It’s time to switch gears and talk about the only true sports game that was on offer, with that being the next iteration of the Mario & Sonic the Hedgehog versus the Olympics franchise. Though, before we start, I must admit something. That is the fact that, until this summer I’d never spent any time with the franchise. As such, this described demo stands as my first attempt at winning gold in Nintendo’s incredibly popular tie-in world.
Going in, I was excited about playing another Mario sports title, because they’re almost always fun. Having grown up with Mario Golf and Mario Tennis, I’ve put more than my fair share of hours into the plumber’s sporting activities, with dabbles into baseball and other sports in-between. Other than the two mentioned series, the one that hooked me the most was GameCube’s Mario Strikers, which is a personal favourite and slots in as one of the best interactive sports games ever made. Yes, it’s that good, and its sequel is up there as well. However, there’s something about the magic of the first game that made it more entertaining.
Anyways…
Made available to us in a limited session, thank you for playing type of design, were three different activities: snowboarding, bobsleigh and a multiplayer battle. Each one controlled a bit differently, but the gist was the same: In order to succeed, it was pivotal that I made good use of my motion-controlling skills. Aiming the WiiMote downward would speed things up, while pulling the reigns back would, of course, slow my avatar down. The basics related to the dawn of motion gaming, and a lot of the titles that graced the Wii console. However, there were subtleties, many of which I did not perfect, including pulling up while going over jumps and evening out one’s board to make sure that the landing was perfect, allowing for speed boosts.
Although the controls were simplified and accessible, they were never great. I’ll never admit to being a big fan of motion, because that would be a boldfaced lie, but I felt that my performance was hindered by some of the floaty physics at play in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. At times, things felt great, but there were just as many, if not more, moments where I felt like I didn’t have a great handle on what was going on on-screen. That became especially noticeable during the multiplayer battle that I finished off with, because it required too much precision.
Simply put, the multiplayer mode, which allows several players to compete against each other, is a battle royale. It’s you against the others, in an attempt to be the first one to get down a mountain and cross a designated finish line. Simple stuff, really, but challenging nonetheless. That’s because the terrain is varied, and so are the vehicles. There’s ice for skates and bobsleds, and snow for boards and whatnot. Think of it as being like Motorstorm, where a variety of vehicles (or devices, if you will) converge on one course, and each one has an optimal line that suits its individual strengths.
The good news is that what you start with isn’t necessarily what you’ll finish with. Gates present themselves at intervals, allowing players to go through and receive a randomized athletic tool from the aforementioned list. If a player goes through one before you, then you can see what it will offer, adding strategy to the mix. However, it’s sometimes hard to pick and choose what you’ll be using, and the bobsleigh that I got saddled with always seemed to put me far behind my competition, despite its tracks’ speed boost pads. A lot of that had to do with control, though, because I had issues making the metallic behemoth do what I wanted it to. It was much easier to control a skiing Mario, or even a boarding Mario, than it was to sit in one of those digitized things.
Hopefully the aforementioned control issues will be rectified, or at least improved before Mario & Sonic at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games hits store shelves. It has potential, and is somewhat fun, but still needs a lot of fine-tuning. With that being said, though, it looks pretty good, despite a bit of stuttering during speedy downhills.
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