As videogame crossovers go, 2007's Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was one that no one saw coming. Developed by Sega, it saw these once rivals uniting for an Olympic themed sports title, rather than the platformer that most would have expected from this combination of characters. The game went on to become one of the biggest sellers this generation, charting in the top 10 well over a year after its initial release. Does the 2010 Winter Olympics based sequel live up to the expectations of the millions who bought the original?

Those looking for a game that resembles the original will be pleased that not much has changed here. You choose both an Olympic event and one of the Mario or Sonic characters included, and perform Wii motions that supposedly reflect the onscreen actions. Most of the events, ranging from downhill skiing to curling, are lathered in Waggle crazy motions. Most of time the game will have you thrust the Wii remote and Nunchuck up to start a race, waggle to keep the movements going, and thrust down to finish. The ski jump event for example has you doing exactly this, with the only skill seen in keeping your character's skis parallel with the floor on landing. Those looking for events that are more about skill than how comical you look shaking the Wii remote should look elsewhere, helped by the simple fact that the controls in Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games fail to be accurate no matter which event you are playing.

Probably the biggest disappointment with Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is that the controls don't work. It's something so fundamental to the game that it's very obvious when playing that your characters aren't reacting how they should. For every event that works, such as Speed Skating that has you moving the remote from side to side in a continuous rhythm, you have 2 events that are hopeless in their attempts at immersion. The game often confuses upwards and downwards Wii strokes, and take a while to register direct character movements such as when snowboarding and pulling off tricks. These sections are particularly noticeable when compared to the well implemented motion controls of SSX Blur, even if here the snowboard is only one of the many events you can choose from.

This could have all been rectified with a higher emphasis on the accuracy of the controls, utilising the newly released Wii MotionPlus could have been a start. It confuses me why Nintendo would not let Sega incorporate the new tech into what is set to be one of their big sellers for Christmas, as both Wii MotionPlus and the game would benefit. Comparing the dodgy controls here with the pin point precision seen in Wii Sports Resort is shocking, leaving any hope of this being a worthy title to pick up with the design and styling of the game.

This time round the game features a mode where you play through the Olympics from opening to closing ceremony. Luckily the developers have chosen not to include a ham fisted, painful story though, leaving all of the action to the events themselves. The game starts you off with training for each event, collecting coins on the long distance ice skating or manoeuvring through gates on downhill skiing followed a few days-Festival mode is split across 17 days of events-later by the main, or dream event of this gameplay style. Dream events are where the game veers towards the other Mario sports titles, utilising power ups fro Mario Kart, and taking place in environments from Sonic and Mario titles. These were the most enjoyable moments I had with the game, the light hearted nature of both series shining through amongst the wonky controls.

But for the most part, it's hard to deny that Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is a regression from the original in every way. The graphics are especially disappointing, the textures and environments seen here demonstrating the Wii's graphical weakness expertly. Fundamentally the game is broken, and so any set dressing, from the squeaky tones of Toad, or the way that Knuckles reacts when he wins a race, this is a game that Wii owners should avoid. It can be fun, but lacks the same level of polish the last game had. Wii Sports Resort may not have the same winter feeling as Mario & Sonic, but it's a much better game all round.

Reviewed by Sam Atkins for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).