Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games

Overview

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the second crossover between Nintendo’s Mario franchise and Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog series, following the enormous success of the 2007 Summer Olympics game. This time the setting is the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games — and with it comes a whole new set of winter sports disciplines, a proper adventure mode, and two brand new characters joining the roster.

The game was produced under licence from the International Olympic Committee and features 16 authentic Olympic events alongside a set of fantasy Dream Events set in locations from both the Mario and Sonic game universes. The Wii Remote motion controls are front and centre — ski with tilting motions, bowl on the halfpipe with twists and tricks, or use the Wii Balance Board for added realism in certain events.

Character select screen — 20 playable characters across both universes

New to this game: Donkey Kong joins Team Mario as a Power-type brawler, and Metal Sonic makes his playable debut on Team Sonic. That brings the roster to 10 characters per team — the biggest it had been at the time.

Also new is the Festival mode — a structured adventure through the entire Olympic Winter Games from opening to closing ceremony. It’s a huge step up from the original game’s mode offerings and gives the game much more single-player depth.

A marketplace lets you spend Star Tokens (earned by performing well) on Mii costumes, music from both franchises and custom snowboards — a nice extra layer of progression.

Characters — Team Mario

Ten characters represent the Mario side, covering every play style from nimble Skill types to powerhouse heavyweights. Each has a unique special skill usable in certain events:

MarioAll-Around

LuigiAll-Around

PeachSkill

DaisySpeed

YoshiSpeed

WarioPower

WaluigiSkill

BowserPower

Bowser Jr.All-Around

Donkey KongPower

Bowser Jr. and Donkey Kong are new additions for this entry. Bowser Jr. is an All-Around type — surprisingly balanced for the Koopa prince. Donkey Kong is a Power bruiser who brings heavy hitting energy to the winter sports circuit.

Characters — Team Sonic

Team Sonic brings ten characters from Sega’s franchise, equally split across speed demons, skill specialists and power types. Metal Sonic is new to this game:

SonicSpeed

TailsSkill

KnucklesPower

Amy RoseSkill

BlazeSkill

ShadowSpeed

SilverSkill

VectorPower

Dr. EggmanPower

Metal SonicSpeed

Metal Sonic joins as a new Speed-type, making his playable debut in the series. The blue robot is Eggman’s most feared creation and brings a cold, relentless edge to the winter games.

Olympic events

Sixteen authentic Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic disciplines are available from the start — no unlocking required. Each event is mapped to intuitive Wii Remote motion controls:

Alpine Skiing — Downhill & Giant SlalomWhistler Creekside

Tilt and steer through gates at high speed. Miss a gate and a time penalty is added. One of the most physically demanding events in terms of Wii Remote movement.

Speed SkatingRichmond Olympic Oval

Race around the oval track as fast as possible. Swing the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in alternating arm motion to build speed. Available in 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances.

Short Track Speed SkatingPacific Coliseum

A more tactical version of speed skating with tight corners and overtaking. Available in 1000m solo and relay team formats.

Figure SkatingPacific Coliseum

One of the most visually spectacular events — perform a routine using timed Wii Remote gestures to execute spins, jumps and footwork sequences. Judged on style and accuracy.

BobsleighWhistler Sliding Centre

Steer a bobsled down an icy channel at terrifying speed. Tilt to navigate corners while keeping the sled stable.

Ice HockeyCanada Hockey Place

A full ice hockey match with passing, shooting and goalkeeping. One of the most involved multiplayer events in the game.

Additional Olympic events include Ski Jumping (Individual and Team at Whistler Olympic Park), Freestyle Skiing Moguls (Cypress Mountain), Freestyle Skiing Ski Cross, Snowboard Halfpipe, Snowboard Cross, Skeleton and Curling. Every one of the 16 events is playable in competitive multiplayer.

Dream events

The Dream Events are where the game really cuts loose — fantasy sports set in iconic locations from the Mario and Sonic game worlds, with power-ups, chaos and completely non-Olympic rules. Most need to be unlocked through Festival mode.

Dream Ski CrossMario Circuit (Mario Kart Wii)

Unlocked from the start — and the most immediately recognisable Dream Event. It is basically Mario Kart on skis, set on the Mario Circuit track complete with familiar item boxes, banana peels, shells and boost pads. Absolute chaos in multiplayer.

Dream Ski JumpingGood Egg Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy)

Soar above the curved platforms of Good Egg Galaxy. The zero-gravity environment makes for floatier, more dramatic jumps than the real event.

Dream Snowboard CrossRadical Highway (Sonic Adventure 2)

Shred down Radical Highway from Sonic Adventure 2 at full speed, grinding rails and hitting ramps while avoiding hazards.

Further Dream Events include Dream Alpine (Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes), Dream Short Track (Egg Factory from Sonic Riders), Dream Figure Skating (Dream Figure Centre), Dream Bobsleigh (Nocturnus Gate from Sonic Chronicles) and Dream Ice Hockey. Each has individual and team variants.

Festival mode

Festival mode is the game’s main single-player campaign — a structured adventure through the entire Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, from the opening ceremony to the closing ceremony. It’s a major upgrade over the original Mario & Sonic game and gives the crossover proper campaign legs.

You can play either an Individual Festival (solo, facing 7 CPU opponents across 18 days of competition) or a Team Festival (pick three teammates and compete together). Progress through events earns Star Tokens which unlock Dream Events and let you spend them at the marketplace on Mii costumes, music from both game universes and custom snowboard designs.

The marketplace is a neat reward system — you’re constantly earning tokens just by playing events well, giving you a reason to keep playing beyond high scores. The music unlock system is particularly appealing for fans, offering tracks from both the Mario and Sonic catalogues.

Videos

Four videos from our channel covering Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games:

Trivia and interesting facts

• This was only the second game ever to feature Mario and Sonic together as playable characters — still a remarkable crossover given the decades-long console rivalry between Nintendo and Sega
• Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic are new additions to this entry — expanding the roster to 10 characters per team for the first time
• The game was produced under licence from the International Olympic Committee and features official Vancouver 2010 branding, venues and event rules
• All 16 Olympic events are unlocked from the start — only the Dream Events (bar Dream Ski Cross) require unlocking through Festival mode
• Dream Ski Cross is set on Mario Circuit from Mario Kart Wii and is unlocked from the very start — it’s the most immediately accessible Dream Event and a firm fan favourite
• The game was one of the first major Wii titles to offer Wii Balance Board compatibility for certain events, adding a layer of physical realism to skiing and snowboarding
• Festival mode was a major new addition — the original Mario & Sonic game had no equivalent structured campaign, making this a significantly deeper package
• The Star Token marketplace lets you buy music from both the Mario and Sonic catalogues — one of the few places outside their respective games where fans could hear both soundtracks side by side
• Produced with input from Shigeru Miyamoto — Mario’s creator had involvement in the collaboration to ensure the Mario characters were faithfully represented
• A Nintendo DS version was also released alongside the Wii version, featuring different events and game mechanics suited to the handheld
• Metal Sonic appears as a rival character pitted against Mario in the Ice Hockey event — one of the most memorable visual matchups in the game

Reference and downloads