The final stand on the Wii U for a plumber, a hedgehog and their friends.

The various Mario & Sonic games seem to constantly vary in quality. The Nintendo 3DS version of Rio 2016, which I took a look at a few months ago, was decent enough in the grand scheme of things. The experience wasn't too bad, but the options were too barebones to leave any sort of lasting impact. With Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games now heading to Wii U, you would expect that they would put more effort behind it or at least make it feel grand. Sadly, some of the problems remain intact, but this summer trip feels way better than anything the Nintendo 3DS has done.

After a flashy intro, you aren't dropped into the usual main menu. You instead appear at the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janiero. Well, a way smaller version of it. The Olympics are coming to the country, but they aren't ready to actually get started. To pass the time, you are asked to play every event at least once, which is an interesting way to justify a tutorial. It is a nice way to get used to the controls and learn what Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 initially has on offer. In these opening moments, you can pick any character and play the events on any difficulty you like.

Talking about the events, let us tackle the elephant in the room head on. This entry, just like the Nintendo 3DS game, doesn't feature any Dream Events. This will be disappointing for many people as locations, music or obstacles from the Mario and Sonic universes aren't utilized at all. I had hopes that these would return in the Wii U game, considering every console game up to this point had them. Even worse, the console game doesn't feature the Plus Events from the Nintendo 3DS version to expand the roster somewhat. While these weren't anything to shout about either, at least they tried.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games puts its focus on the fourteen Olympic events it has on offer. While both versions offer a slightly different selection of games, it is more important how they are implemented. In that regard, I really enjoyed what this version offered to the player. You had your simple events like the 100 meter dash, while larger events like Boxing and Table Tennis brightened up the roster. There wasn't a dull moment in the selection and that is a major plus. Considering this could have been handled with a lot more grace, it is at least nice to see some actual effort. Even better, there are no motion controls. Regardless if you play with the Wii U GamePad or the Wii Remote, you will be playing with buttons, which brings back fond memories of London 2012. (That entry is still the best in my book!)

The game puts the most effort behind Football/Soccer, Rugby Sevens and Beach Volleyball. It isn't hard to see why, considering these are the sports that last the longest. They love these sports so much that they made additional versions for each of them called Duel Events. In Duel Events, you will attack your opponents with items or energy blasts and build up a point combo. By scoring successfully, you get all the points in one fellswoop. The opponent will get their combo cut in half when this occurs, but they will have a lead for when the next chance arises. All of this creates more chaos on the playing field and it is certainly a nice twist.

Once you played all the events at least once, the true Olympic Games begin. From here on out, you will be playing as your Mii, who will fight against other Miis in qualification rounds and finals. This starts out easy enough as you have to take on all Level 1 CPUs in every event, before moving to the second and third levels of competition. You may call it shallow or far from fun, but I found myself enjoying battling Mii characters from around the globe. It seems as if there is more of an urge to overcome your rivals and they try to make this fun through and through. They even throw in additional goals to tackle, which gives you access to all sorts of Mii gear.

Once you defeat certain enemies, they start appearing on the beach and the place starts to expand. Every Mii will walk around and you are free to interact with them. They will give you useful information about their countries or tips about the events that you just played. It makes the place more lively and there is a reason to walk about somewhat in this interactive main menu. As you complete finals and earn medals, the plaza will grow. The first thing you will notice is a shopping area, where you buy gachapons with the coins and rings you earn. There is a main shop with Rio gear, but also dedicated ones for Mario and Sonic. You will find costumes, Miiverse stamps and older music remixes from both franchises.

Playing the Olympic events will also grant you access to additional modes for you and your friends to enjoy. Next to the local multiplayer in single events and Olympic tourneys (sadly, no online tournaments available), there is Heroes Showdown. This is hands down the best way to experience the game as players join the Mario and Sonic teams and battle to reign victorious. Each side will have ten characters to choose from and you will have to constantly select the one you think is right for the job. If you win, that character stays in the game and you take a step closer to victory. Players will also have to strategically pick the row in which the characters are placed. Each row gives you access to a special card upon winning, which can destroy some opponents faster. Heroes Showdown ends if the captain (Mario or Sonic) has been defeated, so it stays exciting until the very end!

There are two more nice touches I want to give a mention to. First, there are Ghost Matches. You can fight here against top ranked or same ranked ghosts in three different sports. The sports chosen are disappointing (100 meters. 4x100 meters and Swimming), but it is a good way to challenge yourself and try to become the best possible. At random intervals, the carnival will drop into the street behind you. There is wonderful music and special missions that you need to tackle in each sport. You will need to score a certain of points or perform a certain way to succeed. By completing missions, you get costumes based on the various Mario and Sonic characters, which is the best possible reward here I suppose. The game has 406 pieces of Mii gear to collect, which will keep you busy for a while!

Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 looks incredibly smooth on the Wii U. Everything from the character motions to the stadiums are well represented. You do get the feeling that you are at the big spots in Brazil, which is fantastic to see. It is colorful, bright and above all incredibly sharp. While there isn't a lot of new Mario and Sonic music, the tunes in the game are still fantastic. They really get you pumped for the action and you can change them up even if you like. By unlocking songs in the shops, you are free to select them in the options menu and apply those to any event.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Wii U is fun, even if the amount of events is rather limited. With about 17 events, it doesn't feel grand for a console entry and that is a shame. The bigger insult is the lack of the Dream Events, which I consider important for what these games are trying to achieve. The way they present the games though, is the best it has ever been. It is a major trade off, but I do get the feeling that this could turn into a decent local multiplayer venture for all ages.