IGN writes: "You would think that a game based on Olympic events wouldn't be that hard to pull off properly. The classic Track & Field formula of button mashing and timed taps really hasn't been improved upon since its inception and for good reason: it works, and works well. Knowing that, developer 49 Games and US publisher Conspiracy Entertainment set out to deliver old-school gameplay in a value-priced package. No, the goal wasn't exactly a lofty one, but the overall package is surprisingly robust for what it is.
"It" happens to refer to just nine basic events, though that's probably overstating the total number of different gameplay types. Events like the downhill, super-g and giant slalom are lumped together as one event type, but the skeleton, bobsled and luge -- all of which are even more similar than the downhill event -- are counted separately."
GameTap writes: "Here is a statement that may or may not shock you: Skiing with the Wii Remote isn't very much fun. Neither is figure skating, bobsledding, or--and here's the real shocker--curling. At least, not the way Winter Sports: The Ultimate Challenge handles them. This well-meaning but ultimately annoying collection of winter sports events tries a few interesting concepts for control schemes for its chosen games, but fails almost universally to make them fun.
There are nine events total in Winter Sports. All of them are variations on the aforementioned sports, with some jumping and racing varieties between the skiing and skating events. Each sport has its own unique control scheme, though the majority of the skiing, skating, and sledding events use some variation of the "balance/swing the Wii Remote/Nunchuk to steer/accelerate" concept. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of the controls is all over the place. Some events, such as the speed skating event, are almost insultingly easy. Others, like downhill skiing, suffer from overly finicky controls that require a great deal more time to master than the event's relative level of engagement allows for. Cross-country skiing almost plays well, except that it's also incredibly boring. Sledding is at least a bit of fun, mostly for the solid sense of speed you get rushing down the track."
