Once embittered rivals, Mario and Sonic were at each others' necks during the 16-bit console wars, both of them vying for the Top Mascot prize that awaited the victor at the end of the battle. Tensions eventually eased between the two combatants and their respective companies, and after years of respectful neutrality, Nintendo and Sega are making their friendship official with a game that joins both franchises.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will be released during the holiday season this year for the Nintendo DS and the Wii. Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Tails, and the rest of the extended casts will be competing in events set in arenas modeled after the venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
Hisao Oguchi, Sega Corp.'s President and CEO, had nothing but praise for the project: "For the first time, two of the world's greatest games' characters come together to compete in the world's greatest sporting event and we couldn't be more excited." While we can't imagine anyone from the Mario troupe besting Sonic at the 100m run, the blue hedgehog might have trouble with swimming competitions if he has to stop and replenish his air supply with bubbles too much.
This might not receive the same fanfare as a Sonic appearance on Super Smash Bros. Brawl would, but maybe this is just a hint of what's to come from Nintendo and Sega? There's not much at the video game's official site yet, but head over there to check out forum discussions and sign up for email updates.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-28-2007 @ 10:00AM
Sonic_13 said...
awesome!
Reply
3-28-2007 @ 10:12AM
hvnlysoldr said...
It is truly awesome. Not only are Mario and Sonic teaming up, think of all the possibilities this alliance brings. Greater chance in SSBB isn't the only thing. Imagine future mashups and the birth of a series between Nintendo and Sega. Sonic in Mario Party and sports games. Mushroom Kingdom Hearts. Nights into Dwiims.
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3-28-2007 @ 1:13PM
phanboy_iv said...
Kingdom Hearts is a Square-Enix franchise, not a Sega one.
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3-28-2007 @ 6:29PM
Covarr said...
Yeah, they forgot that April Fools isn't for another four days.
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3-30-2007 @ 10:20PM
Brian said...
ITS A LIE IT'S JUST AN EARLY APRIL FOOLS JOKE!!!!
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