Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games announced!

The rumors are true! Sega announced Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games today! Along with the press release (included below) they launched the official website today. I really loved Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and I'm hopeful that they can build on that further to make this a really special game!

 TOKYO (April 21, 2011) – SEGA^® Corporation and Nintendo Co., Ltd. today announced that the record breaking partnership of Mario™ and Sonic™ will once again join forces on the Wii™ home video game system and, for the first time ever, on the Nintendo 3DS™ . Over 19 million people worldwide have bought video games from the Mario and Sonic series, and now the much loved duo are heading to London to participate in the officially licensed Olympic-themed video game, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games™. 

A host of exciting new headline events, including soccer and equestrian will debut on the Wii version appearing alongside classic Olympic disciplines, such as athletics, aquatics and table tennis. These new sports are sure to ignite even more fierce competition between friends and family in both single and multiplayer modes! The all new roster of Dream events that are set in popular Mario and Sonic worlds make for a truly unique sporting experience that can only be found in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.   

Arriving on Nintendo’s new handheld system for the first time ever Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games contains over 50 original Olympic themed events playable in both single and multiplayer modes. Bringing a whole new dimension to the Mario & Sonic universe, the glasses-free 3D visuals and the unique control systems mean there are plenty of new and exciting ways to compete for a coveted gold medal! 

As with its predecessors, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games for the Wii and Nintendo 3DS is being developed by SEGA Japan and is published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in the Japanese market. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive interactive entertainment software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 

“Mario and Sonic have had a phenomenally successful partnership and we are extremely proud to be able to recreate this once again with Nintendo and ISM for the London 2012 Olympic Games," commented Naoya Tsurumi, Chairman for SEGA of America and SEGA Europe. “It is truly exciting to be in the position to develop interactive entertainment software titles based on the Olympic Games, and for Sonic and Mario to once again be a part of this historic event.."

“The London 2012 Olympic Games will be a sporting showcase that will embrace the world and we are delighted to have Mario and Sonic competing once again, this time in the largest number of Olympic sports ever," says Raymond Goldsmith, Chairman & CEO of ISM.
"These games bring together two of the most beloved characters in the history of the video game industry in Mario and Sonic," said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "As veterans of both video games and Olympic games, they will arrive in London as a formidable team to provide fun, competitive sporting activities that friends and family members can enjoy together."

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games will be available on the Wii™ home video game system and the Nintendo 3DS™. A launch date will be announced later in the year.

For more information about the game, please visit www.sega.com or www.olympicvideogames.com

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver start today!!!

 

In good natured fashion Steven Colbert has posted this image online as a .pdf and is encouraging people to display it. I shall oblige.

In all seriousness I am very excited that the Olympics are back. Syd keeps asking about them so I think I'm turning her into a fan as well! 

In addition to all the great competition DreamWorks will be airing special "Viking-Dragon 1010" Olympic spots durring the games. I was fairly involved with these at work and they are something I'm pretty proud to have been a part of. I hope you enjoy them! 

On a sad note, I read recently that a very tragic accident has already occurred even before the games have begun. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died after crashing during training today. My prayers go out to his family and countrymen.

Rio Wins 2016 Olympics Bid!!

The first Olympic games to be held in South America will be in Rio de Janeiro in 2016!! Very exciting news! I am very surprised that Chicago was out in the first round and that it came down to Madrid and Rio. Would have never expected it to play out that way. Hopefully this will make way for the games to be held in Africa soon! I look forward hearing more info concerning the games as it is released! Congrats Rio!!

Olympic "All Together Now" Animated Ad

I posted this on my Olympic Blog a little while back, but I wanted to share it here as well. I really like this ad. I love the look of the characters and the overall stylization. There are nice subtle touches as well... the color of the suits the olympians are wearing are representative of the colors in the Olympic logo which are in turn representative of the different continents on earth. Well played.

New info on Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games released!

Annie, Syd, and I had such a blast playing the original Mario & Sonic Olympic game. With school wrapping up soon I am really looking forward to spending more family time together and one of the things we like to do is play games together. This game should be a fun addition to our Family Games lineup!

Sega recently release a new trailer for the game and updated their website with new info regarding the game. Among the new details are the confirmation of new characters Donkey Kong and Metal Sonic. The Wii will include an Ice Hockey mode that "feels inspired by arcade hockey titles such as Wayne Gretzky on the N64, or even Blades of Steel on the NES" according to press that have played the game at e3. The game will also support the Balance Board which seems natural. I wonder if they'll include support for the Wii Motion Plus accessory? Time will tell. I'm really looking forward to playing though. Maybe if we pick up the game this fall I'll post some videos of the ensuing shinanigins.

One year to go until the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics - plus other Olympic news!

Three hundred and sixty five days left until the start of the 21st Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. I am very excited about these games! I would love to attend - with them being so close and all - but that doesn't seem likely at this point in my life. I look forward to watching the games on television, and now online at times, with Annie and the kids!


To celebrate the one year to go milestone that passed today Vancouver announced and released the official design for their torch. I'm not too crazy about it to be honest. It seems... hmmm... it's hard to put a finger on. It looks like it was made by Apple and in this case I wouldn't call that a good thing. I was hoping for something more unique. In fact I was hoping that they would incorporate some the Aboriginal design elements that they have been using. It's not a debacle, like the London 2012 logo, by any means. I guess I had just hoped for more and was let down by the end result. The torchbearer suits are nice. They fit well with the rest of the overall design of the games which is nice.


Also in other Olympic news, the final Bid Books for the 2016 Summer Games were submitted today. From what I have seen it seems likely they've all submitted pretty nice plans. Madrid seems the least like to win the bid considering the games in 2012 are right next door in London. Rio would be a nice pick because the games have never been held in South America. The Tokyo bid is very attractive and would be my second personal choice after Chicago. The winner will be announced on October 2nd this year.

(You can view a video teaser for the game HERE)

And last but certainly not least for a Olympics fan and Nintendo geek like myself, Sega and Nintendo officially announced Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games today. This is fantastic news! I enjoyed the original Summer Games version very much and it's a fun family game that we still get out and play even today. I'm sure they will improve on the original game play mechanics and they have already announced support for the Wii Balance Board. Sega said the game will include Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating with more events to be announced throughout the year. They also stated that new characters will appear in this game as well and they will also be revealed later in the year. The game is currently slated for release by the end of the year.

If you enjoy the Olympics too please consider subscribing to my Olympics Blog!

Vancouver 2010 unveils new graphic identity

Vancouver 2010 unveiled it's new graphic identity today and I must say that I'm impressed. I like it a lot. It seems like this city seems to keep getting it right. From its logo to its mascots and now to this new graphic identity Vancouver seems to consistently impress. London 2012 please pay attention! (Ps. London, your website currently looks like it was created in 1992. Get your act together. Your crimes against good taste and design rival China's crimes against human rights.)

You can find out more about the design process in this video posted on the official site.

And you can also find out more info on the new branding at BidGames.

*This is a re-post from my Olympics Blog. Every once in a while I'll share things across the blogs. Why this one warranted selection I don't really know. I just felt like sharing here too because I liked the new look so much.

Lucky Number 7 for Phelps!

Once again words fail to adequately describe his performance in a race.

"He got his hands on the wall a hundredth of a second ahead of Cavic -- a finish so close the Serbians filed a protest and swimming's governing body had to review the tape down to the 10-thousandth of a second."

Read more at ESPN.com

The 2008 Summer Olympics start today in Beijing!

As most of you know by now, I'm a huge fan of the Olympics the same way some people out there are fans of Football or Baseball. I'm very excited about the games being kicked off today! I'll be posting most of my thoughts and various other related things to my Olympics Blog if you would like to stop by and check it out. I know China is taking a lot of heat politically lately... which I think is entirely justified and I'm happy the status quo is not going unchallenged there... at the same time though I hope that the athletes are able to compete in a safe environment and that the games go on in the spirit of peace and friendly competition. I hope that if there are protests that there will be no violence on either side of the fence. As the great Martin Luther once said, "Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

Anyway, the point is... lets hope all goes well.. and.. Go TEAM USA!!

Development artwork for the animated BBC Olympics promo

I came across the Blog of Kevin Dart who apparently did concept art and backgrounds for the Monkey animated piece from the BBC. I've included one of the images above, but I highly encourage you to take a look at his site for more beautiful work.

USA Olympic trials begin

The trials began this weekend for US athletes hoping to land a spot on the team bound for Beijing. We caught some of the track and swimming trials on TV this evening. I absolutely love watching this stuff. People pushing themselves to the limits... the hope and excitement that goes with competing for not only your personal best but also for your family friends and your country. More than a few amazing moments played out including two World Records broken. And this is only the trials!! I love it! Bring on the summer games!! Go Team USA!!!

RoboGames 2008!

Whoever thought of this must have been thinking of me?! :)
You can find out more HERE HERE & HERE.

Vancouver 2010 Mascots Unveiled

WOW!! I don't know what else to say... these are fantastic!! I love the style. Kudos to the Vancouver Olympics organizing committee for putting for such great effort into these characters. This makes me even that much more excited about trying to attend the games.
The characters are:

• Miga -- a snowboarding sea-bear inspired by the First Nations' legends of the Pacific Northwest. Miga, described as mischievous and outgoing, is part sea-bear and part orca whale.
• Quatchi -- a shy and gentle Sasquatch with a long brown beard and blue earmuffs meant to conjure the mystery and wonder associated with the Canada's wilderness.
• Sumi -- an animal guardian spirit, who flies with the wings of the thunderbird, is described as "a natural born leader with a passion for protecting the environment."

Thanks to James, a friend of mine working in Vancouver, for the heads up!

You can find out more at the Official Site and at GamesBids.com

Chicago 2016 unveils new bid logo

Chicago 2016’s bid committee unveiled the new logo today in the great Windy City. Earlier in the year they were told by the IOC that their first logo, depicting the city's skyline in a stylized torch, broke their rules against including Olympic symbols in bidding logos.

From a Press release on the new logo:

“The strength of our new logo is that it connects Chicago’s history and passion with the spirit of the Olympic Movement. We hope the elements of this new symbol will inspire the young people of our city and the world to embrace the ideals and values learned through sport,” said Mayor Richard M. Daley. “This logo will become a great symbol of hope for our city and our nation as we work together to seek the privilege to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

The logo’s central element is the Chicago Star, a symbol unique to Chicago which adorns the City flag. The logo is inspired by the ideals and values of the Olympic Movement and those of the city of Chicago. The six-points on the star represent hope, respect, harmony, friendship, excellence and celebration.

While I loved the first logo I find this a worth follow up considering the circumstances. It's better than the London 2012 logo for sure! Anything would be better than that logo. I should probably stop beating that dead horse at this point, but it's so disappointing that its hard not to. :\

The Olympics Blog

So you may have noticed thats its been over a week since my last post. I try really hard to post once a week but I'm bound to miss the target once in a while. Work has been busy, working six day weeks now, and I started a little side project that is taking up some of my spare time as well.

As you have my picked up from numerous previous posts on the subject, I am a huge fan of the Olympics. I often browse a few specific Olympic related sites keeping up to date on the latest happenings with the Olympics Movement. You'd think that there isn't much happening between the games every two years but there is more than you would imagine. I thought it would be fun to create a blog that aggregated this news into one place for others like myself to enjoy. You may also notice that I decided to place Google and Amazon ads on the site. No huge reason for this other than I don't want to put them on my personal blog but I might as well try to make a little extra money on the side, right? Click through some of the Google ads on the Olympics blog just for fun - maybe I'll end up with a whopping 30 more cents to put into our savings! ;)

theolympicsblog.blogspot.com

One year to go until the Summer Olympics in Beijing

Tokyo 2016 Unvails Official Bid Logo

(Click image to visit the Tokyo 2016 Official Website)

London 2012 could learn a few things from this... First and foremost it looks like an Olympic Logo. Secondly the imagery calls to mind the city or the nations culture. Additionally, it also follows the rules set forth by the IOC for Bid City Logos. (Chicagos Logo for its 2016 bid apparently did break these rules by using imagery that resembled a Torch and is being redesigned before its official bid submission) The Tokyo 2016 bid committee commented on the logos unavailing saying...

This logo, our MUSUBI knot, integrates the values that underpin both the Olympic Movement and Tokyo 2016. It ties together sport and culture, urban and natural environment, Japan and the world, the world and peace. The Tokyo 2016 MUSUBI also represents a blend of our Olympic heritage and innovation. Our plan will demonstrate the power of the Olympic Games to deliver sustainable development. Our proposed use of Tokyo ’64 venues, which have been in daily use for nearly half a century, is our Olympic heritage. Our Olympic innovation will be the delivery of much needed new sports venues that will serve the sporting needs of Japan and the International Federations for generations to come.

I think Toyko is going to face an uphill battle with their bid unfortunatly. The vote is going to come in 2009, the year after China will have hosted the Olympics for the first time. On top of that the summer games in 2016 will follow the winter games to be held in Sochi Russia in 2014 which is technically part of Asia. If history is any indication the IOC likes to spread out the games geographically. Regardless, it would be great see the games held in Japan. Good Luck!

In other unrelated Olympic news...

The IOC announced it's intention to begin hold what it calls Youth Olympic Games. The games will be held alternately with the official games with the first youth summer games to be held in 2010 and the first youth winter games to be held in 2012. From an article on GamesBids.com:

The Youth Olympic Games, the flagship of the IOC’s strategy outlined for young people, will take place every second year, and includes other initiatives such as an education project on Olympic values, a dedicated website for youngsters and a campaign highlighting the Olympic values to young people.

About 3,200 athletes are expected for the Summer Games and 1,000 for the Winter Games, ages 14 to 18. Eight hundred officials will participate in the Summer Games and 580 officials for the Winter Games.

The sports program will encompass all sports on the program of the 2010 Winter Games and the 2012 Summer Games with a limited number of disciplines and events. Proposals from Sports Federations to integrate youth-driven disciplines not part of the Olympic Games may be accepted.

And lastly while this is a bit of old news I never posted it here so I figure now is as good a time as any... IOC announced that it is considering adding Skateboarding to the line up of games in 2012. From ESPN: "The International Olympic Committee said Friday it has held discussions with cycling's world governing body about introducing skateboarding as a discipline for the London program. Skateboarding events are part of the X Games, and the IOC is eager to modernize the Olympic program with sports and disciplines that appeal to youth. It has already added snowboarding to the Winter Games and BMX cycling for next year's Beijing Olympics." The article even suggests that Shaun White could make his way into the summer games if such a thing were to happen.

E3 2007 Nintendo Announcements

So E3 is going small this year with an invite only event which started this week. Lots of great Nintendo news is showing up online and here are some bits that caught my attention and/or makes me excited.

Nintendo announced this new game, can we still call them that at this point, called Wii Fit and its accompanying Balancing Pad Thingy (Pictured Above). It sounds like it's an exercise/Yoga game of sorts that will help you keep a regular routine and tracks your progress.

Sega revealed some screen shots of its up coming Maro & Sonic at the Olympic Games...

Sonic should win this one hands down right?!

I really hope they spend the time and energy to get the control right. This is one of the games I am looking forward to the most.

Activision showed off the new guitars for Guitar Hero 3 that are based on the glassic Gibson Les Paul style guitars. Among the upgrades for this version are the wireless guitar, original songs from the artist that created them (No longer the "as made famous by" covers), and online multiplayer and competition.
Some of the confirmed songs for the game are:
"Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
"Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
"Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
"My Name Is Jonas" - Weezer
"Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
"Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones
"Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses

Last but certainly not least Nintendo announced that the new Super Smash Brothers would launch on December 3rd of this year!! I can't wait to play this game online with friends...

Sochi to host 2014 Winter Olympics

Yesterday the IOC selected Sochi Russia as the host city for the 2014 Winter Olympics. This will be only the second time the Olympics have been held in Russia, the first being the 1980 Summer games in Moscow. With such a great legacy in the Winter Games it's nice to see them win the bid and be able to host the Winter Games in their home country for the first time. For those who don't know where Sochi Russia is, I didn't before now, I marked it on this map.

www.sochi2014.com

ESPN article on the win

Track officials will allow Pistorius to run in able-bodied events...

From ESPN:

International track officials changed their stance on champion amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius and will allow him to compete against able-bodied runners while researchers try to determine whether his prosthetics give him an advantage.

But Nick Davies, spokesman for the International Association of Athletics Federations, said discussion of Pistorius competing in the Olympics was premature, noting the 20-year-old had not yet run times that would allow him to qualify.

Pistorius was born without fibulas -- the long, thin outer bone between the knee and ankle -- and was 11 months old when his legs were amputated below the knee.

Pistorius has clocked 10.91 seconds in the 100 meters, 21.58 seconds in the 200 and 46.56 seconds in the 400 -- world record times for disabled athletes. He finished second in the 400 meters at the South African Championships -- an able-bodied meet -- in March.

Pistorius' times wouldn't qualify him for the Olympics, but he's close in the 400. He needs to run a 46.3 before the July 2008 qualifying deadline.

How awesome would that be to see this guy competing in the 2008 or 2012 Olympics?! Not the Paralympics but the Olympics! This news puts him one step closer. Photo is from Wired.