All Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games, Ranked

Summary

• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games brought Mario and Sonic together successfully.
• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 had motion control issues but introduced new events.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games excelled with new Winter events and character additions.

The impact of the Olympics is hard to overstate. These athletic events, started in Ancient Greece as a way to honor the gods, have dominated athletics since 1896. However, the most culturally significant impact of the Olympics is obviously Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.

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The Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games has been as much a part of the Olympic cycle as the games itself. While the future of the series seems in doubt, these games are still a delightful mess of fun. Where else can players get Dr. Robotnik to do a sick kick-flip anyway? These are all the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games ranked.

6 Mario & Sonic At The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

Slide Through Sochi

Release Date

November 8th, 2013

Made For

2014 Sochi Winter Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is very much a sequel to 2010’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. While that isn’t necessarily bad, it simply wasn’t as innovative as later games. Make no mistake: even the worst-rated of these games is still a ton of fun.

But the fun of Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games is underlined by the issues it suffered. The motion controls remained a problem in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The team would learn from this game to make changes in two years, but that didn’t help with Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.

However, it wasn’t all reused content. New events did make their introduction to the series. The ever-popular paired figure skating made its debut in Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. Slope-style snowboarding was also introduced alongside updates for the Dream Events. Orbot and Cubot, two assistants of Eggman, were even given a trivia segment.

These updates were less substantial than previous updates to the series but were welcomed. Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games isn’t the best of the best, but it is still a very fun addition to the Sonic/Mario sports games.

5 Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games

Barrel Through Beijing

Release Date

November 6, 2007

Made For

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games had a lot resting on its shoulders. The 2007 release was the very official first game to ever have Mario and Sonic meet. Famed rivals Sega and Nintendo worked together to create something great, much like how athletes come from all over the world to create the Olympics.

Expectations were at an all-time high for this battle of the giants. And for what it’s worth? Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games met those expectations.

Don’t get it twisted: Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games was far from perfect. Making Olympic sports both playable for a Nintendo-style party game and recognizable as their respective sports was a tall order. Gameplay was complicated, at times clunky, and critics labeled several events as repetitive in terms of gameplay.

The port to the Nintendo DS simplified controls…but that only raised complaints about lack of depth. Sigh. You can’t please everyone.

In any case, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games served as the start of something beautiful. Players were jazzed to see two titans of the industry come together to make something fun. While the first game in the series wasn’t perfect, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games served as a launch pad for future titles. Or maybe it served as a vault…

4 Mario & Sonic At The Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Run Through Rio

Release Date

February 18th, 2016

Made For

2016 Rio de Janeiro Summer Games

The Rio 2016 games were an exciting time in Olympic history. Over at Nintendo and Sega, things were equally exciting. The two studios christened the Rio 2016 games with another entry in the Mario and Sonic series: Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. This game was much of the same content from previous games…to its detriment.

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Critics criticized how similar Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was to previous entries, but there were a handful of new things added to the game. New events included rugby sevens, archery, and BMX. Archery, especially, would usher in a major rework as the motion control system was completely overhauled.

Players were now able to just use Wii Remotes. New characters were also introduced to the series, such as Rouge the Bat, Rosalina, and Dry Bowser. Them bones, them bones, gonna win the gold.

Notably, each of the events were held in a genuine digital recreation of each of the real-life venues in Rio de Janeiro. This touch of reality made Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games feel connected to their games. While it wasn’t the most lauded of the series, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games was still a blast.

3 Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games

Loop Through London

Release Date

November 15th, 2011

Made For

2012 London Summer Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is, affectionately, a mixed bag. It introduced a lot and tried a lot. Some of it worked, some of it was less effective. But it can’t be denied that Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is the most experimental of the Olympic series. And most of these experiments, unlike Dr. Robotnik’s, pay off.

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games introduced the popular “Dream Events” from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It also introduced remade versions of previous events, such as aquatics and athletics. But the biggest change was the party mode: London Party.

London Party was a Mario Party-like event where the characters traveled around London competing in various games. This mode would not return in future games and has been seen as a highlight of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The game did receive some of the now-regular criticism of the series. Motion controls remained a sticking point, and some of the events were seen as too similar. However, critics praised the risks taken in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. While some of the ideas didn’t stick the landing, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games became a fan favorite.

2 Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

Tour Through Tokyo

Release Date

November 1st, 2019

Made For

2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a love letter to the past thirteen years of Mario & Sonic games. Like any good love letter, it’s a bit messy and chaotic. But it is still a love letter.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 introduced a lot.

First, it introduced Toadette to the series. Sweet. It also introduced several new events, such as skateboarding, sport climbing, and surfing. This game also has an 8-Bit mode for those who prefer a more classic style. In a wonderful touch, the 8-Bit mode is based on the 1964 Summer Olympics, which were also held in Tokyo.

The hated motion controls of the past are gone, although lag now plagues the athletes. Complaints described the game as much of the same thing but welcomed the new additions. Considering how close the 2020 Tokyo Games came to never happening, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 seems like a return to something comforting.

If the series had to end, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is a pretty good way to go out. (But, come on, who hasn’t seen an Olympian swear that this is their last Olympics and still show up again. We didn’t hear no bell.)

1 Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games

Vamoose To Vancouver

Release Date

October 13, 2009

Made For

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games has the best reviews, and for good reason: it is the best of the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games. This game was the first Olympic game to tackle the Winter Games.

This meant that all the events available to play were brand new to the series, and they included events such as snowboarding, speed skating, ice hockey, and of course, figure skating. Dream Event versions of events were available to unlock through certain milestones. These Dream Events included many of the regular events and added Snowball Fight, which isn’t an Olympic event. Sadly.

In terms of characters, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games introduced Donkey Kong, Metal Sonic, Bowser Jr., and Silver to the roster, which allowed for even more characters to force into mandatory fun. For players who wanted even more customization, a marketplace was added, which allowed players to purchase outfits and accessories.

In terms of gameplay, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games saw a simplification of controls from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. This was praised in reviews at the time. Of the six games in the Olympics series, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games takes the gold.

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