Controls

Games of this sort are often button mashing fests that leave gamers with crippled hands if they play for lengthy periods. Mario and Sonic has tried to rectify this somewhat with the use of the stylus. There are certainly events (such as the speed skating) that still require some button mashing, but they are kept to a minimum. For the most part, the stylus and button combinations work well. Each event has vastly different controls, so they can take a little while to perfect, but once perfected feel quite natural. Indeed, there is a mini tutorial preceding each event that shows the gamer which controls to use and the timing of each. And if the gamer for some reason forgets what they have just learned, the game gives indicators during the events.

Visually, the game is your typical Nintendo color fest. This certainly helps to keep the game upbeat and fun to play. The Dream events are almost a color overload, with flashing rainbow lights in the mould of Super Mario Kart. The background scenery in the outdoor events is pleasant to look at, whilst the indoor stadiums are filled with cheering spectators. The audio too feels right, although it is pretty standard fare for a sports game. The characters are all depicted as you would remember them, and it is certainly fun to try them all out to see what they look like and how they handle with their special abilities.

Also, after each event a video replay of your performance can be viewed. This, of course, can be skipped over. But sometimes it can be particularly satisfying to watch a race where you have come from behind to win by the smallest margin, especially in multiplayer mode.

Winter wonderland

There will certainly be other Winter Olympic themed games released in the lead up to the 2010 Games in Vancouver, but Mario and Sonic has already taken the front running. I was pleasantly surprised by the control system. The lack of button mashing is certainly an improvement on many games of this ilk, whilst there hasn't been an overuse of the stylus that many games often suffer from when ported to the DS.

The Adventure Story mode won't win any Adventure Game of the Year awards, but the multiplayer and WiFi modes will keep gamers playing for that bit longer. The Dream events certainly add some extra fun into the sports, whilst gamers will have fun playing with their favorite Mario and Sonic characters and working out which is best suited to each of the many events. The actual Winter Olympics may be as colorful, but won't be as much fun.