A Little More Discussion About Mario and Sonic At The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Minasan, Kon’nichiwa once again! Well, it is too bad the two iconic mascots could not attend the 2018 Winter Olympics due to how Ubisoft received the opportunity to produce a game based on them but missed one to make Rayman an athlete for any of the events [16] [21] [22] [26]. This made me believe that the series was to end after the release of the Rio 2016 Olympics with the two mascots [21]. At least I do not doubt that a lot of us are still looking forward to Mario, Sonic, Luigi, Tails and many other characters compete in the 2020 Olympic games. And speaking of 2020, one reason I am looking forward to that year is the fact that it is a year of the rat. Squeak! Due to what has been revealed back in April, the upcoming installment of the series seems like an exceptional expansion of Mario and Sonic’s legacies in 2019 next to Super Mario Maker 2 and Team Sonic Racing [3] [4] [13] [17]. Since there has been a bit more about it that has been revealed for the next step of the Mario and Sonic series, let us get our sporting gear on and strive through it.

Do any of you E3 explorers remember this lanyard badge holder? [16]

My shoes are better than yours. [4]

I mentioned that there was another logo for the game in a previous article while the final choice was under development [14] [28] [29]. It turns out that the final logo for the game is indeed the one with a big red circle that represents Japan’s flag and nothing more [4] [20] [22]. I think it is a good final choice as it will suit the theme of competing in the Olympics held in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The unofficial one that was leaked and unfortunately fake sure looks pretty, but seems indeed too complicated, but not as overly ambitious as the logo for the eighteenth series of the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother [7]. At least the final choice for the logo is fitting and practical, unlike some other logos for video games. I am not up for judging video games solely by their logos, but please do not get me started with what the ghastly number six for Resident Evil 6’s box art looked like to some horror gamers back in late 2012 and so on [2] [15].

The REAL final logo for the game. [16] [20] [22]

Do not even think about describing it. [2] [15]

Now that we got the logo out of the way, I suppose we can further discuss the sporting events as they are indeed essential for providing what came the series great for making two of the most iconic video game series compete in events based on the real-life Olympic games [21]. More returning events besides the athletics include:

•       Fencing [4] [16] [22]
•       Football [4] [16] [22]
•       Table Tennis [4] [16] [22]
•       Triple Jump [4] [16] [22]
•       Canoeing [4] [16] [22]

Aside from skateboarding, three brand new events that will make their official debut in the series and make the Tokyo 2020 games seem fresh are:

•       Karate [3] [4] [27]
•       Sport Climbing [4] [27]
•       Surfing [4] [27]

I like how there will be a new karate event that will not only bring out some vibes of Japanese martial arts but also provide the elements of the most recent interpretation of the Mushroom Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey in the Dream Events [3] [4] [22] [27]. Speaking of Dream Events, those who enjoyed the stages with Modern Sonic in Sonic Forces night enjoy the Dream Racing event as it will be set in Metropolis [22]. As I mentioned before, each event ought to be enjoyable with reliably responsive controls [28] [29].

The sport climbing event looks like a fair challenge for our dear casual gamers. [4]

And did I mention that the music for the karate fights is awesome? BRING IT ON!!! [3] [27]

As for each competitor, I would like to look further into some of their different outfits for specific events [16] [20] [22]. Princess Peach looks elegantly dashing in her horse-riding outfit, even though the jacket is red instead of pink [4] [16] [20]. The lively and adorable Amy Rose will once again wear the red flats and swimsuit she wore in the London 2012 games [17] [19] [20]. The same applies to Blaze the Cat [16] [19] [21]. I feel quite unnerved when I see Wario and the Eggster in their swimming trunks [5] [20], even though I can briefly imagine such a sight in the front cover of an issue of Gameboy magazine…as a joke. Let us not forget about Toad in a Tokyo 2020 themed jacket and Cream the Rabbit in an adorable navy blue kimono [15] [20]. Cheese can also be seen wearing an Olympics themed jacket, which looks pretty good on him [16] [20]. All of the playable characters will be in white karate outfits in Karate event, which is fitting indeed [3] [4] [2]. I would love to see my Mii be playable if my boyfriend gets the game and lets me play it with him so that I can dress her up in many splendid sporting outfits.

Ride ’em Princess! [16] [20] [22]

How kawaii is this? [16] [20] [22]

Would you believe that the 2020 Olympics in Mario and Sonic’s universe will feature a special set of sporting events that consists of the 2D graphics from their retro days [4] [9] [16] [22]? If you are an old school Nintendo nerd or a '90s kid who loved playing on the SEGA Genesis, then this new feature is for you. Some of the events available to play with the old school sprites are:

•       Diving [4] [9] [16] [22]
•       Judo [4] [9] [16] [22]
•       Hurdles [4] [9] [16] [22]
•       Canoeing [4] [9] [16] [22]
•       Volleyball [4] [9] [16] [22]
•       A plane flying event [4] [9] [16] [22]

Making the controls for the 2D Olympics only in handheld mode will not only make it accessible for those who bought a Nintendo Switch Lite, but increase the feeling of retro gaming [4] [9] [22] [30] [31]. Too bad the only characters able to participate in the 2D events are:

•       Mario
•       Luigi
•       Peach
•       Bowser
•       Sonic
•       Tails
•       Knuckles
•       Eggman

The experience might as well be the family-friendly equivalent of Sonic For Hire, a non-canon comedy crossover series made by Lowbrow Studios [5] [25]. Being into both classic and modern gaming, I am more than delighted to see an 8-bit Mario crew and a 16-bit Sonic in action together in an instalment for an eighth-generation console as it will be an outstanding feature.

It thrills me how the 8-bit Mario crew and the 16-bit Sonic team will compete in the Olympics. And not to mention that the quality of the announcers’ voice will be reduced to NES standards to increase the retro vibes. [9]

Quite ironically, the pixelated Olympics will be based on the 1964 Tokyo Olympic games [4] [9]. Unfortunately, this sounds quite odd to me since gaming was not a mainstream thing in the ‘60s. Furthermore, Super Mario was first established in the 80s and Sonic was first established in 1991. Nevertheless, at least we all know that the games will still be in Tokyo. Additionally, plenty of millennials and kids who are up for playing the game can learn that Tokyo first hosted the Olympics way back in 1964 [23] [24], so I can at least see how such a decision to dedicate the 2D events to those times would make sense. Good on the developers for providing some historical accuracy. Speaking of historical accuracy, only letting certain characters be playable in the 2D events is at least legitimate as they debuted in the beginnings of their main game series during the retro sprite years [22]. However, perhaps some of the newer characters might be able to participate as sprites as downloadable content. Remember the Bitsize Candy in Mario Party 8 [10] [18]? Providing some historical accuracy will not only make the game fascinating to young modern gamers but also make its outcome respectful to the Olympics’ history.

Some young Nintendo nerds and Sonic supporters will learn that the 2020 will be the SECOND time the Olympics were held in Tokyo and that 1964 was the first. [9] [23] [24]

Looking at the final cover for Switch port of the game, both fans of Mario and Sonic can feel proud of the two mascots for striving hard enough to earn a gold medal [16] [22]. Looking at the gameplay and new features in the trailers and previews, the next Olympics sure have a lot of potential. While plenty of followers of the plumber have been booking some appointments with him in Dr. Mario World and many supporters of the Hedgehog enjoyed his crossover with OK K.O. this month [1] [6] [12] [17], many more are hoping for a spectacular grand return of their Olympic series in November 2019 as they look at how much the crossover series has progressed since the Beijing 2008 games [11] [21]. I am hoping for much better motion controls, compared to the Wii version of the first installment of the series [11]. But for now, feel free to tell me what you think of gaming in 2019 so far. Perhaps we can have a slice of choco-mint cake from a recent scavenger hunt in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp while we are at it [8]. Let us save our sporting gear for when it is released firstly for the Switch. Sayonara for now, plumbers and hedgehogs.

Triumph! [16] [21] [22]

I promise that the cake is not a lie! [8]

References

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