In many ways, it feels like perhaps it was a bad idea – technically speaking (rather than commercially) – to pit Mario and Sonic against each other in athletic competition. After all, shouldn’t Sonic pan the lot of ‘em in at least three quarters of the events? You know – technically speaking.

The effect this has is to make Sonic feel less like the blue streak of lightening we’re used to, and more like the cumbersome, explorative avatar we’ve come to know as Mario. From a sales point of view, I guess it’s clear why two of the biggest gaming mascots ever invented were called upon to represent the Olympic Games, but it’s hard to suppress 15 years of gaming experiences.

Also, after playing the highly participative Wii version, the DS Sonic & Mario was always bound to trip over the odd hurdle or two – simply due to the inherent mechanics of gameplay. Sega have still done a decent job of varying the methods of interaction for each game, however, so at least there’s never a feeling of repeating the same controls for each event.

There are 16 events in total, with a gradual unlocking system as previous ones are completed. This progressive award system mainly relates to the multiplayer events, but one way or another it at least feels like a due reward for mastering the simple, yet mostly intuitive controls of each round. Exclusive to the DS version are Basketball, Canoeing, Skeet Shooting, Boxing and the Long Jump. And, although this is something of a pre-requisite when it comes to DS games – it’s nice to see that Sega hasn’t restrained all game controls to the touch screen.

I feel like something of a philistine for saying it, but events like table tennis feels more responsive for doing away with the stylus and simply using the button controls. By venturing away from the touch screen on occasion, Mario & Sonic on the DS ensures the aforementioned variety from one event to the next considerably more successfully.

The visuals are sharp and flawless, although certain inconsistencies do seem to jump out – such as the stark, industrial contrast of the environments compared to the cartoony characters (although this is carried over from the Wii version, too). In all, however, the DS version is certainly comparable to its big brother’s graphics, which is no small feat considering the technical differences.

Multiplayer makes use of both forms of DS connectivity – download and multi-card play, which is nice to see. The onscreen interaction during multiplayer events feels a little disconnected, however, as other than discussing events with your other participants, there’s not much to denote a multiplayer game is actually going on. Not until it’s time for the award ceremonies of course.

There is a greater sense of competition, perhaps, since players can compete in the same event at the same time – whereas the Wii version often meant waiting for the other player to finish their turn. While this makes for a shorter game, it also adds to the feeling of competitive participation.

Maybe it’s a little unfair to contrast the DS version with the Wii game quite so much, but the strong similarities encourage such a harsh comparison and in that respect, the DS version only takes a Bronze medal. Despite the impressive array of different game styles contained in Mario & Sonic, the inherent sensation of lots of mini-games cobbled together reduces the overall fun, though fans of the Wii version (assuming you have several DS owners also willing to compete) might well find a few hours of light, escapist fun with Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games.