As far as Olympic shockers go there's likely to be few more surprising than the fact that the official video game tie-in is actually pretty good. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games was released last November and as usual was a shallow and unambitious collection of sports mini-games - entertaining only in the right party atmosphere.
The more serious Olympics tie-ins for the HD consoles and PC usually takes a similar approach, except with bargain basement presentation and the unshakeable feeling that both you and the developers wish they were elsewhere during the whole experience.
London 2012 though is a clear attempt to make a proper sports game, not just the interactive equivalent of a cuddly mascot. There are some faults but the main problem is simply that the majority of track and field events really aren't that suitable for turning into a skill-based video game.
There's nothing anyone can do about that but Sega Studios Australia not only try and simulate the sports in as entertaining a way as possible, but also while avoiding the mindless button-bashing that normally accompanies athletics games (including Sega's own Beijing 2008).
Even in sprinting the emphasis is on the rhythm of your button presses and managing your stamina, not just how fast you can jab the controller. Swimming works in the same way, with a flurry of button presses at the start setting you on your way, but after that you have to control your strokes by alternating on the left and right analogue sticks. Go too fast, and fall out of the rhythm, and you'll actually start to slow down.
For field events the same basic concept is adapted as necessary, as you gather speed for the high jump or javelin before flicking the analogue stick in the right direction. These events are the closest to Daley Thompson's Decathlon et al. and although again they favour timing and rhythm over hammering the face buttons they're necessarily limited by the nature of the sports themselves.
On the other hand gymnastic events - everything from diving to trampoline - are essentially just quick time events. You get to pick your routine before you start and the presentation is good enough to convince you there's more to it than that, but all you're really doing is playing a 21st century version of Simon.
The best events then are those with the most distinctive rules, which has inevitably led to more attention being paid to them. Archery and kayaking are particularly good, and there's a decent version of table tennis too. Beach volleyball though suffers from poor physics and a lack of control. Cycling meanwhile, is all about choosing your moment for a burst of speed and so is essentially very similar to the sprint events.
The shooting events - rapid fire pistol and skeets - are both surprisingly enjoyable and extremely difficult. If you think somehow your first person shooter experience will help you you'll be sorely mistaken and the events are all the more interesting as a result.
There are 46 events in total, which is a relatively small subset of the real thing - especially as essentially identical women's versions of some events account for at least a dozen of that number. It's still an above average tally for this type of game though, especially as the diving/gymnastics are the only sports that don't really earn their place.
Visually the game is again well above the expected standard, if still well below the fidelity of FIFA or other dedicated sports sims. But the backdrops are impressively evocative and although the transitions between athletes' animation is often questionable it's far from an ugly game.
There are no real world athletes in the game but instead you're encouraged to edit your own to compete in both the single-player Olympics mode and the multiplayer. Of course there's nothing stopping you from creating lookalikes but there's not much point when you can't edit the other teams.
The single-player works well at replicating the Olympics itself but it's not really a career mode. There's no training or management options of any kind, and in fact you can set your own playlist of exactly which sports you play in any given sitting.
With the online multiplayer the idea is that you pick a country to compete for and then your efforts are added to a global leaderboard. Added to the intrinsic desire to beat individual best times this makes the whole thing surprising competitive, even for sports where your competitors aren't on screen with you at the same time.
Surprisingly there's little emphasis put on motion controls, and although some of the events do have alternative Kinect (and we assume PlayStation Move) options the game does little to promote them. Instead there's a separate mode called Party Play. Partly inspired by the Dream Events of Mario & Sonic these 16 mini-games largely abandon any pretence of simulation and have you flinging javelins at giant-sized targets or fighting off clay pigeons.
Party Play is decent knockabout fun, but without the cartoon stylings of Mario & Sonic it lacks personality of its own. Instead it's as a proper sports game that London 2012 excels and although it has nothing like the depth, or likely longevity, of its single-sport rivals you rarely feel that's the fault of the game itself.
So whatever the opening ceremony is like, and however Team GB do at the real thing, you can at least be assured that the Olympics has already provided some entertainment this year.
In Short: Not just an Olympics tie-in but a proper sports game, with the majority of events finding a good balance between realism and enjoyment.
Pros: Accessible controls avoid button-bashing while allowing for as much depth as possible. Good number of events and game modes, including addictive multiplayer.
Cons: Even the best events are relatively shallow, due to the nature of their respective sports. Inconsistent graphics, especially in terms of animation. No real career mode.
Score: 7/10
