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Asterix aux jeux olympiques. For those lacking an education in French, it translates to Asterix at the Olympic Games. It was the most expensive film ever to come out of France (78million Euros) and took the ever-popular comic book into the live-action arena. The tradition of ‘movie-game-tie-ins’ continues with the multiplatform Asterix at the Olympic Games. The game ties in a cartoon art-style, some slapstick antics and mild puzzle solving in the form of a platform game which is subsequently sprinkled with various sport minigames. It has a fair amount of content but with other titles like Mario and Sonic at the Olympics fighting for your money does Asterix at the Olympic Games break the world record or does it end up winning the bronze?

First off, unlike most movie based games where little of the movie’s plot is actually used, Asterix sheds the skin of tradition by merging live action shots of the film into the game. You’ll see human actors running alongside the cartooned Asterix and Obelix, interacting and conversing. Anyone who’s seen the movie ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ will know what I mean. Luckily, despite the precautionary alarm bells that ring when you read that comparison, the scenes involving actors actually seem to fit the game’s style and are well presented even though you can obviously tell that they’ve been superimposed. The acting isn’t Oscar winning and it won’t captivate you but you’re unlikely to want to skip the cut scenes. Even with its narrative merit and storytelling wizardry the story is still your standard video game affair. Insert a farfetched goal for the (comic) game’s protagonists, and undertake the quest by overcoming strife and obstacles. Basically, all you need to know is that you’re competing in the Olympic Games in an effort to save your friend while defeating the evil Brutus.

With that premise firmly in mind, you’re granted control of Asterix, Obelix and Getafix to partake in Olympic events while platforming and puzzle solving in between. When you’re not long jumping, hanging from ledges or pushing blocks you’ll be required to fight some Romans in some light combat which often involves hitting the attack key with the occasional jump. When it concerns the Olympic events you’ve got standard things like the Long Jump and Javelin to more period pieces like Chariot Racing to the bizarre Toad Ball where you launch balled up toads over a net. The controls usually boil down to mashing two keys back and forth, hitting another to choose an angle and then watching the effect. If you’re inpatient and only want the Olympic centred gameplay then you’ll be entertained dutifully by the ‘Olympic Mode’ which can be played alone against a CPU or with a friend locally. Even still you’ll still need to unlock some events by performing well.

 When it concerns the other gameplay mechanics found in the single player story, they’re actually produced to a reasonable standard. With more niche titles like Asterix (because of its comic book content) there’s always the risk of watered down gameplay but the developers have done a good job of making sure that it all works. You’ll explore 3D environments, restricted by a fixed camera approach which luckily doesn’t cause too many viewpoint problems. You can destroy environmental objects like carts, pots and piles of rocks to grant you collectable helmets which can be spent on health. You’ll be called to jump from ledge to ledge and you’ll have a gauge that decreases as you hang, which means that you can’t just hang as you think about where to jump to next.  Occasionally you’ll be required to solve the typical platforming puzzle like move a block so you can jump on it or line up too moveable mirrors to reflect light. It may sound simple but it’s substantially rewarding and unlikely frustrate. Combat comes down to a standard bashing attack or quick special attack. The game will occasionally throw a colour-based combat minigame where you’ll need to attack different coloured enemies in time with coloured notes. It’s not taxing, and it’s definitely not groundbreaking but it’s executed in a solid manner which will keep you amused for a few hours.

Graphically the game sets a solid standard. Environments are bright and colourful and the characters are stylised stereotypes. Textures are rendered to a decent standard and the main protagonists look like they’ve been taken directly from the comic books (and that’s a compliment). The crowds and arenas are bog standard and their cheers sadly do lack some enthusiasm. The sound effects have some punch and voice acting is appropriately melodramatic. Overall, from an aesthetic point of view it’s complete and appealing. It won’t knock the socks off you, but it’s unlikely to be seen as ugly or under-produced.

So why a 6/10? (Ed – oops, spoiler!) Well for all its quality and charm, it’s just a bit easy. It’s unclear as to whether it’s been created as a family game, for fans of the film / comic or the average gamer. Even so, you’ll find yourself mashing away at buttons and thinking, should I be playing something more challenging? The combat is a lukewarm affair and just doesn’t carry enough substance. There’s nothing  wrong with Asterix at the Olympic Games but it just doesn’t excel or shine. Fans will love it, and at a low price (with the dreary gaming summer months coming up) it’s worth a look in but at the moment, it’s not eye-catching.

Score: 6/10

(PC Version Reviewed. Also out on PS2, Wii and DS.)

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