Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is a sports and party game developed by Sega Sports R&D;. Published by Nintendo in Japan and by Sega in other regions, it was released on the Wii in November 2007 and the Nintendo DS handheld in January 2008. It features the two title characters and fourteen others from the Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog games, participating in twenty-four events based on the official venues of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, including the Bird's Nest (pictured). Players assume the role of a Nintendo or Sega character, using either the Wii Remote or a stylus and button controls. Critics praised the multiplayer interaction of the Wii game (not offered on the DS) and the variety of events of both versions, but criticized the Wii version for its complexity. Mario & Sonic was awarded "Best Wii game of 2007" at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. It sold over ten million units and started a series of related sports video games to coincide with Olympic events.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_%26_Sonic_at_the_Olympic_Games

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1689:

The Convention Parliament convened to justify the overthrow of James II, the last Roman Catholic King of England, who had vacated the throne when he fled to France in 1688. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England

1906:

SS Valencia was wrecked off the coast of Vancouver Island, in a location so treacherous it was known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Valencia

1943:

World War II: The Battle of Buna–Gona on New Guinea ended with an Allied victory after two months of fighting, in which the resolve and tenacity of the Japanese in defence had not previously been encountered. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Buna%E2%80%93Gona

1969:

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev survived what was seen as an assassination attempt, an incident that was not revealed to the public until after the fall of the Soviet Union. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attempted_assassination_of_Leonid_Brezhnev

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

skimble-skamble: Confused, chaotic, disorderly, senseless. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skimble-skamble

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.   --Francis Bacon https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon