Mario & Sonic (series)
- "Mario and Sonic" redirects here. For 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 logo used since Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games  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 | 8 (6 main, 2 arcade) |
| Franchise | Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog |
Mario & Sonic is a series of crossover sports games featuring characters from Nintendo's Super Mario franchise and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. 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 such a game 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 from Nintendo to include Super Mario characters in the game as well. The first three games in the series were published by Nintendo in Asia and by Sega in other regions, the fourth and fifth games were published by Nintendo worldwide, and the sixth game was published by Sega worldwide.
Since the start of the series with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (set at the 2008 Summer Olympics), a Mario & Sonic game was released for every Olympic Games until the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, as Ubisoft acquired the rights to make video games for it before Sega could. There have been no new games released in the series since Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, as in 2020, the International Olympic Committee did not renew its licensing deal and allowed it to lapse in order to focus on other prospects such as non-fungible tokens and esports.[1]
Games
Main series
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Cover, original release, and system | Synopsis |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | |
   November 6, 2007[?]Wii  January 17, 2008[?]Nintendo DS |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is the first game in the series and the first game ever to feature both Mario and Sonic in a crossover appearance, in addition to other characters from each of their franchises. 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, taking place in actual locations in Beijing, and the fictitious Dream Events, taking place in fictional settings from both franchises. |
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | |
  October 13, 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 | |
 .jpg) November 15, 2011[?]Wii  February 9, 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 | |
 November 8, 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 | |
  February 18, 2016[?]Nintendo 3DS June 23, 2016[?]Wii U |
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 is the sixth and final 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 | |
 February 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 | |
 January 23, 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
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. Of those, 21 of them, including the Miis, have been fully playable across all events in each of their appearances (barring the Nintendo 3DS games, which limit all characters to specific events). The other 23 have been playable as "Guest" characters in a single event only in all of their appearances. Listed in the table below are which characters appear in each individual installment.
| Key | Playable in all events | Exclusive to the Wii version | Only playable as a guest for a select event |
Only playable in the Olympic and Plus versions of two events |
Only playable in the Olympic and Plus versions of one event |
|---|
Team Mario 
| Character | Beijing 2008 | Vancouver 2010 | London 2012 | Sochi 2014 | Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 3DS | Wii U | ||||||
| Mario | 
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| Luigi |
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| Peach |
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| Daisy |
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| Yoshi |
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| Wario |
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| Waluigi |
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| Bowser |
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| Donkey Kong |  1
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| Bowser Jr. |
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| Dry Bones |
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| Diddy Kong |
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| Nabbit |
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| Wendy |
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| Larry |
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| Rosalina |
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| Toad |
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| Dry Bowser |
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| Birdo | 1
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| Ludwig |
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| Roy |
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| Toadette |
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Team Sonic 
| Character | Beijing 2008 | Vancouver 2010 | London 2012 | Sochi 2014 | Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 3DS | Wii U | ||||||
| Sonic |
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| Tails |
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| Knuckles |
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| Amy |
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| Blaze |
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| Shadow |
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| Vector |
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| Dr. Eggman |
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| Silver | 1
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| Metal Sonic |
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| Jet | 1
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| Rouge | 1
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| Wave |
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| Espio |
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| Zavok |
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| Sticks |
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| Zazz |
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| Cream |
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| Omega |
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| Eggman Nega |
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Other
| Character | Beijing 2008 | Vancouver 2010 | London 2012 | Sochi 2014 | Rio 2016 | Tokyo 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 3DS | Wii U | ||||||
| Mii |
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1 - Planned but cut
Athlete types
All-Around
Characters in this classification have a roughly equal balance of speed, acceleration, power, skill, and stamina.
| Game | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 only characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[2]
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 given.[3]
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
- 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 listed in the "Europe" section despite being in Asia. This is because the Olympic Committee of Israel is a member of the European Olympic Committees and participates in more European sport competitions (e.g., a UEFA member) than Asian competitions because countries in Asia refuse to play against Israel for political reasons.
References
- ^ Philips, Tom (July 30, 2024). Olympics ditched Mario & Sonic series to explore NFTs and esports.. Eurogamer (English). Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ IGN Staff (April 8, 2008). SEGA Announces 2008 Mobile Games Line-Up. IGN. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
- ^ Erickson, Tracy (February 4, 2010). Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games disqualified from the App Store. Pocket Gamer. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
