Nintendo Wii - Olympic Games Review

Say what you will about the gameplay, but that's a pretty solid list of characters to pick from.

One of the game's big draws is that it lets you use characters from the Mario and Sonic universes. From the Mario side you can select Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Bowser, Daisy, Yoshi, or Peach. From the Sonic side you can play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Blaze, Vector, Dr. Eggman, or Shadow. You can even use your Mii if you so choose. Each character is rated in a number of categories, but these ratings don't seem to matter much, if at all. Though there's no online play, the game tracks records for all events, and you can even upload your best scores and times online to see how you stack up with the rest of the world.

Mario & Sonic lets you play 20 real Olympic events, as well as a few of the fantasy variety. You can play single events; a circuit, where you compete in four events and try to finish first so that you can unlock new sports; and missions, where you compete in multiple events but have specific goals such as finishing in a certain place or throwing the javelin a particular distance. Why you'd ever not want to throw the javelin as far as you can--and instead try to toss it between 40 and 50 meters--is anyone's guess, but it's something you'll have to do here. All of these contests use motion-based controls, and some of them require both the Nunchuk and the remote.