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Review: Vancouver 2010 – Not Quite Gold Medal Material

Vancouver 2010 is the official video game of the Winter Olympics. As with most video games based on the Olympics, Vancouver 2010 offers a series of events that represent the most popular sports seen in the Winter Olympics. Although the game is somewhat limited in scope, the game play of the individual games is strong and the graphics are rich and detailed.

Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Sports
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Release Date: 01/12/2010

Graphics: 9.0 / 10.0
Eurocom, Vancouver 2010′s developer, has done of excellent job of creating realistic graphics that lend themselves to a convincing winter environments. Games that rely on a racing mechanics, such as Alpine Skiing, have a wonderful sense of speed that make you feel like you’re really racing down a mountain. The graphics are especially effect in the unique first-person mode, though playing with a third-person perspective reveals some nicely detailed character models and animations. The framerate is solid and consistent, which is unsurprising given that the game never has to render anything for more than a couple of minutes.

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Gameplay: 8.0 / 10.0
Vancouver 2010 does a solid job of bringing the Olympic experience home. Although the game features popular events like ski jumping, slalom, aerials, and downhill, it’s unfortunate that only 14 total events are included. Most of the games have a unique control scheme that has progressed far beyond the button mashing game play of older Olympic games. You might find yourself managing both analog sticks to hold a line with your bobsled, or working the triggers in unison to keep your balance on the ski jump. The difficulty of the games vary pretty wildly, and it may take some time to master some of the events.

Story: 3.0 / 10.0
Sadly, Vancouver 2010 does not feature any sort of “career” or “campaign” mode. You simply pick the game you’d like to play, try to get the best time, and repeat. A major part of watching the Olympics is the sense of national pride you feel when your country wins a gold medal, as well as the medal race itself. Vancouver 2010 does virtually nothing to translate that feeling to the gaming experience.

Music: 5.0 / 10.0
Although Vancouver 2010 features an expected Olympic soundtrack and some great, convincing sound effects, the lack of any sort of commentary or player voices makes the game feel a little faceless and dry. In the game’s defense, hearing your characters breathing when you switch to an in-helmet camera angle is a very nice auditory touch.

Replay Value: 7.0 / 10.0
Vancouver 2010′s replay value will depend on your enjoyment of the individual games. Most of the events last two minutes or less, and in theory, you can experience everything there is to see in about thirty minutes. Online play is a nice addition, and perfectionists might enjoy coming back to beat their old records, but you probably won’t find yourself coming back to the game very often after a couple of playthroughs.

Overall Rating: 6.7 / 10.0
Although Vancouver 2010 has some solid, balanced game play and detailed, interesting graphics, the lack of a campaign or story mode will probably relegate this to the “weekend rental” category. A few more Olympic events would have been nice, as well. If you enjoy Olympic video games, or mini-game collections in general, Vancouver 2010 is still a nice way to pass a few hours.

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