Other than Sonic Lost World, another Sonic-themed announcement was made at today’s pre-E3 Nintendo Direct presentation – Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. But unlike Sonic Lost World, Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata was able to give us a good amount of detail, including plenty of gameplay footage.
The game has been confirmed for the Wii U and the 3DS and Iwata told us that the game would feature HD visuals, with more detail in the characters and courses than the previous Mario & Sonic titles – adding that environmental effects, such as snow and ice would have a ‘realistic’ look and feel. If you watch the video, (link below) you should hopefully notice the lovely mirror effect the ice has in the ice-based events.
But let’s face it, while it’s good to hear that the visuals are now HD, this is not something that should need to be pointed out. The game is now on an HD console and I think gamers should expect HD quality visuals from the game – not hating, just saying.
New events have been added, such as snowboard slope racing, couples figure skating and a biathlon event, involving cross-country skiing and shooting.The game is also set to have a series of ‘Dream Events’ – which are set in the Sonic and Mario worlds, allowing for more fun (read: unrealistic) events and the ability to pull off “dynamic moves not possible in real life”.
Wii MotionPlus controls were confirmed, plus certain events will be using the Wii U GamePad and its touchscreen.
From the video footage we’ve seen so far, the game is shaping up pretty well and if it’s as fun as the last M&S Olympic Winter Games title, then it’s going to be pretty awesome. Oh and Sochi is in Russia by the way.
[Source: Nintendo Direct]