Over the years Mario has been shoveled out in random other games, he’s been put on toys, and even put in other unrelated titles like Metal Gear. Sonic, on the other hand, has remained relatively quiet. SEGA’s mascot has never gotten the marketing treatment of Nintendo’s plumber. All of that is changing this year with Mario and Sonic at the Olympics and the revelation of Sonic’s involvement with Brawl. SEGA has announced that the beloved, and cult, characters of its franchises will be appearing in their own version of Mario Tennis, aptly titled SEGA Superstars Tennis.

SEGA Superstars Tennis will contain over 15 SEGA characters including Sonic, AiAi (Super Monkey Ball), Ulala (Space Channel 5) and Amigo (Samba De Amigo). The game will have arcade style controls, with special abilities from each character being featured. We imagine that there will be some sort of online play as the game is coming to all major consoles, including the 360 and PS3. But those details will be forthcoming in the months leading up to the game’s release.

While there’s nothing new about an arcade sports title with gaming mascots, it’s nice to see some of those forgotten – or at least overlooked – SEGA characters getting their time to shine on the tennis court. SEGA Superstars Tennis is set to release in early 2008, and when we have more info on what you can expect that’ll be passed along. Because we think you’re swell.