Mario & Sonic jump gun to Nov. 6

Sega seems to be having trouble deciding which heavyweight to match up against this November with its Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Initially slated for November 13--putting it in the crosshairs of Crysis, Super Mario Galaxy, and Army of Two--the game was bumped by Sega a week to November 20 at the end of September. That date, of course, put it in line to compete for gamers' dollars with the likes of Kane and Lynch: Dead Men, Mass Effect, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and Rock Band.

Taking a second false start, Sega today announced that Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games will square off against the likes of Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Call of Duty 4, and BlackSite: Area 51 on November 6. Confident of its new footing, Sega also noted that the game had gone gold and was being shipped to manufacturers for mass production.

Along with an updated release date, Sega also noted a few as-yet-unannounced new features. In addition to Mario's and Sonic's respective posses, gamers will be able to compete against the iconic mascots using their own created Miis. Miis will be playable in all of the game's Olympic events, as well as in the newly announced dream events.

In the dream race, virtual athletes can zoom through a course filled with power-ups in single- or multiplayer competition for up to four. Dream platform is similar to skydiving, and players must perform aerial maneuvers while soaring through hoops and avoiding obstacles. Dream fencing lets players match steel in a jungle world. Finally, dream table tennis serves up ping pong in a fantastical setting.

GameSpot's previous coverage has more on the once-thought-impossible crossover. Sega also reaffirmed today that the Nintendo DS version is still slated for Q1 2008.