It's not often that we get a piece of real, bonafide history in gaming, but this qualifies. Two of entertainment's once most heated rivals have teamed up to appear (along with their mates) in one game. A game tied, no less, to the Olympics' first outing in China.

As you might expect, various Olympic events taking the form of minigames are the order of the day.

You're given a choice of many characters from the Sonic and Mario universes - Yoshi, Shadow, Tails, Peach, Luigi and Eggman are ... more >>

It's not often that we get a piece of real, bonafide history in gaming, but this qualifies. Two of entertainment's once most heated rivals have teamed up to appear (along with their mates) in one game. A game tied, no less, to the Olympics' first outing in China.

As you might expect, various Olympic events taking the form of minigames are the order of the day.

You're given a choice of many characters from the Sonic and Mario universes - Yoshi, Shadow, Tails, Peach, Luigi and Eggman are just some of the faces you'll be able to play; each with their own set of statistics. As with Mario Kart, there are heavyweights, speed types and skilled characters that all have various abilities.

The games on offer are split up into categories, so all the track races such as the 100m and 400m are available under 'Athletics' while Javelin and Archery are listed under 'Shooting'. They're played using the Wii Remote and nunchuk in various arm-tiring ways to allow players to prove just who is the best from the two icons' respective worlds.

If the harsh reality of real Olympic events gets too much, there's another style of minigame on offer. While all the other games are set in the official Beijing stadium, and played by Olympics rules, Dream Events are set in fantasy worlds that best befit our furry and pudgy title mascots. They involve surreal events that give you the opportunity to take 10,000 metre dives and duel in the jungle.

It's certainly not a case of history repeating. << less