I rate this game:7.75
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Japanese: マリオ&ソニック in 北京オリンピック, Mario & Sonikku in Pekin Orinpikku, lit. "Mario & Sonic in the Beijing Olympics" in Japan), is a sports game developed and published by Sega for North America and Europe and 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 and 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 Nintendo Wii in November of 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 March 31, 2008.
Gameplay
Each character has his or her own stats.
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 and Sonic video games. Besides the characters from the Mario and Sonic games, Miis can also be used in the Wii version. There are also a few randomly selected non-playable characters acting as referees 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. 
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.
Events
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.
Icon  | Type | Wii Events | Nintendo DS Events |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Aquatics |
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 | Archery |
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 | Athletics |
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 | Fencing |
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 | Gymnastics |
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 | Rowing |
| None |
 | Shooting |
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 | Table Tennis |
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| Cycling | None |
| |
 | Dream |
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Circuits
- Beginner's Class
- Mercury
- 100m
- Long Jump
- Hammer Throw
- Venus
- 110m Hurdles
- Skeet
- Javelin Throw
- Jupiter
- 110m Freestyle
- Triple Jump
- Trampoline
- Saturn
- Singles
- 4x100m Freestyle
- Individual epée
- Moonlight
- Advance Class
- Master's Class
Characters
Team Sonic
| Name | Skill Type | Stats | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic | Speed |  |  |
| Shadow | Speed |  |  |
| Knuckles | Power |  |  |
| Vector | Power |  |  |
| Tails | Skill |  |  |
| Dr. Eggman | Skill |  |  |
| Amy | All Around |  |  |
| Blaze | All Around |  |  |
Team Mario
| Name | Skill Type | Stats | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario | All Around |  |  |
| Luigi | All Around |  |  |
| Princess Peach | Skill |  |  |
| Waluigi | Skill |  |  |
| Bowser | Power |  |  |
| Wario | Power |  |  |
| Yoshi | Speed |  |  |
| Princess Daisy | Speed |  |  |
Referees
Air viewing
Ground viewing
Gallery
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 & the Secret Rings)
- 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)
- 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
- Sonic vs. Mario
- Tails vs. Yoshi
- Knuckles vs. Wario
- Amy vs. Peach
- Shadow vs. Luigi
- Dr. Eggman vs. Bowser
- Blaze vs. Daisy
- Vector vs. Waluigi
Reception
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| 1UP.com | C+ (Wii) C+ |
| Edge | 6 of 10 (Wii) |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.3 of 10 (Wii) |
| Eurogamer | 7 of 10 (Wii) 5 of 10 (DS) |
| GamePro | 3.50 of 5 (Wii) 3.25 of 5 (DS) |
| GameSpot | 6.0 of 10 (Wii) 6.0 of 10 (DS) |
| IGN | 7.9 of 10 (Wii) 7.8 of 10 (DS) |
| X-Play | 3/5 Stars |
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