|
SEGA Corporation and Nintendo Co. Ltd. have made a historical
announcement that two of the biggest icons in the entertainment
industry, Mario and SONIC, are joining forces
 to star in Mario &
Sonic at the Olympic Games. Developed for Wii and the NintendoDS
system, this momentous agreement marks the first time these two
renowned stars have appeared together in a game.
Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and published by
Nintendo in the Japanese market, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic
Games will be available for Christmas 2007 and is licensed
through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia
(ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of
the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
In Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, players will compete
in events that take place in environments based-on the official
venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Using a supporting
cast of characters from the amazing worlds of both Mario and SONIC,
gamers will be able to compete as or against a range of lovable
personalities including Mario, SONIC, Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails
and more. Innovative usage of the Wii and NintendoDS control systems
to manoeuvre a favourite character will allow players to race the
likes of Mario and SONIC down the 100m track, engage in exhilarating
rallies in Table Tennis and churn water in a swimming heat, all
while competing for the much sought after Gold Medal.
“We are thrilled to partner with Nintendo and ISM on this
groundbreaking title,” said Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief
Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation. “For the first time, two of the
world’s greatest games’ characters come together to compete in the
world’s greatest sporting event and we couldn’t be more excited.”
“Mario and SONIC have been respectful rivals since the early days of
videogames,” says Shigeru Miyamoto, Senior Managing Director and
General Manager, Entertainment Analysis and Development Division,
Nintendo Co., Ltd.. “In-fact, for a long time they have been
discussing the possibility of one day competing against each other.
Now that they have been given the perfect opportunity to meet at the
Olympic Games, we may finally learn who is actually faster, Mario or
SONIC?”
“The Olympic Games represent the true spirit of competition and
passion,” said Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer of ISM. “Bringing together intensely competitive and fun
characters like Mario and SONIC in an Olympic setting helps showcase
the sports of the Olympic Games in a new and compelling way for all
generations.”
|
|
NINTENDO'S LEGENDARY ICON
Mario (aka Super Mario) stands as the best-known and
best-loved character in videogame history. Mario
 first appeared as
“Jumpman” in the original Donkey Kong arcade game from 1981,
and he has gone on to huge success on every Nintendo home console
and handheld system. Mario games alone have sold more than 193
million units worldwide. Through April 2007, Mario has appeared in
nearly 100 videogames.
More importantly, Mario resonates on an emotional level with people
all around the world. For many adults, he represents the simplicity
of their youth, a time when rescuing a princess and defeating an
ornery ape were the biggest concerns in their lives. For others,
Mario led the resurgence of videogames after the collapse of the
industry in the early 1980’s. But for everyone, Mario stands for
fun, daring and mischievousness. He is one of the most recognizable,
iconic characters in the world.
Mario Highlights:
1981: Mario is created by the legendary videogame designer Shigeru
Miyamoto and appears in his first game, the arcade game Donkey
Kong, in which he is known simply as “Jumpman.”
1982: For the arcade release of Donkey Kong Jr., the Jumpman
character is renamed “Mario” because of his resemblance to the owner
of Nintendo of America’s first warehouse, Mario Segali.
1983: The arcade game Mario Bros. becomes the first game to
feature Mario as a title character and also marks the first
appearance of Mario’s brother, Luigi.
1983: Mario becomes a TV star by appearing as a circus trainer in
the CBS cartoon series Saturday Supercade, which runs through
1985.
1985: Mario stars in Super Mario Bros. on Nintendo’s first US
home videogame console, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The
world is introduced to the Mushroom Kingdom, the setting for many
future Mario adventures.
1989: Mario becomes one of the first videogame characters to appear
in a motion picture. He debuts on the silver screen in The Wizard,
which gives eager players their first glimpse of Super Mario
Bros. 3.
1989: Mario jumps into every kid’s hand with the launch of Super
Mario Land for Nintendo’s original Game Boy.
1990: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES launches and goes on to
sell more than 17.3 million games worldwide, making it the most
successful individually sold videogame of all time, a record that
still stands.
1991: Mario appears with Yoshi for the first time in Super Mario
World for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
1992: Super Mario Kart for the
 Super Nintendo Entertainment
System launches one of the most popular franchises in Nintendo
history.
1993: Mario’s adventures inspire a major motion picture: Super
Mario Bros. – The Movie. The film stars Bob Hoskins as Mario,
John Leguizamo as Luigi and Dennis Hopper as King Koopa.
1995: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario
World 2: Yoshi’s Island features Mario as a baby – and he still
saves the princess!
1996: Mario becomes the first videogame character to have complete
movement in a 360-degree, 3-D home videogame environment in Super
Mario64 for Nintendo64.
1999: Mario Party for the Nintendo64 defines the Party-Game
genre and sparks numerous popular sequels on future platforms.
1999: Super Smash Bros. arrives on the Nintendo64 featuring
Mario and a cast of all-stars.
2001: The top-selling Super Mario Advance marks Mario’s debut
on the new Game Boy Advance handheld system.
2001: Mario’s first appears on the Nintendo GameCube in Luigi’s
Mansion. Mario’s little brother and sidekick, Luigi, has to
rescue Mario when he is held captive by ghosts in a haunted mansion.
2002: Super Mario Sunshine marks the first true Mario game on
Nintendo GameCube. Mario is given unprecedented freedom of movement
as he tries to clean up Delfino Island.
2005: The Walk of Game in San Francisco honours both Mario and
Shigeru Miyamoto as two of its first inductees.
2006: The tables are turned on Mario when longtime kidnap victim
Princess Peach has to rescue him in Super Princess Peach for
NintendoDS.
2006: Mario’s 25 years of popularity continue, as
NEW Super Mario
Bros. for NintendoDS emerges as one of the top-selling games in
the United States for the year, with nearly 2 million units sold.
2007: The first Mario game for the Wii system from Nintendo is
Super Paper Mario, a remarkable game that shifts Mario between
2-D and 3-D environments. Other upcoming Mario games in development
for Wii include
Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros.
Brawl.
2007: Mario will appear with SONIC for the first time in Mario &
Sonic at the Olympic Games. |
THE HISTORY OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Celebrating his sixteenth anniversary in 2007 with over 44 million
copies sold worldwide, SONIC The Hedgehog is a videogame industry
icon. SEGA’s much-loved blue hedgehog has starred in over 30 games
and shows no signs of slowing down. SONIC, who was born June 23,
1991 as the fastest, most technologically advanced character for the
SEGA Mega-Drive console, continues to innovate as he blasts onto the
Wii in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.
In
addition to his videogame fame, the “blue dude with the ‘tude” has
starred in two animated TV series, comic books, and an animated
movie - he’s even had his own theme park and was the first and only
game character ever featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
But it’s his videogames that matter most to his legions of fans.
SONIC has appeared on virtually every well-known game platform, a
distinction that earned him his star on the ‘Walk of Game’ landmark
honouring pioneering gaming icons.
KEY DATES:
1990:
Development of ‘action game for the new age’ commences in April. In
November, SONIC The Hedgehog is officially announced.
1991:
SONIC The Hedgehog for Mega-Drive ships in the US on June 23,
and in Japan in July. On December 28, SONIC The Hedgehog for
Game Gear is released in Japan, marking SONIC’s debut on handheld
platforms.
1992:
In November, SONIC The Hedgehog 2 is released for Genesis and
Game Gear in the US on ‘Sonic 2s Day’. Miles ‘Tails’ Prower is
introduced for the first time. The game sells over 400,000 copies in
five days.
1993:
SONIC sponsors the F1 Williams team in April, and in the same month
scientists discover a new gene with spikes similar to SONIC’s. They
dub the new gene ‘SONIC The Hedgehog gene’. In June, the
Adventures of Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon begins airing in
nationwide in the US. In September, SONIC The Hedgehog
appears in US arcades, and in November, SONIC stars in the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Parade with a 65-foot long balloon.
1994:
SONIC The Hedgehog 3 blasts on Genesis February 2nd. In
October, SONIC
 and
Knuckles ships in the US. The two games
could be combined by locking SONIC and Knuckles into the
SONIC The Hedgehog 3 cartridge, allowing the complete adventure
to be played. In October, SONIC appears in a nationwide MTV ‘Rock
the Rock’ special shot on Alcatraz. Twenty-five finalists from over
100,000 entrants compete in SONIC The Hedgehog 3 for the
title of “The World’s Most Hard-Core Gamer.”
1996:
In a videogame first, SONIC is included in the National Film and
Television Archive of the UK, where historic films and TV programs
are preserved. Marking SONIC’s first full 3D adventure, SONIC 3D
Blast is released on Saturn.
1997:
SONIC R and SONIC Jam ship in Japan for SEGA Saturn.
1998:
In December, SONIC Adventure is released in Japan on
DreamcCast while US fans eagerly await its arrival stateside.
1999:
SONIC Adventure ships August 31 in the US, eventually
becoming the best-selling SEGA DreamCast game of all time with over
six million copies sold worldwide. SONIC’s second cartoon series
launches in the US. In October, SONIC’s first clothing line is
released in Japan.
2000: The SONIC fashion project makes its way to Paris, France as
SONIC apparel is displayed at the Concept Store/Jean Charles de
Castelbajac.
2001: On June 18, SONIC Adventure 2 ships in the US for
DreamCast. In June, a series of tenth birthday celebrations for
SONIC are held across Japan. In December, CoroCoro Comics
announces that the artist of the Sonic The Hedgehog comic
will be well-known artist Santa Harukaze. The comic first appears in
December.
2002: SONIC Adventure 2: Battle is released for GameCube on
February 3, marking SONIC’s debut on the platform. Sonic Team’s Yuji
Naka receives a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Game Developers
Choice Awards in the US, an award presented to individuals who have
made innovative and significant achievements in the videogame
industry.
2003:
In February, the new animated series Sonic X is announced.
2004:
In January, Sonic Heroes is released on GameCube,
PlayStation2, and Xbox, marking SONIC’s largest multi-platform
launch to date.
2005:
On November 15, Shadow the Hedgehog marks Shadow’s first
appearance in a standalone game, shipping on GameCube, PlayStation2,
and Xbox. On the same day, SONIC debuts on NintendoDS with the
well- received
Sonic Rush.
2006:
With games shipping or in development on seven different platforms,
2006 marks SONIC’s busiest and most diverse gaming year to date.
2007: In the fall, Mario and SONIC make videogame history by joining
forces in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.
SONIC makes his debut on the Wii system with Sonic And The Secret
Rings shipping in February.
|
