Mario & Sonic

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"Mario and Sonic" redirects here. For information about the Story Mode episode in the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, see Mario and Sonic (episode).
Mario & Sonic
Mario & Sonic Series Logo 2.png
Mario & Sonic Series Logo.png
Bottom: Previous version of the logo, used in the first three games.
First installment Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) (2007)
Latest installment Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020)
Number of installments 11 (6 main, 5 indirect)
Related franchises Olympic Games:
Beijing 2008 (2008)
Vancouver 2010 (2010)
London 2012 (2012)
Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - The Official Video Game (2019)
Parent franchise Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog
The host countries (orange and blue) and cities (yellow stars)

The Mario & Sonic series is a collection of crossover sports games produced by Sega. It features characters from both Nintendo's Mario franchise and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. It is the first time where former mascot rivals Mario and Sonic appeared together in a video game. Since Super Smash Bros. Brawl, they also appear together in the Super Smash Bros. series.

The series began when Sega acquired the license to create video games based on the Olympic Games, intending to create a version featuring Sonic the Hedgehog characters. Due to the atmosphere of competitive sportsmanship the Olympics had to offer, Sega received approval from Nintendo to include Mario characters in the game, somewhat reflecting their past real-world history as mascot rivals. The Mario & Sonic series has been overall well-received by the media, mainly for being a crossover between Mario and Sonic, with the gameplay and multiplayer having been praised as well. However, Mario & Sonic has been criticized for the choice of setting for both series, the controls, and having the Olympics be the only theme in the series.[citation needed]

Games[edit]

Main series[edit]

Title
Cover, original release, and system Synopsis
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Wii box art.jpgMnSDS boxart.jpg
USA November 6, 2007 (Wii)
Japan January 17, 2008 (Nintendo DS)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is the first game in the series and the first game ever to establish a crossover appearance with Mario and Sonic, in addition to including a cast of characters hailing from the same franchises respectively. The game was released for both Wii and Nintendo DS, each one featuring exclusive content. The game is based on the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and includes 20 real-world Olympic events and some Dream Events consisting of elements from the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
MSWG Wii US cover.jpgM&SATOWG DS North American box art.jpg
USA October 13, 2009 (Wii, Nintendo DS)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the second game in the series, set during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, and instead features winter Olympic events due to the season. Like its predecessor, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games was released for both Wii and Nintendo DS. The game adds four more playable characters: Donkey Kong, Bowser Jr. from the Mario franchise and Silver, and Metal Sonic from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The Nintendo DS version includes an exclusive Adventure mode named Adventure Tours, which revolves around a plot involving Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow in Christmas Village by capturing the Snow Spirits so that they can host their own Olympics, prompting Mario and Sonic to stop them.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
MSLOG cover art.jpgM&SATLOG 2012 box art.jpg
USA November 15, 2011 (Wii)
Europe February 9, 2012 (Nintendo 3DS)
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is the third installment of the series featuring new sports and events. It was released for the Wii like past installments and is also the first in the series to be released for the Nintendo 3DS. The game now takes place in London, home of the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Nintendo 3DS version features an exclusive Adventure mode revolving around Bowser and Dr. Eggman covering London in Phantasmal Fog to prevent the Olympic Games from occurring due to being jealous that they were not invited to the Olympic Games. The heroes find a way to get rid of the fog in a total of seven adventure stories.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
M&S2014 Wii U box art.jpg
Europe November 8, 2013 Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is the fourth installment in the series. It was released exclusively for the Wii U, making it the first Mario & Sonic game to not have a dual-platform release, let alone the only one to not be released for a handheld console. The game takes place in Sochi, Russia, home of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
M&S Rio 2016 Wii U box art.jpgM&S Rio 2016 3DS box art.jpg
Japan February 18, 2016 (Nintendo 3DS)
Japan June 23, 2016 (Wii U)
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is the fifth installment in the series. The game takes place in Rio de Janeiro, home of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Like the first three Mario & Sonic titles, the game received both a home console and a handheld version, for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS respectively. The game also features new playable characters for the first time since the second installment, with some of these characters having appeared previously in the series as non-playable boss/rival characters. Unlike previous games in the series, the character rosters differ between versions. Collectively, the games introduce Birdo, Ludwig, Dry Bones, Diddy Kong, Dry Bowser, Rosalina, Nabbit, Wendy, Larry, Roy, Espio, Cream, Omega, Eggman Nega, Sticks, Jet, Wave, Zazz, Zavok, Rouge, and Toad as playable characters to the series. The Nintendo 3DS version is also the overall playable debut appearance of Eggman Nega, Zazz, and Zavok.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
M&S Tokyo 2020 box art.jpg

Japan November 1, 2019 Nintendo Switch
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is the sixth installment in the series, taking place in Tokyo of Japan, home of the 2020 Summer Olympics. It was released for Nintendo Switch in 2019. Unlike previous games in the series, most characters wear unique outfits that pertain to the chosen event, simultaneously marking the first time where male characters wear sport-based clothing instead of their standard attire. Larry, Ludwig, Wendy, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Jet, Eggman Nega, Rouge, Espio the Chameleon, Zazz, and Zavok all return as playable characters for certain events. Toadette makes her playable debut in the series, although is also exclusive to certain events. New events include Surfing, Karate, Sport Climbing, and Skateboarding.

The game also introduces 2D Events, which take place within the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. These events feature eight characters in sprite form as they play through old-fashioned sports. There is also a Story Mode where Mario, Sonic, Toad, Bowser, and Dr. Eggman get sucked into the Tokyo '64, a video game device set in the 1964 Summer Olympics. They try to escape as Luigi and Tails also figure out how to get them out.

Arcade spin-offs[edit]

Title
Logo, original release, and system Synopsis
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition
Rio 2016 Arcade logo.png

Japan February 2016
The arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was originally released in Japan in February 2016 as a companion game to its Wii U and Nintendo 3DS counterparts. The arcade machines make use of various components and has the player perform various physical tasks such as running, jumping, or controlling the analog sticks. The series' main 20 playable characters are playable in nine different Olympic events. There are four rivals who can be fought against: Nabbit, Toad, Omega, and Rouge.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition
MAS Tokyo 2020 Arcade logo.png

Japan January 23, 2020
The arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 was released in January 2020 in Japan as a companion game to its Nintendo Switch counterpart. As with its predecessor, the game makes use of various machine components to engage players in the events. There are also events based on the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which uses sprite-based gameplay. In Tokyo 2020, 20 characters can be played across eight events, and unlike the Nintendo Switch version, each character now has visible stats. In the Tokyo 1964 events, there are eight characters who can be played across three events.

Characters[edit]

Playable characters[edit]

Not including supporting characters, the series has spawned a total of 43 playable characters - 22 from the Mario series, 20 from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and Mii characters. Listed in the table below are which characters appear in each individual installment.

Team OG (Beijing 2008) OWG (Vancouver 2010) LOG (London 2012) SOWG (Sochi 2014) ROG (Rio 2016) TOG (Tokyo 2020)
Mario Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Sonic Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Luigi Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Tails Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Peach Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Knuckles Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Daisy Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Amy Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Yoshi Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Blaze Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Wario Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Shadow Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Waluigi Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Vector Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Bowser Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Doctor Eggman Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Mii Check mark.svg1 Check mark.svg1 Check mark.svg1 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Donkey Kong Mario 3 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Silver Sonic 3 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Bowser Jr. Mario Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Metal Sonic Sonic Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Diddy Kong Mario Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Jet Sonic 3 Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Nabbit Mario Check mark.svg4
Rouge Sonic 3 Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Wendy Mario Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Wave Sonic Check mark.svg4
Larry Mario Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Espio Sonic Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Rosalina Mario Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Zavok Sonic Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Toad Mario Check mark.svg1,4
Sticks Sonic Check mark.svg4
Dry Bowser Mario Check mark.svg4
Zazz Sonic Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg4
Birdo Mario 3 Check mark.svg2
Cream Sonic Check mark.svg2
Ludwig Mario Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg4
E-123 Omega Sonic Check mark.svg2
Roy Mario Check mark.svg2
Eggman Nega Sonic Check mark.svg2 Check mark.svg4
Toadette Mario Check mark.svg4

1 - The character is only playable in the home console version of the game
2 - The character is only playable in the handheld version of the game
3 - Planned but cut
4 - The character is only playable as a guest for selected events

Athlete types[edit]

All-Around[edit]

Characters in this classification have an equal balance of speed, acceleration, power, skill, and stamina.

Game All-Around characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Mario · Luigi · Amy Rose · Blaze the Cat
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Mario · Luigi · Bowser Jr. · Amy Rose · Blaze the Cat
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Speed[edit]

Characters in this classification have high speed and acceleration, but poor skill, power and stamina.

Game Speed characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Princess Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic the Hedgehog · Shadow the Hedgehog
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Princess Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic the Hedgehog · Shadow the Hedgehog · Metal Sonic
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) Princess Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic the Hedgehog · Shadow the Hedgehog · Metal Sonic · Nabbit · Toad · Jet the Hawk · Wave the Swallow · Zazz
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Princess Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic the Hedgehog · Shadow the Hedgehog · Metal Sonic · Toadette · Jet the Hawk · Zazz

Power[edit]

Characters in this classification have high power, and stamina, but have poor speed, acceleration, and skill.

Game Power characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Bowser · Wario · Knuckles the Echidna · Vector the Crocodile
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles the Echidna · Vector the Crocodile
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles the Echidna · Vector the Crocodile · Wendy O. Koopa · Dry Bowser · Zavok
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles the Echidna · Vector the Crocodile · Wendy O. Koopa · Zavok

Skill[edit]

Characters in this classification have high skill, and have an average balance of speed, acceleration, and stamina, but are weak in power. In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, this category was renamed as "Technique".

Game Skill characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Princess Peach · Waluigi · Miles "Tails" Prower · Doctor Eggman
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Princess Peach · Waluigi · Miles "Tails" Prower · Doctor Eggman · Silver the Hedgehog
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U) Princess Peach · Waluigi · Miles "Tails" Prower · Doctor Eggman · Silver the Hedgehog · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry Koopa · Rouge the Bat · Espio the Chameleon · Sticks the Badger
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Princess Peach · Waluigi · Miles "Tails" Prower · Doctor Eggman · Silver the Hedgehog · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry Koopa · Ludwig von Koopa · Dr. Eggman Nega · Rouge the Bat · Espio the Chameleon

Mobile phone tie-ins[edit]

The Mario & Sonic series consists of a few mobile game tie-ins, although none of them consist of elements from the Mario franchise.

Following the release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Sega published Sonic at the Olympic Games, a Java-based mobile phone game that features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[1] Despite the similar premise, no Mario characters or references appear in the game.

Sega would publish another mobile title shortly after the release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, called Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this time on iOS. It also features characters competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was taken down from the App Store shortly after release, without any specification.[2]

Another game called Sonic at the Olympic Games, set during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was released worldwide for iOS and Android on May 7, 2020.

Trivia[edit]

  • As the announcement of the Mario & Sonic Olympics video game series was revealed (starting with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games), the agreement was also reached that in the case of publishing and marketing duties for each Mario & Sonic Olympics installment, Sega would handle the process for all territories outside of Japan while Nintendo would handle the process inside of Japan itself. The fourth game, however, was published by Nintendo outside of Japan rather than Sega. Nintendo has since published subsequent titles globally as well.
  • Since the start of the series, neither the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea nor the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China have had Mario & Sonic games to coincide with their events. In the former's case, Ubisoft acquired the rights to make video games for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games before Sega could.
  • Bowser and Peach are the only playable Mario characters to change their voice actor during the series (the former switching from Scott Burns to Kenny James in the third installment and the latter switching from Jen Taylor to Samantha Kelly in the second installment). Conversely, Dr. Eggman and Eggman Nega are the only playable Sonic characters to keep their English voice actor in every installment (keeping Mike Pollock as their voice actor).

References[edit]

  1. ^ April 8, 2008. SEGA Announces 2008 Mobile Games Line-Up. IGN. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. ^ Erickson, Tracy (February 3, 2010). Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games disqualified from the App Store. Pocket Gamer. Retrieved March 7, 2019.