Pete_LeGrant February 12, 2009 DS, Wii 10 views Comments Print This Post  Email This Post

Coming to your Wii and your DS in late 2009 is another battle between plumber and hedgehog:

SEGA® Corporation and Nintendo Co., Ltd today announced that two of the
biggest video game heroes, Mario™ and Sonic™, will be coming together
again, this time taking their rivalry to the snow and ice in another
officially licensed Olympic-themed smash hit Mario&Sonic at the
Olympic Winter Games™. Heading to stores late in 2009 on the Wii™ home
video game system and Nintendo DS, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic
Winter Games will take players to Vancouver, Canada, host city of the
official 2010 Olympic Winter Games. This gaming experience invites
players of all ages and skill sets to face-off in some of the most
intense winter competitions available for the Nintendo platforms.

Developed
by SEGA of Japan, under the guidance of Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario &
Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will take players to lifelike Olympic
venues where they can choose from a legendary cast of playable
characters, including new faces to the series to be revealed later this
year. Following the phenomenal worldwide popularity of Mario &
Sonic at the Olympic Games, which has sold over 10 million copies
worldwide, this fresh gaming experience will feature completely new
Olympic Winter Games events from the official competition schedule
including Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating with more events announced
throughout the year.

Tailored to the specific system controls,
Nintendo DS and Wii gamers will enjoy completely unique experiences
thanks to each platform having its own specific gameplay features and
modes. Players of all skill levels will enjoy the intuitive controls of
both the Wii and Nintendo DS systems, in both single and multiplayer
gaming modes. The Wii game will offer an even richer multiplayer
experience offering co-op and competitive gameplay where the Nintendo
DS brings an intense competitive element using the Nintendo DS wireless
capabilities. Additionally, one of the new features to be found in
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is the inclusion of the
Wii Balance Board™ which can be used in some events featured in the Wii
version, allowing for a more interactive and realistic gaming
experience.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America,
and published by Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at
the Olympic Winter Games is again licensed through a worldwide
partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive
interactive entertainment software licensee of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC).
“We are extremely happy to again team up
with Nintendo and ISM on what promises to be another global success.”
says Naoya Tsurumi, CEO, SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. “Sonic will
partner with Mario once more beneath the spotlight of the legendary
Olympic Games. Together they will face new athletic challenges that
will provide gamers with more of the exciting experiences unique to
this series.”

”SEGA has been a valued publishing partner of
Nintendo for many years and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
is the ultimate representation of that relationship,” said Reggie
Fils-Aime, president and COO, Nintendo of America. “We look for this
game to continue the tradition its predecessor started by bringing new
events, new characters, and new gameplay experiences to fans worldwide.”

“To
once again have Mario and Sonic and friends compete in Olympic sports
and events in a winter setting is tremendously exciting for the Olympic
Movement and the millions of gamers worldwide who enjoyed the
characters’ previous match up”, says Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman &
CEO of ISM.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will be in stores late 2009. For more information about the game, please visit www.sega.com or www.olympicvideogames.com. For any assets, please visit the SEGA FTP site at http://segapr.segaamerica.com.