Mario Super Sluggers

"More of the Same"

Three years ago, Nintendo released Mario Superstar Baseball. As the name suggests, it was the first Mario baseball game of its kind, and although it most people enjoyed it, it left something to be desired. Just about a week ago, Nintendo released a sequel, Mario Super Sluggers, for the Nintendo wii. Did this game correct the flaws in the original, or did it destroy all that was good in its prequel? In reality, it did not do anything much to either extreme, they simply reproduced the game for a newer system.

Super Mario Sluggers is a game that is a mirror of the original baseball title. The game mechanics of hitting and pitching with star pitches, and fielding amid fireballs, piranha plants, and other hazards has not changed. Pitching and batting are adapted to the wii mote, with overhead swinging for pitching and waving for batting. However, the velocity of your swing does not affect the pitch or hit, so there isn't much depth, besides curving the ball, or aligning your bat with the ball and swinging away. Game play is presented in three modes: Wii mote held vertically, Wii mote held horizontally, and wii mote and nun chuck. Without the nun chuck, you will be stuck shaking the wii mote so much your arm will fall off. You shake to swing, pitch, and field the ball. The nun chuck adds a joystick, so for a more advanced game with more control over pitch break and fielders, you're better off going with the wii mote, nun chuck combo. The two positive additions to game play are an enhanced chemistry system, and items. Now, fielders with chemistry can perform super jumps and throws together, so unlike in the old game, it's now vital to have friendly outfielders. At bat, if the batter behind you in the lineup has good chemistry with you, once the ball is hit, you can throw a random item to hamper the fielders. For example, you can knock them out with a shell before they throw the runner out, or turn the ball invisible, so it's tough to find in the outfield. The game is more exciting and arcade-like with these features, which definitely add to the experience. Besides these two new additions, the game play remains largely the same: Same batting, pitching and fielding, and the controls remain user friendly. Introduced are a slew of new characters adding up to about forty in total. Also added is a neat day/night feature, with different gimmicks in courses depending on the time of day. The game also provides for mini games, which are fun but nothing to write home about, and toy field, which is a drag single player, but a blast with friends. The challenge mode in this game is shockingly short, less than an hour, and only consists of you playing three real games, somewhat of a disappointment.

The story is basically that Mario and his friends go to an island where they play baseball all the time, but since the green shelled king himself was not invited, he decides to take over the island. It's up to you to recruit teammates to challenge and defeat him. The story is paper thin, but it's really not the reason you'll buy this game, so it's not a huge deal.

The graphics and standard wii fare: Nothing exceptional, but vibrant colors, fluid movements, and lots of scenery mean that even if you lose, there's still something nice to look at. The sound it the game is catchy and good, except for the awful announcer screaming, “Ball! Strike! Change! That's the game!” in an extremely annoying tone, almost constantly. You don't have to turn it completely off, but keep the sound low, for the sake of your sanity.

The challenge mode is way too shallow and short, but the game play is addicting and fun, just like in the old game. Fun single player and a great game to play with a bunch of friends, you'll be playing this for a while after you've bought it. So, if you loved Mario Superstar Baseball, you'll love sluggers too. If you did not like it, don't get this game, because you'll be getting almost the same game a second time.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/02/08

Game Release: Mario Super Sluggers (US, 08/25/08)