Every other year we get to witness some new advances in video game technology. This might be in the form of a new video games console or cutting edge graphics card(s), or perhaps a new peripheral that gives us a new way to experience games such as Virtual Reality, 3D gaming, or even controller technology like motion controls, rumble packs, the analog stick, shoulder buttons…yada yada yada.
If I could time travel back to 1997 and tell that version of me about things like; PlayStation VR, the Nintendo 3DS, Steam Sales, smart phone games being better graphically than anything of that era, local multi-player becoming somewhat a rarity in place of online gaming…
11 year old me: “Woah! No way! I wish I could be there now!”
I’d lap it up.
Though if I was to go back to 1997 and tell that version of me that one day… Mario and Sonic will star in a series of games together, and that Sega will stop making console and go on to make a whole load of console exclusive and multi-platform titles, and start to see Nintendo as an ally and not the enemy.
11 year old me: “AHHHH!! Stranger Danger, get this deranged psycho away from me”
It would be entirely unthinkable…
Further talk of the 1990’s console wars can be saved for other times though as I could go on all day about that topic (I’ll chuck in some good books you can read on the subject in the Amazon links at the bottom too, assuming an adblocker doesn’t hide them from you).
I was very much a kid who loved his Olympics in video game form. I had Track and Field II on my NES and continued to buy every iteration I was aware of as years went on. The same went for licensed Olympics games and the occasional fictional take on the genre (i.e. Tiny Toon Adventures Wacky Sports). Summer games seemed to get all the love when it came to video game tie ins, yet the winter side of things seemed relatively non-existent.
In fact I probably only even realised the Winter Olympics was an actual real thing when I saw and immediately bought “Winter Olympics” (1994 multi-platform release) for my Sega Game Gear. It’s been forever since I played that but it didn’t really hold my attention long. In between then and the Mario & Sonic series I continued to play a bunch of winter olympic tie-ins hoping to stumble across a multi-player gem for me and my like minded friends to settle scores in.
Based off my past experiences with said Winter games, I feel confident in saying it has taken till Sega brought in the Mario & Sonic series for the Winter side of things to see some decent justice. Though whilst I’ll praise the winter side for finally hitting it’s stride, I wouldn’t quite say any of the Mario & Sonic Summer Olympics games have ever really topped the likes of International Track & Field on PlayStation 1 or Nintendo 64 for me. I’ll go into that more shortly.
The Mario & Sonic games are fun. It’s undeniable. If you can get hold of 1-3 friends then regardless of which years version you pick up, on whichever Nintendo system, you’ll be able to generate a few laughs. Heck, some of the atrocious Olympics games I’ve played have at least been memorably funny in multi-player simply to riff on throughout.
My only gripe with the series is that some of the sports portrayed in them are a little too simplified or too easy to do well in. Old olympics games used to be gruelling, which may have been to their detriment in terms of sales, but in terms of feeling like you earned your good scores they were very fulfilling. In old games I could usually see where I went wrong, if I was head to head with friends I could usually blame my reaction at the start, or perhaps lost my technique or energy whilst mashing, or pressed a button too early or too late whilst under pressure. In Mario & Sonic it can sometimes seem down to bad character choice or perhaps a slightly off Wiimote gesture that caused me to lose which take away from the competitive vibe these games would normally generate.
Generally speaking, no Olympic based video game is worth picking up if your only real intention is to play the single player, I say the same for the Mario Party series (which I love). These games work best when you and some friends throw yourself at them, now whether they’re played sober or you’re all emulating a rowdy sports bar-like atmosphere is down to yourselves.
If you happen to be someone who’s grown up with both Mario, and Sonic games in your past you’ll probably get a kick out of the character rosters for you to select from as well as all the non playable character cameo’s. One highlight in fan service I’d be a fool not to mention is that all of the Mario & Sonic games tend to be sprinkled with some great remixes of old songs from both franchises.
Outside of your standard real world events, each game throws in a few “dream events” which are basically a mashup of a sport/ activity mixed with the sort of antics you’d expect from a Mario Sports game/ Mario Kart entry. These vary in quality, but it’s an area Sega have the most chance to work with in terms of making future games stand out I feel.
Personally curling has long been a game I’ve had a lot of fun with against friends in the past. The tactical nature of the sport paired with the pain of having to sit and be able to do nothing as your opponent has their go. The highs of stealing it in the last round, or seeing a friend get cocky and sabotage their own work is priceless. In fact even if I’d of just said “Day 30 – playing Curling in Video Games” I’d of felt satisfied with that recommendation.
I for one hope to see a Mario & Sonic Olympic Winter Games: Pyeongchang 2018 on the Nintendo Switch, local multi-player games should be easier to achieve through the systems portability too.
