Mario Strikers Charged

"Better than the Gamecube version, but those A.I. controlled characters are very cheap."

Super Mario Strikers came out pretty late in the Gamecube's lifespan. Maybe it was a bit overlooked. If that was the case, Nintendo decided to release the Wii version very early in the system's lifespan. Mario Strikers Charged in my opinion is better than the Gamecube version, with more characters and stadiums, it all comes together with awesome Wii controls. I must say that this game is fantastic, and it continues the excellent line of terrific Mario sports games.

So what makes Mario Strikers Charged such a good game? Well, I'm not the biggest fan of soccer. I played it when I was growing up, but I always liked football better (where is Mario Football anyway?). I like the way that the developers designed this game. It seems that they took a good hard look at Sega Soccer Slam from a few years ago and designed Mario Strikers Charged like it. The object to the game is simple; you pick one of the captains and try to win the cup that you have selected (either Fire, Crystal, or Striker). There are also more characters to choose from and Bowser is one of them.

The gameplay is what I feel to be the key element to any sports game. I think that it is spot on in Mario Strikers Charged. After you have selected a team captain, you then choose who your side kick team will be. Unlike the Gamecube version, where you had to chose only one sidekick team (Toad, Koopa, Birdo, or the Hammer Bros. to choose from), in Mario Strikers Charged, you can chose three different side kicks, and this time Shy Guy, Boo, Monty Mole and Dry Bones have joined the party as well . After you have made your selection, you'll be ready to play. The object to the game is simple; to score a goal in the other teams net. Obviously good passing is a must, but also you must learn to attack the other team's players in order to get the ball back. A quick shake of the Wii Remote is all it takes. Yes I know that you can't do this in normal soccer, but it's a great element in this game. The best feature in this game has to be the mega striker shot. Only the team captain can do one, but if can power up the meter correctly, you can score as many as six goals at once. If the opposing team does a mega strike against you, simply point the Wii Remote at the screen and swat the balls away.

There is also one other mode that is included; a fully functional online mode. Now you can go online using the same LAN adapter that allows you to download Virtual Console games, and play someone else. It's about time Nintendo.

Sure the single player mode is fun, but teaming up with someone else is also a blast. As everyone always says, two are better than one. There are also other modes as well, but the single player mode is a blast. With fantastic looking graphics, and awesome character sounds, Mario Strikers Charged is a fantastic game, a must have game for all Wii owners.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/07, Updated 08/02/07