Mario & Sonic (series)

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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
The current logo of the  Mario & Sonic series.
The logo used since Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
The first logo of the Mario & Sonic series used in the first three installments.
The logo used for the first three installments
First installment Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2007)
Latest installment Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition (2020)
Number of installments 9 (6 main, 2 indirect)
Franchise Super Mario
Summer Olympics (countries in orange), Winter Olympics (countries in blue) and the host cities (yellow stars) which take place in the Mario & Sonic series
The host countries (orange and blue) and cities (yellow stars)

The Mario & Sonic series is a collection of crossover sports games featuring characters from Nintendo's Super Mario franchise and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. This series marked the first time Mario and Sonic ever appeared together in a video game.

The series began when Sega acquired the license to create video games based on the Olympic Games, intending to create a version featuring characters from its well-known Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Due to the atmosphere of competitive sportsmanship the Olympics had to offer, Sega received approval by Nintendo to include Super Mario characters in the game with those of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Games

Main series

Title
Cover, original release, and system Synopsis
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Official box cover for the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic GamesMario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Nintendo DS Box Art
Japan 2007
Wii
Japan 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-life events and the fictitious Dream Events (based on settings for both Super Mario series' environments and Sonic the Hedgehog series' environments).
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
North American Box cover for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter GamesOfficial cover art for the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.
Japan 2009
Wii, Nintendo DS
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the second game in the series, but this time the setting takes place at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics which includes different events from the previous games. It also incorporates four new playable characters in the series, namely Donkey Kong, Bowser Jr., Silver, and Metal Sonic. Much like its predecessor, it was released for both Wii and Nintendo DS. In addition, the Nintendo DS version includes an exclusive Adventure Mode revolving around a plot involving Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the Snow Spirits in Christmas Village, prompting Mario and Sonic to stop them.
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games boxart.Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games cover for Nintendo 3DS.
Japan 2011
Wii

Japan 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 exclusive adventure mode begins with Bowser and Dr. Eggman releasing a colorful fog that ruins the Olympics. The heroes must find a way to put an end to this fog in a total of seven adventure stories.
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games
The front cover of Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games for Wii U.

Japan 2013
Wii U
Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is the fourth installment in the series. It is the first in the series to be released for the Wii U, and is the first that has not been released on a portable system. The game takes place in Sochi, Russia, home of the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Boxart for Wii U Version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic GamesTransparent version of the Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games boxart.
Japan 2016
Wii U, Nintendo 3DS
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. There is once again both home console and handheld versions for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS respectively. An arcade edition was also released in Japan and North America in 2016. 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 3DS version of this installment also marks the overall playable debuts of Eggman Nega, Zazz, and Zavok.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 North American boxart with the updated content rating

Japan 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, with an arcade version released in Japan in 2020. 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 guests for certain events, while Toadette makes her playable debut in the series, also as a guest. 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 8 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 a video game based off the Olympic Games of Tokyo 1964. They try to escape as Luigi and Tails also figure out how to get them out.

Arcade spin-offs

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

Japan 2016
Arcade
The arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was released in February 2016 in Japan and February 2016 in North America as a companion game to its Wii U and Nintendo 3DS counterparts. The arcade machines make use of various components and have 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. In addition, there are four rivals that can be fought against: Nabbit, Toad, Omega, and Rouge.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 - Arcade Edition tentative logo

Japan 2020
Arcade
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. In addition, there are also events played based on the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which used sprite based gameplay. In Tokyo 2020, 20 characters can be played across eight events, and unlike the Nintendo Switch version, each character's stats are now displayed. In Tokyo 1964, there are eight characters which can be played across three events.

Characters

Playable characters

Not including supporting characters, the series has spawned a total of 43 playable characters - 22 from the Super Mario franchise, 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 X mark.svg Check mark.svg3 Check mark.svg3 Check mark.svg3 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg X mark.svg
Donkey Kong Mario X mark.svg1 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Silver Sonic X mark.svg1 Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Bowser Jr. Mario X mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Metal Sonic Sonic X mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
King Boo Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg
Dry Bones Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 X mark.svg
Diddy Kong Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Jet Sonic X mark.svg1 X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Nabbit Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 X mark.svg
Rouge Sonic X mark.svg1 X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Wendy Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Wave Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 X mark.svg
Larry Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Espio Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Rosalina Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Zavok Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Toad Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg3,5 X mark.svg
Sticks Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 X mark.svg
Dry Bowser Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 X mark.svg
Zazz Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5 Check mark.svg5
Birdo Mario X mark.svg1 X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 X mark.svg
Cream Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 X mark.svg
Ludwig Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg5
E-123 Omega Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 X mark.svg
Roy Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 X mark.svg
Eggman Nega Sonic X mark.svg X mark.svg2 X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg4 Check mark.svg5
Toadette Mario X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg X mark.svg Check mark.svg5

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

Athlete types

All-Around

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

Game All-Around Characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Mario · Luigi · Amy · Blaze
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Mario · Luigi · Bowser Jr. · Amy · Blaze
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

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

Game Speed Characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · 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) Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · Metal Sonic · Nabbit · Toad · Jet · Wave · Zazz
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Daisy · Yoshi · Sonic · Shadow · Metal Sonic · Toadette · Jet · Zazz

Power

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 · Vector
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles · Vector
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 · Vector · Wendy · Dry Bowser · Zavok
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Bowser · Wario · Donkey Kong · Knuckles · Vector · Wendy · Zavok

Technique

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

Game Skill/Technique Characters
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver
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) Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry · Rouge · Espio · Sticks
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 Peach · Waluigi · Tails · Dr. Eggman · Silver · Rosalina · Diddy Kong · Larry · Ludwig · Eggman Nega · Rouge · Espio

Mobile phone tie-ins

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 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[1] Despite the similar premise, no Super 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 similarly featured Sonic the Hedgehog elements but no Super Mario elements appearing at the 2010 Winter Olympics. It was taken down from the App Store a short time after release, with no reason currently given.[2]

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

Trivia

  • 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 Super 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).
  • On the country/region selection screen when starting a new file in every game in the series, Israel is erroneously listed in the "Europe" section instead of "Asia," most likely because Israel participates in more European sport competitions than Asian competitions.

References

  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.