Mario and Sonic join forces

Everyone knows Beijing 2008 is going to bring people together, so it's no surprise to learn that it's enough for old enemies Mario and Sonic to set aside their differences and join forces for a new Wii and DS game marking the occasion.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - announced this morning - is due out this Christmas in Europe, and is being developed by SEGA Japan according to a company spokesperson. It has the official Olympics licence on its hands, and will see players compete in events set in various official venues for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. God knows when they are.

Players will use the Wii and DS control systems to manoeuvre characters through events including the 100m sprint, table tennis and swimming, with a supporting cast of charaters including Luigi, Knuckles, Yoshi, Tails (bah) and others from the worlds of both characters set to join in the fun.

While Sonic has already appeared on Nintendo platforms (including the Wii and DS) several times since SEGA's resurrection as a third party developer and publisher, this will mark the first time he's headlined a game alongside Mario. Both characters have been their respective companies' mascots in all things game for ages, with Sonic first popping up in 1991 and Mario having been around since his debut in Donkey Kong as "Jumpman" ten years prior to that.