Mario and Sonic seem to enjoy having a little friendly competition every now and again. Back in 2007, they met at the Olympic Games followed by meeting on the battlefield in Brawl back in 2008 and finally at the Winter Olympic Games in 2009. With the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games in London, Mario and Sonic have decided to duke it out once again on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii.
With the Nintendo Wii version of the game already out in stores and receiving decent reviews, can the 3DS version follow suit and provide a good experience for those looking to expand their handheld collection? Here are the HOTs and NOTs of Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games for the Nintendo 3DS.
Hots
Over 50 Different Activities
There are over 50 different activities to keep you occupied in Mario and Sonic’s latest feud. These span across various event types such as aquatic and contact events. Some of the ones such as judo and fencing are a blast to play and can keep you entertained for quite some time while others, such as swimming events, feel bland and boring. I found the skeet shooting to be very satisfying, but I did not enjoy the 10km marathon swim whatsoever. The fun just kind of disappeared. It seems that some of the events are hit and miss.
There is even a story mode in the game that has you stopping a plot set by Bowser and Eggman to have the London Olympic Games canceled by covering the area in fog. It’s up to Mario and Sonic along with all of their friends to stop these villains from canceling the games. How do you clear out the fog you ask? Well, in order to clear the fog you have to clear “challenges” which consist of events from the Olympics played against the minions of both Bowser and Eggman.
Great Use Of 3DS Features
Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games does an awesome job of utilizing the diverse features the Nintendo 3DS has to offer. Each event has its own unique set of controls that utilize everything from standard button presses to using the tilt controls and built-in microphone. It is quite entertaining the first time through the different events using the various features built in the 3DS to play the game. For example, Judo has the player pressing specified button combinations before the other character, whereas skeet shooting has you aiming by tilting the 3DS and firing with R.
All Your Favorite Characters Are Here
Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games sports 20 different characters over 5 different categories. Each of the 5 categories include 4 different characters for you to choose from. The 5 categories are Heroes, Girls, Tricksters, Wild Ones and Challengers. As you would expect, characters such as Mario and Sonic are in the Heroes category, Daisy and Amy are in the Girls, Wario and Metal Sonic are in the Tricksters, Bowser and Knuckles are in the Wild Ones and Shadow and Yoshi are in the Challengers section. The game will have you choose one character from each category before you begin a medley game to make up your team. So feel free to pick your favorites.
Nots
Fun Wears Off Fast
The game starts to lose its fun factor about halfway through the events. Once you have experienced the different controls and they begin to repeat, it starts to feel more and more tedious. It is also worth mentioning that once you manage to make your way through every event, you won’t really find any reason to go back and replay them. This game will probably hold your attention for approximately one long car ride, but that’s about it.
Story Mode Feels Hollow
The story mode really only feels like a cheap excuse to get you to play the different events. It involves the typical heroics of Mario and Sonic and the predictable villainy of Bowser and Eggman. It also won’t last incredibly long either. Chances are, you will beat the story and a majority of the events during that long car ride I mentioned earlier. If you aren’t taking a long car ride, then you probably won’t be able to stand this game for even one prolonged sitting.
Verdict
Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games is a game that should mainly be purchased for the younger audience out there. Anyone in their adulthood probably wouldn’t find very much entertainment in this package. The game does make good use of the the various 3DS features throughout the 50+ events, but the lack of a story and tedious nature kill that experience quickly. If you have kids, then buy it for them. Otherwise, leave it be and look for a title that has the ability to hold one’s attention for extended periods of time.
[Editor’s Note: Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games was reviewed on the Nintendo 3DS platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
