London Party[1] is the multiplayer party mode in the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. It consists of events and Bonus Games played through interacting with various characters from the Mario and Sonic games in an overworld map of the streets of London. Stickers are awarded upon winning the various games, and the first player to fill their sticker sheet is the champion.
Gameplay[]
London Party features three different game lengths, each with one more sticker sheet than the last.
- 16 sticker: ~30 minutes long
- 32 sticker: ~60 minutes long
- 48 sticker: ~90 minutes long
There are three difficulty settings for the CPUs, easy, normal, and hard.
Sticker sheet[]
The main goal of London Party is to fill up one's sticker sheet or sheets, depending on the rules they select.
There are about three ? spaces present on the sticker sheets, and by placing a sticker on top of one the following effects can occur:
- Bonus Stickers!: One or two Neutral Chao stickers will be gifted to the player. The later in the game it is the more likely it is to receive two.
- ? Change!: A Dark Chao appears and adds a ? to the sheet, rendering the one just used useless.
- Sticker Copied!: A random sticker from the players sheet will be copied by Orbot and Cubot.
- Sticker Lost!: One of the opponents will be attacked by a Chain Chomp, causing either one or four stickers to be lost.
- Sticker Lost!: Another variant of the above effect, but this time a Magikoopa will whisk away one or two rows of the player's own sticker sheet.
- Page Trade!: Two players' current pages will be swapped by a Boo.
- Sticker Gift!: Omochao appears and gifts a sticker to one of the opponents.
Throughout the London Party, the ?s will change colour and their risk becomes greater. Starting at a bright blue, they fade to green, then yellow, and finally to a pinkish-red.
Controls[]
Button formation[1] | Movement | |
---|---|---|
Wii Remote (horizontal) | Wii Remote & Nunchuk | |
Control Stick | Move | |
Jump | ||
x2 | x2 | Ground Pound |
Use item/Interact | ||
(near opponent as hunter) | (near opponent as hunter) | Tag Dash |
+ | Pause |
Competition Time[]
After three or so Bonus Games and/or events, depending on how long they take, Big Ben will chime to signify the beginning of an event. The player with the least stickers at this point (or if playing in single player, the player themselves) will get to choose between four randomly determined events. All standard and dream events are included in this selection pool. A shortened version of an event will then be played, usually just one round or set (for example, just one jump in long jump).
The event will begin with the CPU scores already listed, this being made up of eight total characters including the player or players of the London Party. The player who places in first of the eight will receive five stickers, the player in second gains two, and third will be awarded just one. All players that place between fourth and eighth do not get any stickers.
Bonus Games[]
The main gameplay of the London Party mode consists of the above mentioned Olympic events and Bonus Games, which are activated by interacting with one of the characters that are wandering the play area. They are a total of 43 Bonus Games. The player who initiated the game will receive a Bonus Sticker upon completion, no matter their placing in said event.
The Bonus Games have been placed into six categories for easy navigation based on gameplay and controls, and are as follows:
Quizzes[]
There are ten Bonus Games which involve trivia, with one of these being a mix of all the other topics. Each quiz includes three questions, each with either two or four possible answers. The player must answer by selecting one of the multiple choices on screen with . As the question is being asked, a timer begins to count down, which corresponds to the amount of points rewarded by answering correctly. The higher the timer is, the more points are earned. This acts as incentive to answer quick. The most points the player can gain is 50, answering at the five second point in the timer. The point values decrease by ten as the seconds count down, with four seconds giving forty points, three giving thirty, and so on. Due to the words still appearing on the screen as the time limit is enacted, the highest point value is much harder to achieve than the forty points below it. This is especially obvious in the quizzes that are run by Omochao, as he will change his mind last second to throw off the players. An example of this would be the true or false question where Omochao states that London has held the Olympic games once, then quickly changes this to twice. The timer reaches the 3 second mark before Omochao finishes, meaning a maximum of 30 points can be gained by waiting for the full question. Usually, the computer controlled characters will answer around the one or two second mark, in easy and normal mode that is. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
The quiz-themed Bonus Games and the character needed to talk with are as follows:
- Hero Quiz!: Interact with the red Shy Guy at any time. The player is asked a series of questions about various Mario and Sonic characters and topics.
- Heroine Quiz!: Interact with Birdo at any time. The questions here revolve around the female characters of the Mario and Sonic games.
- Athlete Characters Quiz!: Interact with the red Shy Guy at any time. This quiz is based upon the playable characters in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, although there are none about the girls featured.
- Supporting Cast Quiz!: Interact with the red Shy Guy at any time. The questions here are based around various characters that are not playable in the game.
- All Characters Quiz!: Interact with Birdo at any time. The questions are based around both main and side characters in the Mario and Sonic series.
- Events Quiz!: Interact with Omochao at any time. Here, all the questions as based around the various Olympic events.
- Olympic Games Quiz!: Interact with Omochao at any time. The questions here revolve around basic Olympic Games knowledge, such as its history.
- United Kingdom Quiz!: Interact with Omochao at any time. This quiz involves questions that are about the United Kingdom.
- London Quiz!: Interact with Omochao at any time. Questions in this quiz are all related to London.
- Grab-Bag Quiz!: Interact with Cream at any time. The questions here are randomly selected from the other nine quiz-based Bonus Games.
Overworld streets[]
The streets of London that the players navigate in Free Time are also home to a number of Bonus Games. These control the same as the basic London Party inputs, but with extra features and gimmicks based on the objective. There are various types of these Bonus Games, such as tag or ring collecting, but they all follow the same general control scheme and, as such, can be group together.
The tag Bonus Games are as follows:
- 3-on-1 Tag!: Interact with Jet at night. Catch the three other players/avoid the hunter to win.
- 2-on-2 London Tag!: Interact with Jet at any time. Avoid/catch the rival team in wide area.
- 2-on-2 Tag, Pipe-Style!: Interacting with Charmy in the nighttime. The players are split into two teams of two and must either catch or avoid the rival team while navigating the arena through pipes. The game ends when either: 1. the hunters catch both of the members of the opposite team, or 2. when the timer runs out.
- Orbot and Cubot Tag!: Interact with the Pink Toad at night. Don't let Cubot or Orbot catch any player
The collection based overworld Bonus Games are as follows:
- Collect Shy Guy's Coins!: Interact with Lakitu at night. The objective is to collect the most coins by talking to the fifteen Shy Guys that are wandering the streets of London. Each Shy Guy caries one coin, and the player with the most at the end of the game will win.
- Hyde Park Coin Collectors!: Interact with Skill Type character at any time. Collect the most coins thrown by Lakitu to win.
- London Coin Collectors!: Interact with the Pink Toad at any time. Collect the most coins to win.
- Coin Collectors: Spiny Shock!: Interact with the Pink Toad at any time. Collect the most coins while avoiding the Spinies, which will cause the player to loose ten coins upon running into them.
- Coin Collectors: Shell Game!: Interact with the Pink Toad at any time. Collect the most coins while using items to prevent other players from gaining any themselves. The only items provided by Item Boxes are green and red shells, with the green ones firing in a straight line and the red type homing in on the opponent. Upon impact, the player will loose ten coins.
- Catch the Floating Sticker!: Interact with Cream at any time. Collect the most stickers that are launched out of a cannon towards the players. Only five of the total stickers fired will be real, if player has caught one they will gain it as a reward.
Other types of Bonus Games that are played in the overworld are:
- Get That Shy Guy!: This Bonus Game is unique in that it is played as a tutorial when the option is selected during Toad and Cream's opening speech. As this is played before the London Party has officially begun, the players must all work together to catch a Shy Guy.
- Get That Crown!: Interact with any Speed Type character, with these including Shadow, Daisy, Sonic, Yoshi, and Metal Sonic, at any time. Try to keep other players away, while holding a crown in possession for 15 seconds, or until the time runs out. The player with the crown at the end of the game will be declared the winner.
- Shy Guy Tag!: Interact with the red Shy Guy at night. The players must cooperate to catch all four of the Shy Guys in order to win.
- 2 on 2 Tablet Tussle!: Interacting with any Power Type character at night. Hold the tablet to gather points while avoiding rival team trying to steal tablet.
- Go away, Boo!: Interact with any All-Around Type character, these include Luigi, Amy, Mario, Blaze, and Bowser Jr., at night. A Boo is loose in the streets, and if touched by it the player will become "possessed". The only way to rid oneself of the Boo is to touch another player, but if ten seconds passes without contact the possessed player automatically looses.
Side-scroller[]
There are five Bonus Games that involve a somewhat 2.5D auto-scrolling style of gameplay. Here, the players are placed on a long stretch of highway and must keep up with the screen as it pans along the road. There are four different lanes that can be crossed between, though the player can stand in the middle of them as well. By using /Control Stick, one can move left, right, towards the screen, and away from it. The only restricted movement is backwards, as the character will just slow to a walk and just barely keep up with the screen. Pressing / will make the character jump, a key mechanic as the highway is littered with barriers and busses that will cause the player to get stunned and momentarily stop moving. This can be counteracted by shaking the Wii Remote up and down, though it cannot be out-right avoided once an obstacle is collided with. Along with these objects on the road, bottomless pits of various lengths are found along the lanes, which will instantly eliminate the player if they fall in. Luckily, both types of traps are preceded by red warning signs in font the of lane in which they will appear in.
The side-scroller Bonus Games are as follows:
- Highway Ring Collectors!: Interact with Charmy at any time. The player must collect the most rings, which are scattered along the street. The Bonus Game auto-scrolls forward and the highway features many traps and barriers, which the player must avoid as they will eliminate or stun the playable character, respectively. The player with the most rings upon reaching the end of the highway will win.
- Stay on the Marathon Highway!: Interacting with any Speed Type character, these being Shadow, Daisy, Sonic, Yoshi, Metal Sonic, at any time can trigger this Bonus Game to occur. It is the same map as Highway Ring Collectors, though it lacks the Rings. The goal is just to survive by avoiding the pits and barriers, of which can stun the character and cause them to be eliminated through the auto-scroll getting too far ahead. The player or players who reach the end of the road will win.
- Stay on the Hazardous Highway!: Interact with Charmy at any time. The premise of this game is identical to the last, just with more obstacles to avoid. Either the last player standing or the players who reach the end will win.
- Follow the Flighty Lakitu!: Interact with Lakitu at any time. This Bonus Game takes place on the auto-scrolling Highway, and the players must avoid the obstacles to keep up with the Lakitu, who is flying along on the players' right edge of the screen. The goal is to stay with the Lakitu for the full duration of the Bonus Game.
- Highway Goomba Hunt!: Interact with any All-Around Type character at night. Defeat given number of Goombas, with the number of Goombas depending on the game difficulty: 90 in easy mode, 100 in normal, and 110 in hard. The enemies will be lined up in the lanes as if they are prepared to be jump upon. Upon fulfilling the quota, the Bonus Game will be completed.
City streets[]
This sub-set of Bonus Games all take place within the streets of London, with the roads being lined with buildings and the area is maze-like to navigate. A map that displays the players' locations is present in the corner of the screen. Item Boxes are present in most Bonus Games in this area, housing Power Sneakers and other helpful power-ups. When playing with multiple people, the screen is split into up to four sections, each displaying a third-person view of the playable characters.
Bonus Games that take place in the maze-like streets of the city are as follows:
- London Sightseeing Tour!: Interact with Lakitu at any time. The goal is for the player to follow the route of six Star Posts that are laid out in the streets of London. The game is won by reaching the end of said trail first.
- 2-on-2 Tag!: Interact with Jet at any time. Catch/avoid the rival team.
- Vacant Lot Espio Hunt!: This Bonus Game can be triggered at night by interacting with any Skill Type character, these include: Tails, Peach, Dr. Eggman, Waluigi, and Silver. The goal of this game is to track down the invisible Espio, who is hiding around the streets of London. Each time a player finds him, they receive a point, and Espio will flee to another hiding spot to wait for the next player. Once the timer is up, the player with the most points wins.
- 3-on-1 Vacant Lot Tag!: Interact with Jet at any time. Catch/avoid rival team in vacant area.
- Vacant Lot Kiki Hunt!: Interact with Cream during the day. Catch the most Kikis to win. By pressing near a Kiki, the player can tag dash forward into the robot to grab it. Simply running into a Kiki will catch it. The player who catches the most Kikis is declared the winner.
Shell Showdown[]
- One-Shot Shell Showdown!: Interact with Espio during the day. Be the last one standing using red shells to win, though at least one point must have been gained in order to do so.
- Point-Based Shell Showdown!: Interacting with any Power Type character, with these being Wario, Knuckles, Bowser, Vector, and Donkey Kong, during the day. Get the most points by throwing shells on opponents, and the player with the most points at the end of the game will win.
- 2-on-2 Shell Showdown!: Interact with Espio at night. Reduce the opposing team's health to 0 to win.
Miscellaneous[]
Along with the more concrete categories in which the Bonus Games share the same control scheme, there are a number of unique games that feature different gameplay styles.
These unique Bonus Games are as follows:
- Highway Tally!: Interact with Lakitu during the day. The goal is to count how many of the given creatures cross the screen to earn points, this being split into three rounds. Pressing will count up and will count down, or, if using the Nunchuck, using either the Control Stick/ + will bring the tally up/down, respectively. Each tally the player gets correct will earn them one point, with the player with the most correct counts being declared the winner.
- Guard the Hyde Park Diamonds!: Interact with Lakitu at night. The goal of this Bonus Game is to prevent the diamonds from being stolen by the various Lakitu flying around the park. If one grabs a diamond with its fishing rod, a simple jump will knock the gem back into the park. Even just one diamond being taken away will result in the players losing.
- 2-on-2 Icon Matchup!: Interact with the Pink Toad during the day. Match the most icons to win.
- Boo's Treasure Chest!/Watch out for Boo!: Interact with Boo at night. Open treasure chests by pressing / while hoping Boo won't appear. The last player standing will win. Both names appear in the game, with one being displayed in-game and the other in the mission menu.
- Hyde Park Sticker Hunt!: Interact with the Pink Toad at any time. Collect the most stickers by pressing when the sensor turns a bright red, signifying that the player is right on top of one. Any and all sticker the player has collected will be retained after the game.
Characters[]
Various characters appear in the streets of London during the game. Most of these characters will trigger a Bonus Game or event upon interacting with them, although some act as distractions and just chat to the player about their day.
- Toad (referee)
- Cream the Rabbit (referee)
- Dry Bowser
- Dry Bones
- Lakitu
- Boo
- King Boo
- Birdo
- Jet the Hawk
- Rouge the Bat
- E-123 Omega
- Eggman Nega
- Espio the Chameleon
- Charmy Bee
- Omochao
- Orbot
- Cubot
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Gallery |
---|
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii) Canadian instruction booklet, pg. 5.