While the 2016 Summer Olympics won’t actually kick-off until August, you won’t have to wait too much longer to see Mario and Sonic compete in Rio. During today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the publisher announced that Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will hit the Nintendo 3DS on March 18, with the Wii U version following on June 24.
As with their previous showdown in London back in 2012, Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will see the two franchise figureheads, along with all of their friends, compete in assorted events. All of your traditional Olympic Games will be featured, so if you’ve ever wanted to see Knuckles compete in gymnastics, or Luigi toss a javelin, this is the party game for you.
Two new events, which will debut at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August, will also make their franchise debut this year. Golf, which is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 1904, will be available to play in both versions of Mario & Sonic, while rugby sevens, which is new to the games altogether, will only be playable on the Wii U.
When it comes to the many sports Nintendo’s mascot participates in, Mario & Sonic is near the top of the heap. The massive amount of events gives the franchise plenty of variety, and the 2016 edition of the series will be no different. Golf should easily slot right into the title, but I’m interested to see how Sega Sports R&D implements rugby. I don’t think there has ever been a good digital replication of the sport, so hopefully this will buck that trend.
Will you be taking part in the festivities when Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games launches later this year on the Nintendo family of consoles? Sound off below and let us know.
