Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

A fun minigame compilation with some of the most loved characters in videogames. More than fifty minigames which make an exhaustive use of all the control possibilites of the console, some of them very original. Although not all the minigames have the same quality and you will easily hate a dozen of them, it is easy to find your favorites and have a great time trying to surpass your own records. Its major flaw is the absence of a game mode that challenges us differently.

Mario and Sonic's sporting antics make for an enjoyable 3DS debut that radiates character and graphical prowess, together with a wide array of varying competitive events and versatile methods of play, though a weaker multiplayer offering ensures a Silver Medal for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games' long-range appeal.

A lovingly crafted selection of mini-games that will definitely put you in the mood for the real Olympics.

A better attempt at capturing Olympic spirit than the Wii version, but still not meaty enough.

With over 50 sporting events, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games offers some great replay value for the end-user, although it can become a little repetitive. If your expecting a full game experience like on the Wii or PS3, this is definitely not the title for you but if you're looking for a collection of fun and sometimes forgettable mini-games, than there's enough content in this game to keep you entertained.

The choice of events is staggering, even if they're a bit too streamlined. [Apr 2012, p.88]

Most events are just too simplified to make this truly essential. [March 2012, p.98]

The new Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games on the 3DS is a good, in some cases really good, party game, probably the best on the platform. But some of the minigames in the collection are not on par with the others, and the lack of online multiplayer is starting to get unjustifiable nowadays.

After a not-too-great first impression, Mario & Sonic is a pleasantly surprising translation of a sports party title to a handheld micro-game one. This is a game I can see myself coming back to quite frequently, especially when the Games themselves are in full swing.

If you liked the previous games in the series, this one could give you a few hours of fun, as long as you accept some obvious limitations, among other things not found in earlier productions.

It's the same game as always, but much more beautiful. Mario, Sonic and their friends are now using the special functions of Nintendo 3DS in all sports, and you can see them in 3D effect. Nearly 60 minigames with good and bad ideas.

Some activities aren't worthy of gold medals, but the addictive fun of the best ones proves that Mario and Sonic's latest competition is still a victory. [Jan/Feb 2012, p.84]

Overall I found this collection to be pretty fun though, but it doesn't do anything that's particularly mind blowing. It's competently put together, contains a fair amount of content for a mini-game collection, and really tosses in the kitchen sink when it comes to summer Olympic events. It'll definitely appeal more to a younger audience, but I think it's worth checking out for 3DS owners.

While it has some great mini-games, it forcefully limits itself and discards many of the ideas that made its predecessors so good.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games isn't a horrible game, but there is enough questionable content that I cannot recommend a full-price purchase unless you really like a weird take on popular Olympic events.

The biggest knock against this game, though, is longevity. With mini games lasting mere seconds, it doesn't take long to see everything Mario & Sonic has to offer. At the end of the day, you can only play Beach Volleyball for so long.

Not being an incredible game in visual terms, Mario and Sonic convinces satisfactorily. It is a handheld version that leaves a pleasant feeling on the variety of challenges. It's too bad that the challenges are extremely simple.

SEGA tries to fit as many minigames as possible in a little cartridge, but actually only a few of them are really worth your money.

While Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is technically no worse than its forebears, its events are too much of a mixture when it comes to quality and after four years the blemishes and inconsistencies are beginning to wear thin.

Mario and Sonic are two legendary characters that unfortunately don't always guarantee a good game. There are a lot of mini games to play but the lack of an online multiplayer is annoying. There's only local and download play. It's funny but only kids will be able to enjoy it to the max.

57 usually well thought-out mini-games, funny and full of surprises, that's the main strength of this game. Even though they quickly show their limitations, the use of tactile or regular controls, of the microphone, or the gyro make all this richer and more appealing. A good little game.

Some of the events simply are too basic, others seem tacked on and gimmicky. But even with its unexpected simplifications compared to the Wii edition, the 3DS-olympics can be fun, when played with some friends.

The dynamic duo goes for the gold in almost 60 disciplines, but most of them are so irrelevant that the main challenge is to keep yourself motivated.

Even the best games in this package are fun no more than five times, and anything below that was lucky to be played more than twice. If there was more content, and Sega put more focus into making more of the games fun rather than making more games, I might have viewed the experience more fondly.

Sega's intentions with this game were undoubtedly good, but the story mode is lacking and the mini game collections paltry. There are much better offerings on 3DS than this.

Hardcore 3DS owners are advised to save their money for the meatier and more absorbing releases on the system, but children may well find a few events to love given the novel way in which the hardware is used. Regardless, Mario and Sonic won't be winning a medal with this one.