A disclaimer before we start: This is in no way, shape or form a confirmation of Mario & Sonic 3. If such a game appears, and uses anything mentioned in this article, that’s just pure coincidence.

OK, with that out of the way, let us begin. We’ve had two games pitting Sonic and Mario against each other in sporting competition. Ironically, they were both Olympics titles. So, if SEGA and Nintendo were to put the two rivals against each other again, what would be the best way to do it?

The first idea that popped into my head was a FPS game. Not a traditional FPS game, mind you, but paintballing. Mario & Sonic Paintballing would feature the two characters, along with their friends and enemies in a variety of environments, such as Green Hill Zone and the Mushroom Kingdom. Instead of kills/frags, you’d score points every time you hit a member of the opposite team. It would also be the first M&S game on the Wii to support Wi-Fi Connection, enabling online paintballing matches.

Too violent, even if it is family friendly? OK, how about a third Mario Strikers game, this time with Sonic involved? Mario & Sonic Strikers would follow the same theme as the previous two games in the series, and would also be the first title on the DS, allowing Subbeteo-style gameplay in order to make use of the touch screen. This game could also be licensed like the previous two M&S games, possibly for the FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championships, using the official stadia and reincorporating Dream Events as special bonus levels. Mario and Sonic have both been in football games in the past, so there wouldn’t be any bias towards either character.

Of course, if neither of those are to your tastes, there’s plenty of other sports the two could try their hands at: Darts, Golf, Kart Racing etc etc. But, there is one more possibility…

Platforming. Super Mario & Sonic the Hedgehog would see the two characters team up to combat the combined threat of Bowser and Eggman Nega, who have merged the two universes together (and kidnapped Princess Peach, of course). The game would be co-developed by SEGA and Nintendo, who would create new levels fusing the best bits of the two games. Also, while Sonic collects the seven Chaos Emeralds to turn into Super Sonic, Mario would collect the six Golden Coins (see: Super Mario Land 2 on the Game Boy) in order to turn himself into Metal Mario. Oh, and it’d be a 2D platformer, as well.

That’s all the ideas I came up with. If you have other genres of games that you think would suit a third M&S game, why not drop us a comment?