I guess I'm still a child at heart, because earlier today I was all, “Oh wow, Sonic and Mario are coming to Canada!”
When the Pope or the Queen comes to Canada, it's like, eh, who gives a toss. But fictional video game mascots? I am so honoured.
I'm also a little sore. Mario and Sonic at the Winter Games (unofficial title) will be taking place in Vancouver, most likely because that's where the 2010 Winter Games will be occurring. Toronto just barely lost the 2008 Summer Games to Beijing, which is where Mario and Sonic first went head-to-head in the kind of foot race we dreamed about as children.
(According to sales figures, they're still running that foot race on a track paved with dollar bills. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games remains a top-seller for the Wii.)
So, Mario and Sonic won't be visiting my 'hood, but I can still appreciate the fact that they're visiting my home country. It's a familiar breed of resignation that comes with living in a city that hasn't won the Stanely Cup in over fifty years. When the season builds and the Leafs are inevitably evicted to the golf course yet again, you just hope some Canadian city takes it and not a warm-weather American town that doesn't know “ice hockey” from dwarf tossing.
Speaking of hockey, I imagine that might be included in the Winter Games. Mario and Sonic won't be running foot races, but someone will get smeared against the boards. It's going to be classic.
If that's not an exciting prospect, keep in mind that the Winter Games mean Curling.
Curling with Sonic.
Go'wan and get yourself a change of underwear, boy.
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