Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games includes Epee Fencing

[KD5MDK]

http://arstechnica.com/journals/thum...ames-announced

The events for Nintendo's Wii game "Sonic and Mario at the Olympics" have been announced, with the following list:

• * Fencing - Individual epée
  * Archery
  * Shooting - Skeet
  * Gymnastics - Trampoline
  * Gymnastics - Vault
  * Field - High Jump
  * Field - Pole Vault
  * Field - Long Jump
  * Field - Triple Jump
  * Field - Javelin Throw
  * Field - Hammer Throw
  * Rowing - Single Sculls
  * Table Tennis - Singles
  * Aquatics - 100m Freestyle
  * Aquatics - 4x100m Freestyle
  * Track - 110m and 400m Hurdles
  * Track - 4x100m Relay
  * Track -100m and 400m
  

I'm not sure how all the control schemes will work, and OBVIOUSLY sabre would have been a better choice for the Wiimote, but I think it's cool that it's happening at all.

[veeco]

Hmm, I've been holding off on buying a Wii, but now that I can practice with it... :-)

[seven6ty]

Wow, Nintendo has taste... Who knew?!?!?!

[lefty_monster]

"Coach, I can't come to practice today, I'm busy playing Mario........Of course it counts as practice!....."

Fencing would make a good Wii game.

[Redblade]

Excellent! My wife was just pestering me the other night about buying a game system. Now I've got to.

[KD5MDK]

The Wii is (usually) the most wife approved game system. Wii Sports and Wii Play is a ton of fun. If I had a TV worthy of it my house would have one too.

[DenverFencing]

We used Pirates of the Caribbean Wii game, a projector, and eight foot screen to give the coaches a break during our fencing camps. Hopefully, this is a little more fencing than slash, slash, thrust combo move that was the major feature in Pirates.

But the campers loved it and the 10 to 12 year girls constantly won the Wii direct eliminiation tournaments over the boys. Wii Tennis with the double format also worked well.

[KD5MDK]

If it is slash, slash, thrust, it will make epee very funny looking.

[Lemonaide]

I hope it's for real and not one of our jokes. But it looks wonderful, this is a great way to introduce kids to Olymic sports and to include fencing is just wonderful.

[tehcow]

Excellent! My wife was just pestering me the other night about buying a game system. Now I've got to.

That is definitely a good thing to be pestered about.

Also I think there's a facebook group petitioning the FIE to make a Wii fencing game.

[happy]

Also I think there's a facebook group petitioning the FIE to make a Wii fencing game.

Really? Does the FIE have a budget to fund such a thing? Or is it just wishful thinking... I happen to know of a game developer that would be interested but the cost of development, even for a Wii game, would probably be prohibitive. $2-3m gets you a budget title at best - I can't imagine the FIE dropping that kind of $$ but I have no idea what their budgets are.

Of course, you could do a smaller scale PC game, but I'm not sure how fun that would be - using a keyboard/mouse interface doesn't seem ideal. Not that the Wii controller is perfect, but it is certainly the best option currently out there.

I would guess this is the best shot we'll have at 'real' fencing in a mass-market game. Still, this isn't too bad given the fact that the game will reach a very wide audience with the appeal of Mario/Sonic.

[EdGardner]

Cool.

I have been looking at the Wii SDK stuff, and thinking how intersting a fencing game might be on the system. We're still waiting to hear back from Nintendo on our studios developer application, and obviously making a game for fun when rent is due is challenging, but I had been thinking about it alot since I started fencing.

You can do a budget title for alot less than 3 million dollars

Anyone have the link to the group petitioning the FIE?

[Gav]

There's a fencing game for the WII already - "monkey fencing". It's in monkey ball. I didn't get a chance to play it when I was round at a mates house on Friday.

Why is this in the fencing discussion section? Shouldn't this be in the WC?

[EdGardner]

One would have had to play Monkey Ball to see that, what an atrocious title.

I suspect the OP thought it was interesting from a "fencing news" point of view

[oiuyt]

Why is this in the fencing discussion section? Shouldn't this be in the WC?

Because the slacker mods haven't moved it yet.... :)

-B

[tehcow]

Cool.

I have been looking at the Wii SDK stuff, and thinking how intersting a fencing game might be on the system. We're still waiting to hear back from Nintendo on our studios developer application, and obviously making a game for fun when rent is due is challenging, but I had been thinking about it alot since I started fencing.

You can do a budget title for alot less than 3 million dollars

Anyone have the link to the group petitioning the FIE?

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2221968667

I can't say I'm convinced of the legitimacy of the group, but there it is.

[Gav]

Because the slacker mods haven't moved it yet....

-B

Oh yeah...

[EdGardner]

Seems you need a facebook account to login, that's a bridge I've yet to cross online

From a developer point of view, I am still uncovinced the wiimote has the sensitivity to get fencing "right" but I have only messed about a little with the SDK's.

Be interesting to see if the facebook group manages to take it anywhere, and more interesting to see if the powers that be feel its worthwhile.

[Shi no Tenshi]

I'd imagine the reason they chose epee instead of sabre is that the wii remote can sense distance while the pointer is pointed at the screen.

[Nicksmom]

crap....now I'll be guilted into buying one of those for the kids, I can hear it now..."Please mom, the coach says it will make me better"