Nordic Combined

Nordic Combined is a Skiing Event that appears in the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It is set in the. The objective of the event is to finish the Cross-Country race first. The starting course record for this event is 15:19.552.

Gameplay
In this event, the player plays each half of the event separately from one another, starting with the Ski Jumping section and finishing with the Cross-Country. In the Ski Jumping half of the event, the player starts by sliding upwards on the Touch Screen. The player can start holding on the Touch Screen earlier to build up energy and perform a faster start, and can perform a starting dash if they begin charging energy when "2" appears onscreen and then slides up with perfect timing when "Go!" appears. Once the event has started, the character will accelerate down the hill and the player must then slide upwards as they reach the edge of the jump to take off. The closer to the edge that the player slides, the better their jump will be and the more distance the character can achieve. The angle at which the player slides upwards also affects the quality of the jump and therefore the distance, with angles closest to the upward vertical line giving the best jumps. Once in the air, the player must balance their character by touching either the left or right side of the Touch Screen, depending on which side the character is overbalancing, and may potentially need to hold to offset poorer balance. The character's balance in the air will also affect airtime and the distance achieved. As the character approaches the ground, they must slide downwards on the Touch Screen to land, with better timed landings awarding more points. For each jump, the player receives a score based on their balance, distance and landing, with their total score after two jumps deciding their placement in the event. After the Ski Jumping, the player begins the Cross-Country half by receiving a random boost from a roulette, with the boosts being stamina charges, which increase the character's starting stamina level, sprint charges, which give the character fully charged sprints at the start of the event or no boost at all. The characters who ranked lower in the Ski Jumping will receive a penalty before starting, which the player must deplete by repeatedly pressing the A Button. To start the event, the player must press the A Button, however can hold it down beforehand to charge up energy and perform a faster start, and if held down from when "2" appears onscreen and released when "Go!" appears, the player can perform a starting dash which will give them a large boost of speed for a short amount of time. Once the event has started, the player can move up and down using the Control Pad, aiming to remain in the lanes to preserve their stamina, however the player is able to freely move anywhere on the course. The player can accelerate by repeatedly pressing the A Button, however this will use up their stamina. The player only has a limited amount of stamina that depletes over time, which is represented in a heart gauge, and the player cannot accelerate and will travel at a much slower speed when the gauge is empty. When on downward slopes, the player can hold the B Button to crouch, which causes the player to accelerate, their stamina to be refilled and the sprint gauge to fill. The player can gain a similar advantage by staying in the slipstream of another character. The player can also ski through recovery areas on the track which replenish stamina and fill the sprint gauge. Over time, the sprint gauge fills up and allows the player to earn up to two sprint icons, which can be used by pressing the X Button and grants the player a large boost of speed for a short amount of time. The character that completes both laps of the course first is the winner.

Rule Info
''Get points for distance, form and landing timing. Players compete for the highest combined score after two jumps. Your rank will determine your penalty time in Cross-Country.

Basic Controls

 * ''Slide upwards to start!
 * ''Slide upwards to jump!
 * ''Touch a side of the Touch Screen to balance!
 * ''Slide downwards to land!
 * ''Land the perfect timing for the Telemark form!

Advanced Tips

 * ''Touch and hold the Touch Screen on "2" and
 * ''slide upward at "GO" for a starting dash!
 * ''Slide upwards in a quick, straight line
 * ''for a jump that nets you more distance!

Rule Info
''The second half of the competition is Cross-Country. Racers start in the order of their rank in the jump. Before the race, you have a chance to obtain "skills" by spinning the wheel!

Basic Controls

 * ''Press the A Button to start!
 * ''Use the +Control Pad up and down to move.
 * ''Mash the A Button to use stamina to accelerate!
 * ''Stop mashing to recover stamina!
 * ''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 two or three sprint icons!

Advanced Tips

 * ''On "2" in the starting count, press and hold
 * ''the A Button for a starting dash!
 * ''Skate behind an opponent for a slipstream!
 * ''It refills your sprint gauge and stamina!
 * ''Press the X Button when you have
 * ''sprint icons to unleash a burst of speed!