My Thoughts On Mario and Sonic’s Upcoming 2020 Olympic Games

Minasan, Kon’nichiwa! If you’re looking forward to watching the next summer Olympic games that will occur in Tokyo in 2020, then a game based off each event will be right up your ally [2] [19]. Aside from how there will be an official Switch game based on the next summer 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, a blue hedgehog and a red-hatted plumber shall also compete in the games too, thus reviving their beloved sporty crossover series [9] [16]. The special announcement of the adaptions of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics occurred about a month ago, so I suppose now is time for me to express my own thoughts. After all, I enjoyed playing the Wii version of Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games back when I was in high school [7]. In all honesty, I thought the series was to fully stop at the Rio 2016 games installment, but I suppose that it would be a neat idea to bring one of the most recognised crossovers in gaming history to the Switch era. 

Pity our beloved competitors missed out on the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic games. [15] [20]

Most notably, Mario and Sonic’s next big competitions will be available for the Switch, which give me the feeling that plenty of Switch players would be interested in trying it out soon [9] [16]. Firstly, the Switch version will be released in December 2019, then the arcade and mobile adaptions will be set for 2020. Aww, it is too bad that only the Sonic crew will be in the mobile version…again because Nintendo now has a few approachable third-party fads for iOS and Android devices [4] [5] [10] [11]. How I still miss Miitomo. At least there will plenty of mobile sporting from the Mario crew once Mario Kart Tour parks in the marketing of Summer 2019 [17]. With Nintendo’s dedication to maintaining their latest console’s spotlight combined the possibility of staying hip within the arcade crowd, the plumber’s next competition against the blue blur ought to shine on both platforms, as well as the blue blur keeping his legacy strong on smart devices. 

The cute and speedy Sonic in an event in the Switch version. [18] [19]

Sonic and Knuckles at an event for the Sonic-only mobile adaption. [10] [19]

There must be a fashionista in the concept art department. Mario’s attire for running looks basic but appropriate for the occasion [2] [9] [16] [18] [19]. Too bad he does not seem to have that tribal tattoo he had back in 2004 [3]. I always adored the sports and winter attire for Peach and Daisy, so I am quite impressed with how Peach seems to be wearing white shorts in revealed footage, compared to how she wore pink shorts in the first Olympic games, thus introducing new attire [2] [9] [16] [18]. Well, what do you know! It looks like Sonic is wearing a pair of shoes that highly resemble his Sonic Riders shoes, along with a light blue shirt for the badminton event [2] [9] [16] [18]. I always thought he looked cute in a life jacket, so I suspect that he will wear one for the swimming event once again. Even Luigi, Tails and Eggman are wearing appropriate attire for giving the upcoming installment a sprinkle of individuality [2] [9] [16] [18]. As someone who adores seeing fictional characters in different outfits, I like how many of the characters are wearing sporty attire for specific events, which makes the upcoming title seem refreshing so far.

The competitors in their new attire. [2] [16] [18]

Yes. Mario’s tattoo was a thing towards the end of the Game Boy Advance era. [3]

Aside from the snazzy outfits and the return of the running and badminton events, many of us shall once again experience both teams in the events of:

•   100m Dash [2] [9] [16] [18] [19]
•   Javelin Throw [9] [16] [19]
•   Badminton [2] [9] [16] [18]
•   Skateboarding, a brand new event [9] [16] [19]

Due to how the next installment is meant to be a successor to Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, it is highly likely that the characters will also participate in:

•   Rhythmic Gymnastics or Rhythmic Ribbon [14] [15]
•   Synchronized swimming [14]
•   Boxing [15]
•   Archery [15]
•   Equestrian [14] [15]

I see that the skateboarding event is quite a rehash of the snowboarding event from the winter games [19]. I suppose there ought to be a brand new basketball event too as it seems to take the techniques of the hockey and football events from the previous installments. After all, a basketball game was revealed in the adaption of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics without Mario and Sonic [19]. Additionally, there can be another beach volleyball event as there was also a volleyball game in the adaption without Nintendo and SEGA’s main stars [19]. Hopefully, each event will once again be fully playable and rather challenging.

Mario and Sonic as a team in a Badminton event. [2] [9] [16] [18]

BY THE POWER OF A MYSTERIOUS AURA!!! [18]

The controls for every event ought to be responsive and reliable. I remember the controls of the first Mario and Sonic Olympic games installment for the Wii deviously hindering me when I was younger [6]. I thought that I was not good at playing many of the events until a college ally of mine pointed out how bad he found the controls. It is a good thing that the controls gradually improved for the Wii version of the first winter games, which was the game that made me a Sonic fan back in late 2009 and early 2010 [7]. The child in the trailer for the pack of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is shown rapidly moving the joy-cons run and down with a thrilled smile, which is a sign that the event would give the player the feeling of running on the tracks as an athlete [2] [19]. Aside from good motion controls, there should be a lot of well-done control methods for when the joy-cons are attached to the screen too. Could every control method to dependable enough to comfortably and outstandingly bring the feel of competing in the Olympics with any of the iconic characters to the Switch generation?

Welcome to the Switch age! [19]

I believe I can spin! I believe that I might as well win! [19]

Finally, a new logo for Mario and Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Games has arrived [8]. But it seems to have leaked. Some of you might have believed that the development logo would be suitable for the final outcome [9] [16]. Even though the earlier logo matches the Japanese flag with its big red circle, I think the updated logo looks more vibrant with a bit of creativity, along with a summer vibe [8] [9] [16]. The flowers really do look summery and the events would indeed be set in the summer as the official Tokyo 2020 Olympics logo would settle above it. Well, since I live in England, I can say that we at least do not have to deal with the controversial London 2012 Olympics logo anymore [1] [21]. With a logo consisting of something that makes it quite unique like the logos of the first two installments of the Mario and Sonic Olympic Games series, the 2020 Olympics games logo for the upcoming installment ought to.

When the logo was under development. [9] [16]

I honestly hope this will be the final logo, despite how it is likely to just have been leaked and how the design is more complicated from the logos from the previous installments. [8]

So in a conclusion dedicated to another crossover within epic events, plenty of us Mario and Sonic fans who endorsed the previous installments are looking forward to:

•       The Switch version of the game for late 2019 [2] [9] [16] [19]
•       The arcade port for 2020 that will enhance their arcade cred [2] [9] [16]
•       The mobile version with Sonic characters only for 2020 [2] [10] [19]

For the ports, perhaps there could be some new competitors, either playable or simply guests? How about the other Koopalings and the rest of the deadly six from Sonic Lost World for the Switch and next arcade cabinet [12] [13]? But then again, sometimes less is more. We may not be in the good old Wii days anymore, but we can still feel the joy and ambition of the Switch’s legacy now that its library is steadily increasing with newer installments. I guess I need to wear appropriate attire for the events too. Sayonara for now, plumbers and hedgehogs!

Whose side will YOU be on? [2] [16] [18]

References

1. Buckley, A. (2012). 2012 Olympic Logo - A Dose of Buckley. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO70PFNhQv0. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
2. GameXplain. (2019). Mario & Sonic At The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Revealed for Switch! (Gameplay Shown!). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQduLFJ8iRM. Last accessed 23rd Mar 2019.
3. Know Your Meme. (2016). Super Mario - Mario's Tribal Tattoo. Available: https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1211199-super-mario. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
4. Nintendo. (2017). Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. iOS. Tokyo. Japan.
5. Nintendo. (2016). Super Mario Run. iOS. Tokyo. Japan.
6. Nintendo and SEGA. (2007) Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Games. Nintendo Wii. Tokyo. Japan.
7. Nintendo and SEGA. (2009) Mario and Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games. Nintendo Wii. Tokyo. Japan.
8. rawmeatcowboy. (2019). MARIO & SONIC AT THE TOKYO 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES' LOGO REVEALED. Available: https://www.gonintendo.com/stories/333724-mario-sonic-at-the-tokyo-2020-olympic-games-logo-revealed. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2018.
9. Sonic News Network. (2019). Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.Available: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Mario_%26_Sonic_at_the_Tokyo_2020_Olympic_Games. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
10. Sonic News Network. (2019). Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Available: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_at_the_Olympic_Games_(2020). Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
11. Sonic News Network. (2010). Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Available: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_at_the_Olympic_Winter_Games. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
12. Sonic News Network. (2013). Sonic Lost World/Gallery. Available: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Sonic_Lost_World/Gallery#Characters_2. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
13. Super Mario Wiki. (2009). Koopalings. Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/koopalings#Members. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
14. Super Mario Wiki. (2011). Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (Wii). Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_%26_Sonic_at_the_London_2012_Olympic_Games_(Wii). Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
15. Super Mario Wiki. (2016). Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U). Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_%26_Sonic_at_the_Rio_2016_Olympic_Games_(Wii_U)#Events. Last accessed 2nd Apr 2019.
16. Super Mario Wiki. (2019). Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_%26_Sonic_at_the_Tokyo_2020_Olympic_Games. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
17. Super Mario Wiki. (2019). Mario Kart Tour. Available: https://www.mariowiki.com/Mario_Kart_Tour. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
18. TheRealSonicFan. (2019). Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Revealed! (+Mobile Game). Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq5xO94gWsE. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
19. Twinfinite. (2019). Tokyo 2020 Olympics The Official Video Game + Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAcUva3sZic. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
20. Yi. (2016). 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics bid IOC Project (Technical Film). Available: https://vimeo.com/160449256. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.
21. York Graphic Designers. (2012). Top Ten Logo Parodies And Manipulations. Available: https://www.yorkgraphicdesigners.co.uk/top-ten-logo-parodies-and-manipulations/. Last accessed 23rd Apr 2019.

What If Catherine Seduced Vincent Brooks…At The Arcades?

Since the PC port of the original Catherine is titled “Catherine Classic”, I would not be surprised if an official arcade port would be titled “Catherine Arcade” [7]. I posted a poll on Twitter not too long ago asking my followers if they would like to see an official arcade version of Catherine and the results were fifty/fifty [25]. Despite the mixed results, I would actually love to witness a Catherine-theme arcade machine in my state sometime after 2019 as it would be quite a good expansion on the Catherine franchise, as well as a method of expanding the possibilities in arcade gaming. As many of Catherine crusaders in the West wait for the English dub of Catherine: Full Body while plenty of others are into “Catherine Classic” for the PC [7] [8], Even though it is not official and it might not happen anytime soon, I shall discuss how a good arcade adaption of the sexy but scary tale.

Can’t get enough seduction and suspense after Catherine: Full Body? Well, perhaps an arcade port ought to satisfy your specific gaming needs? [7]

Since there were often children and teenagers in arcades, there is a chance that there would be plenty of restrictions on what content to feature. The horror within the nightmares would remain unaltered since there are plenty of violent and scary first-person shooters in arcades these days. What about the profanity? Well, at some point in the Tomb Raider reboot from 2013 and its definitive edition, Vladimir points his gun at Lara and says “Don’t you f***ing move.” after knocking her to the ground [4] [19]. But in the arcade version of it from 2018, he says ‘’Don’t you move”, which is a sign of rather legitimate censorship [23]. Furthermore, the Brookster better watch his mouth. Again, there are often minors in public arcade places. As for Catherine’s seductive appearance, I would not really complain about that too much since there were fully live-action samples of cheerful women in provocative outfits in Super Bikes 2 [20] [21]. A small amount of censorship can make the arcade port of Catherine acceptable to public arcades, but not to the point when too much of what made Catherine notable for being mature is lost, thus making the outcome not as recognisable.

Won’t somebody PLEASE think of the children?! [7]

Speaking of carefully selecting content, which cutscenes shall be featured once the player inserts a coin? Trisha can give a brief summary of the plot, but it can be skippable. The moment when Vincent and Katherine McBride dine at the Chrono Rabbit would definitely be featured in one chapter for establishing a few character traits [9]. There have been some erotic arcade games throughout the history of gaming [18], but I honestly do not think including that much erotica would fit the standards of the public arcades in my state today. Likewise, the moment when the Brookster wakes up next to a fully nude Catherine would probably not be featured, despite how it is an important aspect of the story [6] [7]. Nevertheless, one cutscene in the cabinet can be when the seductive blondie meets him at the Stray Sheep [6] [7]. Featuring only a couple of cutscenes would not only steadily shorten the story, but prevent any censorship issues regarding how the premise would be established. It is best to not make the port too long for arcade admirers. With a few cutscenes carefully selected for each chapter to build the purpose of the nightmares, the player can also focus on the gameplay…for dear life!

LISTEN TO ME!!! Or no dessert for you, mister! [7]

Do we really need to explain what happens afterwards again? [6]

But before we discuss the gameplay, what can be featured on the design of the cabinet for an arcade port of Catherine? If Rin ought to be featured on either side as a shout-out to Catherine: Full Body [8] [15], I guess the pink-haired pianist ought to be the one posing with a miniature Vincent [15]. We all know what happened with Katherine and Catherine’s suggestive posing at one point during the marketing the original Catherine for the PS3 and Xbox 360 [6] [7]. Speaking of Full Body, it is a bummer that it will not be available for the Xbox One [8], but the PS4 cover of it would be another good option for one side of the cabinet. The best choices for the controls would be a joystick for moving and climbing from block to block, a button for grabbing blocks and another button for undoing a move [22]. There should be enough room for two of each so that the game will be available to play with another fellow arcade admirer. Aside from a faithful and appealing design for the cabinet, the most important aspect to bring to the arcades would be the unique tower climbing gameplay, along with acceptable controls.

We don’t have to display my boyfriend climbing towards my booty? Oh thank Atlus! [7]

It’s raining sheep! Hallelujah, it’s raining sheep! [8] [15]

I definitely would like the gameplay of the arcade port to be based on Babel or Colosseum Mode, so that it would definitely be available for two players [5] [11]. So how many stages shall be in a shorted adaption for arcades? A fair amount of the stages for an arcade port would be:

• The Prison Of Despair [13]
• The Torture Chamber [16]
• The Inquisition [12]
• The Clock Tower [10]
• The Cathedral [17]

For a bonus chapter or alternative mode, the additional playable characters ought to be the ones who are playable in the DLC of the Japanese version of Catherine: Full Body [8]. Hopefully, the DLC will also in the English version of Catherine: Full Body. And as for a likely arcade port, perhaps it could be featured in a special edition that would be quite like the special edition of Deadstorm Pirates [1] [2]. Whatever happens in its gameplay, let us hope that the difficulty in an arcade version of Catherine will not be too extreme [7]. The decision to only base the outcome on Babel or Colosseum mode in order to make it seem like a mature multiplayer arcade game would definitely make seem representable for expanding on the Catherine franchise in arcades.

The thought of dying in the nightmare is baaaaaaaaad! [5]

I think I know what plenty of our fellow Catherine crusaders are thinking. An arcade port of Catherine? Why not just make a real-life version of Rapunzel [14]? You know, the minigame that takes the techniques of the main game [14]? Well, I suppose a real-life version of the arcade game from the Stray Sheep would be great for any cosplayer who chooses to cosplay as Vincent in his regular attire. However, I believe that many arcade admirers who never played Catherine would just see it as a rather random adaption of the classic story of Rapunzel unless the cabinet indicates that it is a game from Catherine, thus giving them a better understanding of it. Furthermore, I believe a port of the main gameplay of Catherine would be a better choice for marketing since the legacy of the strange tale has been fairly popular for eight years [7].

The Brookster about to play Rapunzel. [14]

Remember when mass-produced and commercially available arcade gaming spawned with Computer Space and Pong back in the early 70s [3]? Well, a carefully planned out arcade version of Catherine can not only be quite a unique specimen of a modern arcade game, but further prove that appeal of arcade gaming shall last so much longer. It could also give the mature side of gaming in the 2020s a good impression after the success of Catherine: Full Body. I guess there is always something new for many intellectual properties, as long the passion for each of them can be maintained for future generations of gaming. I would definitely spend at least one British pound on trying to guide the handsome Brookster or any of his allies to the top of the tower of blocks. An official arcade of adaption of Catherine has not been officially confirmed by Atlus, but I just thought I might discuss a possibility with my fellow readers and gamers. Stay golden.

It seems today that all you see is violence in arcades and sex on PC. But where are those timeless gameplay values that we adored long ago? [7] [24]

References

1. Bandi Namco Entertainment. (2010). Deadstorm Arcade. Tokyo. Arcade.
2. Bandi Namco Entertainment. (2014). Deadstorm Arcade Special Edition. Tokyo. Arcade.
3. BMI Gaming. (2002). The Birth of Video Games and Computer Games : The Late 1940's and 1950's . Available: https://www.bmigaming.com/videogamehistory.htm. Last accessed 31st Mar 2019.
4. calloftreyarch. (2014). Tomb Raider Definitive Edition Death Montage.Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeG9MuzUppM. Last accessed 31st Mar 2019.
5. Catherine Wiki. (2011). Babel. Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Babel. Last accessed 7th Apr 2019.
6. Catherine Wiki. (2011). Catherine. Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Catherine. Last accessed 31st Mar 2019.
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8. Catherine Wiki. (2017). Catherine: Full Body. Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Catherine:_Full_Body. Last accessed 7th Apr 2019.
9. Catherine Wiki. (2011). Chrono Rabbit. Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Chrono_Rabbit. Last accessed 31st Mar 2019.
10. Catherine Wiki. (2011). Clock Tower. Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Clock_Tower. Last accessed 7th Apr 2019.
11. Catherine Wiki. (2011). Colosseum Mode (Tournament Play). Available: https://catherine.fandom.com/wiki/Colosseum_Mode_(Tournament_Play). Last accessed 7th Apr 2019.
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