Next Level
Games is famous for designing the best action/arcade hockey game, NHL Hitz
Pro. When it was announced that they would be the developer behind Nintendo’s
first soccer game, Super Mario Strikers, one thing was set in stone: this
would be a game to remember. Good controls, good characters, good arenas,
clever gameplay mechanics that exaggerate reality – these are all traits of
NHL Hitz Pro. Given that soccer games are closer to hockey games than any
other, Nintendo must’ve chosen Next Level to extract their talents and game
design traits.
Playing the
game for the first time confirms those assumptions: Super Mario Strikers is a
lot like NHL Hitz Pro. Soccer leagues, get out of here! Rules, you are not
welcome. Penalties – what penalties? Four-on-four gameplay, Mario-themed
power-ups, and most of your favorite Mario characters make an appearance.
Coolness
Who’s that
blocking the net? None other than the crocs from Donkey Kong Country. The
much-loved-but-rarely-seen Hammer Bros. (from the original Super Mario Bros.
game) have been resurrected for team spirit. Koopa and Birdo (the weird
dinosaur-like egg shooters from Super Mario 2) are also playable. There’s only
one Toad, but his brothers and sisters look just like him. You’ll be able to
control them as well.
These four
character groups make up the bulk of your team, but it’s the character you
choose to make captain that will rock your opponent’s world. Mario, Wario,
Luigi, Waluigi, Yoshi, Peach, Daisy, and Donkey Kong are playable from the
start, providing instant access to the tall and the small, the brainy and the
brute – the crazy and the crazier. Waluigi really shouldn’t have stopped
taking his medication.
Standard
shots take one tap and it’s done. The ball is kicked, where it goes – that’s
up to Mother Nature. Or Bowser. He drops in from time to time to burn things
up. He stomps on teammates, opponents, whoever’s in his way. He’ll knock the
ball away from you, and leave the world lopsided! Remember when he did that in
Mario 64? These are the kinds of things I look for in a Mario game; elements
that move the game forward by utilizing an element from the past.
It’s
interesting how much bigger Bowser is as an adversary than he is as a playable
character in Mario Kart, or as a supporting character in Mario & Luigi. He
seemed to be of a more normal size in Paper Mario. In Super Mario Strikers
he’s huge!
It won’t
take you more a minute to realize that by holding down the B button you can
charge your shot. This move is a lot like charging a slap-shot in NHL Hitz
Pro. The difference is that the captain’s charge shot may be turned into a
Super Strike. Charge a shot until the strike meter appears and press the B
button as the line scrolls over the green area. Do this twice and the strike
will be unstoppable! The captain performing this move will be frozen in time;
the screen will spin around, Matrix-style, and the ball will be shot at the
goal so harshly that it’ll knock the goalie back a few feet! Two points are
earned for scoring with a Super Strike. All other goals get you one point.
One-Up
Have you
ever been out playing a sport and thought, "If I had a Koopa shell I’m sure
I’d win." Red shells, blue shells, spiked shells, big shells – Mario Strikers
has enough for everyone. They’re collected by charging your shots and by
taking hits from opponents when you don’t have the ball. Shells bounce and
banana peels can slip up anyone (including you), so use power-ups cautiously.
Bob-ombs are great, but as always, he has a really short fuse. Anything can
set him off.
Luigi: "Hey
Bob-omb, I’m getting hungry. You wanna go out for spaghetti?"
Bob-omb
waddles forward and explodes.
It’s Time
The
one-timer-heavy gameplay of NHL Hitz Pro has been carried over to Mario
Strikers, letting Hitz players come into the game without the need for a
tutorial. A basic tutorial is available and lists all 12 of the game’s
mechanics, but it’s unlikely that you’ll need to look at it. The only move I
hadn’t figured out on my own was how to do a lob pass (hold L and press A).
That was after about 60 minutes of play. Had I played longer before checking
the tutorial I’m sure I would’ve figured it out on my own.
Going
straight from Hitz to Strikers is a little distressing. Hitz is insanely fast,
extreme sports action. Strikers, though primarily an arcade-style soccer game,
is more balanced in this respect. I would have preferred that they increased
the gamepaly speed, but I say that as a loyal Hitz fan. People who don’t like
Hitz often say it’s because it’s too fast or too unrealistic (crazy, aren’t
they?). By having Mario as one of its stars, in the title, and on the cover
box, Strikers was more of a mainstream title from the start, justifying the
speed reduction.
In Smash
Bros. every character played as differently as they looked. Mario Kart is more
lenient, but when you choose Mario you know it’s him. He’s well-rounded. Toad
is great at cornering. Donkey Kong is strong but heavy and not as good at
cornering.
Character
individuality is where Mario Strikers comes up short. It didn’t matter if I
picked Wario or Daisy. Peach or Luigi. Toad or Donkey Kong. They had slight
differences, but that’s not enough. The same could be said for NHL Hitz Pro –
aside from a few statistical differences, what does it mean to go from the
Detroit Red Wings to the St. Louis Blues?
Mario
Strikers, however, does not have a list of statistics that note the individual
differences. Having one wouldn’t have changed the outcome unless those numbers
actually meant something.
What we have
then is a great sports game that’s short and not as varied as Mario’s other
outings. There’s a significant amount of repetition here – that’s something
I’m rarely able to say about a Mario title. I like it a lot and will still
play it, but it’s not what I was hoping for: an NHL Hitz Pro-killer that
starred the cast of Super Mario Bros. Instead, Mario Strikers is a variation
of NHL Hitz Pro with less game modes and fewer unlockables.
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Gameplay: 8.0
As if there was
doubt in anyone’s mind, Super Mario Strikers’ controls are smooth, responsive,
and are fun to take advantage of. The "Striker" in the title refers to the
game’s exclusive, never-saw-it-coming move: the Super Strike. In its weakest
state this move is a powerful, goalie-stunning shot that’ll strike whatever it
hits with great force. At full capacity this move is unstoppable. The game
says it’s "nearly" unstoppable, but I have yet to block a perfect Super
Strike, nor have my opponents, real or computer-controlled, been able to.
Repetition
and a lack of variety among characters prevent Mario Strikers from reaching
the level of Mario Kart, Mario Golf or Smash Bros. Melee. This is a great game
but don’t think of Mario Kart (or NHL Hitz Pro) before playing it.
Graphics: 7.9
Believable
backgrounds, Mario-style effects, cool characters, etc. It’s all good, but
very dated when compared to what other Mario games have achieved.
Sound: 6.0
Retro sounds from
various Mario titles are played repeatedly as each teammate rushes to get the
ball. They’re cool the first time you hear them. After that it’s like, “Would
you PLEASE stop making noise!?”
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Twelve mechanics,
a few of which are determined by chance or by what’s going on in the match.
Twelve isn’t a bad number, but this is the end of the current generation –
isn’t it about time we get something more advanced? Ah that’s right, this is
supposed to be a mainstream title.
Concept: 7.0
Good characters
(duh) and cool power-ups (also duh, but the developers were clever in their
implementation). Seeing Bowser drop in during a match is a real treat. I have
to wonder why the arenas weren’t influenced by Mario’s other adventures.
You’ll notice little things that relate them to the Mushroom Kingdom, but it
would’ve been better if they had taken the game out of the arena and into
actual worlds that we had previously explored.
There I am
again fantasizing about what could’ve been. I only find myself doing that when
a game doesn’t meet expectations. Repetition is not something that typically
accommodates a new Mario game, but you’ll find plenty of it in this sports
game. After a great run of Mario games this year, we can’t be expected to
expect anything but the best.
Multiplayer: 8.4
Multiplayer is
where Super Mario Strikers lives on. The single-player cups can be shortened
to two minutes per match, letting you beat them and gain access to an all-new
character (a robot that resembles the Next Level mascot) in a couple of hours.
When that’s over with you’ll stay occupied with four-player matches where you
can split the team up any way you want (two-on-two, one-on-three, etc.) or
play together against computer-controlled opponents.
Overall: 8.2
I wouldn’t take
another game off your Christmas wish list to get Super Mario Strikers, but if
you have the cash, love Mario, love soccer, and do not have
expectations of an NHL Hitz Pro or Mario Kart-caliber game, this is a
must-buy. You’ll enjoy this one no matter what, but high expectations kill a
game for most players, especially those who buy games on a regular basis. Play
it, beat it, and get away from it for a while. Then come back with a few
friends to see what the multiplayer mode is made of.
