Mario Strikers Charged

"Mario Strikers Charged, a completely satisfying game even to non-sport lovers."

Overview:
An amazing game even for those who have little to no interest in soccer.

Graphics: (9/10)
I'm not one who judges a game based on graphics so I am pretty lenient with the score. For a Mario game it looks very nice, very good detail towards the backgrounds but nothing amazing, I mean its Mario. The animations were also very accurate and much emotion was put into the characters.

Gameplay: (7/10)
I really liked the speed of the gameplay, very fast with little interruption. The controls in this game however take much time to master, I feel this game would have been more fun with the option to use the classic remote. The controls were the major downside of this game but they do not in any way make this game not a must buy. For a soccer game I have to say switching the ball between other characters on your team is very smooth and the tackle system makes this a very fun game. One thing I did like however, is when a character uses his/her special goal shot the other player actually holds the Wiimote and blocks the balls as if they were using their hands to do so.

Characters: (9/10)
Considering this is a Mario game the developers did a very nice job with the characters in this game. Each character was given a new look made specifically for this game which turned out very nice. All characters have advantages and disadvantages to add an element of strategy. Each player gets to pick a team captain and three sidekicks(completely different from selectable characters) to create a team of whatever types of characters that player wants(fast, defensive, powerful ect.). Each character has his/her own special goal shot, the team captains have a large special that can shoot several balls at the goal at once in addition to a small special that is used as an item.

Stages: (9.5/10)
This game offers a fair amount of levels each offering something different from the others. The stages are not simply for looks, stages have different obstacles which can turn the tables in a game, most happen at random and unexpected moments.

Items/Unlockables: (7/10)
The items are something that can leave an effect to the outcome of a match but are not often used. The items include much things you would expect from a Mario game such as the Koopa Shell or Banana. I dislike having to use the "c" button to use items; it makes it uncomfortable, I don't know why. I rarely find myself using any items I obtain. You can have two items at once and they are obtained while regularly playing. One item I would like to talk about is the "captain special", each captain has a small/unique special in the form of an item(as I briefly talked about under the "character" section of my review).

Sound: (8/10)
The music is somewhat good, it isn't something you will really remember but overall I'd say it's fair. It gives the game a tougher more intense feel to be honest.

Single Player: (9/10)
Very nice single player, the computers have fairly decent AI and you are able to unlock additional team captains.

Multi-Player: (10/10)
The multi-player is great(up to four players, co-op or versus), as I've said before the game runs very smooth and when playing with friends, the game has a vast amount of replay value. As a bonus you can play the main cups with your friends as well, this is great if you need help getting those trophies.

Replay Value: (10/10)
As most sports games have, this game offer infinite replay value due to its competitive nature.

Wi-fi: (10/10)
The Wifi offers both friend battles and random battles; which run very smooth for Nintendo's first real-time online game on the Wii. I have experienced VERY minimal lag, almost none at all. All characters are already unlocked in online play to not give any extra advantages to those who have played long enough to unlock everything. It's very fun to go against people throughout your region and test your skills; the online feature could not be any better so I give it a perfect score.

Overall[not an average]: (9/10)
I couldn't ask for more in a soccer title. What else is there to say?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/07, Updated 09/14/07

Game Release: Mario Strikers Charged (US, 07/30/07)