US, October 19, 2009 - While most of the attention has been on the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, its Nintendo's handheld that's again quietly stepping up to deliver serious quality. The Big N's handheld has been home to some pretty impressive games over the last few years, and while not everything on the system is golden, developers seem right at home with pushing their properties onto such an inviting, accessible system. Such is the case with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, a title that's based on the Wii version, and while not perfect in its own right, manages to come together as a much stronger package than its console counterpart.
At its surface, Mario & Sonic DS looks like it'd be a carbon copy of the Wii version, and nearly identical in many ways. You've got your core Olympic disciplines, dream events to throw in a little more "gamey" content in there, you've got the Mario and Sonic franchise characters, and the backdrop of the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver.
So what's different? Execution. It's all about execution.
There are still some odd control decisions from time to time, and not every event is as good as it could be, but the overall standard of quality across the DS version of Mario & Sonic is simply higher all-around. Many of the events stay fun after countless runs, the core staples such as ski, snowboard, speedskating, and sled-based disciplines are all surprisingly refreshing, and it simply plays better all around. If you're going to pick up Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, pick it up for DS.
The RPG mechanic may be simple, but the games themselves are fresh and fun.
It really does come down to control. Sure you've still got some outcasts – skiing is stylus based, while the very similar snowboarding events are done with a much more reliable d-pad and button control set – but for the most part it's a very enjoyable experience. Speedskating is a basic "L/R" mash-fest, but cross country skiing – which I had very little expectation for at all – came out of nowhere as great event. With cross country, the developer actually took from Nintendo's own Excitebike, making a 2D lane-based racer with a stamina meter, downhill "tuck" mechanic, and even thick snow to act as slowing terrain. It's a blast, and while the added Biathlon mode is nothing more than cross country with an added (and puzzling) d-pad based gun aiming mini-game at the end, it's still another event to add to the "plus" side of things, rather than bringing the package down. Why gun control is done with the d-pad and not stylus, however, is beyond me. That's just one of the odd "Why?" moments in an otherwise well-developed game.
Everything from luge, bobsleigh, and snowboarding is done better on DS, and it usually relies on using traditional controls instead of experimental scribble tactics. Ski Jump is perhaps the biggest exception to the rule though, designed around the stylus for launch, jump timing, and mid-air tilting by tapping the left and right sides of the touch screen. Most of the time though, traditional controls win out over gimmicks, so snowboard rocks its skiing counterpart, cross country and biathlon are welcomed additions, and skating (more of a Track & Field button masher) beats out its Wii counterpart which is entirely waggle.
And then there's the old ace up the sleeve. On Wii, curling was the event to play, and on DS that again remains true. Using some nice swipe-based strength and a well-developed core mechanic, curling is a great addition to the package. It's more than just mashing buttons, scribbling all over the place, or adapting traditional racing controls into something like a downhill event. Instead, curling – a mix between shuffleboard, horseshoes, and bocce ball – is a laid back event that is well represented from top to bottom. You may not get the feel of physically pushing yourself to the limits while mashing buttons to speed skate, but using finesse and strategy in curling is pretty dang close to the real thing transformed into pocket goodness.
As for the package outside of the events themselves, Mario & Sonic includes a more robust single player mode, but it's also far from groundbreaking in design. "Adventure Tours" is set up like a role-playing game, but with some pretty bland writing, basic lock and key conventions, and not much to push the experience beyond "Go talk to Yoshi and challenge him to a race" there isn't much to encourage players to continue. Still, it's stronger than what you'll find on Wii, and the game's attempt at bringing Mario and Sonic together as one cohesive team is interesting. Go figure, Bowser and Dr. Eggman have teamed up a well, and have taken over the Olympic games. Guess we'll settle this with a few dozen friendly games of ice hockey, yeah? Even still, the DS's story mode is a much more notable offering than what you'll find on the console version, and it's an attempt at providing more longevity for the younger crowd.
Outside of that, you'll find many of the same bells and whistles across the two platforms, and a few of the same issues as well. You'll get Wi-Fi leaderboards and local wireless events, but no true online Olympic competition. Most of the art direction is decently done and pushes the DS's 3D abilities at least a bit, but all of the character art and interface feels like it was made by a team that somehow got a hold of old Nintendo and SEGA assets and decided to make a game; nothing feels very fresh in the end. Even still, the overall package is pretty strong, and there's lots of representation from both franchises, which will inevitably lead to hundreds of thousands of sales. Things could look a bit more "ground up" overall though. As with Wii, the ability to record and battle against ghost data is included, and with events that are stronger overall in this particular package maybe more players will have reason to go back and master their favorite events. It's better. Not amazing, but better.
Closing Comments
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games still has a bit of a “farmed out” feel to it. The game lacks the soul of a first party Nintendo offering, and the re-used assets and key art found in dozens of other games, posters, or box art gives the appearance that this game was somehow built off old standby content and not hand-crafted by the companies that brought you these fine mascots in the first place. It’s fun to see Mario team up with Sonic, even if the story in Adventure Tours mode doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, and the evens – while still hit or miss – offer far more compelling gameplay mechanics and a whole lot more depth. Both the DS and Wii versions of this franchise are going to sell like hot cakes every time a new Olympic season rolls around, but at least players will have a reason to keep coming back to the DS game long after the waggle-fest on Wii wears thin.
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