Biathlon (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games)

Biathlon is a Biathlon Event in the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. The objective of the event is to complete the three laps of the course in the fastest time, with the event taking place in the Whistler Olympic Park. The starting course record for this event is 15:54.842.

Gameplay
In this event, the player must complete three laps of a cross-country skiing course in the fastest time, with two shooting rounds in between laps. The player starts the event on a cross-country segment, where they must press the A Button to start. The player can charge up energy to perform a faster start by holding the A Button and releasing it when "Go!" appears, and can perform a starting dash by holding it from when "2" appears onscreen and releasing it with perfect timing. Once the event has started, the player can accelerate by repeatedly pressing the A Button, and with the speed of their acceleration depending on the speed of their A Button presses. Accelerating between lanes and while travelling uphill uses up stamina, which is shown in a heart gauge and when fully depleted causes the player to travel at a significantly lower speed for a short amount of time. The player can move between lanes by using up and down on the Control Pad. The player can refill the stamina gauge by following other characters to enter their slipstream, travelling through recovery areas and crouching by pressing the B Button on downhill areas. Performing these actions also fills up the sprint gauge, which gives the player sprint icons. These allow the character to gain a speed boost for a short amount of time, which can be used by pressing the X Button when the player has one or more sprint icons. At the end of lap, the character will move to a firing range for the shooting portion of the event. The player must press the A Button to cause their character to take a firing stance, which provides the player with a zoomed in view of the targets. The player must press the A Button to shoot when the cursor overlaps the target, and can adjust their cursor using left and right on the Control Pad. The cursor moves up and down more when the character has a lower stamina, and the player has 30 seconds to shoot all five targets with only five shots. After each target is successfully hit, the cursor will automatically move onto the next target that the payer has not yet hit. The more targets the player hits, the more their sprint gauge will be filled and the smaller their penalty will be, with no penalty being awarded when all five targets are hit. The character then returns to the course and the player must clear any penalty they have, shown on a gauge, by repeatedly pressing the A Button, before a countdown begins to start the next lap of the course. The sections of the event then repeat as before for the remainder of the event.

Rule Info
An event that combines cross country skiing with target shooting. Compete for speed in 3 laps, while shooting between laps. Missing targets results in a penalty.

Basic Controls

 * Press the A Button to start!
 * Mash the A Button to use stamina to accelerate!
 * Stop mashing to recover stamina!
 * Use +Control Pad up and down to move.
 * Stay in a lane to retain stamina and accelerate.
 * It's slower and more tiring between lanes.
 * Hold the B Button to crouch!
 * Crouching on down slopes makes you accelerate!
 * The sprint gauge rises in recovery areas.
 * You can get up to three sprint icons!
 * Press the A Button to assume firing position.
 * Press the A Button to shoot! Hit the targets!
 * Use + Control Pad left and right to adjust aim!
 * Hitting targets refills the sprint gauge.
 * Missing targets results in a penalty. Mash the
 * A Button to clear the penalty gauge to start.

Advanced Tips

 * Hold the A Button after "2" on the countdown
 * for a starting dash!
 * Get behind a rival to enter their slipstream!
 * You'll fill your sprint gauge and gain stamina!'''
 * Press the X Button when you have
 * sprint icons to unleash a burst of speed!