I was a young teen when I first played Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, all the way back in 2007 on my Wii console. The game was a beauty of its time, bringing together two of the most famous characters from the world of video games in a competitive collection of minigames taking place within the world of sport. I have fond memories of that game and so, was really looking forward to seeing just how much things had progressed and evolved almost a decade later.
Right away you're forced to engage with your competitive side, choosing your Mii and the country and mascot (Mario or Sonic) you'd like to represent throughout before being offered four separate modes of play. Three of them - Quick Play, Road to Rio and Versus Mode are the ones you're likely to play more of as they have you gaming and getting involved with the various events and training procedures in the title.
These include one of Brazil's most popular sports - soccer - along with 13 others such as boxing, table tennis and golf. Whilst some require some genuine skill to score points, there are others, such as the boxing minigame mentioned, which will have you hammering your buttons for success while not doing much else. Hardly inspiring. It certainly doesn't encourage repeat play.
The fourth mode however is a little different - Pocket Marathon. Here gamers are challenged to complete a full marathon - that's just over 26 miles - by placing their 3DS in their pockets whilst they go about their daily activities. To motivate you, at certain intervals you'll be granted special items for in-game use, and so whilst this is a game about sport you'll mostly be playing sat on your backside, there is an element of encouraging you to keep active - always a good thing. It's also VERY interesting to see just how long it takes to complete the marathon - something the professionals do in a matter of hours.
A pair of story modes are included - one for Team Mario and one for Team Sonic - and can be engaged with by talking to characters on the map, but they don't do much to add to the overall experience. Really this is something just to be picked up and played for 30 minutes to an hour, rather than a title including a mind-blowing narrative that you'll pump half of your day into for the next month.
So, how much has changed? Really, not a lot. Mario & Sonic's collaboration brings magic to the 3DS screen again through their roster of characters and past adventures, but in the future I personally would love to see a complete reinvention of the Olympics franchise. It's time to step it up.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is available now on Nintendo 3DS, and will come to the Wii U console at a later date.
Tagged in Nintendo