available and as you achieve gold medals the dream events are added to your options.

The dream events are quite an interesting feature. Taking the proceedings away from Vancouver and letting you take part part in a variety of events in the weird and wonderful world of Mario & Sonic Land. Taking part in the ski slope races are like a cross between Mario Kart and SSX. Throughout the track there are the bonus, like the red shells and invisibility, and whilst the course design in nothing like Mario Kart, these sort of events do offer a bit of variety from the standard sports.

Sega have made good use of the controls. For the most part they are responsive and easily accessible, but there are a few events that do require a bit of practice.

The skiing and snowboarding events are the most fun – partly because the controls are so well suited to them. Essentially you have to hold your remote and nunchunk like a ski pole, turning from side to side and tilting them forward should you wish to speed up.

However, other events don’t fair so well. The speed skating is a clunky affair in which you just find yourself waving your arms around like a crazy old aunt on a wedding dance floor. The same can be said for curling – an attempt to emulate something similar to wii sports bowling, which fails badly.

They have also incorporated use of the balance board – however, trying to steer a speeding bobsled with the weight of your backside is no easy task!

As a single player game it is let down by some questionably weak AI. You can be miles behind at the top of a ski slope and before you know it, you will have caught up with your competitors. However, one does get the feeling that this game was designed for group sessions and not sad, old and bitter gamers like myself.

Graphically the game is quite impressive. The colours are bright and vibrant, with the models of each character are rendered to a suitable standard. It’s nothing particularly groundbreaking, but it does the job.

On the audio side of things it’s a bit hit and miss. Whilst the music, of which consists of your typical fanfare Olympic themes on a never-ending loop, is fine and suitable for the subject, it can get on your nerves – especially since there are a lot of menus to get through before finally getting to play your chosen event.

The characters’ quips also lose their charm quickly, thanks to the fact that they always say the same thing before each event. With Mario saying “Oh no, I lost!” at the end of each Ice Hockey game, I found myself losing pity for my chosen character – partly because no one likes a whingebag and partly because ice hockey is a team sport – there is no ‘I’ in team, Mario!

Anyway, matters are not helped by the over-enthusiastic narrator, who shouts out “you lose!” whenever you come last – as if it is mocking you. It’s a bit like the sporting equivalent of X-Factor – you go out there, you do your best and find your efforts slated by some smug know-it-all.

However, I am not going to lower myself to that level. Actually I am, I’m a critic after all.

Ultimately, whilst enjoyable for younger audiences and casual gamers, Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics is not up in the same sporting league as Wii Sports Resort.

It’s a good effort, but not quite good enough. Therefore, it gets a bronze medal from me.

7 out of 10

The Good
- Good variety of events
- Vibrant and solid graphics
- Balance board compatible

The Bad
- Some events are too similar
- Weak AI
- Incoherent controls on some games

Ninja Captains - Nintendo Wii

Like ninja? Like cats? Wanna play a game that has Ninja Cats? Trust me, you don’t wanna play this.

Honestly I have no idea what the developers were on when they made this game, and chances are they don’t know either.

Ninja Captains is an incoherent mess, featuring ninja cats (yes, you read that correctly) who find themselves shunted across the planet just as their city is attacked by a giant robotic mouse (once again, yes, you read that bit correctly).

Needless to say these feline ninja have to get back to their city and stop the giant robot mouse.

Along the way they have to take part in a collection of bizarre games, ranging from catching vomit in a bag from air-sick passengers to outrunning a raging bull whilst jumping over televisions.

That’s right, televisions that have been left in the street, where there is a raging bull. I am not making this up, I swear.

The game offers two modes of play, story mode and party mode. Rather tragically you have to complete all the games in story mode to unlock them in party mode.

The trouble with Ninja Captains is that for the most part it is repetitive, boring and relies on a simple control mechanic of ‘wave your wii-mote up’ and ‘wave your nunchuck down’.

While the controls are responsive to your actions, it is still too simple to play, and there are Wii games out which offer far much more than this.

It also fails to advise the gamer clearly on what to do on each level. It then has the cheek to say “it looks like you can’t do it on this setting, would you like to play the game in ‘baby mode’” – a mode in which the score required to pass the level is reduced from 500 points to 250 points.

There are, however, a few games which are entertaining. The ‘Railroad Ride’ requires you to tilt the Wii-mote to avoid obstacles on the rails, and while it is very simple it can be a lot of fun for the younger player. The same goes for the ‘Ninja Skydive’ – a level where the cats skydive through hoops to score points.

For most part though the games range from OK to ‘oh my god, can this be anymore irritating’ – giving the impression that a good percentage of them are just there to fill up the numbers.

Which is a shame because graphically the game is alright. The graphics do their job and, whilst most the level design is basic and uninspiring, the presentation is suitable for this genre.

Possibly the most interesting visual aspect of the game are the cutscenes in story mode. Presented in a quirky 2D style, not too dissimilar to South Park, they offer the gamer/victim a bit of respite from the lacklustre mini games during story mode.

One of the most frustrating things about this game is the audio however, partly due to the grating, repetitive nature of the out-of-time music, which just repeats itself again and again, making you want to cut your own ears off.

It’s not often I play a game and think “my god, there is nothing here to convince me to recommend this to anyone”, but Ninja Captains has achieved that.

Sure, some of the games are mildly entertaining, but the bad levels far out weigh the good and the lack of any decent theme to tie any of it together will fail to appeal the casual gamer.

At best the game is a short party game which will be fall to the wayside in exchange for something better, like Wii Sports or heck, even the much-criticised Carnival Games.

Verdict: 3 out of 10

The good:
“Railroad ride” and “Ninja Skydive” levels are mildly entertaining

The Bad:
Stupid story
Short, boring and repetitive games

Featuring a number of scenarios from the previous games, Capcom have promised that the follow up to 2007’s Umbrella Chronicles will focus on creating a more terrifying experience. The camera will mimic the first person point of view, providing a more cinematic and immersive experience.

Throwing in the traditional Resident Evil trademarks with the eerie soundtrack, the gory graphics and ropey voice acting, Resident Evil fans should be in for a treat.

Compared to the rather meagre offerings from the MCM Expo last week, Eurogamer was a relative feast for the gaming senses, ranging from the hilarity of ‘new’ Super Mario Brothers Wii to the relative sobriety of Heavy Rain, all in the halls and vaults of the surprisingly massive Old Billingsgate building on the shores of the Thames.

Here’s my highlights from the Expo, but more details are covered in our Game On Podcast: Eurogamer Special, so listen to that too if you get a moment!

Here’s my take on the day’s best offerings:

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
A massive booth set up on the main floor of the building was running BC2 games throughout the day, and with my shiny press pass I was one of the first gamers to get my hands on EA’s hotly-tipped squad shooter. Playing similarly to its predecessor, BC2’s graphics had clearly had an overhaul, and a variety of new vehicles and weapons were on offer.

I jumped on to a quad bike at one point, then hijacked a tank and drove through a building – needless to say EA’s Frostbite graphics engine is still up to the task of simulating dozens of buildings exploding in sequence, so expect more of the falling bricks and mortar of the previous titles.

The enhanced radar and tighter controls were a welcome improvement on the last game, but it remains to be seen wether EA can improve the laggy gaming typically associated with playing Battlefield games online.

Aliens Vs Predator
I missed the last game in this series, and having seen the movies I was hoping Rebellion wouldn’t be using those terrible insults to SciFi as any point of reference for this new game – luckily I was right.

Playing in a booth off the main showfloor, AvP was showing off a deathmatch mode, pitching Colonial Marines (armed with traditional guns and a flashlight) against the deadly aliens (who can clamber over every surface in the game and even cling on to the roof) and the stealthy Predators (who come with the familiar red-tinted heads up display and a wicked pair of claws ideal for ripping the enemy to shreds).

Though the action suffered from a fair few graphical bugs, the game was a blast to play, with each of the three combatants offering their own variety of advantages and disadvantages.

It’s early days for the game though, so wether the high speed of the alien and the Marine’s overpowered pistol-whip will be in the final build is up for debate, but either way, I’ll be keeping an eye on this one.

God of War 3
Ex-servant of the Gods, Kratos, returns in the blood-drenched conclusion to the venerable Playstation series.

Screens in the over-18’s section of the expo (watched over by a suitably massive bouncer) were showing the game in all its brutality, with Kratos in fine form tearing enemies to bits with his familiar chain blades, as well as some funky new magical powers, an improved bow and pair of rather nifty wings.

Also making a return are the massive bosses so beloved by fans of the series, and I can promise that the boss battles are just as spectacular as before – I saw Kratos rip the horn off a demon and stab it through the head with the bony protrusion – It doesn’t get much better than that!

Mass Effect 2
Not much to say here which hasn’t already been discussed.

Sadly BioWare didn’t have any new songs to sing, showing the same game scenes released in earlier months. I was happy to see the improved combat system in full swing, with Spectre agent Commander Shepard gunning down robots and organics in equal measure, pausing now and then to hold a conversation with his target. The wheel of conversation choices I loved so much in the last game (with the added bonus of being able to interupt your partner in mid flow!) also makes a return.

Graphically the game’s had an overhaul, and the ever-annoying pop-in textures seems to have been done away with, hopefully along with the game’s notoriously long elevator loading times…

The Saboteur
Tucked away in the basement was a preview build of Pandemic’s World War 2 shooter. A quick play of this revealed a control scheme familiar to anyone who’s played Star Wars: Battlefront or Mercenaries 2, and the previous game’s open-world action makes a welcome return in this game.

I played my way through a factory level, slaughtering Nazi’s left and right and taking in the interesting colour scheme the developers have implemented, as killing Nazis gradually restores the colour saturation to the area, bringing the world back to life, as it were.
However, the main character’s terrible Irish accent didn’t help the proceedings.

‘New’ Super Mario Bros. Wii
Since this one was Colin’s game of the expo, I’m going to let him write this bit, as though I enjoyed the new Super Mario Bros. I was rubbish at it…

“For me, the game that surprised me most at Eurogamer was Super Mario Brothers Wii. While not really a game that I have paid much attention to, I was vaguely aware that it was due to come out this side of Christmas.

Upon taking the wii-mote from the friendly PR lady I was immediately taken with how familiar the game was. For me, it was almost like hooking up with an old friend.”

“Nintendo have very wisely stuck with the familiar 2D layout, giving the game the retro feel that will appeal to gamers of all ages. Those who fondly remember playing Super Mario Brothers on the NES back in the 80s will feel at home playing this game.

The level we played was 4-player co-op, and was immense fun. I was controlling Luigi and Andy was a toadstool. Needless to say, naturally, I used and abused the opportunity to jump on Andy’s head, several times.

It’s not often I get excited at the release of a Wii game, but this one has perked my interest.”

Left 4 Dead 2
This was the game of the show for me, and the new mode on show – Scavenge – only continued to keep me excited for the return of Valve’s venerable zombie blaster.

Graphically the game hasn’t really changed much, though the textures have clearly had an overhaul.

New weapons were on show though, ranging from a katana and frying pan for melee combat to a whole variety of rifles and pistols. Good thing too, as Valve also bought the new special infected into play, with the Charger – a massive hillbilly who can send survivors flying, and the Jockey – who clambers on to survivors and can steer them off cliffs and into fire (all while screaming horribly) being two particular favourites of mine.

The new mode, Scavenge, pitted the survivors against waves of the infected, while they worked to collect petrol cans and get them back to the safe zone.

This looked a total blast on versus mode, and the relatively short rounds seemed ideal for combating the familiar rage-quitters which mar the Left for Dead versus’ online experience.

I really can’t wait for this one, so watch this space.

So those were the highlights of the expo for me, but to hear more about what Colin and I got up to, along with a whole bunch of hear-say and other whispers of a pair of deranged gaming journos, have a listen to our special podcast.