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Official Mario And Sonic At the Olympic Games Beijing Edition (Wii/DS) Thread

So are any adventurous types going to pick this up today? Or is today ship date and not shelf date?
 
I'll be picking this up tomorrow and will post impressions.

The biggest downer is no online play. I don't see the reasoning behind this at all.

But I am a sucker for mini game compilations(unlike most of GAF) so this type of game is right up my alley. I loved Wii Sports, Carnival Games, Mario Party 8, so why not this one? It looks fun and thats what matters to me most.
 
I really, really, REALLY hate Sonic's shitty friends. Amy is one of the most annoying characters in gaming history. Wait, actually that big stupid cat is even worse...

*shivers*
 
Magic Mile said:
I'll be picking this up tomorrow and will post impressions.

The biggest downer is no online play. I don't see the reasoning behind this at all.

But I am a sucker for mini game compilations(unlike most of GAF) so this type of game is right up my alley. I loved Wii Sports, Carnival Games, Mario Party 8, so why not this one? It looks fun and thats what matters to me most.
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Should I mention that I like Wii Sports and Mario Party, but found this game less than thrilling?

I should try the full game out, though, just in case I'm wrong.
 
Amir0x said:
There's just something about the world's boldest and bravest (but often steroid abusing greats) coming together and competing for the win.
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Brave? Seriously?

Run in a straight line for 100 metres!

Sounds easy.

There is a catch. You must do it as fast as you can.

Are you mad? I could get......tired.
 
laesperanzapaz said:
you're getting THIS and refusing Mairo Galaxy. Nice gamer logic there.
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Galaxy doesn't have Sonic. Sure, I've hated every Sonic game that's come out after Sonic CD. But I still have a soft spot for the character. It's more just a blind hope that one day he'll turn up in a good game again.

But really, the reason why I'm going to get this is because I go to and organise gaming parties quite a bit. Wii Sports is the best thing ever invented for parties but it's starting to get a bit boring. This looks like a good replacement with good characters.

However, I just realised that having the money for this as well as the other 4 billion games I'm buying this month.. Probably just won't happen. This game might have to wait a while.
 
IGN Review

http://wii.ign.com/articles/833/833014p1.html

7.9

"For being a game that’s made up of simple gestures and “been there, done that” gameplay, Mario & Sonic is a huge surprise in its ability to still pull us in and really deliver pure, classic entertainment. The 24 events have a bit of repetition when dealing with the same general classification – all racing events feel similar, for example – but even then there’s enough of a difference to set them apart. While some events feel like throwbacks to the NES days of Track & Field, others such as the innovative archery mode and dream events give the experience a huge push in the direction of style and overall freshness. Team that together with playable Miis, online rankings for event-by-event world records, and character-specific missions and you’ve got an experience that goes well beyond just delivering a few rushed minis to a successful system. The overall style is pretty impressive, the list of characters balance out well, the game becomes increasingly entertaining in multiplayer mode, and it’s generally fun to play all-around. Yeah we’ve seen it all before in things like Rayman or Mario Party 8, but this mascot mash-up is more focused, refined, and classically rooted. There’s certainly room to grow, as the game could use a huge focus on more events and missions, more dream events, and full online multiplayer, but as a first pairing between a few of the industry’s top mascots Mario & Sonic truly delivers in the fun department."
 
schuelma said:
"For being a game that’s made up of simple gestures and “been there, done that” gameplay, Mario & Sonic is a huge surprise in its ability to still pull us in and really deliver pure, classic entertainment. The 24 events have a bit of repetition when dealing with the same general classification – all racing events feel similar, for example – but even then there’s enough of a difference to set them apart. While some events feel like throwbacks to the NES days of Track & Field, others such as the innovative archery mode and dream events give the experience a huge push in the direction of style and overall freshness. Team that together with playable Miis, online rankings for event-by-event world records, and character-specific missions and you’ve got an experience that goes well beyond just delivering a few rushed minis to a successful system. The overall style is pretty impressive, the list of characters balance out well, the game becomes increasingly entertaining in multiplayer mode, and it’s generally fun to play all-around. Yeah we’ve seen it all before in things like Rayman or Mario Party 8, but this mascot mash-up is more focused, refined, and classically rooted. There’s certainly room to grow, as the game could use a huge focus on more events and missions, more dream events, and full online multiplayer, but as a first pairing between a few of the industry’s top mascots Mario & Sonic truly delivers in the fun department."
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Sounds pretty damn good to me.
 
http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3164214
6.0

It's a little difficult to say which character's truly cut out for which event, though, because the game never actually defines the skills necessary to excel at a given competition. Some events, such as the 100 meters, are self-explanatory. But does fencing involve skill? Does the hammer throw involve power? Possibly, but I didn't really get the sense that I did any better with Bowser, a power thrower, than with Peach, a skill player.

Mario & Sonic features more than four times as many events as Wii Sports, and while none are spectacular, it's surprising that most are least competent. Sprinting and swimming are two standouts -- simply wave the Wii Remote and Nunchuk back and forth as fast as you can -- and with most of these contests coming in at under a minute, they're sure to be party favorites.

But the biggest disappointment has to be table tennis. Sure, it's a gigantic sport in China, but we've already seen other tennis games on the Wii done much better -- do we really need another half-assed minigame? The matches just drag on way too long -- and be prepared to return serves too early by simply raising the Wii Remote.

Thankfully, it's worth hanging in there, because Mario & Sonic's multiplayer competition is about as much fun as I've had with the Wii in a party-style setting. The 1-on-1 contests like fencing take on a Street Fighter-style combativeness, while the sprinting and swimming events are frantic fights to the finish. We were gasping for breath and perspiring profusely by the end -- particularly the geezer of our group, Electronic Gaming Monthly editor-in-chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu. And as anyone who's trolled the dark recesses of the Internet knows, Mario and Sonic are pretty easy to make fun of, so there's the opportunity for some rather disturbing trash talk...which I blame for most of my losses.

While the multiplayer option makes Mario & Sonic well worth checking out in a party environment, the game's missing one critical component of truly great multiplayer competitions: options. That's right -- there's just one way to play each event, staying a little too close to Olympic rules and regulations. You have to score 15 hits in fencing, you must compete in eight rounds of shooting, you've gotta play to 11 points in table tennis, and so on. The complexity in the competition's certainly a step up from Wii Sports and Wii Play, but without the option to play how you want and when you want, this feels like just another souped-up minigame collection. It's enjoyable -- and to be honest, more fun than I expected -- but it's not quite the evolution of Wii Sports we've been looking for.
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Both seem fair. Although, can't see it makes me angry at all that the game follows Olympic rule regulations closely (as per 1up's criticism). I want that from an Olympic game, after all.
 
A good Olympic game would feature both steroids and the Kenyans winning every long distance running event. Or in this case mushrooms and Sonic, I guess either one works.
 
bananabread said:
They seemed pretty happy with the fencing, which is all I was really interested in.
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Fencing consists of holding left or right to sidle back and forth and shaking the Wii remote to thrust. Holding down a button or two allows you to opt to feint or parry instead, but it really doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Just walk right, dodge when Mr. Computer attacks, then thrust. Repeat until you win.
 
DavidDayton said:
Fencing consists of holding left or right to sidle back and forth and shaking the Wii remote to thrust. Holding down a button or two allows you to opt to feint or parry instead, but it really doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Just walk right, dodge when Mr. Computer attacks, then thrust. Repeat until you win.
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But who would want to play this against computer opponents anyway?
 
Phife Dawg said:
But who would want to play this against computer opponents anyway?
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Given the basic nature of the gameplay, I'm not sure how much better it would be against humans.

I'm really, REALLY skeptical at this point. That's all I'm saying.
 
This game sounds like another wii sports.....which really only means good things. It's a party game, a game to play in the company of friends, and all the reviews have lead to believe it has succeeded in that regard.


A game like this (or wiisports/wiiplay) were never meant to get good review scores. I expect Wiifit to score around the same (6.0-7.0 range) although it'll be the most successful game of 2008 and most likely one of the most fun to play.
 
underfooter said:
A game like this (or wiisports/wiiplay) were never meant to get good review scores. I expect Wiifit to score around the same (6.0-7.0 range) although it'll be the most successful game of 2008 and most likely one of the most fun to play.
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Wii fit is not a game mate, it has maybe 5-10 minigames. The rest is actual fitness. No fun in that.
 
Kevtones said:
Why am I suddenly interested???
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Seriously. I had Zero interest in this game... like forever. I didn't even care to check it out at E for All. However, somehow i find myself wanting to utilize the Circuit City gift card i got from Virtua Fighter 5 on this game tomorrow.

Of course, this was Sega and Nintendo's plan all along. So I should probably try to hold out, at least until November blows over
 
Just read all the 3 reviews and have now no idea of the game's status, since they seem to like different things and got overall different impressions on it.
If it's a sort of Wii Sports 2 as mentioned in the gamepro review, wow: that would be more than fine to me for some holiday multiplayer action.
 
DavidDayton said:
Given the basic nature of the gameplay, I'm not sure how much better it would be against humans.

I'm really, REALLY skeptical at this point. That's all I'm saying.
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Well there's only one way to find out :D .
 
Now that Zack & Wiki is 08, it is a choice between this any Rayman2 for a purchase.
Will wait for reviews i think. When is Rayman out?
 
I don't see why people are second guessing themselves here. Its a game that looks fun. Isn't that what matters most? To hell with cutscenes, endless dialogue, complex story, character development, cinematics. I am buying this game because it looks fun.

Just buy the game.

I am picking it up after work this afternoon and will post impressions.
 
Magic Mile said:
I don't see why people are second guessing themselves here. Its a game that looks fun. Isn't that what matters most? To hell with cutscenes, endless dialogue, complex story, character development, cinematics. I am buying this game because it looks fun.
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Agree 100%! :D
 
egocrata said:
I can´t believe I am seriously considering getting this over Fire Emblem.

My God, am I becoming a casual gamer?
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Only if you don't eventually pick up Fire Emblem afterwards... ;P
 
Magic Mile said:
I don't see why people are second guessing themselves here. Its a game that looks fun. Isn't that what matters most? To hell with cutscenes, endless dialogue, complex story, character development, cinematics. I am buying this game because it looks fun.

Just buy the game.

I am picking it up after work this afternoon and will post impressions.
Click to expand...

I am completely in agreement with you on this one.

When I read comments about a game like this, I often get the feeling that the person commenting has never played an Olympics game before. I have very fond memories of playing Summer Games (I and 2), Winter Games and California Games years ago on the Commodore 64. They were really fun multi-player games that were essentially nothing more than a collection of mini-games based on Olympics events. I would also play the single player modes endlessly, both to try and get better and better scores, and to practice for multi-player games. I only stopped playing these games when I got tired of all the button mashing.

If you go into this game with the same approach, hoping for a modern day Summer Games, that has waggle instead of button-mashing, you won't be disappointed. It is narrow-minded and misguided to expect this game to have the depth of other A list titles that will be coming out soon. I am buying Olympics so that we have something enjoyable to play on the Wii, that will keep me moving - as it is now 30 degrees outside in Pittsburgh where I live. When I want to play something with more depth, I will pick up Assassin's Creed for the PS3 or 360 next week.
 
Bluecondor said:
I am completely in agreement with you on this one.

When I read comments about a game like this, I often get the feeling that the person commenting has never played an Olympics game before. I have very fond memories of playing Summer Games (I and 2), Winter Games and California Games years ago on the Commodore 64. They were really fun multi-player games that were essentially nothing more than a collection of mini-games based on Olympics events. I would also play the single player modes endlessly, both to try and get better and better scores, and to practice for multi-player games. I only stopped playing these games when I got tired of all the button mashing.

If you go into this game with the same approach, hoping for a modern day Summer Games, that has waggle instead of button-mashing, you won't be disappointed. It is narrow-minded and misguided to expect this game to have the depth of other A list titles that will be coming out soon. I am buying Olympics so that we have something enjoyable to play on the Wii, that will keep me moving - as it is now 30 degrees outside in Pittsburgh where I live. When I want to play something with more depth, I will pick up Assassin's Creed for the PS3 or 360 next week.
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Part of it has to be the whole "hay look, moer mini-gamez on Wii lolz" mentality also, no?
 
So reviews are pretty much falling in line with what I'm expecting...I'd be surprised to see any scores below 6 and above 8 for this one.
 
I just picked this one up. The Gamestop I got it at had 17 reserved copies, is that good or bad?

Anyway, going to play it now. I'll try to go through all the events. If anyone wants me to give any specific impressions on anything let me know and I'll answer it when I get back.
 
Magic Mile said:
I just picked this one up. The Gamestop I got it at had 17 reserved copies, is that good or bad?

Anyway, going to play it now. I'll try to go through all the events. If anyone wants me to give any specific impressions on anything let me know and I'll answer it when I get back.
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I'm mostly interested in how the Miis work, I don't think I'll really be using the regular cast in this.

Does it play out like Wii Sports where you select a Mii and it tracks personal records, etc?
 
Magic Mile said:
I don't see why people are second guessing themselves here. Its a game that looks fun. Isn't that what matters most? To hell with cutscenes, endless dialogue, complex story, character development, cinematics. I am buying this game because it looks fun.

Just buy the game.

I am picking it up after work this afternoon and will post impressions.
Click to expand...
Does it look like $50 of fun? Is there anything about it that makes it better than any of the other mini-game compilations released? Games that are "looks fun" but don't have anything else going for it are what I buy at $20, not $50.
 
Allright, I have played it for about 45 minutes. So far, here are my impressions:

It's fun. I have enjoyed it, and thats just playing by myself. I imagine it would be a blast with friends, and I will do that soon. Here is a quick review.

Event by Event Quick Analysis:

Track & Field

100m: We all know what this is, and its just shaking the Wii Remote/Nunchuck in a running motion as fast as you can. I used Shadow on this one, and won pretty easily, but was still a second off the World Record. I imagine World Records will be hard to break, as in each event I played I didn't even come close to breaking one. I do sit at 45th place on the Wi-Fi leaderboard though.

110m Hurdles: Basically the 100m with jumping motions. Not as much of a "button masher" as the 100m because you have to time your jumping motions at the hurdles.

Long Jump: Uses the running controls and a perfectly timed jump motion at the end. Pretty fun, but hard. You have to be careful when jumping; it uses Wii Sports Golf-like meters. Make too hard of a jumping motion and you will get a bad jump. Make too soft of a jumping motion and its going to be weak. You have to get just the right amount of power.

Triple Jump: Same as Long Jump only with a nunchuck jumping motion as well. I liked this one better than the Long Jump because it obviously takes more skill.

Hammer Throw: I liked this one, swing the remote around like a maniac and press B at the right time.

Javelin Throw: Didn't get the controls for this one so I got last place. I used Bowser though. Combination of Long Jump controls and Hammer Throw controls I was guessing.

Gymnastics

Trampolione: Probably my favorite event that I have played so far. It's simple in theory but very difficult in execution. You have to time Wii Remote jumping motions(down and up) to get the maximum bounce on your jump, and once you get high enough the game starts to have you perform button combos. It may seem easy at first, as the first few are 4 button combos such as A-B-A-B, but at the end it gets to 8 button combos that are wacky and tough to pull off. I liked this one a lot.

Shooting

Skeet Shooting: Another favorite of mine so far. Basically Duck Hunt clay shooting with Mario/Sonic characters. Pretty fun, and really hard. I got dead last by quite a margin. But I enjoyed it a lot. I used Waluigi and his reactions each time I got no skeets on a round were funny.

Aquatics

100m Freestyle: Another event I really enjoyed. I used Sonic here, as well as my Mii. Sonic has a life jacket. Each character has their own unique swimming motions, Sonic had the floor crawl(which uses the running motions) and my Mii had some motion where I had to joust the Wii Remote and Nunchuck alternatively. There is a stamina meter so you can't button mash here, you have to wisely use your stamina.

4x100m Freestyle: Tag team swimming. You have a team of 4 characters and they each have different swim styles that you have to use.

Fencing

Fencing: If you are looking for true 1 to 1 fencing controls you will be disappointed, but that doesn't mean this game wasn't fun. This game is all about mind games, and I enjoyed it. Took me a while to get used to all the controls and what fencing is because I have never played it, but I enjoyed it. I got a bronze medal.

Table Tennis

Table Tennis: Basically Wii Sports Tennis with more control options(a good thing). Was pretty cool from what I played, but I wish you could change the point goal from 11 since it took a while to get there.

Those are the events avaliable from the start, there are unlockables as well that I haven't unlocked. I was looking for Archery but thats an unlockable.

Graphics

A bit better than Mario Party 8. Not true widescreen, as there are roughly 1 inch wide black bars on the side of my 50 inch DLP. But you know what, better graphics and true widescreen would not make this game any more enjoyable, so I don't care.

Sound

If you think of Olympic Music, this has it. The title screen has very olympic like music. Announcer sounds like an Olympic announcer as well.

Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection

I am still bummed about no online matches, as that would rule, but Mario & Sonic 1-ups Wii Sports with online leaderboards. Wii Sports would have had a lot more replay value with online leaderboards. I got some emblem for checking the leaderboards(I am guessing emblems = achievements). I am 45th place out of 56 right now in the 100m from what I checked. The game did just come out today and kids are still in school, and others who have played this game probably haven't sent their records into the Wi-Fi connection.

The leaderboard shows your name(entered in options menu), any trophies/medals you have won, the character you used(which can be your Mii, #4 on the leadeboard for 100m used his Mii) and your record, as well as your country's flag. Mostly Americans so far, but some from Canada and France.

Is it better than Wii Sports?

Why it is: More characters, online leaderboards adds single player replay, more events, more colorful, more unlockables.

Why it isn't: Wii Sports has more realistic controls, not just "button mashing like" controls. Wii Sports has better graphics. Wii sports is a bit more customizable and has more stat tracking.

Is it better than Wii Sports: Yes

XiaNaphryz said:
I'm mostly interested in how the Miis work, I don't think I'll really be using the regular cast in this.

Does it play out like Wii Sports where you select a Mii and it tracks personal records, etc?
Click to expand...

I did use my Mii in the Jupiter Circuit(which is 100m Freestyle Swimming, Triple Jump, Trampoline) and won all 3 events, got a gold medal. I checked and it does track records, there is a records menu which you can view console-specific records and records from the Nintendo WFC. It doesn't track personal Mii Records, unfortunatley, but it does give the Top 5 records per event per Wii console, which is close enough I guess.

Does it look like $50 of fun? Is there anything about it that makes it better than any of the other mini-game compilations released? Games that are "looks fun" but don't have anything else going for it are what I buy at $20, not $50
Click to expand...

So far I am not regretting my $50 at all, but obviously this game isn't for everyone. If you liked Wii Sports and/or Mario Party 8, I highly reccommend picking this one up. I suggest everyone at least give it a try via rental, but in my opinion its worth the $50 so far.
 
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