The 2018 Winter Olympics are well underway, and already we are seeing a clear divide between the elite, and those nations just happy to be participating. Germany has been a surprise powerhouse at the midway point, dominating in luge and overall medals in several other events as well. Meanwhile, the coach of the Jamaican women’s bobsled team has quit suddenly, threatening to take the sled with her. Not even John Candy could lift their spirits at this tense juncture.
If none of this means anything to you, then never fear! Because video games are an excellent substitute for the dreaded ‘s’ word (sports), and if you still want to join in the merriment that comes with people’s brief fascination with the snow – a fascination that only resurfaces once every four years, unless you’re Canadian/Russian/Swedish/Snowman – then there are plenty of digital facsimiles to partake in. And the best part: you don’t even have to go outside!
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
Best Games to Play During the Winter Olympics
Quick, what’s something that the Olympic Games desperately need? What’s that? You say a less corrupt governing body and more concern given towards establishing proper infrastructure in the host cities? …That’s an okay guess, but the answer we’re looking for is an imaginary plumber and a blue hedgehog having fun.
Since they first crossed paths in 2007, Mario and Sonic have been renewing their rivalry biannually, and fans are spoiled for choice with not one but two entries of the winter variety, based on the 2010 Vancouver Games, and the 2014 Games from Sochi. The former was released on the Wii, so if you’re after the freshest and greatest offering, you’ll be headed to Russia for newly added events like ice hockey and Winter Sports Champion Race. If you’ve ever dreamt of watching Super Mario engage in a thrilling session of curling, now is finally your chance, at long last. Be sure to tell your therapist all about it.
Sadly, as these games are released a year before the Olympic Games are due to take place, it appears as though PyeongChang will not be visited by the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom or Mobius. Most likely it was a passport-related issue. Frankly we don’t know how it is people keep letting Bowser enter the country, considering his myriad of legal transgressions. Further, if you’re a devout Sonic fan and you didn’t bat an eyelid about the suggestion that Mobius is canon, kudos to you.
Steep (Road to the Olympics)
Best Games to Play During the Winter Olympics
My, how the snowboarding genre has changed. All of the opposing franchises have gone dormant, leaving the Steep empire standing supreme on a thin field of competition. You may even say, their challenge is hardly a steep one. You may not though, because golly, that was lamer than we had anticipated.
To make it even more appropriate an accoutrement to the current landscape, this game even features an expansion dubbed the Road to the Olympics. In this mode, you are an aspiring snowboarder who hopes to make the national team. And just like in real life, you do this by listening to interviews with actual Olympians and completing arbitrary missions. Fulfil these tasks, and you could become the next Regino Hernandez, and that would be an excellent thing, because on the slopes, he looks like a member of Daft Punk.
Also of note, modern rag doll physics make every crash in Steep look much more devastating than they had in the clumsy polygonal predecessors of yesteryear. So if you’re something of a sadist, you can get a kick out of watching your fictional athlete tumble into a disheveled heap out in the snow. This game has something for everyone, other than the ability to play offline in any way, shape or form.
NHL ’18
Best Games to Play During the Winter Olympics
Ice hockey is, in the eyes of many, the single most important event at the Winter Olympics, and a particular point of national pride. There’s no better way to invest in the excitement than with the finest men to strap up their skates in NHL ’18. The brutally ironic thing, of course, is that this is the first Olympics in many years where NHL players are unable to compete, due to a dispute between the IOC and the League. There may be no superstars like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, but there are still some familiar faces like Maxim Lapierre and Pavel Datsyuk. Surely, there are some Canucks fans out there who will remember Maxim. Surely.
Regardless, you have all of the current greats at your disposal (plus Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) in NHL ’18, available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch of your imagination. This year may have been a bit of a lull for the series, short on innovation and devoid of any significant jumps besides the updated overtime rules, but without a lot of alternatives, it is still the obvious choice for those looking to hit the rink. If you’re feeling a little more exploratory, you could venture out to more obscure titles like Bush Hockey League or Super Blood Hockey, but let’s be honest – the sweet allure of Sid and company will draw you back before long.
1080° Snowboarding
Best Games to Play During the Winter Olympics
Why doesn’t anyone talk about this series anymore? It’s an in-house Nintendo EAD piece of work, and for that curious detail alone, it makes this list over other games of its ilk like SSX, Snowboard Kids or Heavy Shreddin’ (obligatory nostalgia fan-service fulfilled).
1080° is heralded for creating a formula against which other snowboarding games could be modelled, and features characters who later appeared in Wave Race: Blue Storm on the GameCube. They stick out like a sore thumb on a jetski with names like Ricky Winterborn, but hey, crossovers are fun all the same.
There was a sequel on the GameCube titled 1080° Avalanche, which attempts to ramp up the ‘extreme’ aspect of snowboarding. It also tracks your speed in kilometers, which makes it indecipherable to all but the most brilliant scientists, who then go on to drink a liter of water cooled to exactly 10 degrees Celsius. The heathens.
Barbie Sparkling Ice Show
Best Games to Play During the Winter Olympics
Figure skating is a neglected sport in the video game world, with 1999’s Michelle Kwan Figure Skating likely the most noteworthy entry. In today’s gaming scene, your only outlet is the figure skating event in the Mario & Sonic games, and we can’t help but think that Dr. Eggman on ice doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Never you fret though, because our old friend (and occasional confidant) Barbie is here to deliver in Barbie Sparkling Ice Show. Choose your skater, choose your outfit, choose typical ice skating props like a frigging unicorn, and away you go, it’s time to be gorgeous.
In actuality, the gameplay revolves around you navigating your skater towards certain points of the arena, while trying to Salchow and Lutz about as best you can. Because of this, your routine will likely not look much like an actual performance, but you know what? It’s all about confidence, and Barbie’s got that in spades. Christie and Teresa, we’re not so sure about. Teresa in particular looks like she has some kind of wicked gossip she intends to spread around to destroy Barbie’s reputation. That’s why her hair is so big. It’s full of secrets.
Completing your act will reward you with an animation of your skater bowing to her adoring fans, as they throw roses at her feet. Surely, this requires a thorough explanation, considering that the ice appears to be approximately ninety yards in radius. They must either have incredibly good arm strength, or these flowers are in actual fact a gift from some unseen ghosts nearby. Either way, this game certainly turned spooky in a hurry.
Published: Feb 16, 2018 10:01 am