we love it so much
Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 3, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 6. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Sports-themed party game is active, educational, and fun.
Why We Rated This
for Ages 6 and Up
The good stuff
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Ease of play:
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What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games was written by Chad Sapieha
Parents need to know that this Olympic-themed party game is safe fun for the whole family. Aside from some mild cartoon shenanigans -- such as shooting turtle shells from a hang glider -- everything in Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games is safe for consumption by children. It also provides an opportunity for players to get active as they wave their arms about in motions mimicking the action on screen or lean back, forward, and from side to side on a Wii Balance Board (note that a Balance Board is not required to play). Plus, kids will have an opportunity to learn a fair bit about the Olympics, its events, and the host city of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games as they spend credits earned in the game on books at the in-game Olympic Village library.
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about the Olympics. Do the Games make you feel more patriotic? Do you think they are successful in getting countries to set aside their differences and come together in the spirit of friendly competition?
- Families can also discuss whether this interactive recreation of the Winter Games, with its very video game-ish look and feel, actually feels like the Olympics. Which did you enjoy more, the authentic sports or the fantastical dream events? From which countries do you suppose each of the game’s playable characters might hail?
More on Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games
What’s the Story?
Is It Any Good?
You can think of Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games as an Olympic-themed Wii Sports. With production values akin to a Nintendo-made Mario title, loads of activities and modes to choose from, and an educational element that distills scores of interesting tidbits of trivial information about the Olympics, this year’s host city of Vancouver, and various sports (did you know all curling stones come from a single quarry in Scotland?), there really isn’t much to dislike.
Even the controls -- often a weak spot for Wii sports compilation games -- are rock solid, benefiting from a philosophy that clearly puts simplicity at the fore. Speed skating, for example, involves little more than rhythmic swooshing motions as players move the remote from side to side, while giant slalom has players putting remote and nunchuk together and tilting them left and right to turn as though they were skis. The Wii Balance Board makes some events -- like skiing -- even more intuitive. It’s a good bet for any family looking for a way to bring the Olympics into their home.
ClosePublisher’s Details
ESRB rating: E (for Mild Cartoon Violence)
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title on for age 8 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive consumerism
- My highlights are:
- Easy to play
good for kid 8
- I rate this title on for age 7 and give itMy concerns are:
- Safety is an issue
- My highlights are:
- Easy to play
My wii!!!! and I!!!!!!!!
Love it I have one myself

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