Mario Hoops 3 on 3

"Square lays it up, passes on slam dunk"

Mario has competed in numerous sports over the years. Golf, tennis, soccer, baseball, but never before has he stepped out onto the hardwood and shot some hoops. In this Square Enix produced game, we'll finally see him perform moves the likes of which Michael Jordan in his prime couldn't even dream of.

First off, most of this game is controlled by the stylus. In fact, other than running and using the L button to help guide passes, every action will be used with a simple flick of the wrist across the touch screen. This alone makes the gameplay unique, and in my opinion, a nice deviation from the usual methods seen in other b-ball titles. Like most DS games, it takes a bit of time to become acquainted to the controls, but once you do, it will become second nature to you.

The characters are plenty, over twenty in all. All of them are grouped into three styles of play (speedy, all-around, powerful), allowing the ability to mix and match teams as you see fit. Also, seeing as how this is a Square game, some characters from the Final Fantasy series rear their heads into this one. Ever wanted to see a Moogle dunk right over Bowser? Of course not, because you probably never even considered it, but you can in this game!

Getting into the gameplay, the game moves at a nice pace. Normal two-pointers and three-pointers are multiplied by ten while coin blocks on the court can be used to add the total points per basket up even higher. It's not uncommon to see someone slam it home for a hundred points, but you have to make good sense of when to build up for that one shot that can seal the deal as the defense will try to stop you. You see, those same blocks that allow you to score while on offense will also dish out items on defense. Lightning bolts, koopa shells, and banana peels... Mario Kart has invaded the game of basketball!

The courts also have some variety to them much like Mario's baseball effort. In some instances, you'll find yourself having to dodge barrels, playing the slots, or even trying to score inside one Petey Piranha. Yes, you'll be playing this game for a little while before you've seen everything it has to offer.

Still, while all that makes for a fun game, this one is not without its flaws. Something that you won't notice on the lower levels will come back to haunt you in higher difficulty tournaments, and that would be your own teammates. The game is somewhat more three-on-one than three-on-three as your AI controlled partners (whom you can switch off to in the middle of the game) will bring out the Ron Artest in you as they constantly do everything they can to do nothing at all. Whether they watch a free ball right next to them be scooped up, don't rebound, or play defense in general all the while watching the CPU controlled team do that and more, you'll surely find yourself getting more frustrated as the challenge levels up. Had your teammates have gotten better at the game as it went along, I could've forgiven this. Sadly, this is not the case as they remain the stoic characters that they are throughout.

Unfortunately, that isn't the game's biggest omission. Instead, Square gets slapped with a backcourt violation by not bringing Wi-Fi to the table in this one. While there is wireless play for friends close by, it doesn't change the fact that this game could've been all the better for having the chance to hit the hardwood against gamers all over the DS. That alone should be taken into consideration here for a purchase. If you like playing games with Wi-Fi abilities, then this is not the game for you.

As much as I remain baffled by the exclusion of Wi-Fi, Square has pieced together a fun, albeit, unimpressive title. I was expecting more, but I can't say that I was truly disappointed in this one, either. Some will love it, others will not. Personally, I'd like to see a sequel down the road as this game did have plenty of unfulfilled potential (Think the "Add Wi-Fi" message has caught on yet?). In many ways, I'd consider this to be like a promising rookie. He may not hit all of his shots, but there are those moments when you can see flashes of greatness. Rent, don't bench this one.

Gameplay- 7
Graphics - 8
Sound- 6
Entertainment- 6
Overall- 6.75 (27/40)

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/28/06