Nintendo launches free Mario & Sonic 3DS virtual card album in Europe

Nintendo launched the new Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games virtual card album on Monday, giving 3DS owners a new way to get into the Olympic spirit.

The free app is available for download in the eShop and will consist of a collection of over 70 virtual trading cards featuring popular Nintendo icons like Mario, Peach, and Bowser – many of which are in 3D.

To kickstart the collections of interested 3DS owners, each download comes pre-loaded with five cards. Users can either buy new cards with freely-earned Play Coins or pick them up via SpotPass downloads.

Nintendo also plans to make certain rare cards available only to those users who bring their 3DS to designated locations which it will announce on the Mario & Sonic Facebook and Twitter pages as the program picks up momentum.

Should a user find themselves with multiple copies of a given card, they may trade it over to a friend via StreetPass. While there is no way to enforce a price on your friend for the swap, holding out for a few of their choice Kid Icarus trading cards might not be out of the question – especially for those rarer virtual cards.

There is no word as to if or when Nintendo plans to bring the Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games card album to the United States. Card distribution will end on September 9th.