Fans of the Sega mascot rejoice - Sonic will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl! It was confirmed by both Nintendo and Sega that the blue hedgehog will be duking it out with other iconic Nintendo characters.

“It’s amazing that after all these years we get to see these two much loved characters compete against each other in another fantastic title,” said Mike Hayes, President and COO of Sega Europe. “Bringing Mario and Sonic together again underlines the continuing partnerships between Nintendo and SEGA, and produces another industry first for our two companies.”

The game is out early next year on Wii.

Sega announced that a unique series of “Dream Events” will be available in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which will be both single and multiplayer-based. The Dream Events are colorful game-like universes that include objects and power-ups that can empower the player, or bring the opponent down. There will be four of them:

• Dream Race (Sandhill Race Course) - Get on your marks for this intense power-up filled race course, made for either one player, or as many as four.

• Dream Platform (Tropical Reef Diving Area - 10,000M Diving) - More like skydiving, soar through hoops and perform aerial tricks while avoiding obstacles and opponents to reach the finish line first.

• Dream Fencing (Duel Wharf Fencing Beach) - With unique special attacks for each character, this jungle-inspired world offers the ultimate duel.

• Dream Table Tennis (Speed Rally Table Tennis Stadium) - A sci-fi wonderland, this magical table tennis extravaganza offers a special ability for each character - so move fast!

The game will also offer players the opportunity to import their Mii into the game and play as themselves in any event. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launches November 23 on Wii, and Q1 2008 for DS.

And yes, Nintendo did offer its Wii E3 lineup:

• Wii Sports
  
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
  
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  
• Super Mario Galaxy
  
• Excite Truck
  
• WarioWare: Smooth Moves
  
• Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance and Call of Duty 3 from Activision
  
• Sonic and Super Monkey Ball games from SEGA
  
• DRAGON QUEST SWORDS: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors and CODENAME: FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES: Crystal Bearers from SQUARE ENIX
  
• Madden NFL from Electronic Arts
  
• Rayman Raving Rabbids and Red Steel from Ubisoft
  
• SpongeBob SquarePants title from THQ

Nintendo also announced that Wii titles are in development at Atari, BVG, Eidos, Konami, Majesco, Midway, Namco, SNK and many other publishers.

Having forgotten that they were once mortal enemies, Sega has announced a Sonic game for Nintendo’s next-gen console Wii. Titled “Sonic Wild Fire”, the Wii-exclusive title will see the “blue dude with the ‘tude” on his first solo adventure since the original Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991. Expectedly, the game will make use of Wii’s special controller, offering a brand new experience.

Wild Fire will unfold in the form of a storybook of the classic tale Arabian Nights, with the last several pages from the book missing. It’s up to Sonic to re-create the story. He will dash through “vibrant” environments, brightly colored mosaics, glistening oases, swaying palm trees and more. Sonic will have his old moves in his arsenal, along with some new tricks and stunts. Here’s how gamers will be able to control the Hedgehog:

Gamers will use the Wii controller to steer Sonic and experience an untapped freedom in gameplay and control. Hold the controller horizontally with two hands and tilt left and right to steer Sonic on different paths and maneuver deftly from obstacles and enemies. Continue to tilt and fling forward to dash-attack ground and air enemies and to break down barriers. In addition to the main game is an array of unique controller-focused mini-games which make Sonic Wild Fire fun to play alone or as a multiplayer game with friends. Get ready for a refreshing adventure that puts you on the forefront of gaming!

Wii will see Sonic Wild Fire sometime next year.

Sega continues its pre-E3 announcements with word of Sonic Rivals exclusively for the PSP. Sonic Rivals sees Sonic and his top rivals go head-to-head in races in both single and wireless multiplayer modes.

What starts as a friendly competition between Sonic and Knuckles quickly intensifies as Shadow and other rivals jump into the action. Sonic Rivals allows gamers to utilize boost moves and power-ups to trip, shove, and vault over each other while hurtling towards the finish line at breakneck speeds. Players will negotiate wildly twisting 3D tracks while avoiding the insidious Dr. Eggman and his myriad of hazardous traps and contraptions.

The game will let players play as one of four different characters from the franchise’s universe, with each having its own storyline. There will also be a rewards system, which is based on collecting trading cards, allowing players to customize their characters. These trading cards can be put on the line for multiplayer challenges.

Sonic Rivals is scheduled for release this Fall and is being developed by Backbone Entertainment. The game will be shown off in detail at E3.

The man behind Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka, is being reported by Next-Gen as ready to leave Sega behind to form a new studio of his own. The report mentions that it is possible for the new company to be related to Sega in terms of financial arrangements, but such details are unknown at the moment.

Head of Sega’s Sonic Team, Yuji Naka is the creator of many prolific franchises such as the aforementioned Sonic, Phantasy Star Online, Nights and Chu Chu Rocket.