London 2012 XBOX 360 Review

The London Olympics is the first Olympics that both of my boys (now 6 and 8) have really gotten into, so when they heard that there was also a video game, they were super excited.

Track and Field, Swimming, Diving, Shooting, Archery, Gymnastics, Cycling, Canoeing, Rowing, Table Tennis, Weightlifting and Beach Volleyball are all represented in HD Glory on the Xbox 360 and some of the events even have Kinect support. So it took some time to get the room clean enough that we could try out the Kinect version and off we went, and back we came. We all decided that the events that were Kinect enabled were a bit too difficult to play for the boys, and I found the control to not be as tight as some other games.

So London Olympics 2012 from Sega becomes the game that actually makes us go out and buy a second controller for our Xbox 360 and that can only be looked at like as a good thing.

It will be interesting to see how this game holds up with the kids after the Olympics are over, but they cannot get enough of it currently. If they have a free moment before bed, London 2012 is being played. Especially if they see an event on the Olympics that day or night, they will try to replicate it in the game, and it has taught them a lot about the Olympics and different countries. I think the graphics are real nice on the Xbox version, and the athlete models are not all that plastic looking, but rather look more realistic. The overall experience of the game with the venues and graphics is right up their with what we are seeing on the television each night. Count us impressed with the presentation and graphics.

There are a few issues, with the biggest one being the Breaststroke pullout for a family of swimmers. While dolphin kick is acceptable in the other strokes, if you swam like this in a race (multiple dolphin kicks after dive) you would be disqualified. I know it was probably an ease of programming thing, but when your mainstay is being the Olympic game, you should either not include that event or make it so it is realistic. That is not to say it makes it any less enjoyable for the kids, as swimming has been their favorite game so far. Probably has a bit to do with the fact they just finished up their swim season and the first part of the Olympic Games has a heavy swim focus as well.

What I like is that it differs from the straight button mashing that I had as a kid with Decathlon game and Track and Field. You need speed and rhythm to pull of the win in this game, and that also helps keep my 6-year-old in the game and he has gotten that down pat. Swimming has been our favorite as you use each of the control sticks to mimic your arms in the race. Diving, while a bit simpler (pick the right button at the right time) has been played a lot, and Archery is just downright fun. Outside of the swimming events, archery is probably the one I would pick as my second choice here.

I would have also liked to either include the real Olympians names in the game or at the least be able to enter your own name instead of the pre populated ones (edit: was just shown how to change the names by my 8 year old). I mean I could only imagine if my kids were able to enter their own name and then compete against each other. They really like trying to beat out the world records in the game. At the end of the day, with Olympic Fever in full force, this game has become a winner, bypassing our favorite Olympic Mario and Sonic game. I just don’t know if it will be as liked once the hype of the games dies down, but for now the whole family is enjoying the competition.

You can watch a great trailer of the game below of London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games

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, Londo
n 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.

Create your own golden moments, only with the London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games.

Note: London 2012 for the XBOX 360 was provided by Sega for Review