Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sega Sports R&D |
Publisher(s) | |
Director(s) | Eigo Kasahara |
Producer(s) |
|
Composer(s) | Teruhiko Nakagawa |
Series | Mario & Sonic |
Platform(s) | Wii, Nintendo DS |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Sports, party |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games[lower-alpha 1] is a 2007 crossover sports and party game developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department. It is the first installment on the Mario & Sonic series. It was published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, and released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. The first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, it is licensed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through exclusive licensee International Sports Multimedia (ISM), and is the first official crossover game to feature characters from both the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Mario & Sonic on the Wii and DS is a collection of twenty-four events based on the Olympic Games. Players assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character, using the Wii Remote to mimic sports actions such as swinging a paddle. The DS version uses the stylus and button controls. Both games follow rules and regulations of the specific sports. Sega adopted the IOC's mission of promoting sportsmanship and interest young people in the Olympics by using its characters; following this theme, Nintendo allowed Sega to include Mario with Sonic the Hedgehog, created by Sega as a mascot to rival Mario in the early 1990s.
Critics praised the multiplayer interaction of the Wii game, and variety of events of both versions, but criticized the Wii version for its complexity and its DS counterpart for not offering the same interaction between players. The Wii game was awarded the "Best Wii game of 2007" at the Games Convention in Leipzig. Mario & Sonic sold over 10 million units and started a series of related sport video games to coincide with upcoming Olympic events.
Gameplay
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a collection of twenty-four events based on the Olympic Games.[1][2] On the Wii, the events consist of using the motion sensor capabilities of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment to control the actions of the on-screen character. The player moves the remote in a manner similar to the method the separate games are played in real life;[3] for example, swinging the Wii Remote to replicate hammer throw or pulling back the remote and tilting the Nunchuk like a bow and arrow. While the Nunchuk is required for archery, it is optional for most of the events. There are also events that are more physically demanding, such as the five running events which require rapid drumming of the controller.[4] Some aspects of the gameplay are computer controlled. For example, in table tennis the player movement is controlled by the Wii, while the swinging of the racket is controlled by the player.[5] The DS game is the same in design, but due to lack of motion controls, its events are much less physically demanding than those on the Wii. For example, instead of drumming the controller, players have to quickly stroke the touchscreen.[6]
Mario & Sonic brings together the two title characters and fourteen more from both franchises to participate in environments based on the official venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[7] These environments are stylized to fit the futuristic and cartoon-like art styles of the Sonic and Mario franchises respectively.[1][8] Each playable character has his or her own statistics which can serve as an advantage or disadvantage depending on the event. The characters are divided into four categories: all-around, speed, power, and skill.[1] The Wii version has additional in-game characters taken from the console's Mii Channel, which allows the user to create a Mii, a customized avatar, that can be imported into games that support the feature.[4] Both games have non-playable characters who serve as referees for particular events.
Both versions of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games have three similar modes of gameplay: Circuit mode, Single Match, and Mission mode. Circuit mode is where players compete for the highest overall score in a pre-determined series of events or design their own circuit.[1] In the Single Match, players can choose to compete in each event individually. Mission mode is a single-player option where each of the competitors has six character-specific missions to complete, although the characters' statistics are not as balanced as in the main game, making missions more difficult.[4] The Wii version's Circuit and Single Match can have an additional one to three players competing simultaneously while its DS counterpart has an extra option dedicated to multiplayer called Versus Play.[9][10] Versus supports up to four people to use the wireless capabilities of the Nintendo DS to play events. DS Download Play is possible for those without an individual copy of the game, however the number of sports available is limited to six events and circuit mode is not available.[6][11]
Both versions feature a gallery mode where brief facts about the Olympics can be found. There are five categories of Olympics-related trivia organized by history and athletes, with corresponding minigames that will unlock the answer to trivia questions once completed. Classic music from both series is available in the gallery once all levels in a category are cleared.[9][10] The two versions also have leaderboards that uses the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to display the best times and scores in each event.[4][6]
Events
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games features authentic Olympic events for the single match and circuit modes.[1] The events closely follow rules and regulations of the specific sports.[12] The types of Wii events are classified as athletics, gymnastics, shooting, archery, rowing, aquatics, fencing, and table tennis. Similar events have varying gameplay aspects; for example, getting a starting boost in the 100 m dash is more important than in the longer races, since the initial short burst of greater speed would play less of a role in winning the longer distance runs. In relay events, such as the 4 × 100 metres relay and 4 × 100 metres aquatics relay, players can assemble teams comprising any four characters.[4]
Besides these regular events, there are alternate versions of Olympic events called "Dream Events". Unlike the regular events, the gameplay in Dream Events is exaggerated. Taking place in locations and using objects from older games of the Mario and Sonic series, Dream Events allow players to use the special abilities of characters and display dramatic moments in slow motion.[4][13]
Although the Wii and DS versions of the game feature mostly the same events, each version has events that are not found in the other.[14] For example, the DS version has 10 m Platform Diving, cycling, and five Dream Events—canoeing, boxing, basketball, long jump, and skeet shooting—not featured on the Wii version.[14]
Development
[The Olympics is] about gathering everyone, from young to old, together. And in that spirit, we thought this the best time for Sonic and Mario to be in a game together.
— The marketing director of Nintendo Europe on why the Olympics were chosen as the first meeting ground for Mario and Sonic, [15]
After Sega transitioned from hardware to third-party development in 2001,[16] Nintendo and Sega developed a closer relationship and worked together on F-Zero GX[17]—the first significant video game collaboration between the two.[18] The idea for a crossover game between Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Nintendo's Mario characters had been casually discussed between the two companies; Sonic Team leader Yuji Naka and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, respectively, had their private discussions revealed in 2005.[19] Sonic the Hedgehog is the protagonist of the video game series released by Sega in order to provide the company with a mascot to rival Nintendo's flagship character Mario in the early 1990s.[20] Despite the discussions, the idea was not acted on as it lacked a setting that would give the game "an exclamation mark".[21] The idea of an Olympic setting for the mascots originated after Sega was awarded the Beijing 2008 Olympic license approximately a year later.[17] The developer adopted the IOC's mission to promote a sporting spirit and wanted to interest young people in the Olympics with its newly acquired license. The corporation decided to base the sports game around its characters that "young people love and are very iconic" instead of creating a more realistic simulation.[15] Sega then requested Nintendo for permission to include Mario in the game, setting up the first matchup between their mascots. Nintendo approved and partnered with Sega in-house to add another layer of quality control to the development.[15][22] Both companies felt that the competitive sportsmanship of the Olympic Games provided an ideal choice as a setting for the once-rival mascots.[21]
Mario & Sonic was officially announced with a joint press release by Sega and Nintendo on March 28, 2007[7] and premiered at E3 2007.[23] In another showing of the collaboration between the two companies, the game was predominantly developed by the Sega Sports R&D Department[24][25] of Sega Japan under the supervision of Shigeru Miyamoto.[26] He served as senior producer.[27] Sega's Osamu Ohashi and Nintendo's Hiroshi Sato served as producers, Sega's Eigo Kasahara as director, and Teruhiko Nakagawa as composer.[27] Racjin and according to gaming site IGN, TOSE, a developer known to avoid crediting itself in its works, helped to develop Mario & Sonic.[28][29] The game is officially licensed by the IOC through exclusive licensee ISM and is the first official video game of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.[7][17] The president of Sega Europe stated that they originally planned a number of events, including judo, to fully epitomize the Olympics.[17] However, the figure for the final product was reduced and judo was omitted. The development of the game was swifter than planned; in October 2007, Sega announced that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games' scheduled release date for the Wii has been advanced by two weeks and the game had gone gold.[13] It was released in 2007 in North America on November 6,[30] in Japan on November 22,[31] in Australia and in Europe on November 23,[32][33] and in Korea on May 29, 2008.[34] The DS version followed in 2008 in Japan on January 17,[6] in North America on January 22,[35] in Australia on February 7,[36] in Europe on February 8,[37] and in South Korea on June 26.[38] Both versions were published by Nintendo for Japan (where it is known as Mario & Sonic at the Beijing Olympics (マリオ&ソニック AT 北京オリンピック))[29] and by Sega for North America, Europe and all other regions.[39]
Reception
Sales
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was a commercial success;[40][41] in the first few months after its release, the game was on four separate occasions the top-selling game in the United Kingdom all-formats chart.[42] It accumulated seven weeks as the number-one seller, including the first two weeks after its release.[43][44] The Wii version sold a half-million units in the UK during those seven weeks.[45] By June 2008, both Wii and DS versions reached combined sales of 1.2 million copies in the UK, prompting Sega to create plans on re-marketing the game there.[46] The game went on to sell over two million units combined in the country.[47] According to the NPD Group, the Wii game was one of the top-ten best-sellers for the month of December 2007 in the United States, selling 613,000 units.[48] Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich argued the game is a fitting example of brand awareness' role in determining Wii game sales. The Wii is an exception to the correlation that higher quality games lead to better sales as seen on the Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Divnich added "To the casual and social gamer, it didn't matter that the game received sub-70 Metacritic scores," the recognizable "Mario" and "Sonic" brand names participating in a recognizable action, "The Olympic Games," contributed to the game's US sales.[49]
As of December 28, 2008, 594,157 units of the Wii version and as of December 27, 2009, 383,655 copies of the Nintendo DS version has been sold in Japan.[50][51] The Nintendo DS version is the twenty-seventh best-selling game of Japan for 2008.[52] In the same year for Australia, it is the eighth best-selling game while the Wii version is number four.[53] In July 2008, Simon Jeffrey, president of Sega of America, announced that Sega has sold approximately 10 million units worldwide combined of Mario & Sonic and showed interest in again collaborating with Nintendo to produce another game featuring the two companies' mascots.[54] The game is listed in the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2010 book as the "Best-selling gaming character cross-over" with 7.09 million on Wii and 4.22 million copies on DS sold.[55]
Critical response
Aggregator | Score | |
---|---|---|
DS | Wii | |
GameRankings | 69.06%[35] | 68.01%[56] |
Metacritic | 70/100[57] | 67/100[58] |
Publication | Score | |
---|---|---|
DS | Wii | |
1Up.com | C+[2] | C+[12] |
Edge | 6/10[58] | |
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6, 7, 6/10[59] | |
Eurogamer | 5/10[14] | 7/10[60] |
GamePro | 3.25/5[61] | 3.50/5[62] |
GameSpot | 6.0/10[63] | 6.0/10[5] |
IGN | 7.8/10[6] | 7.9/10[4] |
X-Play | [64] |
Although the Wii version of Mario and Sonic was awarded the "Best Wii game of 2007" at the Games Convention in Leipzig,[65] it received mixed reactions from game critics; the DS version had a similar reception. A common complaint was that Sega and Nintendo failed to set the first matchup between their mascots in the genre that made them famous—platform games.[5][66] Instead, the two companies threw Mario and Sonic into an Olympic-themed party video game,[59][67] a move which Tae Kim of GamePro criticized as "a marketing tool" to popularize the XXIX Olympic Games.[62] Although the Wii version of the game was praised for being an entertaining multiplayer experience,[58] it was criticized for shallow gameplay and complex rules and instructions.[59][64] GameTrailers concluded that Mario & Sonic's lack of "polish and simplicity" leaves the improbable grouping of mascots as its main attraction when compared to other party video games released for the platform.[68]
GameSpot's Aaron Thomas rated the Wii version's motion control scheme as "uninteresting and occasionally frustrating".[5] X-Play's Morgan Webb agreed, calling the controls "non-intuitive" and commenting that the minigames required players to "wave their Wiimotes frantically while pressing several buttons at the same time".[64] Dan Hsu of Electronic Gaming Monthly mentioned that the controls were complicated for a game that should be a "pure pick-up-and-play party game".[59] Tae Kim said the events were "short and fairly shallow" and mostly required players to move the "Wii Remote and Nunchuks in specific ways—rapidly up and down for running events, for example".[62] Mark Bozon of IGN called Mario & Sonic a success due to the entertainment value derived from the slight variety of competitions offered in the game. However, he and several other critics felt that events within the same classification were similar; Bozon noted that diversity was lacking as "five or six [events felt] nearly identical", and Thomas found the gameplay of several events to be overly similar to one another despite the reviewer praising the game for its number of events. Both reviewers favored the more complex objectives found in the fantasy events of the game, which shared attributes with that of the Mario sport games and archery.[4][5]
On the Nintendo DS, Mario & Sonic was regarded as virtually the same game in design as its Wii counterpart;[2][6][14] however, opinions on its control scheme varied greatly. GameSpy's Gerald Villoria thought the tradeoffs between both versions made them equally enjoyable.[69] Andrew Fitch of 1UP.com assured readers in his review that the less physically demanding gameplay of the DS version made the game accessible for extended periods of time. Fitch further stated that in nearly "every case, events [were] far more enjoyable on the DS" due to the requirement of the human body's finer motor skill abilities to control the characters.[2] However, Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson noted that the lack of physical demand reduced the players' engrossment with the game.[14] Craig Harris of IGN had a similar opinion, stating, "Rapidly drumming the controllers is far more challenging than quickly stroking the touchscreen."[6] Harris felt the DS version lost some relevance to its marginally superior Wii counterpart since had a similar design and released almost three months afterwards.[6]
Most publications agreed that the Wii counterpart of Mario & Sonic had clean textures and well-done animations; N-Europe's Iun Hockley thought that each character was pleasingly rendered,[67] and Thomas added that the graphics were "crisp and colorful".[5] Mark Bozon preferred the remixed Nintendo and Sega music and thought the general Olympic-related music "[could] be a bit generic".[4] GameDaily's Robert Workman called the background music "mostly forgettable".[70] Echoing this sentiment for the DS version, Emily Balistrieri of GamePro thought "most of the music [wasn't] too interesting".[61] Compared to the Wii version, the DS version's visuals are of the same style and its graphics are nearly on the same level.[6][14] Due to the inability to compete against other players online, Harris regarded Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games' limited use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection on the DS as a "missed opportunity".[6] Many reviewers, including Gibson and Pro-G's James Orry, found the uploading of best times and scores to be a cumbersome process.[11][14] Although the home console version also has online rankings, it lacks direct competition between players. Disappointed with the aforementioned aspect, Bozon rationalized that the leaderboards "certainly [made] sense for a game like this".[4]
Legacy
Sonic at the Olympic Games is a Sonic-themed sports game for mobile phones released in June 2008.[71] Developed by AirPlay and published by Sega, the game features five events based on the Olympic Games starring Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy. Players control one character from a two-dimensional perspective through one-button commands.[72] The commercial success of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games started a series of Mario & Sonic sport video games to coincide with upcoming Summer and Winter Olympic Games.[73] Titles such as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, based on the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and released on the Wii and the Nintendo DS in October 2009,[74] sold 6.53 million copies in the US and Europe by March 31, 2010,[75] while Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, based on the 2012 Summer Olympics and released on the Wii in November 2011 and the Nintendo 3DS in February 2012,[76] sold 3.28 million copies in the US and Europe by March 31, 2012.[77] Sean Ratcliffe, vice president of marketing at Sega of America said, "I think the key factor that decides the ongoing building of this franchise is basically success. Is the game successful? Are consumers happy with it?"[73]
Notes
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Sega Unveils Details for Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games" (Press release). GameSpot. September 26, 2007. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 Fitch, Andrew (October 10, 2007). "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (DS)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ↑ Gaudiosi, John (August 7, 2008). "Athletes play video games as Olympics go virtual". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bozon, Mark (November 6, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". IGN. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved November 7, 2007.
As for the actual pairing of the two franchises, Mario & Sonic does a decent job of bringing the mascots together for the first time.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thomas, Aaron (November 7, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Harris, Craig (January 22, 2008). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". IGN. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on April 6, 2008. Retrieved April 28, 2008.
- 1 2 3 "Sega and Nintendo join forces for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games" (Press release). Sega/Nintendo. March 28, 2007. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2008.
- ↑ Freeman, Will (November 15, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review". Pro-G Media. VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
- 1 2 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) instruction manual. Nintendo. November 6, 2007. pp. 8, 13.
- 1 2 Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) instruction manual. Nintendo. January 22, 2008. pp. 10, 21.
- 1 2 Orry, James (February 25, 2008). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review". Pro-G Media. VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
- 1 2 Fitch, Andrew (November 6, 2007). "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (Wii)". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- 1 2 Bozon, Mark (October 10, 2007). "Mario & Sonic Goes Gold". IGN. Archived from the original on November 1, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gibson, Ellie (February 11, 2008). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
- 1 2 3 Jackson, Mike (March 29, 2007). "Mario and Sonic interview Pt. 1". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2007.
- ↑ "Sega forecasts return to profit". BBC. May 22, 2001. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Burman, Rob (March 29, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Interview". IGN. Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved March 29, 2007.
- ↑ Robinson, Martin (April 14, 2011). "F-Zero GX: The Speed of Sega". IGN. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
- ↑ Soto, Edwin (March 17, 2005). "Sonic to visit Mario on Nintendo GameCube?". Official Nintendo Magazine. Gear Live. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
- ↑ Davis, Cameron; Shoemaker, Brad (November 1, 2000). "The History of Sonic the Hedgehog". GameSpot. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2008.
- 1 2 Thorsen, Tor (March 29, 2007). "Q&A: Sega, Nintendo on the first Sonic-Mario game". GameSpot. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2007.
Scott Steinberg: It's the perfect backdrop, since Olympics being synonymous with the spirit of sportsmanship. It's a great context for Mario and Sonic to come together in their first game. So it couldn't have been written in a better script.
- ↑ "Corporate Management Policy Briefing / Financial Results Briefing Q & A". Nintendo. October 26, 2007. p. 1. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
Shinji Hatano: As characters from our Super Mario titles will show up in the game, we are joining forces with Sega in development. By doing so, we are also collaborating with other companies to maintain the level of quality.
- ↑ Tom, Magrino (July 9, 2007). "E3 07: Sega dishes on E3 lineup". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved July 14, 2007.
- ↑ Goldstein, Hilary (August 5, 2010). "Visiting Gaming's Graveyard". IGN. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
The [Smilebit] team was transformed into SEGA Sports R&D Department (makers of Mario & Sonic Prove the Olympics are Obsolete) with some members moving to Amusement Vision (creators of the Yakuza series) [...]
- ↑ Croal, N'Gai (March 28, 2007). "Hype: Mario and Sonic Come Together in the Spirit of Friendship for the 2008 Olympics". Newsweek. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
The game itself is being built as a collaboration between Sega and Nintendo. It's being built predominantly by Sega's sports team, rather than Sonic Team. [Note: We asked Sega PR whether the company's AM2 studio was making the game. The answer was no, that it's a separate team that they aren't currently identifying.]
- ↑ Rob Burman and Matt Casamassina (March 28, 2007). "Mario and Sonic Together at Last". IGN. Archived from the original on April 6, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
- 1 2 Sega Sports R&D. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii/DS). Nintendo/Sega. Scene: Credits.
- ↑ Casamassina, Matt (March 29, 2007). "Rumor: Mario and Sonic's Secret Developer". IGN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2007.
- 1 2 "マリオ & ソニック AT 北京オリンピック [制作協力" (in Japanese). Racjin. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ↑ Meyer, Frank (November 6, 2007). "Mario 'n' Sonic Storm Olympic Games". G4 (American TV network). Archived from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ↑ "Financial Results Briefing for the Six-Month Period Ended September 2007" (PDF). Nintendo. October 26, 2007. p. 8. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
- ↑ Kolan, Patrick (September 17, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Dated in AU". IGN. Archived from the original on September 22, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ↑ Orry, James (September 27, 2007). "Sega details Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- ↑ "한국어 Wii 소프트웨어 페이지" (in Korean). Nintendo of Korea. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
- 1 2 "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) critic scores". GameRankings. Archived from the original on August 12, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ↑ "Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo DS)". PALGN. Archived from the original on February 19, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
- ↑ East, Tom (January 24, 2008). "New Mario And Sonic Olympics DS Screens". Official Nintendo Magazine. Future plc. Archived from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ↑ 마리오와 소닉 베이징 올림픽 (in Korean). Nintendo of Korea. Archived from the original on June 22, 2008. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
- ↑ Richards, Jonathan (March 28, 2007). "Mario and Sonic to race the 100m". The Times. United Kingdom: Times Online. Archived from the original on June 11, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (September 21, 2007). "TGS '07: Sega predicts Sonic-Mario crossover will sell 4 million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
- ↑ Hayashi, Aiko (March 5, 2008). "Japan stocks may rise as US recession fears ease". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
Video game publisher Sega has sold 5 million copies of "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games", topping its expectations...
- ↑ "Mario and Sonic make it 7 weeks at No1". Chart-Track. March 17, 2008. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ↑ Parfitt, Ben (December 11, 2007). "Mario & Sonic Fight Back". MCV. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ Parfitt, Ben (December 18, 2007). "Mario & Sonic Edge Tight Battle". MCV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ↑ "New this week: The Devil, Dinosaurs & Darts". Chart-Track. February 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 4, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
- ↑ Dinsey, Stuart (June 2, 2008). "Mario & Sonic to keep Sega running until Xmas". MCV. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008. Retrieved July 11, 2008.
- ↑ Batchelor, James (October 1, 2009). "Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games". MCV. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ↑ Hillis, Scott; Bishopric, Carol (January 17, 2008). "Update 1-U.S. game sales rise 28 percent in Dec". Reuters. London. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Jesse Divnich (March 18, 2008). "The Divnich Tapes: Why Do 'Bad' Wii Games Sell So Well?". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Crossley, Rob (February 17, 2009). "Japan's Top 100 Sellers Revealed". Edge. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ↑ "2008年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP500(ファミ通版)" (in Japanese). Geimin.net. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ↑ "Japanese 2008 Market Report". MCV. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
- ↑ Hill, Jason (January 21, 2009). "Australia's best selling games of 2008". The Age. Archived from the original on February 18, 2010. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
- ↑ Crecente, Brian (July 18, 2008). "Another Mario Sonic Collaboration in the Works?". Kotaku. Archived from the original on March 6, 2009. Retrieved July 30, 2008.
- ↑ "The 'Godfather' of Gaming is Back!". Guinness World Records. May 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ↑ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) critic scores". GameRankings. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
- ↑ "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) critic scores". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved April 27, 2008.
- 1 2 3 "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) critic scores". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 Hsu, Dan; Fitch, Andrew; Huber, Brooks (December 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 223. Ziff Davis. p. 66. ISSN 1058-918X.
A. Fitch: We've waited over 15 years for Sonic and Mario to team up, and we finally get it...in a Wii Sports-inspired competition based on the Beijing Olympics?! But despite its rather disturbing premise—the portly plumber and friends can represent despotic regimes like Iran and Saudi Arabia... Shoe: The controls aren't complicated on their own; they're just complicated for this type of gaming experience. Some events have 11 pages of instructions! That's too much reading and learning in what should be a pure pick-up-and-play party game.
- ↑ Gibson, Ellie (November 22, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Review". Eurogamer. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2008.
- 1 2 Balistrieri, Emily (March 8, 2008). "DS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". GamePro. Archived from the original on July 20, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- 1 2 3 Kim, Tae (November 6, 2007). "Wii Review: Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games". GamePro. Archived from the original on July 20, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
- ↑ Thomas, Aaron (November 7, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (DS) Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved November 8, 2007.
- 1 2 3 Co-host: Morgan Webb (December 19, 2007). "The Aliens and Monsters Episode". X-Play. Episode 7124. Los Angeles. G4 (American TV network).
- ↑ Elliot, Phil (August 28, 2007). "Best of GC titles winners announced". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- ↑ Gibson, Ellie (September 3, 2007). "First Impressions: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2008.
- 1 2 Hockley, Iun (November 24, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)". Advanced Media Network. N-Europe. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2008.
- ↑ Mario & Sonic Olympics Review. California: GameTrailers. November 20, 2007. Event occurs at 5:03. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ↑ Villoria, Gerald (January 29, 2008). "Reviews: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games". GameSpy. IGN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
- ↑ Workman, Robert (November 12, 2007). "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Review (WII)". AOL. GameDaily. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2008.
- ↑ IGN staff. "Sega Announces 2008 Mobile Games Line-Up". IGN. Archived from the original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- ↑ "Sonic at the Olympic Games". Pocket Gamer. July 11, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
- 1 2 Gaudiosi, John (April 6, 2009). "Sega shows off next big Olympics game, targets Wii and DSi". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on April 9, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ↑ "Mario and Sonic Head to the Slopes in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games" (Press release). Sega/Nintendo. February 12, 2009. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (May 14, 2010). "Sega Sammy posts profits, Bayonetta platinum". GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 18, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ↑ Makuch, Eddie (July 27, 2010). "Mario & Sonic at the London Olympic Games playing November 15". GameSpot. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ↑ "Appendix of Consolidated Financial Statements Year Ended March 31, 2012" (PDF). Sega Sammy Holdings. May 11, 2012. p. 6. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
External links
- Mario & Sonic (Wii) (in Japanese)
- Mario & Sonic (DS) (in Japanese)