Gamertell

The XXI Winter Olympic Games start February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, British Columbia, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start getting ready for them today. Chances are, you aren’t going to be able to make it to Canada for the events, and you most likely aren’t competing, but that doesn’t mean you can’t compete.

The forthcoming Winter Olympics provide the perfect opportunity and excuse to create your own Olympics game with the help of video games. If you own a Wii, you’ll be in the best shape, since there have been a ton of sports themed mini-game collections released for that system. Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, DS and even iPhone and iPod Touch users can use their consoles and handhelds to prepare for the forthcoming games.

Gamertell’s put together a list of eight fairly recent and well rounded video game releases that will hopefully get you feeling sporty and competitive.

1. Deca Sports 2 (Wii, September 29, 2009): Not especially wintery, but the skiing, speed skating and ice hockey events will help set the mood. Plus, the price on it just dropped from $29.99 to $19.99.
2. Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun (Wii, released February 2, 2010): Honestly, the Family Party series of Wii sports game collections is probably the worst in existance, but they’re also the most fun because the control schemes tend to be so ridiculous! My friends and I have probably had more fun with the so-bad-it’s-good Family Party: 30 Great Games than any other Wii game. This $19.99 game has 30 different events.
3. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii, DS, released October 13, 2009): Probably the best known Winter Olympics game on this list, the games feature 27 events, standard and dream, and characters from the Mario and Sonic games to play as. The Wii version is $49.99, and the DS version is $34.99.

4. Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (iPhone/iPod Touch, updated January 30, 2010): Think of it as a light version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It has 10 Sonic characters, four events (curling, figure skating, skeleton and snowboard cross) and three multiplayer modes. It’ll cost you $4.99 from the iTunes App Store.
5. Vancouver 2010: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games (PS3, Xbox 360, released January 12, 2010): It seems kind of odd that the official Vancouver 2010 Olympics game is only available on two systems, but oh well. It has 14 events, online multiplayer and online leaderboards. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 version cost $49.99.
6. Wii Sports Resort (Wii, released July 26, 2009): Okay, so this would probably be better for the Summer Olympics, but still. It’s cold out, and it’d be nice to shake things up and enjoy some warm weather games as well. It’s a little pricey though, and will cost you $49.99 if you don’t already own it.
7. Winter Sports 2: The Ultimate Challenge (Wii, Xbox 360, PS2, DS, released Winter 2008): This is an older winter sports collection with 11 different sports, but consider its age a good thing! It means it’ll be cheaper. The Wii version is $29.99, the Xbox 360 and DS versions are $19.99 and the PS2 version is $14.99.
8. Winter Games 2010 - Vancouver (iPhone/iPod Touch, released January 26, 2010): It’s a sports game collection with 20 events. Okay, there are really only 10 events, each with two different options. But still, it’s pretty nice for a free iTunes Store app.