Review: London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (PS3)

Deserves a respectable silver medal.

Reviews

The Banat, 10 hours 44 min ago

RATING

 

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Pros:Looks great; Some events are genuinely fun; Playing with friends is a blast.

Cons:Lots of missing events; Surprising lack of official teams; Occasionally glitchy controls; Name is way too damn long.

London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (PS3)
Developer: SEGA Studios Australia
Publisher: SEGA
Genre: Simulation \ Sports
Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
MRP: Rs 2600 (Store Locator)
Street Price (As On 7-Aug-2012): Rs 2100 (Game4u.com); Rs 2300 (Flipkart.com);  Rs 2500(Homeshop18.com)

So, here's the thing about the Olympics: apart from the 50+ crowd of oldies that grew up with running, jumping, and throwing things around as the only means of entertainment, it's hard to find a group of people that is genuinely excited about the games, or really cares for its significance. Perhaps the Greeks would disagree with me, but the Olympics lacks that spark of excitement that European football, theNBA, or — dare I say it — the IPL possess in abundance. Most of this, I believe, is down to how short (and uninteresting) most Olympic events are. Then again, that's probably why we don't do so well in that arena.

Nevertheless, for those who still buy into the allure of the Olympics (yes, all three of you) and wish you could be a part of it, SEGA Studios Australia has put together the official video game for London 2012, and surprise, surprise. It isn't that boring.

Allow me to point out, right at the offset, that London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games— god, what a mouthful! But L2012-TOVGOTG is even worse! All right, London 2012 then, is not by any means a hardcore sports simulator. It is a wholly casual game (hence the PEGI 3+ rating) and is just meant to while away the time when you have a half-hour or so at home to kill.
 

Run, Forrest, run!

Let The Games Begin!
Given that London 2012 is a licenced product, you would expect a certain pedigree to the game's presentation, which is very much present. The menus are crisp and clearly organized, and it's easy to find your way around. The title constantly reminds you to take tutorials for events you haven't mastered, and the loading screens with London 2012's trademark geometric artwork look very pretty indeed.

The game consists essentially of three modes: The Olympic Games, Party Play, and Online. In the former, you have to take charge of a country of your choice, then play through an entire roster of Olympic events. It's a decent format that allows you to pick and choose in which order you want to go about things, and you can run through all the events in just under three hours. A lot of countries are missing from the available list, including India of course (no Saina Nehwal heroics for you, I'm afraid), which I find very surprising for a licenced product. This could be down to issues with individual sporting federations, but either way, rabid fans may find it a deal-breaker.
 

The in-game Olympic venues look pretty spectacular.

A Polished Product
It's clear from the moment you get into the game that this is no shoddy production. The visuals look fantastic, with detailed character models and great depth to the Olympic venues. Everything looks exactly the way it should, and even the physics have been polished to a great degree. Of course, almost all the celebration animations and presentation ceremonies look the same, but that's easily forgivable.

To complement the visuals, the audio and commentary in London 2012 are surprisingly good. There's a great deal of depth to the dialogue, and in my five hours with the game, playing through select events several times, I found very little repetition. The commentary seems to have the requisite degree of excitement for each situation, which is appreciated.
 

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the… AARRGH!

Pedal To The Medal!
The core gameplay of London 2012 is fairly simplistic. Most events require a combination of simple button presses or timed analogue stick movements in the right direction — think God of War boss battlemini-games. Swimming and track-and-field events come down to nothing but good old-fashioned button mashing; or if you're using the PlayStation Move controller, a whole lot of goofy gesticulation (more on that later).

The archery and shooting events use basic first-person mechanics: getting the target in your sights, tracking, and firing. Other events, such as the pole vault, triple jump, javelin throw, and discus, combine several phases of inputs and are reasonably challenging. There's a decent amount of satisfaction involved in getting a good score, although it can be a bit too easy once you learn the ropes. The only event that I simply couldn't get my head around was kayaking. The tutorial wasn't great, and the controls just didn't seem to work the way they should. Or more likely, maybe I just suck at it.

There are around 30 events by my count, with football, basketball, and boxing being absent. However, these are rather complicated sports that franchises like FIFA, NBA Live, and Fight Night already have nailed down, so it makes sense to give them a skip. Table tennis is present though and genuinely fun, although I don't see why badminton didn't make the cut (sorry, Saina).
 

Look ma, I won!

Olympic Party, Anyone?
The single player mode's allure doesn't last longer than a few hours, but Party Play adds a competitive multiplayer element with support for up to four gamers. Given how the title's mechanics are easy to grasp, I can see this being pretty fun for a group of friends, or a family that doesn't take gaming too seriously.

PlayStation Move support, for some reason though, is only present in Party Play and is decently optimized. Around 20 events are playable using the motion controller, including table tennis (which isthe pick of the lot), swimming, archery, and track-and-field. Again, while this is something that would be fun in a group, I don't see the logic behind leaving it out of the single-player mode.

There is an online mode in the game as well, with all the events on offer. You have leaderboards, records, and challenges, but I honestly don't think anyone would actually be bothered with breaking Olympic records in a video game and bragging about them online.
 

Skeet shooting may be fun, but isn’t quite Battlefield 3.

Podium Finish!
Overall, London 2012 is a well-rounded title. It's reasonably entertaining, has a large variety of events, and the Party Play mode seems like a lot of fun. The package is slick and looks great, and there's very little wrong with the title from a technical standpoint. It's best played with two or more players though, so if you're looking for some family entertainment with the kids, or just a game that a few friends can jump into without any prior training, London 2012  is just what you want. Let the games begin!


Gameplay And Design: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 3/5
Mojo: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4/5