Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (マリオ&ソニック in 北京オリンピック), is a sports game developed and published by Sega for North America and Europe and was published by Nintendo for Japan.

The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia. It is the first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games to be released, with a more realistic sports game released by Sega in 2008. The idea of an Olympic setting for Mario & Sonic has been around for a few years prior to 2007, while casual discussions of a game in general existed for some time beforehand. The two publishers were looking for a proper setting that would give the game "an exclamation mark". In combination with the atmosphere of competitive sportsmanship the Olympics had to offer and making the transition from hardware development to producing third-party software in 2001, Sega received approval by Nintendo to include Mario in the game. It was released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in early 2008.

The game is known for being the first official crossover title to feature both Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog, Nintendo and Sega's former rival mascots, along with other characters from their respective series. The player can assume the role as one of these characters while competing against the others in numerous Olympic events as well as fantasy events. The Wii version was awarded as the best game of 2007 on its platform at the Games Convention in Leipzig. Overall, critics had mixed perceptions of Mario & Sonic's gameplay with the variety of events singled out as a strong feature. The title has undergone scrutiny for having the mascots starring in a casual game based on the Beijing Olympics as their first official title together instead of a platform game. Both versions have sold a total of 5 million units combined as of 31 March 2008.

Introduction
The intro to the game starts with the Five Olympic Rings on a white background gracefully filling the screen before it cuts to showing the rings on the side of a helicopter. The helicopter closes into the glorious Beijing National Stadium where the crowd are awaiting the beginning of the Olympic Games. The pyro goes off and the two teams stand behind their leaders, Mario and Sonic, taking the center stage. It cuts to daylight where the well known characters of both franchises are warming up for a sprint. Cream blows the starting gun and the racers are off! It cuts to Bowser taking the Hammer Throw, he spins around and releases the hammer. He roars in delight giving an indication that the throw was good. It then cuts to the Table Tennis courts where Tails and Yoshi are ready for one on one action! Yoshi takes the serve and plays at a quick pace with Tails. It takes us close to the action when Yoshi hits the ping pong ball back at Tails from which Tails launches it straight at the camera taking us to Dr. Eggman doing the Triple Jump. After his landing Eggman smiles at the camera before it zooms away from him out of another camera of which a Koopa Troopa is capturing Wario taking his archery shot. Wario launches the arrow at the camera which brings us back to where we started, the sprint. Tails is trying hard to get past Mario while Luigi is confident that he'll surpass Sonic. Back to the events and this time it's Amy going at the High Jump. After a twisting jump from Amy we take the plunge to see Peach in the Aquatics. Knuckles is next and he launches a javelin far off into the sunset with a proud smile. Jumping over hurdles are Luigi and Shadow. They jump in rhythm with each other before they run past the camera where we come back to the final moments of the sprint. Mario and Sonic are neck and neck. They realize this and give a friendly smile to one another before they run even faster. For brief couple of seconds we see the aftermath of the other contenders after they've taken their shot at the gold. Finishing off Mario and Sonic run into the camera and 'Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games' fills the screen.

Gameplay
Mario & Sonic brings together the title characters and 14 more from both franchises to participate in environments based on the official venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. These environments are stylized to fit the art styles of the Mario & Sonic video games. Besides the characters from the Mario & Sonic games, Miis can also be used in the Wii version. There are also a few randomly selected non-playable characters acting as referees or the audience for certain events. Each playable character has their own statistics which can serve as an advantage or disadvantage depending on the event. They are divided into four categories: all-around, speed, power, and skill. All-Around isn't really its own skill, but more of just being good enough in the other categories. There is also a statistic for stamina.

The gameplay involves utilizing either or a combination of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk on the Wii or stylus and button controls on the DS in various ways to complete each event. The events can require a combination of speed, timing, and some strategy. Each competition offers a slight degree of difference. In the running events, for example, getting a starting boost in the 100 m dash will either make or break the player's place, while in a relay race, which can last for well over a minute, this may not determine place as effectively. The game also has leaderboards that make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to show the best times and scores.

Mario & Sonic features a gallery mode, where brief facts of the Olympics can be found. There are five categories of trivia with matching mini-games that, once completed, will unlock the answer to trivia questions. Classic music from both series is available for use in the gallery once all levels in a category are cleared. There is also a standard gallery theme.

Events
The Wii game has twenty Olympic events which are divided into eight different classifications; athletics, gymnastics, shooting, rowing, archery, aquatics, fencing and table tennis. All of these events are organized in the tournament and circuit modes. Some events such as 4x100 m relay race, allow the player to have a team of four characters. Circuit mode is where players compete for the highest overall score in a pre-determined series of events or design their own circuit. In the single-player mission mode, each of the competitors has six character-specific missions to complete, however each of the characters statistics are not as balanced as in the main game. For example, one of Mario's missions, beating Sonic, is more challenging here. Mario & Sonic on the Nintendo DS has 16 Olympic sports, most of them from the Wii version. Cycling and 10m Platform Diving are exclusive Olympic events on this handheld.

There is an unlockable version of four of the Olympic events in the Wii game called "Dream Events". They differ from their original counterparts by applying more fictional video game attributes from the Mario and Sonic worlds. As a result, these events also have recognizable locations, abilities, objects, and support characters from both gaming worlds. The Nintendo DS version has five exclusive Dream Events: canoeing, boxing, basketball, long jump and skeet shooting.

Circuits

 * Beginner's Class
 * Mercury
 * 100m
 * Long Jump
 * Hammer Throw
 * Venus
 * 110m Hurdles
 * Skeet
 * Javelin Throw
 * Jupiter
 * 100m Freestyle
 * Triple Jump
 * Trampoline
 * Saturn
 * Singles
 * 4x100m Freestyle
 * Individual epée
 * Moonlight
 * 4x100m Relay
 * Single Sculls
 * Dream Race
 * Advance Class
 * Stardust
 * 100m
 * Long Jump
 * Hammer Throw
 * Archery
 * Planet
 * 110m Hurdles
 * Skeet
 * Javelin Throw
 * High Jump
 * Comet
 * 100m Freestyle
 * Triple Jump
 * Trampoline
 * 400m
 * Satellite
 * Singles
 * 4x100m Freestyle
 * Dream Race
 * Dream Fencing
 * Sunlight
 * 4x100m Relay
 * Single Sculls
 * Individual epée
 * Dream Table Tennis
 * Master's Class
 * Meteorite
 * 100m
 * Long Jump
 * Hammer Throw
 * Archery
 * 400m Hurdles
 * Supernova
 * 110m Hurdles
 * Skeet
 * Javelin Throw
 * High Jump
 * Pole Vault
 * Cosmos
 * 100m Freestyle
 * Triple Jump
 * Trampoline
 * 400m
 * Vault
 * Galaxy
 * Singles
 * 4x100m Freestyle
 * Individual epée
 * Dream Race
 * Dream Platform
 * Universal
 * 4x100m Relay
 * Single Sculls
 * Dream Table Tennis
 * Dream Fencing
 * Dream Race
 * Big Bang
 * Dream Race
 * Dream Fencing
 * Dream Platform
 * Singles
 * 4x100m Relay

Team Sonic
In addition, Cream, Espio and Charmy act as referees in both the DS & Wii versions, and Big makes further background appearances on the Wii version.

Team Mario
In addition, Shy Guy, Lakitu, and Toad and act as referees in both Wii & DS versions, Koopa Troopa on the Wii version.

Referees
Guard viewing
 * Cream
 * Toad

Air viewing
 * Charmy
 * Lakitu

Ground viewing
 * Espio
 * Shy Guy

Gallery Feature
Both the console and the handheld versions feature a gallery where facts and trivia can be found. In order to answer the question, the player has to play a mini-game. As a bit of fan service, unlocking all mini-games in a section will unlock a tune from both series. The information, mini-games, and songs differ between Wii and Nintendo DS.

Wii

Unlockable Sonic Songs
 * Green Hill Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit))
 * Star Light Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit))
 * Special Stage (from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit))
 * Sonic Heroes Theme [Instrumental] (from Sonic Heroes)
 * Let the Speed Mend It [Instrumental] (from Sonic and the Secret Rings)

Unlockable Mario Songs
 * Ground Theme (from Super Mario Bros.)
 * Underground Theme (from Super Mario Bros.)
 * Underwater Theme (from Super Mario Bros.)
 * Ground Theme (from Super Mario Bros. 3)
 * Ground Theme (from Super Mario World)

Nintendo DS

Unlockable Sonic Songs
 * Green Hill Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit))
 * Star Light Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit))
 * Emerald Hill Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit))
 * Right There, Ride On (from Sonic Rush)
 * New Venture [Instrumental] (from Sonic Rush Adventure)

Unlockable Mario Songs
 * Mario Puzzle Mix (from Tetris DS)
 * Mini-Games Coincentration (from Super Mario 64 DS)
 * Bowser Battle (from Tetris DS)
 * Mini-Games Bounce and Pounce (from Super Mario 64 DS)
 * Mario Circuit (from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)

Development
When Sega changed its status as a hardware developer to a third-party developer in 2001, it opened up the opportunity for them and Nintendo to form a partnership. Yuji Naka and Shigeru Miyamoto, the creators of Sega's and Nintendo's mascots respectively, held private discussions about Mario and Sonic appearing in a game together. Approximately a year later, Sega obtained the Beijing 2008 Olympic license. The corporation used the International Olympic Committee's mission of promoting the spirit of sport and wanting to get younger people interested in the Olympics as an idea to where to take their newly acquired license. Sega decided to use their characters that "young people love and are very iconic" instead of just developing a simulation. The corporation then requested and received approval from Nintendo to include Mario in the game Sega was going to use to help introduce young people into the Olympics. As a result of this and to ensure quality, Nintendo partnered with the developer in-house. Another reason the Olympic Games was chosen as the backdrop for Mario and Sonic's first game together is due to the sportsmanship and competitiveness of the Games provided an ideal choice as a setting for the once-rival mascots.

The game was first announced by Sega and Nintendo on March 28, 2007. Sega showed the first screenshots and a movie of both versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games at E3 2007. The creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, supervised the project and the game or one of its two versions may have been co-developed by TOSE, a developer known to not be credited for the games it produces. Sega revealed in early October 2007 that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games' schedule release date has been advanced by two weeks and the game has gone gold. Over 20 characters were originally planned including D.K, Birdo, Silver, Jet, Rouge, Bowser Jr, Diddy Kong, Omega and Cream,as well as some sports, such as judo; however, these were left out of the final product.

Face-Offs
Between each character, each have their own rival as based on either mission mode or by the starting prologue. Here are the following face-offs:


 * Sonic vs. Mario
 * Shadow vs. Luigi
 * Knuckles vs. Wario
 * Amy vs. Peach
 * Tails vs. Yoshi
 * Dr. Eggman vs. Waluigi
 * Blaze vs. Daisy
 * Vector vs. Bowser

Reception
Mario &amp; Sonic at the Olympic Games has received mixed reactions by critics, however it was commercially successful, exceeding Sega's expectations by selling over four million copies. The game resided at the top of the United Kingdom all-formats chart for two weeks shortly after its release, and topped the charts numerous times afterward. The Wii game has sold half a million units during its first 7 weeks of sale in the UK. By June 2008, both versions reached 1.2 million copies combined in UK sales prompting Sega to create plans on re-marketing the game there. According to the NPD Group, the Wii game was one of the top-ten best-sellers for the month of December 2007 in the United States, selling 613,000 units. In just over three months of being released, Sega announced on March 5, 2008 that both versions have sold 5 million units worldwide combined. Simon Jeffrey, president of Sega of America, in July 2008 showed interest in another game collaboration between the two mascots and has announced that the game has sold approximately 10 million units worldwide combined.

Critical response
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games on the Wii is known for being an entertaining multiplayer experience, having colorful graphics and physically demanding gameplay, but criticized for shallow gameplay and having complex rules and instructions for numerous events. Its Nintendo DS counterpart is regarded as virtually the same game in design. However, reception of its control scheme varied greatly. 1UP.com said in nearly "every case, events are far more enjoyable on the DS", Eurogamer and IGN, meanwhile, said the lack of physical demand will make the player feel less immersed with the game. The title has undergone scrutiny for having Mario and Sonic appear in a 'minigame collection' based on the 2008 Olympic Games as their first game together which GamePro criticized as being "a marketing tool to promote the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing".

GameSpot praised the Wii game for its wide variety of events, but thought a number of them were too similar to each other. The reviewer called the motion controls utilized in the events as commonly "uninteresting and occasionally frustrating". X-Play agreed, calling the controls "non-intuitive" and some of the minigames require players to "wave their Wiimotes frantically while press several buttons at the same time, which can be a tad bit frustrating". An Electronic Gaming Monthly editor mentioned the controls are complicated for a game that should be a "pure pick-up-and-play party game". GamePro said the events are "short and fairly shallow" and that they mostly require movement of the "Wii Remote and Nunchuks in specific ways--rapidly up and down for running events, for example". IGN called the game a success in their minds in regard to the slight degree of differences each competition had to offer and generally most of the events were entertaining. However, the events within their own classifications felt similar, for example, the track events, the reviewer thought "five or six that feel nearly identical" and lacked diversity. Both IGN and GameSpot favored archery and the fantasy events Mario &amp; Sonic had to offer which IGN states ends up "stealing the show".

Trivia

 * All Mario female contestants wear clothing from sports games they've been in. However, Amy and Blaze wear new sporting gear similar to what they wore in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
 * This is Vector's first playable appearance since Shadow the Hedgehog.
 * This is also the debut of Team Chaotix on the Wii and DS.
 * This is also Charmy's first appearance on a handheld console.
 * This is also Vector's first time being the only playable Team Chaotix member.
 * The only Mario characters with new artwork are Mario (cover & special posters), Luigi (poster), Peach, Daisy, & Bowser (Poster).
 * In the aquatic events, Sonic wears a lifejacket, since he can't swim.
 * Silver the Hedgehog, Jet the Hawk, Cream the Rabbit, Big the Cat, Espio the Chameleon, Rouge the Bat, Donkey Kong, Birdo, and a Goomba were all supposed to be playable characters in this game, but got deleted. They are still in the beta and are only available by hacking the game.
 * Donkey Kong and Silver are playable in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games though. Jet, Cream, Espio, Rouge, and Birdo would not become playable characters until Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
 * In the track and field events, you can see Big the Cat in the entrance to the stadium. He is also seen being the referee of the Single Sculls event.
 * The Dream Race event can be seen as an on-foot version of Mario Kart.
 * There is a Co-Op event in Super Smash Bros. Brawl called "Sonic and Mario". That event may have referenced this game.
 * In the USA Wii commercial of the game, the song that it was hearing is "The Final Countdown" by the Swedish hard rock, heavy metal and glam metal band Europe, that it was released in 1986.
 * In Shadow's artwork for this game, he's missing his tail.
 * Shadow's artwork also has him doing the same pose as one of the Japanese artwork of Sonic for Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
 * It appears Blaze was a last minute character, as her model appears unfinished in Pole Vault. It looks as if she only moves one leg at the start. This may just be the angle of the camera, though.
 * In this game, Dr. Eggman and Bowser are rivals, yet in Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games, they work together.
 * Tails and Yoshi were the only two rivals in both the introduction and the mission mode to have the same eye color. Both of them having blue eyes.
 * Peach and Daisy were planned to have swimsuits for the aquatic events, but the designs were rejected by Nintendo. They were later given swimsuits in Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games along with Amy and Blaze.