CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games Books TV
Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

86 Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
xx Alvin and the Chipmunks
xx American Girl: Julie Finds a Way
78 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
60 Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles
xx Barnyard Blast: Swine of the Night
xx Best of Tests DS
76 Bomberman Land Touch! 2
53 Brain Assist
71 Brain Challenge
xx Brain Voyage
xx Bratz: Super Babyz
58 Bubble Bobble Double Shot
xx Chicken Hunter
xx Command and Destroy
xx Crazy Pig
xx Diary Girl
xx Disney Friends
72 Draglade
xx Dragon Hunters
xx Dream Pinball 3D
xx Drone Tactics
60 Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts
54 Eco Creatures: Save the Forest
xx Elements of Destruction
58 FIFA Street 3
77 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates
43 Golden Compass, The
xx GoPets: Vacation Island
xx Harvest Moon DS Cute
xx High School Musical: Work This Out!
25 Homie Rollerz
xx Hurry Up Hedgehog!
xx Imagine Figure Skater
50 Indianapolis 500 Legends
59 Insecticide
32 Jackass the Game
xx King of Clubs
52 Left Brain Right Brain
62 Lost In Blue 3
xx Luxor: Pharaoh's Challenge
xx M&M's Kart Racing
69 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
48 Mega Brain Boost
48 Miami Nights: Singles in the City
61 MX vs. ATV Untamed
37 My Horse and Me
57 Myst
68 Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
75 Nanostray 2
63 Naruto: Ninja Destiny
84 Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
56 Ninja Reflex
44 Paint by DS
xx Paws & Claws: Pet Resort
xx Pet Pals: Animal Doctor
xx Petz Wild Animals: Tigerz
xx Powershot Pinball Constructor
57 Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
62 Professor Kageyama's Maths Training
84 Professor Layton and the Curious Village
70 Puchi Puchi Virus
xx Puppy Palace
xx River King: Mystic Valley
xx Rondo of Swords
65 Sega Superstars Tennis
59 Spiderwick Chronicles, The
xx Spitfire Heroes: Tales of the Royal Air Force
xx Teenage Zombies: Invasion of the Alien Brain Thingys!
57 Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command
77 WordJong
xx World Ends With You, The
xx Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2008
61 Zoo Tycoon 2 DS

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games ds Game Reviews
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Critic Score
Metascore: 69 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.0 out of 10
based on 30 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 8 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players compete in events that take place in environments based on the official venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting cast of characters from the worlds of both Mario and Sonic, gamers compete as or against a range of lovable personalities including Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and DS control systems to maneuver a favorite character allows players to race the likes of Mario and Sonic down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating rallies in table tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all while competing for the much sought after gold medal. [Sega]

PUBLISHER: Sega
DEVELOPER: Sega
GENRE(S): Sports
PLAYERS: Multi
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: January 22, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
n-Revolution Magazine UK
As good a DS game as we've played. Superb played solo and great fun with DS-owning friends. Pure gold! [Issue#19, p.80]
90
Official Nintendo Magazine UK
It's still worth considering even if you played it on the Wii first time around. [Mar 2008, p.74]
80
Modojo
Overall, though, Mario and Sonic At the Olympic Games has its weight in gold medal, moreso than the other, flawed console version. Its gameplay, multiplayer options and presentation will hit the spot with Olympians and fans of their games everywhere.
Read Full Review
79
Games Master UK
Minigames with a sports theme and slightly overblown official Olympics presentation. [Mar 2008, p.79]
78
IGN
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a really good competitive game that's a better multiplayer outing than a solo one. Even though it looks and sounds great, the DS version of the title loses a bit of its impact due to its "me too" design against a slightly superior one that launched almost three months prior.
Read Full Review
76
Gamer 2.0
Just be warned, like the Mario Party series, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is better with a few friends rather than playing solo—that way, it won’t be just you beating the hell out of the touch screen.
Read Full Review
75
Nintendo Power
It doesn't quite live up to the historic pairing of gaming's two biggest icons, but then again, not much could. [Feb 2008, p.88]
70
VideoGamer
What first appeared to be a shameless money making coming together of two of gaming's most famous icons has actually turned out to be a fun collection of Olympic events presented with a simple and fun control scheme.
Read Full Review
70
Gamer.nl
This is a fun combination of minigames focusing on sports. Despite the gameplay being a little shallow, the singleplayer mode does offer a lot of options by opening up various new mini-games. The multiplayer is even more fun. Don't be too careless with the stylus though, you can get some scratches on the touchscreen.
Read Full Review
70
Zentendo
The lack of any real multiplayer mode online is the biggest let down of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games on the DS as it removes the biggest element of the game - the very fact that it’s a party game.
Read Full Review
70
PTGamers
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games DS gets closer to the casual and uncompromised format that Sega had in mind. Mini-games are easier with the stylus and less frustrating. Still, there are better alternatives for the DS.
Read Full Review
70
GameDaily
The World Records are a joke (you'll beat most of them on the first two tries) and the Trivia Mode is pointless, but the multiplayer action and online scoreboards make up for them.
Read Full Review
70
GameSpy
You'll get more of a physical workout with the Wii version of the game, but this is a perfectly fine way for you to get some of that Olympic spirit without having to break a sweat.
Read Full Review
70
NZGamer
While the Wii version offers inferior controls, ultimately the console-TV multiplayer experience is something that the DS version cannot match. While the DS version is technically better, the Wii version offers more potential for spontaneous chaos and fun.
Read Full Review
70
Games Radar
This is one of those games that brings about a party atmosphere whenever three or four people are going at it in the same room. Sadly, there's no online multiplayer, although you can connect to Nintendo's WiFi Connect service to add your top scores to the worldwide results ladder.
Read Full Review
68
Cheat Code Central
If you're the type of person who loves to play mini-games, particularly enjoyed the first Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, or are a casual gamer who's looking for a fun, albeit easy and short-lived title, then you should definitely consider picking up a copy of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.
Read Full Review
68
NGamer UK
Although enjoyable in spurts, this is lacking in any real challenge and there are no multiplayer antics to save it. [Apr 2008, p.68]
Read Full Review
65
GamePro
Even though it's shrunken down to fit the DS, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is almost as fun as the Wii version. [Apr 2008, p.85]
Read Full Review
65
1UP
If you're looking for a more competent take on gaming-mascot Olympics, go with the DS version. But if you're looking for a casual party game, go with the Wii version -- it's just not the same without trash-talking all the Sonic furries.
Read Full Review
60
Pocket Gamer UK
Gorgeous-looking Mario & Sonic goes for gold with multiplayer, despite stumbling across the finish line with a few lame events, the odd control issue and only moderately entertaining solo play.
Read Full Review
60
GameSpot
The trouble lies in the often uninteresting and occasionally frustrating controls, combined with some events that are too similar to one another, as well as shallow gameplay that brings the game down.
Read Full Review
60
NintendoWorldReport
But the singular failure to execute multiplayer effectively means that the game's merits are not capitalised upon, and therefore it struggles to provide any lasting impact.
Read Full Review
60
PALGN
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games is a mediocre mini-game compilation for the Nintendo DS. The Wii version is better and there are far better mini-game titles on the Nintendo DS.
Read Full Review
60
GameTap
At best, it's a nice-looking distraction with some much-loved characters, and at worst, it's a sometimes dull and occasionally exasperating minigame collection on a platform full of better, cheaper minigame collections.
Read Full Review
60
Cubed3
An underwhelming experience. Whilst there are plenty of bonus features (medals, emblems, online leaderboards, etc.) designed to keep you coming back, the events/mini-games themselves just aren’t up to the challenge.
Read Full Review
60
Thunderbolt
Much like the career of English sprinter Dwain Chambers, this title seems like a great opportunity missed, as sheer laziness becomes a huge enemy, and a lack of variation takes its toll.
Read Full Review
58
GameShark
With all there is to do in the game, it’s a shame that it isn’t more interesting. For the most part, the touch controls work well and there’s plenty of variety to the events, but for some reason, Mario and Sonic at the Olympics doesn’t really hold your interest once you’ve played each event once.
Read Full Review
50
EuroGamer
The game isn't terrible; it's visually slick, there's a decent variety of events and they're entertaining to play through the first few times. But there's nothing special about it and no long-term value.
Read Full Review
50
Boomtown
It’s hard to see anyone over the age of 12 getting enough enjoyment out of M&S; DS to recommend it as a purchase, and then only if they have friends with the same game.
Read Full Review
50
AceGamez
It's a pretty average and short-lived collection of immaculately presented mini-games that are shallower than a gnat's bidet.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 8 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | BOOKS | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise | Partnerships                                Visit other CNET Networks sites:

Copyright ©2007 CNET Networks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Use