For over a decade now fans have been wondering just what a team-up between Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog would be like. Everything from traditional platform games to complex role-playing titles have been suggested, but it''s fair to say nobody imagined that it would finally happen in the form of an athletics simulator. It''s officially licensed from the 2008 Beijing Olympics though (Sega already had the license for their own more traditional tie-in) and contains all the usual events you''d expect including the 100m sprint, swimming, judo, table tennis, hammer throwing and archery. Sega have even been talking about using the new Wii Zapper controller for a spot of clay pigeon shooting. More than twenty-five characters from both universes will be playable in the game, including not just Mario and Sonic but also Luigi, Tails, Yoshi, Knuckles, Bowser, Doctor Eggman, Princess Peach and Amy. Other characters will have cameos as judges such as Cream the Cat and Toad. You''d expect some characters to be naturally better at some sports than others but each has their own strengths and weakness, with even Sonic''s incredible speed mitigated by his slow acceleration. The whole game is developed by Sega but overseen by legendary Nintendo creator Shigeru Miyamoto, with full tournament and missions modes as well as online leaderboards for all the different events. The name may sound like an April Fool''s joke at first but this crossover could well be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Harrison Dent

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