Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS)
This article needs Mario & Sonic improvement. Specifically:
- Does the game feature Dutch language settings in the American version, or is it only in the European version?
- This article is about Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games for the Nintendo DS. For the Wii version of the game, see Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii).
| Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | |
|---|---|
| Official cover art for the Nintendo DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |
| Developers | Sega Nintendo SPD Group No.4 |
| Publishers | Sega (NA, EU, OC) Nintendo (JP, SK, TW) |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Release dates | USA October 13, 2009[1] Australia October 15, 2009[2] Europe October 16, 2009[3] Japan November 19, 2009[4] ROC November 19, 2009[5] South Korea December 3, 2009[6] |
| Languages | English Japanese Dutch French (Europe) German Italian Korean Spanish (Europe) |
| Genre | Sports |
| Ratings | ESRB: E - Everyone[?] CERO: A - All ages[?] PEGI: 3 - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] ACB: G - General[?]
|
| Modes | Varies according to the event that is played in the game Supports DS Download Play[7] |
| Format | Nintendo DS:
Game Card
|
| Input | Nintendo DS:
|
| Serial codes | USA NTR-COLE-USA Europe NTR-COLP-EUR Japan NTR-COLJ-JPN South Korea NTR-COLK-KOR |
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is a sports game for the Nintendo DS with a Wii version of the game released as well. Both games are a follow-up to Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games . The game is produced under license from the International Olympic Committee in relation to the Olympic Winter Games taking place at Vancouver in 2010.
Like the previous installment, this game is a collaboration between Sega and Nintendo featuring characters from both the Super Mario franchise and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
Although Sega was handling most of the development for both versions of this game, as it did for the original Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, they were also handling publishing/marketing duties for all territories outside of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, while Nintendo handled publishing/marketing duties for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan themselves.
This is the first handheld Super Mario game to be localized in Dutch. As the Nintendo DS console itself doesn't support Dutch, the option for the Dutch language in this version is instead present on the game's language settings in the European version.
About[edit ]
The DS version features Adventure Tours, a single player mode with a plot that involves Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the snow spirits. The Adventure Tour introduces one of the spirits called Frosty.[8] [9] [10] Just as seen in the Wii version of the game, the DS rendition includes the introduction of boss characters appearing in the Adventure Tour mode. These bosses will be present in certain events where the player will have to compete against them to clear their missions.[11]
Also, all authentic (real-life based events) are unlocked from the start. Dream Events are in this game and all of them need to be unlocked.
Olympic events[edit ]
- Skiing - Alpine Skiing GS
- Skiing - Moguls
- Skiing - Nordic Combined
- Skiing - Ski Jumping LH
- Skiing - Cross-Country
- Skating - Speed Skating 500m
- Skating - Short Track 500m
- Skating - Figure Skating
- Snowboard - Snowboard Cross
- Bobsleigh - Bobsleigh
- Bobsleigh - Skeleton
- Ice Hockey - Ice Hockey
- Curling - Curling
- Biathlon - Biathlon
- Luge - Luge
Dream events[edit ]
- Dream Skiing - Ski Cross Racing
- Dream Skiing - Rocket Ski Jumping
- Dream Skiing - Supersonic Downhill
- Dream Skating - Intense Short Track
- Dream Skating - Ultimate Figure Skating
- Dream Snowboard - Extreme Snowboarding
- Dream Snowboard - Deluxe Halfpipe
- Dream Bobsleigh - Blazing Bobsleigh
- Dream Ice Hockey - Fever Hockey
- Dream Curling - Curling Bowling
- Dream Biathlon - Ski Shooting
- Dream Snow Machine - Snow Machine Fight
Characters[edit ]
All of the characters from the Nintendo DS version of the previous game return. There are also four new playable characters to this installment[7] who were not present in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, namely Donkey Kong, Metal Sonic, Bowser Jr., and Silver. Retaining the first game's style, all playable characters are unlocked from the start.
Playable characters[edit ]
Team Mario[edit ]
Team Sonic[edit ]
Other[edit ]
Other characters[edit ]
Rivals[edit ]
Mario rivals[edit ]
| Icon | Name | Type | Event(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Boo | King Boo | Skill |
|
| Icon from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Big Bullet Bill | Speed |
|
| Dry Bowser | Dry Bowser | Power |
|
| Dry Bones | Dry Bones | All-Around |
|
| Character icon from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS) | Bowser Jr. | All-Around |
|
| Character icon from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS) | Bowser | Power |
|
Sonic the Hedgehog rivals[edit ]
| Icon | Name | Type | Event(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-123 Omega | Omega | Power |
|
| Jet the Hawk | Jet | Speed |
|
| Rouge the Bat | Rouge | All-Around |
|
| Eggman Nega | Eggman Nega | Skill |
|
| Character icon from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS) | Metal Sonic | Speed |
|
| Character icon from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo DS) | Dr. Eggman | Skill |
|
Adventure Tours[edit ]
The single player mode has a set of Adventure Tours which revolve around a plot involving Bowser and Dr. Eggman's scheme to melt all the snow by capturing the snow spirits on Winter Island and Dream Island.
Mario and Sonic's story[edit ]
Mario and Sonic travel to the Winter Games when they discover the snow is gone. Upon meeting the snow spirit Frosty, they find out Bowser and Dr. Eggman melted the snow and kidnapped the other snow spirits. Mario runs into Toad, who decides to travel with the two to confront Bowser and Dr. Eggman.
Mario and Sonic are the only playable characters in the hub worlds. Mario can go down pipes and can use power-ups, while Sonic can use his Spin Dash and Homing Attack to create pathways and knock down bridges. They are also the only playable characters in certain situations, such as Mario recruiting Peach and Sonic competing against Jet.
Luigi's story[edit ]
Luigi is first found in Frostown, looking for Mario or Sonic to challenge him in Cross-Country. After his defeat, he joins the party. In Sparkleton, Luigi helps Mario and Sonic look for a key; a Boo scares him away, making him bump into a tree. As the tree drops the key, the Boo steals it. After Luigi gets the key back, the Boo runs away and reports to King Boo, whom Luigi then challenges in Alpine Skiing GS in Polastraits.
Tails' story[edit ]
In Frostown, Tails is looking for Sonic or Mario to challenge him in Ski Jumping LH. After his defeat, he joins the team to support Sonic, then challenges Amy in Ski Shooting in Sparkleton. Tails also helps fixing a gate in Frostown, using the mechanism of a similar one present in Polastraits as a clue.
Peach's story[edit ]
Peach is first mentioned in Frostown, where Toad suggests that Peach's kind words could help move a Thwomp blocking the road. She is then found at Sparkleton, having come to take a peek at the snow festival. Afted challenging Mario on Snow Machine Fight, she joins the team.
Peach will take part in Snow Machine Fight again, this time for a Goomba that wants to see her ability. He then gives Peach a Shooting Rifle he got from Bowser. Back in Frostown, she will help with the Thwomp, who eventually lets the player go ahead.
Knuckles' story[edit ]
Knuckles is seen on a mission sign in Frostown; he joins the team after they beat him in Biathlon. In Polastraits, he helps Cream open a chest that contains a Fighter's Stick, after being challenged by her in Luge.
Knuckles is also shown pulling a mysterious lever in Cubyrinth, making all the team fall to a blocked area in Polastraits; he then helps them get out by smashing the large piece of ice blocking the way.
Amy's story[edit ]
Amy is found in Sparkleton, looking for Tails' help to fix her rifle. She then challenges him in Ski Shooting and joins the team. Amy then helps with a mechanism in Frostown, using her Piko Piko Hammer to push its panels in the right order and open the gate.
In Polastraits, Amy takes part in Alpine Skiing GS for Big. After completing the mission, Big rewards Amy with a Spark Luge he found while fishing.
Yoshi's story[edit ]
Yoshi is found at Polastraits, looking to be challenged on the Luge. As he joins the team, he helps them open a gate in Sparkleton, turning its five lights on with his tongue.
In Cubyrinth, Yoshi gets lost, losing his Drift Board as well. As Birdo finds his board, she challenges him in Ski Cross Racing before giving it back.
Shadow's story[edit ]
Shadow is first quoted by Rouge in Frostown, who is looking for him. He is found at Cubyrinth. After challenging the player in Ski Cross Racing, he spots Rouge and joins the team. Back in Frostown, Rouge tells him that she is looking for precious gems called Whitestones.
Shadow then uses his Chaos Spear to stop the pictures of a gate mechanism in Sparkleton. Later, he is seen in Icepeak with Rouge, Bowser, and Dr. Eggman, challenging the former in Figure Skating.
Blaze and Silver's story[edit ]
Right after the player defeats King Boo, Toad meets Silver and Blaze near a mission sign. The duo explains to Toad how they escaped and came to Polastraits; they then tell Mario and Sonic they are going to join the team if they lose to them in Ice Hockey. As they are defeated, though, they flee. Later in Cubyrinth, Silver and Blaze apologize for what they did; after challenging the player in Fever Hockey, they finally join the group.
Silver is then told of some strange Robo Balls Toad had seen at the beginning of the maze; he helps stopping them with his psychic powers and later gets Donkey Kong on the team in Icepeak. In the same location, Blaze is required to place four blocks with the emblems of Bowser, Dr. Eggman, Bowser Jr. and Metal Sonic in the correct places in order to open a gate, which leads to a treasure chest with a Leader's Curling Stone inside. Later in Blizland, she helps getting Daisy to join the team.
Donkey Kong's story[edit ]
Donkey Kong is found in Icepeak, crying because his bananas had fallen in a deep ledge. After Silver helps him get his bananas back, Donkey Kong challenges him in Moguls and then joins the party.
Back in Polastraits, Toad asks Donkey Kong if he could climb a mysterious pole with a button on top. As he presses the button, a bridge appears. Later in Icepeak, Donkey Kong asks Vector about his headphones. Vector tells him that he likes music in his own band. After beating Vector, Donkey Kong wants him to join the party.
Vector's story[edit ]
In Cubyrinth, Vector is mentioned by Charmy, who tells Mario and Sonic they should call him or he cannot let them pass through the gate that he is guarding.
Later in Icepeak, Vector is seen next to a mission sign, where he challenges Donkey Kong in a match off Short Track 500m in order to join the party.
Back in Cubyrinth, Charmy challenges Vector in a quiz based on Real and Dream Winter Olympic sports and the islands of the snow spirits, in order to let him and the player through. Vector is later seen talking Espio about the whereabouts of Whitestones.
Daisy's story[edit ]
Daisy is mentioned by a Chao in Icepeak, who wants to show her his patch of Freezaleas. She is found hiding in Blizland, practicing her Ultimate Figure Skating, which she later challenges Blaze in.
After Toad mentions the Chao's Freezalea patch in Icepeak, Daisy joins the group. As they arrive to Icepeak, a stray Kiki begins wrecking the garden; after Daisy manages to stun him with snowballs, the Kiki runs away and opens a previously sealed gate.
Daisy later meets Lakitu in Icepeak and Blizland, who tells her that she could help boost the popularity of the missions he is in charge of, them being Short Track 500m and Intense Short Track. Once completed, Lakitu will reward Daisy with the Meteor Curling Stone.
Wario and Waluigi's story[edit ]
Wario and Waluigi are met in Polastraits. The duo challenges the player in Bobsleigh in order to join the team, but after the challenge they flee away and jump in a hole in thin ice.
Much later in Icepeak, Wario and Waluigi are found again. They offer Mario and Sonic to defeat them in Snowboard Cross; once defeated, they officially join the team and give them a machine that detects Whitestones.
Wario uses his Waft to defeat a Chain Chomp that was blocking the way in Blizland, while Waluigi fights a Shy Guy's Bomb Flapper in Cubyrinth, in order to access the Shy Guys' secret place. In Blizland, both argue with a Dark Chao, but Peach and Daisy tell them to apologize.
Locations[edit ]
Emblems[edit ]
Staff[edit ]
Quotes[edit ]
- Main article: List of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games quotes
- "Oh, ho, ho. I'm a no-win." – Luigi
- "I'll give my best shot!" – Tails
- "*Huff* *Pant* Don't let your Snowboard Cross win go to your head." – Waluigi
- "Wario! Waluigi! Apologize this very instant!" – Daisy
- "What did you think about my beautiful technique?" – Rouge
Reception[edit ]
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Verdict |
| Nintendo DS | Carolyn Petit, GameSpot | 6/10 | "You can compete against friends on local wireless in the game's events and a handful of party games, such as bingo. Download play lets you compete in most events with up to three opponents using just one cartridge, and it's certainly more fun button-mashing and screen-scratching with friends than alone. But even with friends, the events just don't hold up for very long on their own and are quickly forgettable. The Adventure mode is the best thing this game's got going for it, and it makes good use of its characters. The fact that it finally unites Mario and Sonic on an actual quest makes it a novel gaming experience that you may enjoy in spite of its significant flaws." |
| Nintendo DS | Mark Bozon, IGN | 7.5/10 | "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games still has a bit of a farmed out feel to it. The game lacks the soul of a first party Nintendo offering, and the re-used assets and key art found in dozens of other games, posters, or box art gives the appearance that this game was somehow built off old standby content and not hand-crafted by the companies that brought you these fine mascots in the first place. It's fun to see Mario team up with Sonic, even if the story in Adventure Tours mode doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and the events, while still hit or miss, offer far more compelling gameplay mechanics and a whole lot more depth. Both the DS and Wii versions of this franchise are going to sell like hot cakes every time a new Olympic season rolls around, but at least players will have a reason to keep coming back to the DS game long after the waggle-fest on Wii wears thin." |
| Aggregators | |||
| Compiler | Platform / Score | ||
| Metacritic | 76 | ||
| GameRankings | 75.90% | ||
Gallery[edit ]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.
Multimedia[edit ]
References to other games[edit ]
- "Underwater BGM" plays in the Mario Medley in Ultimate Figure Skating.
- "Athletic BGM" plays in the Mario & Sonic Medley in Ultimate Figure Skating.
- "Ground BGM" plays in the Mario Medley in Ultimate Figure Skating.
- "Cool, Cool Mountain" plays in the Mario & Sonic Medley (Download Play) in Ultimate Figure Skating.
- The map icon for Piranha Plants and Goombas in Ski Cross Racing, Chain Chomps in Extreme Snowboarding and Item Boxes, Red Shells, and Spiny Shells in both those events are reused from this game.
- The "Athletic Theme" of this game plays in the Mario Medley in Ultimate Figure Skating.
- The map icons for Mario, Luigi, Wario, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Waluigi are reused from this game.
- The Super Star music is reused from this game.
References in later games[edit ]
Names in other languages[edit ]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マリオ&ソニックATバンクーバーオリンピック Mario ando Sonikku atto Bankūbā Orinpikku |
Mario & Sonic at the Vancouver Olympics | [12] | |
| Dutch | Mario & Sonic op de Olympische Winterspelen | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [13] | |
| French (European) | Mario & Sonic aux Jeux Olympiques d'hiver | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [14] | |
| German | Mario & Sonic bei den Olympischen Winterspielen | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [15] | |
| Italian | Mario & Sonic ai Giochi Olimpici Invernali | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [16] | |
| Korean | 마리오와 소닉 밴쿠버 동계올림픽 Mario-wa Sonik Baenkubeo Donggye-Ollimpik |
Mario & Sonic at the Vancouver Winter Olympics | [17] | |
| Portuguese (European) | Mario e Sonic nos Jogos Olímpicos de Inverno | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [18] | |
| Spanish (European) | Mario & Sonic En Los Juegos Olímpicos De Invierno | Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | [19] |
Notes[edit ]
- Most of the DS profile artwork is borrowed from earlier games like Super Mario Galaxy , Super Mario 64 DS , Mario Party 7 , Mario Party DS , Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix , Mario Party 8 , Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games , and Sonic Unleashed. Other art is either new or borrowed from the Sonic Channel. For the female participants in this game, the difference in their profile arts is that they are wearing their respective winter outfits.
- Bowser's profile artwork is the same as his artwork for New Super Mario Bros. Wii , which came almost a month after this game.
- An app based on this game was released for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch, but only features Sonic characters and thus is named simply Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games . This game has since been removed from the App Store.
- This is currently the only game in the series to be released on both consoles on the same day in most regions, except for Japan and South Korea.
- Dry Bowser is not present in the photo that shows the bosses at the end of Adventure mode.
- The sounds used for the Super Mushroom and the Mini Mushroom are the ones used in New Super Mario Bros. for the same items.
- For unknown reasons, the announcer does not have voice clips for Dry Bowser, King Boo, Big Bullet Bill and Dry Bones in the Korean version.
References[edit ]
- ^ Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games at Nintendo :: Games. Nintendo of America (American English). Archived March 6, 2010, 00:08:50 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Vuckovic, Daniel (July 14, 2009). Mario and Sonics Winter Olympic bash dated for Australia. Vooks (Australian English). Retrieved March 10, 2026. (Archived March 10, 2026, 23:30:21 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Nintendo DS | Games | Nintendo UK. Nintendo UK (British English). Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ マリオ&ソニック AT バンクーバーオリンピックTM(DS). Nintendo Co., Ltd. (Japanese). Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ^ Nintendo DS 遊戯軟體. Nintendo of Taiwan (Traditional Chinese). Retrieved December 26, 2025. (Archived December 15, 2025, 00:14:01 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ 마리오와 소닉 밴쿠버 동계올림픽TM. Nintendo of Korea (Korean). Archived May 17, 2012, 20:21:26 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
- ^ a b Nintendo of Europe confirmation
- ^ Snow Spirit Revealed
- ^ IGN information for Wii
- ^ IGN information for DS
- ^ Sega's forums
- ^ Japanese box art Media:MSOWG JPcoverds.PNG
- ^ Mario & Sonic op de Olympische Winterspelen. Nintendo NL (Dutch).
- ^ Mario & Sonic aux Jeux Olympiques d'hiver. Nintendo FR (French).
- ^ Mario & Sonic bei den Olympischen Winterspielen. Nintendo DE (German).
- ^ Mario & Sonic ai Giochi Olimpici Invernali. Nintendo IT (Italian).
- ^ Korean box art
- ^ Mario e Sonic nos Jogos Olímpicos de Inverno. Nintendo PT (European Portuguese).
- ^ Mario & Sonic En Los Juegos Olímpicos De Invierno. Nintendo ES (European Spanish).
External links[edit ]
- Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games on Sonic Retro
- Official International Website
- North American Website for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- European Website for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
- Japanese Website for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games