Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Review [3DS]

Gaming rivals Mario and Sonic are set to go head-to-head in another battle of Olympic proportions this week.

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (probably the longest 3DS title to date) sees the videogaming veterans take part in a variety of sporting events that we can expect to see at this year's Olympic Games.

This game also marks the Mario & Sonic series' debut on the Nintendo 3DS. As a result, some of the events contain elements that are designed to showcase the 3DS capabilities, including the Long Jump, which cleverly utilises the 3DS' Tilt System, and the Shot Put, which involves use of the microphone.

One of the things which becomes quickly apparent is that unlike the previous games in the series, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games only focuses on a tiny portion of the event rather than allowing players to compete from the very beginning.

 Most games actually take place near the finish line and feature various simple tasks in order to decide a winner. For example, in the Weightlifting  competition, rather than being a button-pressing test of stamina, the player is only asked to shout into the microphone at the correct time.

Whilst this mini-game style will probably make the game more accessible to younger gamers than in past titles, it does take a large amount of the enjoyment out of the game and is our main criticism of the game.

That said, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games does feature an impressive array of events, which should keep the average gamer happy for several days at least. However, those gamers who delight in testing their 'sporting prowess' within a videogame arena might feel a little let down by this particular game.

Rather surprisingly, this game also features no 'Dream Events', which have always been a staple of the previous Mario and Sonic games in the past, and have always provided a very entertaining alternative to the real Olympic Games.

There is a single-player storyline to entice gamers, although it does feature some lengthy cutscenes, but they are of good quality and the single-player campaign does add some much needed replay value to the game.

In conclusion, although Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a good debut title for the 3DS, its new mini-game style left us feeling slightly cheated as it did not feel as though we were taking part in an olympic sporting event. Nevertheless, the single player campaign does slightly make up for this. Good for younger gamers or casual gamers looking for a game to play in their spare time. Overall rating: 7/10.