Time to pull out the winter jacket

With the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics fast approaching, the inevitable flood of Winter Sports titles will no doubt begin to hit the game store shelves. One of the first is the game that reunites two of the biggest names in gaming history, Sega's star Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's main man, Mario. The game is creatively titled Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

The game follows on from the commercial success of the original pairing of the game giants in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. That game included events from the Beijing Olympics, whereas their latest release features - as you would expect - Winter Olympic events. And boy, there are plenty of events in which to compete.

All the main winter Olympic sports are included, so there is sure to be something for everybody. Favorites include skiing, skating, snowboarding and the sledding events of Bobsleigh and Luge. Also included are the lesser known sports such as Curling and Biathlon. Winning events opens up new Dream Events such as Rocket Ski Jumping. The Dream Events definitely have more of an arcadey feel to them, but are still fun to play.

With games such as this, it is not just the sporting events that gamers are interested in, but also which of their favorite characters are available to play. You are definitely not limited to just the title characters. A vast array of characters from both the Mario and Sonic Series are available for gamers to use as their avatar in each event. Favorites such as Donkey Kong, Bowser, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Tails, Knuckles and Dr. Eggman are all present. And each have their own specific attributes, making them more suited to specific events. Sonic for instance has a five star Speed rating, making him suited to events such as speed skating, whilst having a poorer Technique rating. Mario, on the other hand has the edge in Technique, but could use some improvement in his Jumping skills.

Game modes

Apart from playing single events, and competing in multiple event competitions, there are a number of other game modes to play. There is the standard multiplayer. And let's be honest, there is nothing more fun than beating your best mate who is sitting beside you. For me, the multiplayer option certainly adds some extra replayability to the game. Of course, this is further enhanced in with the use of the Nintendo WiFi where you can connect with other players from around the world.

The game also comes with an Adventure Story mode where Mario and Sonic must team up to save the Winter Olympics from Bowser and Dr. Eggman. Mario and Sonic will meet a host of character and compete in events against Bowser and Dr. Eggman (and their henchmen) in an effort to bring back the snow so the Olympics can continue. It is a nice touch, but there a too much talking to NPC. If you are planning on buying this game for the sports, you will probably want to skip this mode.