Super Mario Strikers
December 15,2005 - Super Mario Strikers is a very solid game that could have been better had a few design issues been resolved before its release. Nevertheless, as a game with accessible controls, fast-paced gameplay and enough depth to keep you interested for a while, Super Mario Strikers is worthy enough in its own right, as long as the main hook isn't the "Mario" part of the title.

Unfortunately, there's more of Mario in the title screens than the game. There are few characters from the Mario universe in the game: they total around a dozen. Considering all the colorful allies and enemies that have appeared in the Mario games to date, this low character total is puzzling. To add insult to injury, the unlockable characters in the game have nothing to do with the Mario universe at all. The interpretation of the characters themselves also feels off. Although the standard gameplay animations as the various characters run about more or less capture their attributes, their reactions to scoring a goal and victories feel off. Seeing a toadstool with an arrogant sneer, or Daisy lick her finger, touch her side, and having the saliva produce a sizzle because "she's so hot" is just... wrong. It doesn't help that there are relatively few animations, and in high scoring games, they quickly become annoying. Also, the violent nature of the game doesn't seem to fit with the Mario universe. Hearing Peach scream as she's slammed into the high voltage electric fence surrounding every arena is disturbing. You get the feeling that although it would be commercial suicide, taking the "Mario" out of Super Mario Strikers would benefit the game beyond turning the title into snazzy alliteration. 

There are several modes that you will find upon entering the main menu screen. Grudge Matches are your basic, exhibition match style single or multiplayer games for quick games. Cup Battles are the meat of the single-player, and they involve a series of matches against the computer AI in which your victory is determined by the number of points you receive (three points for a victory, one for an overtime loss). Super Cup Battles are similiar to Cup Battles, except that they take place in different stadiums (which really aren't all that different) and the "rookie" difficulty setting is removed. Custom Battles allow you to set up tournaments for multiple players. Strikers 101 acts as a tutorial for all the functions in the game by giving you a text explanation of the mechanics, then letting you test them in a game. Spoils allows you to make modifications to your game based on what you unlock in the cup battle modes. And there are the options, which let you adjust the sound, and things of that nature. These are adequate, but there's nothing that you haven't seen before, besides the pictures of Mario kicking a soccer ball.

The good news is that the gameplay makes you forget the misfired presentation. The game is relatively simple to control. With the ball, you use the A button to pass, the B button to shoot, the Y button to deke, the X button to use items and the R button to use your turbo. You can do more with these buttons, though. If you hold down the shoot button, you can charge up your shot. You can also choose which side of the net your shot will be aimed at by holding up or down as you release your shot. Also, if the character charging up their shot is the team captain, they can charge it up to a "Super Shot", which brings up a timing mini-game. The object is to hit the B button on the dark green part of the slider as the white marker moves over it. Should you perform this perfectly, you'll perform a hard shot that knocks the goalie into his own net. Doing it close to perfect will shoot a shot hard enough to score most of the time. If you miss by a bit more, the effects are a little more unpredictable. The goalie may be stunned, leaving the net open for a rebound. Other times, the goalie may simply make the save. There will also be times after your Super Shot where the goalie will throw the ball directly at your shooter, knocking him out as a body-check would. These shots are difficult to set up, and also difficult to time, but since their successful completion results in not one, but two goals, they're worth attempting when there's enough time and space to do so.

If you press the shoot button while the ball is being passed, the receiver of the pass will perform a one-timer. Where the ball is passed depends on what direction you use on the analogue stick while you press it, and should you do it in the precise direction of your team-mate, you'll make a "perfect pass". This allows you to do a harder one-timer, as well as slows down the game, allowing you more time to pick the side of the net you wish to shoot at. There's no limit to the turbo, but you can't control the direction of your character as well, or pass or shoot as quickly. You can also dump the ball out of your zone by shooting from the defensive side of the center line, which is useful if you're holding onto a one or two goal lead late in the game. Furthermore, you can perform lob passes by holding down the L button as you hit the A button (you can still perform perfect passes with this type of pass). These allow you to make passes over the heads of defenders, and allow you to perform one-timers that involve flip-kicks or headers, which mean that shots are generally more elevated than normal shots. The disadvantage is that since they take longer to reach their intended target, they tend to leave the intended receiver wide-open for body-checks.

The defensive side of the game is simpler. You can still use items with the X button, but otherwise, the functions of each button changes. In defensive mode, you don't have access to the turbo function. What you are given, is the ability to switch players, which defaults to whichever of your players is nearest the ball, using the A button. You can also slide tackle using the B button, which allows you to steal the ball either in mid-pass or directly from your opponent. Finally, the game lets you bodycheck your opponents using the Y button. This is especially useful for taking away the passing options of the team on offence, as it takes the victim a few moments to get back in the play again.

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