Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Preview ...

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What?we?re?talking?about: Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, third entry in the successful Nintendo-based family sports game franchise, and the first to appear on the Nintendo 3DS as well as the Wii ? but no DS version this time around.

Where?we?saw?it: Sega paid to bring us to an event at the Tower of London where members of the Olympic Committee explained a little about how London was preparing for the games, then members of the development team, Sega?s PR team, the Olympic officials and a lookalike of the Queen of England demonstrated the game. We then had the opportunity to play both the 3DS and Wii versions.

What?I?knew?going?in:?I had a passing familiarity with the franchise through Wii-owning friends and family who had a copy of the game, but I hadn?t played it much myself. I knew that the combination of real Olympic sports with fantastic characters from both the Mario and Sonic series had proven very popular, particularly with the younger generation.

What?you?need?to?know:

• Video games are an important part of the Olympics merchandising effort. Anticipated total retail sales of licensed Olympics products for London 2012 will be ?1 billion, and Mario and Sonic?s game will be an important part of that ? it?ll even be showcased at special ?Olympic shops.?

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• The Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games series has so far sold over 19 million copies worldwide, making it a popular licensed product for the events.

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• The London 2012 Olympics cover 31 different venues across the UK ? not all of which are in London itself. 11 of these venues can be seen in the Wii version, while the 3DS version features 20. These venues include the new Olympic Stadium in London, Lords Cricket Ground, setting for the archery event; Horse Guards Parade, where the quintessentially British sport of beach volleyball will be taking place; and Greenwich Park, home of the equestrian events.

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• The Wii version of the game features a number of familiar events from the previous Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games title, plus several new ones. The team claims that there?s a new focus on encouraging play with family and friends, with a number of new cooperative modes available for those of different ability levels.

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• New events in the Wii version include football, badminton and equestrian, but only the equestrian event was playable at the event.

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• Existing events which return to the Wii version have been improved, and the ?dream events? make a return, featuring more ?video game? like challenges based on the worlds, graphical styles and gameplay of past Mario and Sonic games.

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• The Wii version features a choice of 20 characters, split into 5 different categories: power, all-round, speed and skill.

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• The team believes it?s an excellent party game ? many events have the possibility of 4 players competing at the same time, and the new cooperative mechanics allow team play. There?ll also be a new ?party mode? built in, but details for this are, for now, a closely-guarded secret.

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• The events on display for us to try included equestrian, canoeing, badminton, Dream Discus and Dream Long Jump.

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• The equestrian event, set in Greenwich Park, requires players to control the speed of their horse by pulling on its reins using the Wii Remote. The horse follows the course automatically, but players have to keep their balance on corners by tilting the controller, and fences are jumped by pressing a button at the appropriate moment. A single player competes at a time. This event seemed a little difficult to get to grips with, though there?s always the possibility of player incompetence.

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• Canoeing, which takes place at Eton Dorney, is a game which can be played with up to four players simultaneously. These can be arranged as a free-for-all versus match, a two-on-two team versus match, or cooperative play where everyone works together against AI opponents. It?s a simple event where players simply mimic a rowing action with the Wii Remote following the timing of on-screen prompts, then moving as fast as possible during the final stretch. The race is 1000 meters long, but at several points throughout, the game ?fast forwards? meaning the whole thing is actually over in a matter of seconds.

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Source: http://www.gameworldme.net/2011/05/24/mario-and-sonic-at-the-london-2012-olympic-games-preview/

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