Mario and Sonic have missed out on this year's Olympics, and there is no official console game either. But there are still options to try out the different disciplines from the sofa (or standing up).
ADVERTISEMENTFor years, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been giving the audience a taste of some of Olympic disciplines through video games for different platforms.
The first officially licensed Olympic title appeared in the 1980s, and since the 1990s different studios have developed games to promote the Summer or Winter Olympics.
In 2007, Mario and Sonic joined the competition. Nintendo and Sega put their most famous characters forward to fight for gold at the summer games in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo, and also at the winter games in Vancouver and Sochi.
However, Paris 2024 will not see the plumber and the hedgehog in any discipline, as for the first time in 17 years, there is no Mario & Sonic Olympic game.
Fans have shared their disappointment on social media.
Curiously, there is also no ‘traditional’ video game for the XXXIII Olympiad...
The only official Paris 2024 video game
The only official title is 'Olympics Go! Paris 2024', a mobile game available for free for Android and iOS, and also for PC through Epic Games.
The game includes 12 sports and also allows players to create and manage their own Olympic cities.
Players unlock disciplines as they complete them and the goal is to master them all.
Mini-games include archery, artistic gymnastics, athletics, basketball, breaking (new for Paris 2024), cycling, fencing, golf, rowing, shooting, skateboarding and swimming.
Being mobile, the action is performed by taps on the screen.
To add some challenge, the game introduces obstacles as the competition progresses, such as a limit on the tapping rate in athletics after which the character slows down, or some wind to make archery more difficult. Each sport has four levels of difficulty to beat.
Although the game is free to play, it includes a virtual shop where you can claim or buy points that can be redeemed for upgrades to help you progress, such as more training for the athletes.
Points can also be earned by building new facilities around the Olympic venues, such as cafes or shops.
Other options to enjoy the games virtually
If mobile games aren't your cup of tea, there are always the titles from previous years.
ADVERTISEMENTTokyo 2020 included both an official game for consoles and PC and a new title of the Mario & Sonic franchise, available for Nintendo Switch.
'Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game' offers 18 arcade style sporting events to play alone or in multiplayer mode, both sharing the sofa with friends or online.
It also gives more variety in character customisation: you can compete dressed as an astronaut or Sonic, for example.
'Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020' allows you to play 34 events in different disciplines, four of which made their debut that year: climbing, karate, surfing and skateboarding.
ADVERTISEMENTAn interesting detail is that the game includes 2D levels as a tribute to the Tokyo 1964 games. In addition, during the adventure the player finds pieces of trivia about the 1964 and 2020 Olympics.
Beyond the Olympic video games, those who want to move around the living room a bit have the return of a classic: 'Nintendo Switch Sports'.
It's the heir to the popular 'Wii Sports', which in 2006 got people of all ages off the sofa by taking advantage of the new motion controllers.
In this new edition, released in 2022, Nintendo allows you to play football, tennis, badminton, basketball, volleyball, bowling, golf and chambara (Japanese sword fighting), alone or with a partner.
ADVERTISEMENTThe brief Paralympic adventure
The Paralympic Games also had an official video game, although it was short-lived.
It was released in 2021 for mobile only and was called 'The Pegasus Dream Tour'. It was developed by JP Games, a Japanese studio founded by Hajime Tabata, director of several Final Fantasy games.
'The Pegasus Dream Tour' was an RPG that placed the player in Pegasus City, a futuristic and inclusive city. The goal was to help the avatar achieve its dream of becoming a Paralympic athlete.
The game allowed players to roam freely around the city, interact with other avatars and compete in boccia, football 5-a-side, athletics and wheelchair basketball online tournaments.
ADVERTISEMENTThe International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said the development of this game was part of its efforts “to bring Para sports to a new and young audience,” as well as highlighting “the benefits of video games to inspire positive change and tackle social issues.”
Unfortunately, it is no longer available, as the game ended its services on 31 January 2022, due to the expiration of the official license agreement with the IPC.
