Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

[Marcello]

They are in the 3DS version. I think this was already done in the last 3DS game, which was London. I don't think there's any word on the Wii U version doing that, but I doubt it will.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

So apparently there's a Story Mode in which you (as your Mii) have to choose between Team Mario and Team Sonic. Your choice will determine what events you get to play.

In other words, we're getting a Mario and Sonic version of Fire Emblem Fates. But with sports. And no dragons or fanservice. 

 

Heh,  and luckily no need for multiple purchases.

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

So ya, likely wii-u version will likely have more standard character typing, and perhaps bring something new to the table? the new characters seem to be them noticing the criticisms and sales drops of previous games and trying to improve, so what else will they bring to the table? that would also explain the later release date as the wii-u version would take more work

[jords]

Oh yea I forgot that characters are limited to specific events. Not sure if I'll get the 3ds version. I probably would have gotten it if we can use any characters for any event. I'm hoping the wiiu version doesn't start doing it since we are getting this many characters. I also hope they don't cut down any characters in the wiiu version. 

And it looks like they will reuse old renders for some characters. I'm liking the new ones like for rouge, Rosalina, sonic, Mario and the other new ones. 

 

It seems like their is still gonna be more new ones to come since it seems like diddy is gonna have a render of him jumping over a hurdle.

 

 

Just like how they used the new render of luigi for this event.

[Dr. Detective]

Goddammit. I'm way too pissed about that one character that its overshadowing any excitement I could have had for Espio and Omega. Just feels like they did it on purpose to spite me specifically. 

[Your Vest Friend]

Huh, seems like the official Japanese character page goes by parallels, so let's see what we can do to link the counterparts!

-Mario to Sonic; Uh, well, they're the main heroes and characters. Would you expect anything else from the Mario and Sonic series.

-Luigi and Peach to Tails and Amy; Brotherly sidekick and damsel in distress main female lead? Makes sense.

-Birdo and Daisy to Knuckles and Cream; I have to admit, Birdo to Knuckles is weird when his usual match Yoshi or Toad, but Toad isn't here and Birdo has a more classic edge than Yoshi, so it does make its own sense in a way. Daisy to Cream harks back to when Cream was a more central character and essentially a sister figure to Amy. Nice throwback.

-Bowser and Bowser Jr to Vector and Espio; Genuinely an interesting and revealing one (bias aside ahem). Bowser and Bowser Jr are portrayed as the second strongest bond in the Mario franchise, and SEGA are adamant that these can go toe to toe with that in spite of how many other partnerships there are in the Sonic franchise. So much so, that they reverted Vector's Vancouver onwards rivalry of Donkey Kong with his Beijing rivalry of Bowser. This also has more general implications; if the emphasis is not on Eggman and Bowser, there likely isn't a story mode in the same vein as Vancouver and London's story plots.

-Donkey Kong and Yoshi to Metal Sonic and Blaze; these seem grouped like this for having long established game lines outside the Mario line most likely. Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic were the first rivals of their respective franchise mascots, while Blaze has a very independent life outside of Sonic's World and can do her own stuff like Yoshi on the multiple Yoshi's Islands. They're also fairly good speedsters. (okay, that link's more abstract, but hey). 

-Wario and Waluigi to Shadow and Silver; Grouped for being rivals, one pair to two characters, the other to one. Wario and Shadow are both the prominent current rivals to their respective franchise mascots, so that's easy. Silver and Waluigi are less tied to them, and they both fit into the skill type, so that makes sense too. 

-Diddy Kong to Eggman; Well, I suppose that they're more brains to Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic's brawns, so they're fitting as complementary. And again, I have to point out that people would probably see Eggman and Metal Sonic as Sonic's Bowser and Bowser Jr but SEGA decided they weren't bonded enough to be that so they were relegated to the Kongs. Burn, Eggman.

-Dry Bones to Omega; They're both technically grunts of their respective baddie's armies, it's just that one has a whole schtick of seeking revenge on his boss after he locked him up and is therefore in no way affiliated any more. 

-Ludwig to Wave; ...Ludwig is the more flighty of the Koopalings with his flutter jump, while Wave is the flight specialist of her team? Eh, this one seems like an afterthought, along with a later one to a lesser extent.

-Nabbit to Eggman Nega; ...*le shrug* They're both considered nuisances? Again more of a thrown in one, although maybe the fact they ape the looks of other villains (Bowser Jr and Eggman respectively) plays a part too.

-Rosalina to Jet; They both came out around the same time to add a new face to an existing niche (Rosalina for princesses, Jet for rivals). The difference is that Rosalina was super successful since she offered something fresh and had an appealing personality and depth, while Jet...didn't go down so well. 

-Dry Bowser to Sticks; They're both being forced in the limelight to try and make them more popular :P. I'm sure the intention is that they're both dark horses and there under impossible circumstances (Dry Bowser being the same as regular Bowser, natch), but eh. 

-Roy and Larry to Zavok and Zazz; You'd think that it'd be Roy to Zavok and Larry to Zazz due to the builds, but this arrangement makes sense when you think about the team roles; Zavok and Larry are essentially figureheads/leaders for their teams (Larry was called the leader in some translations, but that's questionable), while Roy and Zazz are more of the aggressive, attack-first fodder. 

-Wendy to Rouge; They're the stylish woman stereotypes. That's it. They don't have a link aside from that. Like with Wave, this one is more of an arbitrary counterpart selection, but I'd rather the less matching Rouge than the more matching Zeena.

 

And there we go, stuff for you guys to counter. 

[Forte-Metallix]

Well, Sochi gave all 20 veterans their inter-franchise rivals:

-Mario and Sonic: Self-explanatory

-Luigi and Tails: Sidekicks

-Peach and Amy: Implied Love Interests

-Daisy and Blaze: Athletic Women

-Wario and Knuckles: Treasure-Hunting Rivals

-Waluigi and Shadow: Dark Duplicates

-Donkey Kong and Vector: Music-Loving Party Animals

-Bowser and Eggman: Big Bads

-Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic: Elite Henchmen

-Yoshi and Silver: Uh..... Leftovers?

As for the newcomers, I could see Nabbit and Jet being rivals, seeing as they're both speedy thieves. And Dry Bowser and Eggman Nega are reskins of the Big Bads, and their relationships to said villains are pretty inconsistent. Ludwig and Zavok are both leaders of dangerous gangs who seem to have a lust for power. Everyone else? You got me.

[Your Vest Friend]

I know that's how it was, but it looks like this game has reshuffled them again, just like how they were shuffled after Beijing. 

[Rad Dudesman]

Larry's not the leader of the Koopalings.  His trophy in the 3DS version of Smash 4 said that, but the Wii U version fixed that and changed it to "the youngest of the Koopalings".

The Koopalings don't really have a leader according to Paper Jam. Ludwig thinks he's the leader, but the others say that they voted on a leader and consider each other equals.

 

Roy-Zavok and Larry-Zazz fit better. The first two are the "tough guys" of their groups, and the latter two are viewed as the weakest of their groups.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Rad Dudesman

[Forte-Metallix]

Yeah, Ludwig was never officially in charge, but let's face it: He's the real mastermind of the seven siblings. He's the eldest, he's typically fought last and given the most challenging fights, and there have been a few hints that he might be planning to usurp the Koopa throne for himself. (Ditching Bowser Jr. twice in NSMBWii, insisting others refer to him as a king, etc.)

Zavok's pretty much the same, aside from not being the oldest. He's clearly the most threatening Zeti and has a habit of backstabbing his bosses so he can claim all power. (As Eggman and Sigma learned the hard way, though the latter anticipated it)

[Kaotic Kanine]

They are in the 3DS version. I think this was already done in the last 3DS game, which was London. I don't think there's any word on the Wii U version doing that, but I doubt it will.

Ah! That's very good to hear! Excitement for this game restored  Well, at least for the Wii U version  I just hope they don't cut down any characters in the transition. I swear if they ever cut Cream from the Wii U version, heads will roll

Birdo and Daisy to Knuckles and Cream; I have to admit, Birdo to Knuckles is weird when his usual match Yoshi or Toad, but Toad isn't here and Birdo has a more classic edge than Yoshi, so it does make its own sense in a way. Daisy to Cream harks back to when Cream was a more central character and essentially a sister figure to Amy. Nice throwback.

Not to mention Daisy and Cream have a surprisingly similar color scheme. Daisy's dress is primarily yellow while Cream's fur is, well, cream colored (the color cream being a very light shade of yellow, much in the same way pink is a very light shade of red), Daisy's dress also has some orange on it while Cream has an orange dress and facial markings, I think Daisy has light blue jewelry (her earrings and... Whatever you call that gem on her chest) while Cream has a light blue ascot (or tie. Whatever you think it is) and a pet that is almost entirely light blue. Heck, even Daisy's brown hair matches Cream's brown eyes! There's also Cream's love for flowers, if Sonic X is any indication, which Daisy is very associated with (she is named after a flower). And then there's how both started off as rather central characters in the main series but have been mostly relegated to spin-offs... Wow, I think the only thing Daisy and Cream DON'T have in common is that Daisy is (allegedly) a tomboy while Cream is an extreme girly girl  And here I was thinking Cream's counterpart would be Rosalina because they are both associated with absurdly cute, baby-like creatures (Luma and Chao) and both bring a sense of "motherhood" to their series (Rosalina being the "mother" to the Luma and Cream inspiring motherly instincts in both Amy and Blaze and even has a mother of her own, who herself is the only living parent in the games, even if she's sadly dead as a character now  Fucking damn you SEGA...) But nope, it's more fitting for Daisy and Cream to be official counterparts/rivals.

I'm sorry but VEDJ-F's comment makes me want to rant about how much I hate SEGA for downgrading Cream like they have for the past years! She NEEDS to become a central character and be Amy's sister figure again! 

*Ahem* While still on this note, I'll be disappointed if Wario and Rouge aren't made to be rivals to each other. I mean, it makes sense when you consider both characters were made to be opposite counterparts to already existing characters (Wario to Mario and Rouge to Knuckles) and both are selfish individuals (Wario more so than Rouge though) obsessed with treasure. There's also a contrasting appeal to them, with Wario being an absolutely revolting man with no moral standards (that I know of, at least) while Rouge is, well, the "hottest" character in her franchise and does have moral standards.

Edited December 30, 2015 by Kaotic Kanine
Added in a few more sentences to make this less "ranty"

[Your Vest Friend]

Roy-Zavok and Larry-Zazz fit better. The first two are the "tough guys" of their groups, and the latter two are viewed as the weakest of their groups.

I said that would fit better, but that isn't what they went with on the character page. 

[Dr. Detective]

Please, RubyEclipse, someone at SEGA, anyone. Please reassure me that my favorite member of the Chaotix isn't being fazed out of the series. Just give me a sign.

If there were ever a chance for him to be playable in something, anything, this was it and it was taken away from me. 

[Marcello]

With everything they've added, they've gotta leave stuff for the future. I doubt Charmy is being phased out, he'll surely appear as a NPC.

 

[Dr. Detective]

Just now, Marcello said:

With everything they've added, they've gotta leave stuff for the future. I doubt Charmy is being phased out, he'll surely appear as a NPC.

 

That makes no sense to me considering they've got two zeti in here. 

I already know he's an NPC but it still stings thinking about how Cream and Espio got to escape that realm and he got shafted. 

[DaN]

1 hour ago, Dr. Chaotix said:

That makes no sense to me considering they've got two zeti in here. 

I already know he's an NPC but it still stings thinking about how Cream and Espio got to escape that realm and he got shafted. 

Let's start push Charmy, Big, Tikal and Classic Sonic for DLC then

[Forte-Metallix]

Does it really matter what characters we get? It's not like these games are gonna be good, anyway. Besides, all non-title characters are only playable in two or three events in the 3DS version.

[Dr. Detective]

Just now, Forte-Metallix said:

Does it really matter what characters we get? It's not like these games are gonna be good, anyway. Besides, all non-title characters are only playable in two or three events in the 3DS version.

Yeah it does. If he's not going to be playable in anything else, scavenging for whatever I can get is all I can do. Yet I can't even get that. If anything it speaks volumes about what kind of standing certain characters have. So when a good game comes around you know who'll continue to not show up.  

[Siobhan]

2 hours ago, Dr. Chaotix said:

it still stings

heh

[Rey Skywalker-Ren]

Well Im usually not one for Olympic games but this looks interesting.

[Sega DogTagz]

The single biggest gripe any of us had with the last 3DS Olympic game was the team based locking of events. It was a serious and obvious short coming that should have been immediately scrapped when the time came to bring the next game to the drawing board.

I'm hesitant to believe that the dev's would travel that same road again... with an even more restrictive event roster even...

I'll just take a wait and see approach on this one. Severely limiting the character pool per event was a mistake last go round, but it would be an even bigger foul to repeat that decision for this new entry.

[RappedinBlacX]

1 hour ago, Sega DogTagz said:

The single biggest gripe any of us had with the last 3DS Olympic game was the team based locking of events. It was a serious and obvious short coming that should have been immediately scrapped when the time came to bring the next game to the drawing board.

I'm hesitant to believe that the dev's would travel that same road again... with an even more restrictive event roster even...

I'll just take a wait and see approach on this one. Severely limiting the character pool per event was a mistake last go round, but it would be an even bigger foul to repeat that decision for this new entry.

I believe they're doing it this way because the roster has become so large its difficult to balance everyone. So by grouping into events they can balance within a smaller pool. 

[Kaotic Kanine]

Late to the discussion, I know, but I feel your pain Dr. Chaotix! I've been having similar sentiments in regards to Cream and how uncommon her relevant appearances, let alone playable appearance, have been. But poor Charmy has it even worse than Cream and any other character and it's honestly frustrating that that's the case. Why are Heroes and Runners pretty much the only games he's playable in? Because he's the least popular member of the Chaotix? Um, who cares? Every character has their fans and denying those people a chance to play or even see their favorite character simply because other people don't care is unfair. Because Charmy constantly hovers? THEN HAVE HIM FUCKING WALK/RUN IF NEED BE! He has legs and that's what they did with Runners, I don't see why that can't be the case for other games! And what about Metal Sonic? He constantly hovers in the air too, does it far more than legit walking/running, and yet he's allowed multiple playable appearances! It's bullshit...

[Dr. Detective]

3 hours ago, Kaotic Kanine said:

Late to the discussion, I know, but I feel your pain Dr. Chaotix! I've been having similar sentiments in regards to Cream and how uncommon her relevant appearances, let alone playable appearance, have been. But poor Charmy has it even worse than Cream and any other character and it's honestly frustrating that that's the case. Why are Heroes and Runners pretty much the only games he's playable in? Because he's the least popular member of the Chaotix? Um, who cares? Every character has their fans and denying those people a chance to play or even see their favorite character simply because other people don't care is unfair. Because Charmy constantly hovers? THEN HAVE HIM FUCKING WALK/RUN IF NEED BE! He has legs and that's what they did with Runners, I don't see why that can't be the case for other games! And what about Metal Sonic? He constantly hovers in the air too, does it far more than legit walking/running, and yet he's allowed multiple playable appearances! It's bullshit...

Thanks for agreeing. I'll admit I never did worry much about Cream since she's sometimes treated as the fifth wheel to the main four more often then not and has plenty more appearances as a playable character as a result. However, it is true that all of the cast members don't have much. So when they have the chance to give them something small and they still can't do it it hurts a little more. Especially considering how little sense it makes for two Zeti, Wave, and even Eggman Nega to be there over him. They had a sprite sheet of all the main characters in Runners so its odd it turned out like this before that list was completed.

[Kaotic Kanine]

6 minutes ago, Dr. Chaotix said:

Thanks for agreeing. I'll admit I never did worry much about Cream since she's sometimes treated as the fifth wheel to the main four more often then not and has plenty more appearances as a playable character as a result. However, it is true that all of the cast members don't have much. So when they have the chance to give them something small and they still can't do it it hurts a little more. Especially considering how little sense it makes for two Zeti, Wave, and even Eggman Nega to be there over him. They had a sprite sheet of all the main characters in Runners so its odd it turned out like this before that list was completed.

No prob! While I am admittedly biased in favor of certain characters, I do care for the other characters and I won't stand by any blatant injustice against them. And glad to know that you view Cream as a fifth member of the Main Cast (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy) like I do. Now if only she's actually treated like one more often...

Indeed, I was honestly shocked that Wave and Eggman Nega got to be playable over Charmy. Well, Wave at least has a devoted fanbase but Eggman Nega is one of the most derided and hated Sonic characters. I guess he got in solely because he already existed in the games as a rival so making him playable wasn't hard but still... Though I'm not surprised at all that Zazz and Zavok were made playable given how much SEGA has been trying to "push them" (that and, of the Deadly Six, I think those two are the most liked/least hated).