Mario and Sonic team up again for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games

A new entry into the Mario & Sonic series has been announced during tonight’s Nintendo Direct. With the upcoming 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic games, players will get their second outing in the snowy setting.

With advanced graphics and effects, new life will be given to events such as skiing, slalom, bobsled and ice hockey along with new events including pairs figure skating and snowboarding slope style. Taking advantage of the Wii Motion Plus, a new level of control will be added to the events.

Players will also use the Wii U gamepad for certain games, such as curling, where players must trace a line directly on the ice rink using the touchpad, to guide where their shot will go. In the Biathlon, players must switch between the Wii Remote when skiing to the gamepad when shooting, mixing up the gameplay.

As well as the traditional stages and courses, some events can be played in Mario and Sonic themed environments, where you can do dynamic moves not possible in real life. Mixed events are also new to the series, where a combination of several sports will be mixed together for some hectic racing fun.

Launch details are yet to be revealed and will be announced at a later date.