<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
installment	O
on	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
Japan	O
and	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
other	O
regions	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
in	O
November	O
2007	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
handheld	O
in	O
January	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
official	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
2008	O
Summer	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
it	O
is	O
licensed	O
by	O
the	O
International	O
Olympic	O
Committee	O
(	O
IOC	O
)	O
through	O
exclusive	O
licensee	O
International	O
Sports	O
Multimedia	O
(	O
ISM	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
official	O
crossover	O
game	O
to	O
feature	O
characters	O
from	O
both	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
DS	B-Device
is	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
twenty-four	O
events	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
assume	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
Nintendo	O
or	O
Sega	O
character	O
,	O
using	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
to	O
mimic	O
sports	O
actions	O
such	O
as	O
swinging	O
a	O
paddle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
uses	O
the	O
stylus	B-Device
and	O
button	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
adopted	O
the	O
IOC	O
's	O
mission	O
of	O
promoting	O
sportsmanship	O
and	O
interest	O
young	O
people	O
in	O
the	O
Olympics	B-Application
by	O
using	O
its	O
characters	O
;	O
following	O
this	O
theme	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
allowed	O
Sega	O
to	O
include	O
Mario	B-Application
with	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
created	O
by	O
Sega	O
as	O
a	O
mascot	B-Application
to	O
rival	O
Mario	B-Application
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
praised	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
interaction	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
game	O
,	O
and	O
variety	O
of	O
events	O
of	O
both	O
versions	O
,	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
for	O
its	O
complexity	O
and	O
its	O
DS	B-Device
counterpart	O
for	O
not	O
offering	O
the	O
same	O
interaction	O
between	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
game	O
was	O
awarded	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
game	O
of	O
2007	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
Games	O
Convention	O
in	O
Leipzig	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
sold	O
over	O
10	O
million	O
units	O
and	O
started	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
related	O
sport	O
video	O
games	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
upcoming	O
Olympic	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
is	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
twenty-four	O
events	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
events	O
consist	O
of	O
using	O
the	O
motion	O
sensor	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
and	O
Nunchuk	O
attachment	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
actions	O
of	O
the	O
on-screen	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
moves	O
the	O
remote	O
in	O
a	O
manner	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
method	O
the	O
separate	O
games	O
are	O
played	O
in	O
real	O
life	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
swinging	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Remote	O
to	O
replicate	O
hammer	O
throw	O
or	O
pulling	O
back	O
the	O
remote	O
and	O
tilting	O
the	O
Nunchuk	O
like	O
a	O
bow	O
and	O
arrow	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
in	O
table	O
tennis	O
the	O
player	O
movement	O
is	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
,	O
while	O
the	O
swinging	O
of	O
the	O
racket	O
is	O
controlled	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
game	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
in	O
design	O
,	O
but	O
due	O
to	O
lack	O
of	O
motion	O
controls	O
,	O
its	O
events	O
are	O
much	O
less	O
physically	O
demanding	O
than	O
those	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
brings	O
together	O
the	O
two	O
title	O
characters	O
and	O
fourteen	O
more	O
from	O
both	O
franchises	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
environments	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
official	O
venues	O
of	O
the	O
2008	O
Summer	O
Olympics	B-Application
in	O
Beijing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
environments	O
are	O
stylized	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
futuristic	O
and	O
cartoon-like	O
art	O
styles	O
of	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Mario	B-Application
franchises	I-Application
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
has	O
additional	O
in-game	O
characters	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
Mii	O
Channel	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
Mii	O
,	O
a	O
customized	O
avatar	O
,	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
imported	O
into	O
games	O
that	O
support	O
the	O
feature	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
versions	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
have	O
three	O
similar	O
modes	O
of	O
gameplay	O
:	O
Circuit	O
mode	O
,	O
Single	O
Match	O
,	O
and	O
Mission	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
's	O
Circuit	O
and	O
Single	O
Match	O
can	O
have	O
an	O
additional	O
one	O
to	O
three	O
players	O
competing	O
simultaneously	O
while	O
its	O
DS	B-Device
counterpart	O
has	O
an	O
extra	O
option	O
dedicated	O
to	O
multiplayer	O
called	O
Versus	O
Play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Versus	O
supports	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
people	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
wireless	O
capabilities	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
to	O
play	O
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DS	B-Device
Download	O
Play	O
is	O
possible	O
for	O
those	O
without	O
an	O
individual	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
however	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
sports	O
available	O
is	O
limited	O
to	O
six	O
events	O
and	O
circuit	O
mode	O
is	O
not	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
versions	O
feature	O
a	O
gallery	O
mode	O
where	O
brief	O
facts	O
about	O
the	O
Olympics	B-Application
can	O
be	O
found	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
five	O
categories	O
of	O
Olympics-related	O
trivia	O
organized	O
by	O
history	O
and	O
athletes	O
,	O
with	O
corresponding	O
minigames	O
that	O
will	O
unlock	O
the	O
answer	O
to	O
trivia	O
questions	O
once	O
completed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
features	O
authentic	O
Olympic	O
events	O
for	O
the	O
single	O
match	O
and	O
circuit	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
types	O
of	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
events	O
are	O
classified	O
as	O
athletics	O
,	O
gymnastics	O
,	O
shooting	O
,	O
archery	O
,	O
rowing	O
,	O
aquatics	O
,	O
fencing	O
,	O
and	O
table	O
tennis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Taking	O
place	O
in	O
locations	O
and	O
using	O
objects	O
from	O
older	O
games	O
of	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
Dream	O
Events	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
special	O
abilities	O
of	O
characters	O
and	O
display	O
dramatic	O
moments	O
in	O
slow	O
motion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
DS	B-Device
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
feature	O
mostly	O
the	O
same	O
events	O
,	O
each	O
version	O
has	O
events	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
has	O
10m	O
Platform	O
Diving	O
,	O
cycling	O
,	O
and	O
five	O
Dream	O
Events	O
—	O
canoeing	O
,	O
boxing	B-Application
,	O
basketball	B-Application
,	O
long	O
jump	O
,	O
and	O
skeet	O
shooting	O
—	O
not	O
featured	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Sega	O
transitioned	O
from	O
hardware	O
to	O
third-party	O
development	O
in	O
2001	O
,	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
Sega	O
developed	O
a	O
closer	O
relationship	O
and	O
worked	O
together	O
on	O
F-Zero	B-Application
GX	I-Application
—	O
the	O
first	O
significant	O
video	O
game	O
collaboration	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
crossover	O
game	O
between	O
Sega	O
's	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
and	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Mario	B-Application
characters	O
had	O
been	O
casually	O
discussed	O
between	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
;	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
leader	O
Yuji	O
Naka	O
and	O
Mario	B-Application
creator	O
Shigeru	O
Miyamoto	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
had	O
their	O
private	O
discussions	O
revealed	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
is	O
the	O
protagonist	O
of	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
series	O
released	O
by	O
Sega	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
provide	O
the	O
company	O
with	O
a	O
mascot	B-Application
to	O
rival	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
flagship	O
character	O
Mario	B-Application
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
of	O
an	O
Olympic	O
setting	O
for	O
the	O
mascots	B-Application
originated	O
after	O
Sega	O
was	O
awarded	O
the	O
Beijing	O
2008	O
Olympic	O
license	O
approximately	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developer	O
adopted	O
the	O
IOC	O
's	O
mission	O
to	O
promote	O
a	O
sporting	O
spirit	O
and	O
wanted	O
to	O
interest	O
young	O
people	O
in	O
the	O
Olympics	B-Application
with	O
its	O
newly	O
acquired	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
then	O
requested	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
permission	O
to	O
include	O
Mario	B-Application
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
setting	O
up	O
the	O
first	O
matchup	O
between	O
their	O
mascots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
approved	O
and	O
partnered	O
with	O
Sega	O
in-house	B-Architecture
to	O
add	O
another	O
layer	O
of	O
quality	O
control	O
to	O
the	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
companies	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
competitive	O
sportsmanship	O
of	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
provided	O
an	O
ideal	O
choice	O
as	O
a	O
setting	O
for	O
the	O
once-rival	O
mascots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
with	O
a	O
joint	O
press	O
release	O
by	O
Sega	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
on	O
March	O
28	O
,	O
2007	O
and	O
premiered	O
at	O
E3	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Racjin	O
and	O
according	O
to	O
gaming	O
site	O
IGN	O
,	O
TOSE	O
,	O
a	O
developer	O
known	O
to	O
avoid	O
crediting	O
itself	O
in	O
its	O
works	O
,	O
helped	O
to	O
develop	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
officially	O
licensed	O
by	O
the	O
IOC	O
through	O
exclusive	O
licensee	O
ISM	O
and	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
official	O
video	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
2008	O
Summer	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
president	O
of	O
Sega	O
Europe	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
originally	O
planned	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
events	O
,	O
including	O
judo	B-Application
,	O
to	O
fully	O
epitomize	O
the	O
Olympics	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
figure	O
for	O
the	O
final	O
product	O
was	O
reduced	O
and	O
judo	B-Application
was	O
omitted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
swifter	O
than	O
planned	O
;	O
in	O
October	O
2007	O
,	O
Sega	O
announced	O
that	O
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
scheduled	O
release	O
date	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
has	O
been	O
advanced	O
by	O
two	O
weeks	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
had	O
gone	O
gold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
followed	O
in	O
2008	O
in	O
Japan	O
on	O
January	O
17	O
,	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
January	O
22	O
,	O
in	O
Australia	O
on	O
February	O
7	O
,	O
in	O
Europe	O
on	O
February	O
8	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
South	O
Korea	O
on	O
June	O
26	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
was	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
;	O
in	O
the	O
first	O
few	O
months	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
on	O
four	O
separate	O
occasions	O
the	O
top-selling	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Kingdom	O
all-formats	O
chart	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
sold	O
a	O
half-million	O
units	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
during	O
those	O
seven	O
weeks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
both	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
and	O
DS	B-Device
versions	O
reached	O
combined	O
sales	O
of	O
1.2million	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
prompting	O
Sega	O
to	O
create	O
plans	O
on	O
re-marketing	O
the	O
game	O
there	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
NPD	O
Group	O
,	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
game	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top-ten	O
best-sellers	O
for	O
the	O
month	O
of	O
December	O
2007	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
selling	O
613,000	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Design	O
and	O
Research	O
analyst	O
Jesse	O
Divnich	O
argued	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
a	O
fitting	O
example	O
of	O
brand	O
awareness	O
 '	O
role	O
in	O
determining	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
game	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
is	O
an	O
exception	O
to	O
the	O
correlation	O
that	O
higher	O
quality	O
games	O
lead	O
to	O
better	O
sales	O
as	O
seen	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Divnich	O
added	O
"	O
To	O
the	O
casual	O
and	O
social	O
gamer	O
,	O
it	O
did	O
n't	O
matter	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
received	O
sub-70	O
Metacritic	O
scores	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
recognizable	O
"	O
Mario	B-Application
"	O
and	O
"	O
Sonic	B-Application
"	O
brand	O
names	O
participating	O
in	O
a	O
recognizable	O
action	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
"	O
contributed	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
US	O
sales	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
December	O
28	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
594,157	O
units	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
and	O
as	O
of	O
December	O
27	O
,	O
2009	O
,	O
383,655	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
version	O
has	O
been	O
sold	O
in	O
Japan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
version	O
is	O
the	O
twenty-seventh	O
best-selling	O
game	O
of	O
Japan	O
for	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
for	O
Australia	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
eighth	O
best-selling	O
game	O
while	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
is	O
number	O
four	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2008	O
,	O
Simon	O
Jeffrey	O
,	O
president	O
of	O
Sega	O
of	O
America	O
,	O
announced	O
that	O
Sega	O
has	O
sold	O
approximately	O
10	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
combined	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
showed	O
interest	O
in	O
again	O
collaborating	O
with	O
Nintendo	O
to	O
produce	O
another	O
game	O
featuring	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
 '	O
mascots	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
listed	O
in	O
the	O
Guinness	O
World	O
Records	O
Gamer	O
's	O
Edition	O
2010	O
book	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Best-selling	O
gaming	O
character	O
cross-over	O
"	O
with	O
7.09	O
million	O
on	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
and	O
4.22	O
million	O
copies	O
on	O
DS	B-Device
sold	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
was	O
awarded	O
the	O
"	O
Best	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
game	O
of	O
2007	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
Games	O
Convention	O
in	O
Leipzig	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
mixed	O
reactions	O
from	O
game	O
critics	O
;	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
had	O
a	O
similar	O
reception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
common	O
complaint	O
was	O
that	O
Sega	O
and	O
Nintendo	O
failed	O
to	O
set	O
the	O
first	O
matchup	O
between	O
their	O
mascots	B-Application
in	O
the	O
genre	O
that	O
made	O
them	O
famous	O
—	O
platform	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
companies	O
threw	O
Mario	B-Application
and	O
Sonic	B-Application
into	O
an	O
Olympic-themed	O
party	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
a	O
move	O
which	O
Tae	O
Kim	O
of	O
GamePro	O
criticized	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
marketing	O
tool	O
"	O
to	O
popularize	O
the	O
XXIX	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
being	O
an	O
entertaining	O
multiplayer	O
experience	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
criticized	O
for	O
shallow	O
gameplay	O
and	O
complex	O
rules	O
and	O
instructions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameTrailers	O
concluded	O
that	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
lack	O
of	O
"	O
polish	O
and	O
simplicity	O
"	O
leaves	O
the	O
improbable	O
grouping	O
of	O
mascots	B-Application
as	O
its	O
main	O
attraction	O
when	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
party	O
video	O
games	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
's	O
Aaron	O
Thomas	O
rated	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
's	O
motion	O
control	O
scheme	O
as	O
"	O
uninteresting	O
and	O
occasionally	O
frustrating	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X-Play	O
'	O
s	O
Morgan	O
Webb	O
agreed	O
,	O
calling	O
the	O
controls	O
"	O
non-intuitive	O
"	O
and	O
commenting	O
that	O
the	O
minigames	O
required	O
players	O
to	O
"	O
wave	O
their	O
Wiimotes	B-Device
frantically	O
while	O
pressing	O
several	O
buttons	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tae	O
Kim	O
said	O
the	O
events	O
were	O
"	O
short	O
and	O
fairly	O
shallow	O
"	O
and	O
mostly	O
required	O
players	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
"	O
Wii	B-Device
Remote	I-Device
and	O
Nunchuks	O
in	O
specific	O
ways	O
—	O
rapidly	O
up	O
and	O
down	O
for	O
running	O
events	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mark	O
Bozon	O
of	O
IGN	O
called	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
a	O
success	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
entertainment	O
value	O
derived	O
from	O
the	O
slight	O
variety	O
of	O
competitions	O
offered	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
reviewers	O
favored	O
the	O
more	O
complex	O
objectives	O
found	O
in	O
the	O
fantasy	O
events	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
which	O
shared	O
attributes	O
with	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Mario	B-Application
sport	O
games	O
and	O
archery	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
was	O
regarded	O
as	O
virtually	O
the	O
same	O
game	O
in	O
design	O
as	O
its	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
counterpart	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
opinions	O
on	O
its	O
control	O
scheme	O
varied	O
greatly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Andrew	O
Fitch	O
of	O
1UP.com	O
assured	O
readers	O
in	O
his	O
review	O
that	O
the	O
less	O
physically	O
demanding	O
gameplay	O
of	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
made	O
the	O
game	O
accessible	O
for	O
extended	O
periods	O
of	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fitch	O
further	O
stated	O
that	O
in	O
nearly	O
"	O
every	O
case	O
,	O
events	O
 [ were ] 	O
far	O
more	O
enjoyable	O
on	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
"	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
requirement	O
of	O
the	O
human	O
body	O
's	O
finer	O
motor	O
skill	O
abilities	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harris	O
felt	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
lost	O
some	O
relevance	O
to	O
its	O
marginally	O
superior	O
Wii	B-Operating_System
counterpart	O
since	O
had	O
a	O
similar	O
design	O
and	O
released	O
almost	O
three	O
months	O
afterwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
publications	O
agreed	O
that	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
counterpart	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
had	O
clean	O
textures	O
and	O
well-done	O
animations	O
;	O
N-Europe	O
'	O
s	O
Iun	O
Hockley	O
thought	O
that	O
each	O
character	O
was	O
pleasingly	O
rendered	O
,	O
and	O
Thomas	O
added	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
were	O
"	O
crisp	O
and	O
colorful	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Echoing	O
this	O
sentiment	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
,	O
Emily	O
Balistrieri	O
of	O
GamePro	O
thought	O
"	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
music	O
 [ wasn't ] 	O
too	O
interesting	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
's	O
visuals	O
are	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
style	O
and	O
its	O
graphics	O
are	O
nearly	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
inability	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
other	O
players	O
online	O
,	O
Harris	O
regarded	O
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
limited	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Wi-Fi	O
Connection	O
on	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
as	O
a	O
"	O
missed	O
opportunity	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
at	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
is	O
a	O
Sonic-themed	O
sports	O
game	O
for	O
mobile	O
phones	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developed	O
by	O
AirPlay	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
features	O
five	O
events	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
starring	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
Tails	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
and	O
Amy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
commercial	O
success	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Games	I-Application
started	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
Mario	B-Application
&	O
Sonic	B-Application
sport	O
video	O
games	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
upcoming	O
Summer	O
and	O
Winter	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Titles	O
such	O
as	O
Mario	B-Application
&	I-Application
Sonic	I-Application
at	I-Application
the	I-Application
Olympic	I-Application
Winter	I-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
2010	O
Winter	O
Olympics	B-Application
in	O
Vancouver	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
in	O
October	O
2009	O
,	O
sold	O
6.53	O
million	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
Europe	O
by	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
while	O
Mario	B-Device
&	I-Device
Sonic	I-Device
at	I-Device
the	I-Device
London	I-Device
2012	I-Device
Olympic	I-Device
Games	I-Device
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
2012	O
Summer	O
Olympics	B-Application
and	O
released	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
in	O
November	O
2011	O
and	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
in	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
sold	O
3.28	O
million	O
copies	O
in	O
the	O
US	O
and	O
Europe	O
by	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
