Yo, what is going on in sunny Internetland?! It's your boy, David Ishihara here! The Olympics are about to come to a close, and boy it was a rush from start to finish! But… There was just something…missing from all of this. I mean, there hasn't been an announcement for a new Mario and Sonic Olympics being featured in Paris, which is kind of the only disappointing thing about the last Direct, along with the lack of a new Mario Baseball game. It is later discovered that the IOC chose not to make a Paris game, effectively ending the Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games franchise. This was a total, total shame, because I mentioned before that I hold the Olympics near and dear to my heart, so to see such a titan go kind of broke my heart a little bit, but all good things have to come to an end at some point, and I accept that. But what if… This wasn't the case? What if there was a timeline where this actually DID happen? Well, that's what I'm here for today.
So, in the spirit of the Olympic Games, I am going to be going over how I would make Mario & Sonic at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games! As an Olympic baby, I get so hyped and passionate when it comes to the Olympics, and sports in general, so I will have to ask for your forgiveness in advance if I seem like I'm going off the handle at points. And just letting you guys know, thus us a for-fun kind of thing based on my own personal opinions, so if there is something that should be added that I didn't touch upon, be sure to let me know in the review section below. And with that, let's figure this puppy out!
The first thing we need to figure out is the roster. And of course, while we could stick with the 20-person roster we had since Vancouver… I think some spice is more than warranted at this point. We got that in Rio and Tokyo with the Guest characters, and while I do want to keep them… I think the main roster deserves a long-awaited expansion! Obviously, we're gonna bring back the Miis, since their exclusion in the Tokyo 2020 game was kind of ludicrous when they were already such a staple in earlier games. It really made it feel like anyone could compete in the Olympics, and I wanted to bring back that magic. However, as I said, the main roster is due for an expansion at this point, and I think 32 would be a good size for this point in the series. Heck, it would be double the size of the roster we got in Beijing 16 years ago. I'm starting to think 16 is becoming a bit of an arc number here for some reason… But anyways! This means we need to add 12 new characters, 3 for each category. That means for All-Around and Power, I'd need to add one Mario character and two Sonic characters, and for Speed and Technique, I'll need to add one Sonic character and two Mario characters. And while I'm not sure if the characters I put in would fit those categories, I'll try to make this as realistically as I can. So without further ado, let's Build the Roster!
All Around-
Rouge the Bat- Rouge is a very popular character in the franchise, and she has quite the credentials in the Olympics. In both versions of the Vancouver Games, she was the boss of the Figure Skating event, in 110m Hurdles in London, one of the bosses of Winter Sports Champion Race in Sochi, she appeared as a guest charcter for Golf in 3DS Rio, Beach Volleyball in Wii U Rio, and Sports Climbing in Tokyo. And while she would mostly fit in as a Technique type character… We only have one Sonic slot for Technique and I plan on saving that for someone more appropriate, so… Rouge ends up landing here.
Pauline- Yeah, this is a pick that everyone knew was coming. Pauline has appeared all the way back in the original Donkey Kong game, and has made several appearances in the Mario vs Donkey Kong series… But not much else… That is, until she makes a grand return in Super Mario Odyssey, where her popularity skyrocketed to the point where she has appeared in almost every spin-off since! And honestly, I think the Mayor of New Donk City would be a great fit for this lineup. I feel like I don't need to explain this any further. If the series ever gets a new entry, you can bet that Pauline is gonna show up there somewhere, there is no avoiding it.
Fang the Sniper- Okay… Some of you are probably wondering why I have decided to put Fang on here. Well, let me explain. Fang first appeared in the game Sonic Triple Trouble where he appeared as a bounty hunter hired by Eggman. As such, he would have a wide array of skills that would benefit him in his jobs. He would sort of have a rivalry with Rouge in this regard, given their occupations and what they tend to do in their spare time. However, after Sonic the Fighters, no one has really seen hair or hide from him. That is, until Sonic Superstars came out, and while the game is decent at best, it hit a new wave of nostalgia for fans of Classic Sonic. So… Yeah, I'd say bring Fang right in just to see how he interacts with the rest of the cast. Maybe there would be a cutscene where he works with Wario and Waluigi in an attempt to sabotage everyone but he fumbles in the end and it makes all three of them look like total asses. It would be great! I would pay money just to see that happen.
Speed-
Ninji- When you are making an expansive roster like I am. You need to pull from every source you could. And I think Ninji might have a shot in here. He initially appears as a standard mook to Bowser beginning in Super Mario Bros. 2, and he has recently come into his own. He appears as a character in Mario Golf: Super Rush, and now he has just been confirmed to be a playable character in the newly announced Super Mario Party Jamboree. And Ninji is meant to resemble an actual ninja, which makes him a perfect fit for the Speed category.
Espio the Chameleon- With only one Speed slot for the Sonic characters, I had to be really picky with this one. You guys can really, really, REALLY, tell I wanted to give this spot to Jet. But as I said when I started making this, I have to be as realistic about this as possible. Espio is another staple in the Sonic franchise. Much like Vector, he first appeared in Knuckles' Chaotix. However, Espio has gone on to be featured in other games, such as Sonic the Fighters. And like his boss, Vector, Espio has returned in Sonic Heroes under Team Chaotix, and they have all been series staples since. However, while Vector has been in the roster from the beginning, Espio didn't get a chance to shine until Rio, where he was a guest character in the Triple Jump event in the Wii U version, and Long Jump in the 3DS version, even coming back as a guest character for the Triple Jump event in Tokyo. So, with those credentials, I think Espio is a character that would benefit from the jump to the main roster. Erm… No pun intended.
Diddy Kong- Of course I gotta add Donkey Kong's little buddy to the roster! He is pretty much a staple to the series at this point. As DK's partner in a lot of spinoffs, Diddy Kong has been getting a lot of notoriety over the years. From having his own game, his own racing game, to being added to the Super Smash Bros. roster in Brawl, Diddy Kong has been popping up a lot over the spectrum. Over the course of the Olympics, Diddy Kong has been notable to be the guest character in the rugby event, teamming up with three other people due to the nature of being a team event. With all of this going for him, I truly believe Diddy Kong should make the jump to the main roster.
Power-
Zavok- This is another one of those picks that should go in the "No Duh" folder. Zavok is introduced as the main antagonist of Sonic Lost World, and while the game had a very…divisive following, Zavok and Zazz had managed to slip into the Olympics as guest characters for the Boxing and Table Tennis events respectively. Not to mention, Zavok was also featured as a boss in Sonic Forces, even though it's actually an illusion conjured by the Phantom Ruby, and when Eggman needed a third man to represent his team in Team Sonic Racing, Zavok was chosen to be his Power-type rep, despite their very…teeth-clenching working relationship. I'm not sure what this means, but all I DO know, is that someone in Sega's production department, REALLY loves Zavok. And if there are people out there that would love to see Zavok get promoted to the main roster to duke it out with Bowser… Then, well, who would I be to deny that?
Petey Piranha- This is a pick that is sure to come out of left field for a lot of people. But what does Thorgi's Arcade say whenever he builds a roster? You can't just have the faces, you gotta have the freaks! You need those weird picks. Those picks whom the mere mention of them would cause people to perk their heads up and go "I'm sorry, what?" And Petey is a very popular character in his own right. While usually serving as the muscle of Bowser's operations, Petey has gone on to compete in a lot of spin-off titles. So I thought, screw it! I'm gonna use my "I'm putting this character in for me" card. Pretty much the equivalent of the Got Talent series' Golden Buzzer. He is a very strong character too, even stronger than Bowser in a few aspects, so I'd actually be looking forward to seeing how he would fare in a competitive stage like the Olympics.
E-123 Omega- For the final Power rep, we've got Omega. And I think he's the perfect fit since Shadow and Rouge are here. Ever since Sonic Heroes, these three have been very much inseparable, and I think the best way to respect that would be for Omega to join in and finally complete Team Dark. He has been a boss in the skating events in Vancouver, track events in London, Rocket Coaster Bobsleigh in Sochi, and he's finally a guest character in the Javelin Throw event in Rio, only to be conspicuously absent in Tokyo. So, I figured that it's high-time we completed Team Dark and bring Omega here. I know a lot of people would pay to see that happen.
Technique-
Rosalina- Of course I'm gonna give Rosalina a spot on the main roster. I feel like I don't need to explain why. So, remember when I said that Pauline has appeared in almost every spin-off since Super Mario Odyssey? Well, this applies to Rosalina as well. Since she has made her debut in the Super Mario Galaxy games, Rosalina has been such a popular character, that not only was she put into a lot of spin-offs, she was also the Galaxy representative in EVERYTHING! You can pretty much count the number of spin-offs she DIDN'T appear in since the Galaxy games on one hand, that's how crazy her popularity is, she's pretty much a mainstay at this point. In the Rio games, she was the guest character in Rhythmic Gymnastics, and in Tokyo, it was Surfing of all things. But I feel like those sports didn't really convey her being a Technique type all that much. So, I figured why not give the Queen of the Cosmos a chance to truly shine by putting her on the main roster with the others. This decision will make a lot of fans very happy.
Sage- Remember when I said in Rouge's entry that I was saving the Sonic Technique spot for someone more appropriate? Well, Sage is that someone! She has first appeared in the new Sonic Frontiers game, and she grew on fans very quickly. Even Dr. Eggman, her creator, treats her as if she was his own daughter. And people loved this dynamic! Yeah, you heard me right! Sage ALONE humanizes THE Dr. Eggman and makes him more likable, and people love Sage even more for it! Putting her on here is a no-brainer! Especially since Frontiers is looking to be a bit of a resurgence for everyone's favorite blue hedgehog since the slump they got into starting Sonic '06 and Sonic Boom (the less we talk about the latter, the better), in my opinion, being as good as the Adventure games if not better. So why not add Sage as a bit of a representative of this new resurgence, it would truly be magical, especially the dynamic she'd have with Bowser Jr., initially competing to see whose dad is better, only to realize how much in common they have and starting up a budding friendship. This concept ALONE justifies the very notion of the Rival system I put in the My Dream Festival Mode doc, it practically writes itself.
Birdo- Yeah, this is another entry I'm pretty sure everyone saw coming. She is a partner to Yoshi in pretty much every spinoff she appears in, and she's popular enough that she is able to come back to Super Mario Party Jamboree despite skipping out on the original Super Mario Party. Like a lot of other Mario characters I put up, she is a series staple, it just wouldn't be the same without her. And she's quite athletic too. She's Yoshi's co-captain in the Baseball games, and has appeared in practically every sport at least once. She would be perfect for this. Especially since she has history as a boss too. In London, she was the boss of the 100m Freestyle event, and later rematched in Badminton alongside a blue Birdo, and Birdos in four colors acting as goalies for Football. She was also the boss of Ice Hockey in Sochi's Legends Showdown, alongside Birdos of three other colors. She is such a prolific character at this point that not including her would be a crime.
And there you have it, 12 new characters added to the main roster and bringing it up to 32. Now for the real meat of the game, the events.
We got the standard ones like 100m, 4x100m Relay, Table Tennis, Hammer Throw, Javelin Throw, Long Jump, Aquatics, Fencing, Equestrian, the works. But I mentioned in the My Dream Festival Mode doc that some events tend to play differently depending on the format played in. So, to take advantage of that, let's sprinkle in some tennis (both singles and doubles), add the options for singles and doubles to badminton and table tennis, and add in some new ones, such as baseball, basketball and indoor volleyball. Obviously for baseball and indoor volleyball, you will need to fill out the rest of the roster with generics, just like in football and rugby. I mean, you already could do that in Baseball and Soccer/Football in Mario Sports Superstars, so I figured why not, it could work. I want to do more than just resurge the franchise, I wanted to make this the biggest and most ambitious entry ever. As an Olympic baby, I have a lot of pride in this kind of thing. And this will open the door for tons of Dream Event ideas, and I want to see how they would be implemented with Mario and Sonic elements, as they've consistently been the best part of any Mario and Sonic game.
So, between the Single Match, Festival and Customization mode, what else is there to add? Well, all the way back in Beijing, you have the option to create medleys of up to any 5 events that you wanted, and I liked this idea. They brought this back in London 3DS, and while it didn't necessarily live up to the splendor, Sochi's Medley Mania also tried to, and that one was a much better attempt. So, I figured, why not bring this back? Except this time, with a much bigger roster, I want to take this up a step further. For this medley mode, there will be a variation that allows you to pick up to 8 characters for your team. Depending on how many events you want to do, there will be a stamina or condition marker for each character, and if it gets too low, that character will be sluggish in the upcoming event. This was an idea that is part of the ill-fated Deca Sports series, and I love this series. Hudson Soft was a very good publisher, pumping franchises like Deca Sports, Mario Party, Bloody Roar and Bomberman. They were truly a pinnacle of their time. It's sad to see them go, but I would be hoping to keep their legacy alive through this mechanic. It incentivises to never stick to one person for every event, and managing your team's overall condition. And for events that are meant for 8 people, each team can pick 2 characters, one the player controls and a second left to the AI. This is probably the most ambitious thing about this whole hypothetical idea and I am loving that I am putting all of my thoughts out here.
So there you have it. This would be my idea for a Mario and Sonic game taking place in Paris 2024. If you like this idea, or if there is something you think should be changed, feel free to leave a favorite, and let me know in the review section below. And with that, I will bid you all adieu. See you all next time!