E3 '07: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

The Olympics in Beijing are still a year distant, but the video games based around the biannual international sporting competition are already on their way. Leading the charge is Sega's upcoming Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, a game that features, perhaps not astonishingly, the two titular video game icons (and a host of supporting characters) competing in more than 20 Olympic events. We had a chance to check out (but not play for ourselves) three of those events in a brief demo at the Sega hotel space here at E3 2007.

The three events in the demo were the triple jump, the hammer throw, and the 100-meter dash--and, as you might expect, all three featured novel uses of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. The triple jump was perhaps the most complicated of the three events, though it's clear that the folks at Sega are striving to make this a game that anyone can enjoy. Before the start of the triple jump, you could pump up the crowd by moving the Remote and Nunchuk--if the crowd gets really riled up, it would give you a small boost to your ability. Once the gun sounded, you simply drummed the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to build up some speed. Once your speed was set, the game took over the character's running so that the player can focus on the next aspect of the event--the three jumps themselves. To complete the triple jumps, you alternate flicking the Remote and Nunchuk up; and the quicker you flick the controller, the better your angle will be. Success will be determined by a number of factors including speed, angle, and how close you are to the line for your first leap.

The next event was the hammer throw, where we watched as Luigi spun in a circle and tossed a huge, heavy hammer as far as he could. To initiate the throw, you press the A button, then spin the remote around and press the B button to release the hammer. The better timed your release, the more distance you'll have on your throw. As with the triple jump, you'll get three tries at the hammer throw event and the best throw of the bunch will count.

The final event was the 100m dash, where running was as simple as drumming the Wii Remote and Nunchuk quickly. Before the race began, you could get a small boost of acceleration by holding the B button and letting go at the start of the race. It was perhaps the most exciting-looking event of the bunch, in that you had a full field of Nintendo and Sega characters to compete against. You'd expect speedsters like Sonic or Knuckles to dominate in an event like the 100m dash but, as producers told us, all of the characters will be balanced with strengths and weaknesses in the final build of the game. So while Sonic may have a high top speed, his acceleration will be relatively low compared to other characters.

Game modes in Mario & Sonic will include individual event competitions, circuit or tournament mode, as well as a customized mission mode that producers told us was still being investigated; the game will also feature multiplayer for up to four players. In addition to Mario and Sonic, other characters in the game will include Tails, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman, Peach, Luigi, and Bowser, with more additions to the roster likely. The game is due for release this November and we'll be bringing you more information in the coming weeks.