Xbox 360
The most successful and longest running olympics game series gets a fresh lick of paint and a new home on the DS. What's 'new' about this is, of course, the addition of the console's touch screen function that works well here in most of the many events, while causing grief in others.
Starting out, you can choose one of a handful of weird and wacky contestants ranging from a hundreds of years old Japanese grandmasters to pouting, moody goth chicks. Each has a daft backstory which can be viewed in their bio, pointless but truly bizarre at the same time. let it not be said that this game lacks character.
Take your athlete to the stadium and compete in a season of events, or try your hand at single sections to get to grips with the controls as you try and smash those world records.
The 100m dash is your first event and brief tutorials explain how to perform the required actions, which is perfect for younger gamers for whom this game is largely aimed at. This event is simple in theory, but requires a degree of real stamina from the player. To dash, you must slide the stylus back and forth as fast as possible along a meter.
In practice this sounds fine but if you go buckwild and start sliding like a lunatic, it wont register and you will grind to a halt. This happens often and shows the limitations of using stylus control in this manner. However, with a level head and some self-control you will get a feel for what the game wants from you over time.
Confusingly however, in the hurdle event you must do the same, although to jump you need to tap either shoulder button or a target on the screen. Although why a hurdler whould stop running to tap a target is anyone's guess...
Skeet shooting (clay pigeon shooting to us in Scotland), is one of the most fun events, perhaps because it never gets annoying and is relatively easy to understand, yet difficult to master, the way good games should be.
The wi-fi mode allows you to upload your times to the world leaderboard, something rarely seen on the DS and makes the competition seem that little bit more real. Competitive play is a staple to the Track n' Field series and is again fun here as you compete with your mates for the gold.
There are many nods to Konami mascots here, including some inspired hidden characters such as the demonic Pyramid Head, Solid Snake and blast from the past Frogger, whose inclusions should automatically grant the game a higher score but alas, that's not how we roll.
This is definitely an opinion-divider, although retro fans will go ape for it's twee simplicity and hidden cameos. Newcomers will also enjoy how easy it is to get into but you may find it tricky to get gold in some events.
