Super Mario Strikers

It seems the Nintendo's idea of a sports title recently has been to combine Mario with a sport.  On previous systems we had Mario Golf and Mario Tennis but two sports aren’t enough to contain Mario.  The ultimate world domination plan of Mario is to expand to all sports and conquer.  Now this can happen and we know it can happen easily.  How can it happen?  Because we all love Mario and we’re always happy to play a Mario themed sports game. 

The newest sport Mario is venturing into is Soccer (or football to our international audience).  Since soccer is the world’s number one sport it only makes sense to have Mario expand his plumbing trade into soccer.  What we end up with is another fun filled sports game that is sure to find an audience no matter how serious your passion for the sport. 

As with the previous Mario sports title, Super Mario Strikers is a combination of over the top sports action with a mixture of authenticity.  This game isn’t meant to be a serious simulation of soccer but that doesn’t mean that soccer fans can’t enjoy the game either.  The E3 demo played very well (as do most Mario sports games) with the controls of the characters being very responsive.  You can switch between the different characters at anytime to closest character to the ball.  Once you get near the ball you can then dive for the ball and try to steal the ball away.  All of the action during the game was quick and easy to see no matter where the ball was moving.  The game only includes a smaller number of characters on the screen at one time compared to real soccer but you probably won’t mind the difference. 

On offense once you pass the ball to another character you control that character immediately.  When you’re ready to take a shot you can press the shot button quickly for a quick rapid show or hold the button down to perform a special shot.  Yes that’s right, all of the over the top moves from the other Mario sports games are back in Strikers.  Once you hold the shot button down your character will get charged and ready to take the shot.  He will then kick the ball up in the air and then a meter will appear on screen.  Depending on where you stop, the meter determines which special move you will perform for the shot and how powerful the shot will be.  Let me tell you it was a great feeling charging up a full blast shot with Mario to make the goal.  I wanted to yell “GOOOOAAAALLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”  out loud at E3 but the guy next to me gave me a funny look that seemed to indicate I was out of my mind.  But hey it’s all about having fun.  Remember the motto, games are supposed to be fun. 

Super Mario Strikers is going to be another fun filled, action packed sports title from Nintendo staring Mario and Crew.  That means you won’t play the game for weeks and weeks trying to get the best stats or best players.  What Super Mario Strikers will be is a fun, entertaining game that will keep you and your friends playing.  The game will support up to four people in a multiplayer mode.  The game is due out later this year.

For All E3 2005 Previews