SEGA: Mario & Sonic at Olympics revealed!

SEGA have finally revealed proper details of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games; the first ever game to feature Mario and Sonic together, a much-awaited trophy.

Currently the plans are to release the game on the Wii in 2007, on November 23rd. The DS version will then follow in Q1 2008.

Interactive features are promised, including 20 actual Olympic events set in Olympic venues. Using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, players can compete using one of 16 characters - 8 each for Mario & Sonic, taken from their respective games in the past. This is the published event list so far:

Fencing - Individual epée
Archery
Shooting - Skeet
Gymnastics - Trampoline
Gymnastics - Vault
Field - High Jump
Field - Pole Vault
Field - Long Jump
Field - Triple Jump
Field - Javelin Throw
Field - Hammer Throw
Rowing - Single Sculls
Table Tennis - Singles
Aquatics - 100m Freestyle
Aquatics - 4x100m Freestyle
Track - 110m and 400m Hurdles
Track - 4x100m Relay
Track -100m and 400m

For the Wii version, players will be able to swing the Wii Remote to simulate hammer throwing, notch the Nunchuk to shoot arrows, and perform swimming strokes. Secret boosts akin to Mario Kart 'special starts' are also promised, to propel players forward din certain events and give them the edge. So, it's going to be worth experimenting with your techniques!

Game strategy is divided into four styles: all-around, technical, speed, and power. The examples Sega give are these: Mario and Amy (All-around), Peach and Tails (Technical), Sonic and Yoshi (Speed), and Knuckles and Bowser (Power). Players will be able to choose and try out, in both single and multiplayer mode, each event individually with Single Match mode (where players can choose their event and play until they score top marks).

They can also compete for the highest overall score in a series of events in Circuit mode (where players can either create their own circuit by choosing the individual events, choose a pre-determined circuit, or randomly generate a circuit). Gamers looking for extra tests of their athletic abilities can choose the single-player Mission mode and earn top marks on challenges made for only the toughest athlete (expect to sweat a little for these!).

From the educational perspective, gamers can learn about the history of the Olympic Games through trivia, quizzes, and mini-games and unlock all-new facts and figures from past Olympic Games in the Gallery.

So far, this sounds like a very robust and well through out title that will give Wii gamers a much needed boost to their current games collection. The link to the Olympics will only help sales and the educational side will mean extra sales, too. Mario & Sonic coming together for the first time in gaming history is something that has been talked about and spawned many online Java games/silly movies until now.

Finally a reality, expect that alone to see copies flying off the shelves. We'll have the review of this one for you as soon as we get it in! Can't wait...