Mario Hoops 3 on 3

"Boring, repetitive, what else can I say?"

Here is one of the few Mario games for the DS, and it ended up being a total disappointment. I'm sad to say that Mario's first attempt at basketball was a complete and utter failure and a total let down. Let me explain:

Controls: 2/10
To start off with, let me first begin with saying I absolutely hate this game's controls. Poor, really, since it is the DS we're talking about, but still, they could have made major improvements. I have to say that playing a heavy game of basketball with a tiny stylus is somewhat difficult, in a mild tone, and it was never really enjoyable to play with the horrible controls. Buttons couldn't be used, and everything was so confusing and unnecessarily complicated, like what to press and how to do, and having to make certain patterns with the stylus. Really, it sucked.

Gameplay: 3/10
The biggest flaw in Mario Hoops is Final Fantasy characters. Yes, you heard me. Little Squeenix decided to pair with Nintendo to make the worst Mario game ever for the DS. I truly believe Mario Hoops would've been much better without the FF characters; they completely ruined the game as well as basketball. Square Enix, here my plea- Never, ever team up with Nintendo ever again. Please. For the sake of redeeming Nintendo.

Music/Graphics: 4/10
There isn't much to say here, other than that everything was ordinary and boring. The music was new, and, as a plus, somewhat catchy, but it was really nothing special. The graphics were all right, as far as the DS goes, so there's really nothing else to point out.

Play-Time Experience/Replay Value: 3/10
Trust me, you're seriously going to get bored with this only after about half an hour to an hour no more. Unexciting, uninteresting, and even a bit stupid, you'll only be playing this for a few days before returning the blasted card back to the GameStop you bought it from. If you really have to try this game, then rent it, DO NOT BUY. It'll be the biggest waste of money you've ever spent.

To sum it all up:

Pros (if any):
-A bit un at first
-A decent cast of Mario characters

Cons (oh, boy):
-Horrible controls
-The gameplay, if it even exists
-How fast you lose interest
-How boring it is
-Square Enix

Overall: 3/10
What else can I say? This was one of Nintendo biggest mistakes. A truly sad game, really. Thankfully other games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Brothers Brawl have saved Nintendo from wastes like this.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 02/04/08

Game Release: Mario Hoops 3 on 3 (US, 09/11/06)