Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games - Review - What Makes the Winter So Much Fun?

The rosters have been constructed for Nintendo and Sega, and the snow will be their battleground. This game heralds the return of Amy, Yoshi, Luigi, Mario, Sonic, and Tails along with Metal Sonic and Donkey Kong as new arrivals. The teams will compete in various popular winter sports. Figure Skating gives you the opportunity to move your skater to the rhythm of the music. Ice Hockey requires quick and decisive moves.

Prepare yourself to scream down the slopes in downhill ski racing. Naturally, the dream events have returned, and you can take the Olympic contests you choose and make them even crazier! You will employ strategies and objects to try to win, and you can execute unbelievable tricks that will allow you to race faster and outwit your opponents.

Let the games begin!

Available: Wii, DS

A bit curious about what to expect of Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games?  I'm happy to clue you in.  SEGA has a tendency towards focusing on realism when it comes to the events of the Winter Olympics, whereas Nintendo's gaming systems are usually more inclined towards games that are fan friendly and focused. SEGA and Nintendo had previously joined together to bring their collective characters to the Summer Olympics during last year, so by the time the actual Winter Olympics get to Vancouver, SEGA will have once again made magic.

This new chapter in the 'Olympics' series will have two additional characters that were not in the series previously. From SEGA's character banks, we'll have Metal Sonic, while Nintendo is getting the classic Donkey Kong. The rest of these snowy winter challenges will see the same characters as the first game, including Sonic, Amy, Tails, Yoshi, Luigi and Mario, among others.

A 'Figure Skating' mode will require the player to move their Wiimote to a rhythm presented as cues on an icy surface and the game's music. This mode includes six songs of increasing difficulty, all with varying moves and patterns.

Also includes 'Ice Hockey' that's very reminiscent of classic games like Blades of Steel on the classic NES, or Wayne Gretzky for the Nintendo 64. As the puck is successfully passed between characters, it will accumulate energy that can be used for a final slapshot.

Finally, there is the 'Dream Ski Cross' mode, which bears many similarities to Mario Kart. SEGA actually revealed that the tracks they're used in the game are pulled directly from classic race locations in various Nintendo and SEGA games, explaining why the course is an exact match with the one found in Mario Kart.

Just like the Summer Games, the Mario and Sonic Winter Olympic Games experience have 'dream' events which will turn the traditional events into arcade-type games. 'Extreme Snowboarding' for the DS version is an extension of the regular snowboarding event. Once again, the game calls upon Mario Kart, and you can race against human or computer racers, tossing objects at them to trip them up. Power sliding around turns will also give you a power boost.

The object is to race down a hill as fast as you can. Not unlike Mario Kart, players will have the benefit of a speed boost if they press a button at a precise moment as the race begins. Your momentum will grow as you successfully move through all of the gates on the course, making your race time even shorter.

The DS also includes a 'Bobsleigh' mode. The player chooses a pair of characters to use in the course. You navigate the course by shifting the weight of each of your characters individually as they slide through the track, using both the D-pad and the A & Y buttons. By synchronizing their movements, you'll fill up a power meter that you can use to activate a speed boost.

For the one player version, Sonic's Dr. Eggman and Mario's Bowser have joined forces to melt all of the world's snow to enslave 'snow spirits'. You can choose a character and complete the usual Winter Olympics games throughout the world, as a kind of quest mode. This is the only time that Nintendo and SEGA characters have ever interacted conversationally,so far.

If you enjoy a fun, action packed and competitive game, Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games will make a fantastic addition to your collection.

I'd like to know your thoughts, so after you check it out, stop by and leave me a comment.

Enjoy!