Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a sports game for the Wii and Nintendo DS, and is the follow-up to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. The game is produced under license from the International Olympic Committee in relation to the Olympic Winter Games taking place at Vancouver in 2010. Like the previous installment, this game is a collaboration between Sega and Nintendo featuring characters from both the Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Although Sega was handling most of the development for both versions of this game, as it did for the original Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, they were also handling publishing/marketing duties for all territories outside of Japan, while Nintendo has done publishing/marketing duties for Japan itself.

Versions
The game features modes that are exclusive on the Wii and DS versions.

Wii Version
The Wii version employs the Wii Remote controls, as well as the Wii Balance Board. The game features a Festival mode where the player starts from the opening to the closing ceremony. In the Festival mode, the player can choose to play an individual festival, where the player faces off against 7 other CPU characters, or a team festival, where the player can choose three other teammates to play.

New to the game is a marketplace that allows the player to purchase various items such as clothes and accessories for the player's Mii, tunes from both series, and customizable snowboards. Players can purchase these items using Star Tokens, which he/she earns based on his/her performance. Also, the gallery for Olympic trivia has now been replaced with the Library.

Also, all authentic (real-life based events) are unlocked from the start. Dream Events are in this game and all of them (excluding 2) need to be unlocked.

The aforementioned Festival Mode, is a special adventure mode where the participants must compete with some boss characters from the Mario and Sonic series in various events. Both the DS and the Wii versions take place in a place known as Christmas Village.

Wii Olympic Events

 * Alpine Skiing - Downhill
 * Alpine Skiing - Giant Slalom
 * Ski Jumping - Individual Large Hill
 * Ski Jumping - Team Large Hill
 * Freestyle Skiing - Moguls
 * Freestyle Skiing - Ski Cross
 * Snowboard - Halfpipe
 * Snowboard - Snowboard Cross
 * Speed Skating - Speed Skating 500m
 * Speed Skating - Short Track
 * Speed Skating - Short Track Relay
 * Figure Skating
 * Bobsleigh - Skeleton
 * Bobsleigh
 * Ice Hockey
 * Curling

Wii Dream Events

 * Dream Alpine - Individual
 * Dream Alpine - Team
 * Dream Ski Jumping - Individual
 * Dream Ski Jumping - Team
 * Dream Ski Cross - Individual
 * Dream Ski Cross - Team
 * Dream Snowboard Cross - Individual
 * Dream Snowboard Cross - Team
 * Dream Short Track
 * Dream Figure Skating
 * Dream Bobsleigh
 * Dream Ice Hockey
 * Dream Curling
 * Dream Snowball Fight
 * Dream Gliding - Individual
 * Dream Gliding - Team

DS Version
The DS version features Adventure Tours, a single player mode with a plot that involves Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the Snow Spirits. The Adventure Tour introduces one of the spirits called Frosty. Just as seen in the Wii version of the game, the DS rendition includes the introduction of boss characters appearing in the Adventure Tour mode. These bosses will be present in certain events where the player will have to compete against them to clear their missions.

Also, all authentic (real-life based events) are unlocked from the start. Dream Events are in this game and all of them need to be unlocked.

DS Olympic Events

 * Skiing - Alpine Skiing GS
 * Skiing - Moguls
 * Skiing - Nordic Combined
 * Skiing - Ski Jumping LH
 * Skiing - Cross Country Skiing
 * Skating - Speed Skating 500m
 * Skating - Short Track 500m
 * Skating - Figure Skating
 * Snowboard - Snowboard Cross
 * Bobsleigh - Bobsleigh
 * Bobsleigh - Skeleton
 * Ice Hockey - Ice Hockey
 * Curling - Curling
 * Biathlon - Biathlon
 * Luge - Luge

DS Dream Events

 * Dream Skiing - Ski Cross Racing
 * Dream Skiing - Rocket Ski Jumping
 * Dream Skiing - Super Sonic Downhill
 * Dream Skating - Intense Short Track
 * Dream Skating - Ultimate Figure Skating
 * Dream Snowboard - Extreme Snow Boarding
 * Dream Snowboard - Deluxe Halfpipe
 * Dream Bobsleigh - Blazing Bobsleigh
 * Dream Ice Hockey - Fever Hockey
 * Dream Curling - Curling Bowling
 * Dream Biatlon - Ski Shooting
 * Dream Snow Machine - Snow Machine Fight

Characters
All of the characters from the previous game, including Miis for the Wii version, return. There are also four new characters who were not present in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Retaining the first game's style, all playable characters are unlocked from the start (including new participants).

Team Mario

 * Mario
 * Luigi
 * Peach
 * Daisy
 * Yoshi
 * Wario
 * Waluigi
 * Bowser
 * Donkey Kong (new)
 * Bowser Jr. (new)

Team Sonic

 * Sonic
 * Shadow
 * Tails
 * Amy
 * Blaze
 * Knuckles
 * Vector
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Metal Sonic (new)
 * Silver (new)

Other
It is possible to customize the outfit of the Miis in the game. Aside from differently colored suits, the Miis can also wear outfits that resemble the ones of the regular playable characters and a few bosses. For example, it is possible to give a Mii a Mario costume or an Amy costume. The player can buy equipment through the store in the game and unlike Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, the Miis' stats gets altered depending on the equipment they wear.
 * Shy Guy (DS version, but only as a goalie in Ice Hockey and Fever Hockey)
 * Mii (Wii version only)
 * 2 Chao (DS version, but only as scrubbers in curling)

Mario Series
There is a total of 16 different costumes for Miis based on characters from the Mario universe.

Sonic Series
Like the Mario universe, 16 characters from the Sonic universe also appear as costumes for the Miis.

VIP Members
These characters only appear as cameos and tells the player that they've been watching the player in certain events. Pausing the game and hitting the when they're spotted gives the player 100 Star Points. The VIP members are: When the player spots Birdo and Big the Cat, they will also be given costumes.
 * Pianta
 * Birdo
 * Penguin
 * Big the Cat
 * Chaos
 * Cream the Rabbit

Around 4 weeks before Christmas, Santa Claus also appears as a VIP (Wii version Only). Unlike other VIP characters, Santa gives 300 Star Coupons instead of 100.

Other Characters

 * Toad
 * Cream the Rabbit
 * Lakitu
 * Shy Guy
 * Charmy Bee
 * Espio the Chameleon

Mario Rivals

 * King Boo - Alpine Skiing (Wii only) / Giant Slalom (Individual Festival Only & DS)
 * Big Bullet Bill - Skeleton (Individual Festival Only) / Bobsleigh (Team Festival Only) / Blazing Bobsleigh (DS)
 * Dry Bowser - Ice Hockey (Wii) / Curling Bowling and Super Sonic Downhill (DS)
 * Dry Bones - Ice Hockey (alongside Dry Bowser) / Curling (Team Festival Only & DS)
 * Bowser Jr. - Speed Skating 500m (DS only)
 * Bowser - Blazing Bobsleigh, Fever Hockey, Extreme Snowboarding (DS only, alongside Dr. Eggman)

Sonic Rivals

 * E-123 Omega - Speed Skating 500m (Individual Festival) / Short Track Relay (Team Festival) / Intense Short Track (DS)
 * Jet the Hawk - Snowboard Cross (Wii) / Deluxe Halfpipe (DS)
 * Rouge the Bat - Figure Skating
 * Eggman Nega - Ski Cross (Wii) / Skeleton & Nordic Combined (DS)
 * Metal Sonic - Rocket Ski Jumping (DS only)
 * Dr. Eggman - Blazing Bobsleigh, Fever Hockey, Extreme Snowboarding (DS only, alongside Bowser)

Locations
Locations from both Mario and Sonic series appear in the Dream Events. The following stages are:

Mario series

 * Mario Circuit (featured in Dream Ski Cross) from Mario Kart Wii
 * Bowser Castle (featured in Dream Ice Hockey) from Mario Kart Super Circuit
 * Good Egg Galaxy (featured in Dream Ski Jump) from Super Mario Galaxy
 * Sherbet Land (featured in Dream Curling) from Mario Kart 64
 * In Dream Figure Skating, three backgrounds from New Super Mario Bros. appear: World 1, Bowser's Castle, and Peach's Castle.
 * Dream Snowball Fight has the same music as in Cool, Cool Mountain and Snowman's Land from Super Mario 64.

Sonic series

 * Radical Highway (featured in Dream Snowboard Cross) from Sonic Adventure 2
 * Seaside Hill (featured in Dream Alpine) from Sonic Heroes
 * Nocturne/Special Stage (featured in Dream Bobsleigh) from Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and Sonic Heroes
 * Egg Factory (featured in Dream Speed Skating) from Sonic Riders
 * In Dream Figure Skating, three Sonic backgrounds appears: Green Hill Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog), Death Egg Zone (from Sonic the Hedgehog 2) and the destroyed Station Square (from Sonic Adventure).
 * Dream Gliding has the same music as in Sky Sanctuary Zone from Sonic and Knuckles.

Adventure Tours Story (DS Version)
The single player mode for the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games has a set of Adventure Tours which revolve around a plot involving Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the Snow Spirits in Christmas Village.

Blaze and Silver's Story
Right after the gang defeat King Boo, Toad encounters Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat near a mission sign. The duo explains to Toad how they escaped and came to Polastraits. They tell Mario and Sonic they're going to join the team when they lose to them in a match of Ice Hockey when they get 1 point in the beginning.

However, devastated that they lost, they magically disappear. Toad is surprised about what happened. Later in Cubyrinth, Mari, Sonic and Toad encounter some strange Robo Balls at the beginning of the maze. Toad suggests they need to find Silver and Blaze again. Later in the same place, they find them again. Silver tells the trio that he and Blaze are sorry that they disappeared. Then he challenges the gang to a match of Fever Hockey when they receive 30 points in the beginning. Once the gang defeats the duo, they officially joins the group.

Toad then tells Silver about the robo balls. Silver helps the gang by stopping the Robo Balls with his physic powers within 15 seconds. He is later required to get Donkey Kong on the team in Icepeak. In the same location, Toad encounters a strange room with 4 blocks with the marks of Bowser, Eggman, Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic. Blaze tells Toad that she will help them with the blocks in the correct places within 45 seconds. afterwards, a gate opens, leading the gang to a treasure chest with a Leader's Curling Stone inside. Later in Blizland, she is required to get Daisy to join the team.

Donkey Kong's Story
When Mario, Sonic and Toad encounter a mysterious pipe with a button on the top in Polastraits, Toad says that they need to look for a character who climbs a lot. Later in Icepeak, they find Donkey Kong crying due to one of his bananas fell in a deep ledge and he can't reach it. Silver then comes out and uses his physic powers to get the banana back to him. Donkey Kongs tells Silver thank you and challenges him to Moguls in order to join the party. When Silver finally defeats him, he joins the party.

Toad tells him that there's a pole back in Polastraits. There are also obstacles on the pole, such as ice and bombs. When the ape presses the button on the pole, in their amazement, a bridge forms.

Vector's Story
In Cubyrinth, Vector the Crocodile is mentioned by Charmy when Mario, Sonic, and Toad run into him when the bee refused to let the trio get pass him. Toad then tells Charmy they will let him know when they see Vector.

Later in Icepeak, Vector is seen next to a mission sign. He tells the trio he will join the group if Donkey Kong defeats the music-loving crocodile in a match of Short Track 500m. Once Donkey Kong defeats Vector, he then joins the party.

Toad then tells Vector that Charmy needs to see him back in Cubyrinth. When they arrive in Cubyrinth, Charmy tells Vector in order to open the gate, he must engage in a quiz based on Real and Dream Winter Olympic sports and the islands of the snow spirits. He tells him if he gets 5 questions correct within 45 seconds, he will open the gate and let them through. Vector succeeds, and they go through.

He is later seen again when he tells his friend to let him know how many more whitestones are there in Sparkleton, Cubyrinth, and Blizland. When all the whitestones are found in those islands, he gets surprised that there's none left when the player collects all of them.

Daisy's Story
Princess Daisy is mentioned when Mario, Sonic, and Toad run into a Chao at Icepeak who when asked about the patch of Freezaleas says he "promised to show them to Princess Daisy". Toad comments on how they should let Daisy know if they run into her.

It is later in Blizland that Daisy is found practicing her Ultimate Figure Skating. When Toad questions whether or not Bowser and Eggman brought her there she mentions, "I was just doing some skating in Blizland, and Bowser and Eggman showed up. They started making a castle and a base, and now look at the place! Talk about an unpleasant surprise!". She then explains how she has been in hiding. When she see's the "entourage" of help Mario has gathered she spots Blaze and they strike up a conversation that leads to Daisy challenging Blaze to a round of Ultimate Figure Skating. The player is required to beat Daisy as Blaze.

After Toad mentions the Chao's Freezalea patch in Ice Peak, Daisy joins the group, she tells her friends she wants to go to Icepeak as quick as possible. When they arrive in Icepeak and Daisy is presented the Freezaleas from the Chao, she points out that she saw someone and Chao exclaims, "Kiki's going to destroy the flowers!". A stray Kiki begins wrecking the garden and Daisy is prompted to complete a mini-game to chase the monkey away. Daisy decides to try hitting the monkey with snowballs to stun him. However, Kiki is on the defensive mode by attacking her with snowballs. Afterwards, the Kiki runs away and in the process opens a previously sealed gate.

When Lakitu is encountered in Ice Peak, he mentions to Daisy that it would boost popularity of the missions he's in charge of if she were to compete in them. He also mentions that he will reward her the Meteor Curling Stone if she can complete the missions. The first mission objective is a Short Track event that must be completed in first place with no recovery zones. After completing it, Lakitu informs them to receive the reward, they will have to actually find the second mission and complete it as well.

The second mission is found much later in Blizland and it is an Intense Short Track event. In the event, Daisy is required to reach the goal without falling from the course. Once completed, Lakitu will offically give Daisy the Meteor Curling Stone.

Wario and Waluigi's Story
Mario and Sonic encounter Wario and Waluigi in Polastraits. The duo tell them they need to defeat them in Bobsleigh in order to join the team. Once they defat the duo, enraged, Wario and Waluigi begins to run toward the thin ice, create a hole on it, and then jump into the cold ocean. Toad is surprised to learn about it.

Much later in Icepeak, Toad finds Wario and Waluigi again. The duo tells them they were enraged because they lost. So they offer Mario and Sonic to defeat them in Snowboard Cross or else they will not join the team. Once Mario and Sonic defeat them, they officially join the team.

Later in Blizland, they encounter a Chain Chomp who is blocking the way. Wario decides to perform a Wario Waft to knock it off the platform. Once it gets knocked off the platform, the player proceeds there mission to save the Snow Sprits. Toad later runs into a Shy Guy to inform Waluigi about the secret location back in Cubyrinth. Once they get transported back there, Waluigi throws Bob-ombs at a Bomb Flapper. Afterwards, a hole forms and they discover a secret place with a lot of Shy Guys.

Trivia

 * Most of the DS profile artwork is borrowed from earlier games like Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 64 DS, Mario Party 7, Mario Party DS, Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, Mario Party 8, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, and Sonic Unleashed. Other art is either new or borrowed from the Sonic Channel. For the female participants in this game, the difference in their profile arts is that they are wearing their respective winter outfits.
 * Bowser's profile artwork is the same as his artwork for New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which came almost a month after this game.
 * An app based on this game was released for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, but only features Sonic characters and thus is named simply Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. This game has since been removed from the AppStore.
 * This is currently only game in the series to be released on both consoles on the same day.
 * In the DS version, the starman theme in similar with Mario Kart Wii, while in the Wii version, it is similar with Super Mario 64.