Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Olympic Games Now Available From Nintendo

Written by Brandon Hofer on June 24, 2016

News: Mario & Sonic have returned to the Olympic Games in a family friendly title that everyone should enjoy.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is now available on the Wii U. Starting today, Nintendo kicks off a contest on Instagram asking fans to take photos of their friends and families playing the game together or re-creating some of the game's most memorable events, including Soccer, Rugby Sevens and Beach Volleyball. This could entail taking a photo of the family as they have a friendly competition while playing Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the living room at home or organizing an impromptu soccer match in the backyard with all your friends. The more creative and active the photos, the better.

With so many multiplayer modes and events in the game, finding inspiration for the Instagram photo contest should be easy. The contest runs today until July 22. To participate, simply snap a photo of your family and/or friends competing in your own home Mario & Sonic-themed competition and post to Instagram using the hashtags #MarioSonicRio2016 and #NintendoContest. Every week starting on July 1, Nintendo will select one winning photo, with the winning entrant receiving a Wii U system, two New Nintendo 3DS XL systems, one each of the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions of the Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games game and both the Mario and Sonic amiibo figures.

"Mario & Sonic aren't the only ones breaking a sweat this summer with Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "This contest encourages families to get out and be just as active as the Mario & Sonic characters in the game."

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the Wii U console is full of multiplayer modes that get your family and friends playing together using the largest cast of characters in series history. In Tournament mode, up to two players participate in Preliminary Heat, Semifinal and Final matches in a wide variety of different events. Winning a tournament will earn you "Mii Wear" outfits for your Mii character, coins, rings and medals. If your family and friends are ready for a challenge, the Heroes Showdown mode is ready and waiting to be conquered. In this mode, you can form a team to compete head-to-head with another player in random events. One team is assigned 10 random characters from Team Mario, while the other receives Team Sonic superstars. If you lose an event, characters are eliminated from your team until only one team, or one team captain, is left standing.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is overflowing with diverse events for up to four players that will keep all members of the family entertained. For the first time in the franchise (and the first time in real life), Rugby Sevens makes its Olympic Games debut. By fielding a seven-character team, you're tasked with scoring goals while also navigating a chaotic field of fellow players. Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games features 14 Olympic Games events and three Duel events, which infuse some Mario & Sonic elements like Chaos Emeralds and Fire Flowers into the proceedings. In addition to Rugby Sevens, other main events include Soccer, Beach Volleyball, BMX and Rhythmic Gymnastics (Clubs), which is also making its series debut.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for Wii U is now available, and can be purchased in stores, in Nintendo eShop or at Nintendo.com at a suggested retail price of $59.99. The Nintendo 3DS version of the game, which contains exclusive events and game modes, is also available at a suggested retail price of $39.99. Will you be picking this game up? Let us know what you think below.