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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

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Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Developer(s)Sega Japan,[2] Sega Sports[3]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto (supervisor)[5]
Platform(s)Wii, Nintendo DS
ReleaseWii



DS
Genre(s)Sports party game[6]
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (マリオ&ソニック AT 北京オリンピック, Mario ando Sonikku atto Pekin Orinpikku, lit. "Mario & Sonic at the Beijing Olympics") 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.[7] 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.[2] The idea of an Olympic setting for Mario and Sonic has been around for a few years prior to 2007, while casual dicussions 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.[8] It was released on the Nintendo Wii in November of 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in early 2008.[1]

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.[9] 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[10] instead of a platform game.[11][12] Both versions have sold a total of 5 million units combined as of March 31, 2008.[13]

Gameplay

File:Mario&Soniccharacterscreen.jpg
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.[7] 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.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] 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.[14] The game also has leaderboards that make use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to show the best times and scores.[14]

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.[17][18]

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.[14] All of these events are organized in the tournament and circuit modes.[19] 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[6] in a pre-determined series of events or design their own circuit.[15] 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.[14] Mario & Sonic on the Nintendo DS has 16 Olympic sports, most of them from the Wii version.[20] Cycling and 10m Platform Diving are exclusive Olympic events on this handheld.[16]

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.[6][21] The Nintendo DS version has five exclusive Dream Events: canoeing, boxing, basketball, long jump and skeet shooting.[16]

Development

[The Olympics is] about gathering everyone, from young to old, together. And in that spirit, we thought this the best time for Sonic and Mario to be in a game together.

— The marketing director of Nintendo Europe on why the Olympics were chosen as the first meeting ground for Mario and Sonic, [22]

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.[8] 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.[23] 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.[22] As a result of this and to ensure quality, Nintendo partnered with the developer in-house.[24] 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.[8]

The game was first announced by Sega and Nintendo on March 28, 2007.[7] Sega showed the first screenshots and a movie of both versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games at E3 2007.[25][26] The creator of Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, supervised the project[5] 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.[27] 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.[21] Over 20 characters were originally planned[28] as well as some sports, such as judo; however, these were left out of the final product.[2]

Reception

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,[40][30] but criticized for shallow gameplay and having complex rules and instructions for numerous events.[10][37] 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.[16][36] 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[12][10] which GamePro critisized as being "a marketing tool to promote the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing".[33]

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".[12] X-Play agreed, calling the controls "non-intuitive" and some of the minigames require players to "wave their Wiimotes franticly while press several buttons at the same time, which can be a tad bit frustrating".[37] An Electronic Gaming Monthly editor mentioned the controls are complicated for a game that should be a "pure pick-up-and-play party game".[10] 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 & Sonic had to offer which IGN states ends "up stealing the show".[14]

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was expected by Sega to sell four million copies.[41] The game resided at the top of the United Kingdom all-formats chart for two weeks shortly after its release,[42][43] and top the charts numerous times afterward.[44] The Wii game has sold half a million units during its first 7 weeks of sale in the UK[45]. 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.[46] During the month of December in 2007, the Wii game was one of the top-ten best-sellers in the United States. By March 2008, in just over three months of being released, Sega announced that both versions have sold 5 million units worldwide combined.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
  2. ^ a b c Burman, Rob (2007-03-29). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Interview". IGN. Retrieved 2007-03-29.
  3. ^ Bianco, Karn (2007-03-29). "Mario & Sonic Olympics Details". GWN. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  4. ^ a b "Sega Unveils Details for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games" (Press release). GameSpot. 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  5. ^ a b Rob Burman and Matt Casamassina (2007-03-28). "Mario and Sonic Together at Last". IGN. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
  6. ^ a b c "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" (DOC). Sega. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  7. ^ a b c "Sega and Nintendo join forces for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" (Press release). Sega. 2007-03-28. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  8. ^ a b c Thorsen, Tor (2007-03-29). "Q&A: Sega, Nintendo on the first Sonic-Mario game". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-09-14. Scott Steinberg: It's the perfect backdrop, since Olympics being synonymous with the spirit of sportsmanship. It's a great context for Mario and Sonic to come together in their first game. So it couldn't have been written in a better script.
  9. ^ Elliot, Phil (2007-08-28). "Best of GC titles winners announced". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  10. ^ a b c d e Hsu, Dan (2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly (223). Ziff Davis Media: pp. 66. ISSN 1058-918X. A. Fitch: We've waited over 15 years for Sonic and Mario to team up, and we finally get it...in a Wii Sports-inspired competition based on the Beijing Olympics?! But despite its rather disturbing premise—the portly plumber and friends can represent despotic regimes like Iran and Saudi Arabia... Shoe: The controls aren't complicated on their own; they're just complicated for this type of gaming experience. Some events have 11 pages of instructions! That's too much reading and learning in what should be a pure pick-up-and-play party game. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  11. ^ Gibson, Ellie (2007-09-03). "First Impressions: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-04-18. The simplistic nature of Mario & Sonic could come as a disappointment to hardcore fans. It's about casual gameplay and the appeal of the characters rather than their individual abilities. Those who have waited decades for our heroes to debut in the same game might have preferred a platformer, something which revolved around combining Sonic's speed with Mario's jumping skills... Mario & Sonic might not be the game old skool platform fans were hoping for, but it was never meant to be... it will appeal to those who are frightened of traditional controllers. In short, It's going to offer a casual multiplayer experience and it seems likely do that well.
  12. ^ a b c d Thomas, Aaron (2007-11-07). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-08. If back in 1990 you had told either a Nintendo or Sega fanboy that both Mario and Sonic would be appearing together in a game in 2007, they would have told you that you were completely insane. Well, the unthinkable has happened, and the once-fierce rivals are now together for the first time in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. It's too bad that this isn't the great platforming game an entire generation has been dreaming of since the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis days.
  13. ^ a b "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Hits 5 Million in Global Sales" (Press release). Reuters. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Bozon, Mark (2007-11-06). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". IGN. pp. pp.1-2. Retrieved 2007-11-07. As for the actual pairing of the two franchises, Mario & Sonic does a decent job of bringing the mascots together for the first time. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ a b Hatfield, Daemon (2007-09-27). "Mario & Sonic Events Revealed". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  16. ^ a b c d e Gibson, Ellie (2008-02-11). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Anthony (2007-12-22). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review". Vooks. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  18. ^ Mizzi, Toby (2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games DS Review". Vooks. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  19. ^ "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". Computer and Video Games. 2007-08-15. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  20. ^ a b Boyer, Crispin (October 10, 2007). "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (DS)". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ a b Bozon, Mark (2007-10-10). "Mario & Sonic Goes Gold". IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
  22. ^ a b Jackson, Mike (2007-03-29). "Mario and Sonic interview Pt. 1". Computer and Video Games. Retrieved 2007-09-13.
  23. ^ Soto, Edwin (2005-03-17). "Sonic to visit Mario on GameCube?". NOM Magazine. Gear Live. Retrieved 2007-09-14.
  24. ^ "Corporate Management Policy Briefing / Financial Results Briefing Q & A". Nintendo. 2007-10-26. pp. pp. 1. Retrieved 2007-11-06. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  25. ^ "Erste Pics zu Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games!" (in German). Nintendo Wii-Universe. 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  26. ^ Tom, Magrino (2007-07-09). "E3 07: Sega dishes on E3 lineup". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
  27. ^ Casamassina, Matt (2007-03-29). "Rumor: Mario and Sonic's Secret Developer". IGN. Retrieved 2007-04-01.
  28. ^ DeWoody, Lucas (2007-07-13). "E3 2007 Hands-on: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic". Advance Media Network. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  29. ^ Fitch, Andrew (November 6, 2007). "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Wii)". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2008-01-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ a b c "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) critic scores". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-11-15.
  31. ^ a b "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) critic scores". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
  32. ^ Gibson, Ellie (2007-11-22). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". Eurogamer. pp. pp. 1-2. Retrieved 2008-04-08. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ a b Kim, Tae (2007-11-06). "Wii Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". GamePro. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  34. ^ Balistrieri, Emily (2008-03-08). "DS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". GamePro. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  35. ^ Thomas, Aaron (2007-11-07). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
  36. ^ a b Harris, Craig (2008-01-22). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". IGN. pp. pp. 1-2. Retrieved 2008-04-28. {{cite web}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  37. ^ a b c Co-host: Morgan Webb (2007-12-26). "The Aliens and Monsters Episode". Episode 912. G4 (TV channel). {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help); Unknown parameter |city= ignored (|location= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) critic scores". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  39. ^ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) critic scores". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  40. ^ Green, Matthew (2007-11-20). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) review". Advanced Media Network. Kombo. Retrieved 2008-04-16. It looks good, it sounds good, the concept seems like it should work on paper, but in the end this is a game best left to bringing out when friends come to visit.
  41. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (2007-09-21). "TGS '07: Sega predicts Sonic-Mario crossover will sell 4 million". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  42. ^ Parfitt, Ben (2007-12-11). "Mario & Sonic Fight Back". MCV. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  43. ^ Parfitt, Ben (2007-12-18). "Mario & Sonic Edge Tight Battle". MCV. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  44. ^ "Mario and Sonic make it 7 weeks at No1". Chart-Track. 2008-03-17. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  45. ^ "New this week: The Devil, Dinosaurs & Darts". Chart-Track. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
  46. ^ Dinsey, Stuart (2008-06-02). "Mario & Sonic Fight Back". MCV. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
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