Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (マリオ&ソニック AT バンクーバーオリンピック) is a sports game currently in development by Sega, to be published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in North America and Europe. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive licensee "International Sports Multimedia". The game is the third official crossover title to feature characters from both Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog's respective universes. It will be released on the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS in October 2009, and is the first announced video game based around the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will enable players to assume the role of a Mario or Sonic character while competing against the others in Winter Olympic events.

Gameplay
Some of the events in the Wii game will use the Balance Board accessory. The multiplayer mode offers "co-op and competitive gameplay" whereas the DS version will use its wireless capabilities.

Development
In January 2009, an article in the Spanish Nintendo magazine Nintendo Acción mentioned a sequel to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, to be created for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Both IGN and Eurogamer received confirmation on the games' existence, with IGN stating that game would be officially announced within the following month. Dennis Kim, licensing and merchandising director for the event, stated in February that a Mario & Sonic title "[is] being discussed and planned for Vancouver". Kim also stated that Vancouver 2010 and the IOC will share royalties from this game.

The official announcement did arrive within the month as predicted, the game's title being given as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games at a joint press release by Sega and Nintendo on February 12, 2009.

Events
It is a possibility that there are different events on the Wii version then the DS version. Confirmed events include:

DS Version
Skeleton Race - lie on your stomach on a sled.

Snowboard Cross - Combination of skateboarding, skiing, and surfing.

Wii Version
Downhill skiing - slalom through gates at high speeds.

Bobsleigh - shows multi player features, four players can line up and work together to hop on the bobsleigh while speeding down the track.

Speedskating 500m - lean forward while swinging your arms, you must keep an even pace to win.

Ice Hockey -

Playable
The cast consists of the full roster from the previous game, as well as some new characters.

Sonic characters


 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Eggman
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Amy Rose
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Blaze the Cat
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Metal Sonic
 * Silver the Hedgehog (unconfirmed as of yet)

Mario characters


 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Bowser
 * Princess Peach
 * Yoshi
 * Wario
 * Donkey Kong
 * Princess Daisy
 * Waluigi

Other


 * Mii (Wii Version Only)

Audience

 * Flicky
 * Goomba
 * Chao
 * Shy Guy
 * Chirps
 * Toad
 * Tux
 * Dry Bones
 * Porker
 * Koopa
 * Omochao
 * Pianta

Trivia

 * The first trailer of the game includes a Sonic Unleashed-styled theme playing throughout.
 * Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games was released in 2007, and this game will be released late in 2009. This may be a reference to how the Winter Olympic Games always occur two years after the Summer Olympics.
 * This is the third game in which Mario and Sonic appear in a game together, the first 2 being Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
 * Though its not been completly comfired yet but Silver the Hedgehog might appear this game and in one of the screenshots and flag of Silver's Head/Icon is shown on on-screen.
 * In one screenshot, Vancouver 2010 is shown at an ice hockey ring due to the winter games being held in Vancouver, Canada.
 * This also might be the first game where Mario and Sonic are seen communicating with each other in a game.