Mario Strikers Charged

"Mario Is Back And Bought His Boots With Him!"

Mario is back for his Wii debut, Mario Strikers Charged Football [Known as Mario Strikers Charged in the US] The sequel to Mario Strikers on the GC, but is it worth buying?


Gameplay:

Mario games have never been realistic, and thats true for this game as well. The only similarities between this and real football are the core elments of the game, like scoring goals and passing. Matches are 5-a-side. Each team is made up of a captain, a goalkeeper and 3 sidekicks. The captians are the main Mario characters, like Mario and Bowser, while the sidekicks are some of the 'lesser' characters, like the Hammer Bros. Each Character has different stats, and a unique special ability. For instance, mario is an all-rounder, while Donkey Kong excels at shooting. The matches themselves are frantic and a lot like battles. There are no rules, no referees, so basicly you can kick lumps out of the other team and get away with it. There are items to use, like the Green Shell, and there are special powerups for the captains use. Captians can also do a Megastrike, which lets you take up to 6 shots at goal, and is the main way to score goals. It is good fun but if you like your football games to be realistic simulations this is not for you. The only main critisicm of the gameplay is that without the use of a powerup or megastrike, it is practicly impossible to score. Even from close range the keeper always seems to be in the right place at the right time. You will score the odd goal from open play, but most goals will be scored with the help of a megastrike or powerup.

Controls:

The game uses the Wii controls very well. You move with the Nunchuck, and press Z to use items. Tackling is done by shaking the remote, and you press B to shoot. Holding B will charge your shot, and if you hold it for long enough you will do a Megastrike. During a Megastrike the other player points the remote at the screen and points at the balls and presses A to save them. Passing is done with A, and pressing up on the D-pad uses the characters special ability. The controls are really intutive, and work really well for a game of this genre.

Graphics:

Nothing special to be honest, but they dont need to be. The characters are spot-on, and there are some neat lighting effects during Megastrikes. The arenas are nothing special, but you will be having to much fun to notice.

Sound:

I was rather dissapointed with this aspect of the game. It would have been nice to have some classic Mario tunes, but maybe it wouldnt suit the game very well. Character noises are good, but this games sound isnt anything spectacular.

Online:

This is very good, especially for the Wiis first online game. You can play anyone if you have their friend code, but you can also do a ranked match, where the game searches for a player close to you leaderboard ranking. This has potential to last quite a while.

Lifespan:

There are plenty of things to keep you occupied, like the 'Road to the strikers cup' mode, and the challenge mode, but after a while I started to get a bit bored. Maybe its just me, but I find the game is best played in small bursts, but I'm sure this game has potential to become quite addictive, especially with online.

Overall

Pros

+ Good online
+ Fast and fun
+ Controls work well

Cons

- Hard to score from open play
- Can get tiring after a while

Summary:

A great package and certainly better than the last Mario football game. Recommended, but dont except a realistic sim.

Gameplay - 8
Graphics - 7
Sound - 6
Lifespan - 8
Controls - 8

Overall - 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 10/05/07

Game Release: Mario Strikers Charged Football (EU, 05/25/07)