After the shock and curiosity of the notion of old-time rivals Super Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog appearing in the same video game wore off after the release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games back in 2008, most of us moved on from the casual sports minigame franchise that saw the duo (and their friends) competing in every Olympics since.  However, while the game content may be a bit shallow, the soundtrack is worth some exploration.  The last Wii installment in the Nintendo/Sega co-production, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, hit stores recently and includes some interesting takes on classic Mario and Sonic tunes.  Consider these three remixes, for instance: new versions of the overworld themes from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World as well as the athletic theme from New Super Mario Bros.

Strangely enough, while I like these reworked songs when I start to listen to them, they quickly wear out their welcome.  There's something about them that, to me, makes them grating when replayed.  I'm really not quite sure why that happens.  Still, any project that at least takes a worthwhile stab at remixing fun music from two of gaming's biggest franchises is alright by me.  Hey, Nintendo and Sega, when are we going to see an actual action platforming crossover title for these properties?