By following the clues of the Mario and Sonic at the video games of the Olympic Games, this last “realistic” interpretation doubles the fun. As well as participating in a wide range of Olympic events, you can choose to wear almost any outfit you can think of. The realistic graphics have also disappeared, since this time SEGA has opted for much more distorted character models. In short, it helps Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – The Official Video Game feel less like an accurate sports simulator, and more like a brilliant alternative to a local multiplayer board game.

But first, has one year made a difference because of the delay in the Olympics themselves? Well, perhaps frustratingly for SEGA and the development team, Tokyo 2020 was released in July 2019 for Japanese gamers. It has been available for two years for Western players; we just had to wait while the world itself was on hiatus.

There are 18 different sports on offer, and they cover a wide range of disciplines. There are the ones you would expect like 100m, 110m hurdles, 100m freestyle, boxing and tennis. There are also new additions, much like the real-world Olympics introducing new sports such as sport climbing and BMX racing. Then there are those that shouldn’t have been included, like football.

I’m sorry to highlight the football event, but it’s not like it’s lacking in football matches already there. The Tokyo 2020 one is just plain bad: Goalies don’t parent the ball, it just tends to bounce off them and drop straight down, there’s no reservation – and trust me, I tried – and AI defenders have a bad habit of sabotaging the ball for a corner rather than down the field.

Of course, however, there are also some big omissions. There is no shooting discipline, only two field events (long jump and hammer throw) and no surfing or skateboarding; events also making their Olympic debut delayed.

But despite the complex nature of some of the sports on offer here – like rugby sevens, baseball or sport climbing – every event was designed with a grip and play attitude. Very few buttons are needed to get the grasp. basis of each individual event, yet more complex strategies are also available.

However, the way you familiarize yourself with these advanced strategies is a bit backwards. At the start of each event, a loading screen will appear and if this is your first time, a tips window will be locked. In order to unlock the tip – and gain knowledge of the new strategy – you’ll need to win the events multiple times. It does not lock the button prompt, as some can be applied to multiple disciplines – eg. holding LT before starting a race can get you off to a good start – it just doesn’t tell you how to perform best at every event from the start.

Tokyo 2020 offers several ways to have fun; in addition to offering a dual mode for tennis and table tennis, you can play any sport locally and online. Ranked games will have a choice of three events to participate in every 30 minutes, but you can also choose an individual event to play online, chosen in the main mode of the Olympics.

Then there are the Medleys which group together certain events. There are some predefined ones like Track and Field or Ball Type Medleys, but you can create your own as well. In these multidisciplinary events, you will be pitted against a rival and you will be awarded points based on your performance in each event. Score more points than your rival at the end of a Medley to be crowned the winner.

However, if you don’t have anyone next to you to play against, individual events can still be fun against the surprisingly difficult AI. Each sport follows the same qualifying, semi-final, and final format – advance to the final and win to have a shiny gold medal added alongside the sport the next time you browse them on the main screen.

Earning gold also unlocks another challenge in Training mode where you can take on a top athlete. Sometimes winning the gold medal can be quite difficult; these top athletes will really test you beyond gold.

Complete any event in any position and you will earn points. Points are your currency for purchasing outfits to adorn your avatar, and they range from the most practical like judo outfits and boxing shorts to ridiculous like overalls, space suits, pirate and cowboy outfits. boy and business suits. There is even a Sonic onesie, but unfortunately no Mario. These outfits can be supplemented with a variety of hats, and the outfits you have chosen can be assigned by discipline; business suit for beach volleyball, leather jacket and skinny jeans for BMX.

And for disciplines that require an AI partner or team, you can also completely customize them all, and there’s a handy feature to copy your outfit to the rest of the team.

With the majority of sports on offer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics – The official video game proving to be fun and easily accessible, it makes this latest Olympics game an easy recommendation for those looking for a board game to enjoy with friends . It might not quite have the charm of the Mario and Sonic Olympics variations, but it still manages to borrow a lot of what makes these games fun by toning down the emphasis on sports simulation a bit. .

Step onto the podium at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The official video game on Xbox Series X | S and Xbox One