Title: London 2012: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games
Developed By: Sega Studios Australia
Published By: Sega
Console: Playstation 3 / XBox360 / PC
Genre: Sports
Classification (AU): This title has been classified as G, with the caution that the gaming experience may change online.
Review Conditions: PAL Region, Playstation 3
Special Thanks: A copy of this game was purchased out of my own pocket.
The Olympic Games are responsible for some of the most memorable scenes in sporting history. It’s the global stage where dreams are realised, heroes are made, and moments that will be remembered for years happen right before your eyes. Now you too can create your own moments with London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games. With new sports, new events and new gameplay modes, London 2012 brings the worlds ultimate sporting event to life bigger and better than ever before. Take to the track, negotiate the Velodrome and dive into the deep end in stunning HD while you compete for the pride of your nation. Hone your skills in the Olympic Games mode, and play with or against your friends and family in a variety of multiplayer modes.
– Official Description
To get this out at the start, I am not that big a follower of the Olympic Games, mostly limiting my watching to diving and gymnastic events which require that little bit more skill and risk (and considering scoring methods, leaves a window open for debate). That being said, my past experiences with Sega’s Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise over the last couple of years have proved to be fun family games that will occasionally come out of the cupboard on family game nights. But those games are more about casual fun… so what about the games based on a more realistic and authentic Olympic Games such as London 2012? Having had rather indifferent opinions about both Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 video games I wasn’t expecting much…. it actually proved to be an enjoyable albeit short-lived game.
In the main “Olympic” mode of the game, rather then just fling you into a menu with events they do a nice job of maintaining a more authentic Olympic Games experience by allowing you to select your representative country (For which you can edit and rename every competitor) and then let you choose what events you play each day – with increases in difficulty giving you access to more days to undertake events in. This is the mode I flung myself into first and it was a nice way of slowly aquatinting yourself to the game rather then charging into it. Of course, for those who have mates around or would like to enjoy the individual events, the game provides you with two modes to do so – “Events Play” which allows you to create a playlist of your favourite events and competitively go against CPU and friend alike to win as many gold medals as possible, and “Party Mode” which provides you with 1P-4P and 2P-4P challenges which you compete together.
They have a nice assortment of events which all remain authentic to actual Olympic events. I have included a list of these events below for sake of discussion:
Athletics: 100m, 200m, 400m, 110m Hurdles, Javelin Throw, Shot Put, Discus Throw, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump
Shooting: 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Skeet
Archery: Individual, Team
Swimming: 50m/100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly, 100m Breaststroke
Diving: 3m Springboard / Springboard Synchronized, 10m Platform / Platform Synchronized
Gymnastics: Vault, Trampoline
Canoe Slalom: K1 Kayak Single
Cycling: Keirin
Weightlifting: Over 105kg
Table Tennis: Singles
Beach Volleyball: Doubles
Rowing: Single Sculls
When you factor in both male and female versions of these, you are left with quite a nice selection of events. However while this stands to personal preference, I didn’t see the need for every swimming event to be doubled up for male and female when many other events only stuck to either male or female (or switched between the two). Additionally there are several Olympic events I would have like seen included, such as Rhythmic Gymnastics, Water Polo and even something such as taekwondo or field hockey which may have offered a bit of difference between the standard Olympic events we would expect to see.
Most of the events come down to the same set of button presses at different speeds, which makes enjoying this game more about the visual and competitive spectacle rather than creative and intricate controls and given the game on harder difficulties works pretty well in this regard. Some events are particularly well done in this regard such as most of the athletic events, shooting and cycling, however some events such as diving and gymnastics could have been a bit better implemented. Of special note were the swimming events, which instead of what I was expecting (Mashing the X button), had you controlling the characters arm movements with L and R, something which not everyone may appreciate (Especially having to do each event twice with both males and females) but was interesting nevertheless.
Alongside local multiplayer, the game does include an online multiplayer mode which uses a system similar to “Event Play”, where you can join either Quick or Custom “National Pride” matches or take part in online tournaments. While the online community isn’t as strong as in other games (No fault of the game itself and considering the target audience, is a bit more understandable), “National Pride” is an interesting concept where online gamers register with their country and work to increase the overall medal tally for the country. As of my last check, France was dominating the leaderboard at around 10% of the medal tally, with Australia for example coming it at around 4%.
Apart from a few games I would have liked to have seen missing and a few other minor issues, this is easily the best Olympic Games video game on the market, and Sega Studios Australia have done a solid job of appealing to the wider gamer base and delivering a more authentic experience. While the game lacks a certain degree of single player replay value (Other than obtaining Olympic and World Records), the multiplayer should last you much longer provided you have mates willing to join you.
Right at the beginning of the game you are treated to one of the most well thought out title screens for a game I have seen in a fair while – an Olympic athlete standing at the top of a diving platform looking down upon the pool and awaiting crowd, a very effective way to start and show what records or medals might be achieved from one giant leap…. of at least 10m. The game bases their arena designs on the actual arenas for the London 2012 Olympic Games are they are well implemented, vibrant and vividly coloured, overall leaving an impression these competitors are infront of a busy crowd. Unfortunately given you are able to edit your “Dream Team” of athletes (Something I took advantage of upon beginning the game…. Aka. Sam’s Facebook Friends now represent Australia in the game), you are not given a great degree of customization, but makes up for it with some well designed and animated character designs with no real issues aside.
Given the scope of the game, there is only a small soundtrack, mostly used in between events and within the games menu and proves simple but enjoyable. What really helped the game when it came to sound was practically everything else – the crowd is rowdy and in team events such as Beach Volleyball you can hear the teammates interacting with one another. Easily most enjoyable is the enthusiastic commentary throughout the events by real-life BBC reporter and commentator Seth Bennett and former British athlete Allison Curbishley – both of which do a brilliant job at heightening the mood while playing.
Unlike other more casual sporting compilations such as the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series also by Sega, the game might not draw you in for as long a time. However in regards to capturing the visuals, mood and structure of the upcoming Olympic Games, I think Sega Studios Australia did a really good job and certainly surpassed all the other Olympic video game titles that have been released over the years. It is overall a fun game with a few issues here and there but should appeal to its target market…. or at least keep you set until the real London 2012 Olympic Games air in a couple of weeks time.
Final Score
Storyline/Character Development: Not Applicable
Design: A-
Music/Voice Acting: B+
Gameplay: B
Replayability: C
Personal Opinion: B
Overall Score: B
