"A good multi-player sports game... About time too!"

I got this game when it was released in the EU, which interestingly was called Mario Smash Football, and not Super Mario Strikers… Just so you know this review is for the right game…

Sound: 5/10

This game, as any other Mario game, is full of loads of sound effects, ranging from the noise of someone being hit by a bomb, to all the different characters voices. These are interesting and funny at first, but quickly grow repetitive after you complete the single player tournaments… There are not enough variations of the voices.

The music is quite bland in my opinion, and in some places non-existent. You will quickly grow tired of the same tunes over and over again.

Graphics: 8/10

Although the game box has strange, unfamiliar art for a Mario game, the actual game has the same templates as many other Mario games. The areas range from grassy pitches, to underground and rocky pitches, and the traditional Bowser themed pitch.

The power-ups and special moves are, as in all Mario games, very colourful… Hmm… Yes, that's the best way to describe it… Basically picture any Mario game currently on the Gamecube. That's what this game looks like, except it's a football pitch.

Game-play: 9/10

If you like football, but hate referees, you will love this game!
There are no rules on fouling, offside or throw-ins. It is non-stop football action, other than when the replays for goals are playing. There are the general pass and shoot buttons, as in most football games, but the Y button allows your character to smash in any nearby players, knocking them to the ground for a few seconds and making them lose the ball.

There are a nice variety of power-ups, with loads of different types of shell including: The traditional Red and Green shells, a blue shell that freezes other players, and the spiny shell that bounces all around the pitch. These come in a variety of sizes and quantities. There are also bob-ombs, which knock over players and burn them in a blast radius, and banana's, to send your opponents sliding! In multi-player battles, this can cause everything to become really hectic, as explosions occur all over the place!

This is where the game excels: You can either play single matches with up to 4 players, or organise a tournament with a league table for up to 16 players! [You pass the controller around]

There are 9 characters, one of which you have to unlock. They all specialise in different areas, whether it is offensive, defensive, balanced or play making. Each character has a different special move, also know as a Super Strike. When near your opponent's goal, your main character can charge up a shot which, if you pull it off perfectly, is a guaranteed 2 goals!

The games themselves are basically Five-a-side games, most goals at the end wins. If it is a draw, it becomes “Sudden Death”, which is basically the Golden Goal rule- Next goal wins! However, when this occurs, the losing team still gets one point, since it was effectively a draw… But the team that scores the golden goal gets a full 3 points!

The single player isn't as good as multi-player, as eventually the AI becomes easy to predict, if you play many games you will learn how to counter everything they try. There are a few cups for you to play, as well as some Milestone Trophies to collect, so you will need to play many games to rack up enough points in each sector to get the top trophy! Examples are “Hit 150 enemies” and “Perform 100 perfect passes”

Overview: 7/10

This game is a great multi-player game, but it quickly grows old in single-player… The sound also lets it down a bit, as it has no where near as much variety as most Mario games…

Rent or Buy?
If you are one of those Americans who don't know that this is the REAL football, then I advise you rent it before buying… The game has far more lifespan if you have friends to play it with. If you generally like multi-player games, and sport to some degree, I think you will like this game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/28/05