The Observer, January 27, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 14
Strikers scores with multiple players
For many, the Mario sports games that have been released over the years have provided some of the most enjoyable hours of multiplayer gaming. While the Mario Golf series has always been a personal favorite, Nintendo's efforts in both tennis and baseball have been uniformly excellent as well. As such, it should not be surprising that I bought Super Mario Strikers over the holiday break without hesitation. Oddly enough, while the features and single player game are both disappointing, the multiplayer aspect shines even more than it has in the past, resulting in mixed emotions towards Strikers. Though I would like to be able to recommend this game unequivocally, your enjoyment of this soccer game will be based solely on the availability of human competition.
Super Mario Strikers is the most recent game developed by Next Level Games. Their previous attempt at arcade soccer, Sega Soccer Slam, was one of the better sports games during the Gamecube's launch period but failed to attract a large audience. This could partially be attributed to the lack of gameplay modes. There were tournaments and exhibition matches available, but that was pretty much it. However, the core game was a solid foundation for Strikers. I figured that the developers would insert the Mario characters into Sega Soccer Slam while expanding upon the features. Surprisingly, the actual soccer has expanded considerably and has become an entirely different experience, while the presentation is now perhaps even more limited than it was previously.
Many things have been added to improve the original formula. Most noteworthy would be the new items. After taking shots or getting knocked around by opponents, the players will receive items taken right out of the Mario Kart games. Koopa shells, bombs, and banana peels all add to the strategy on the field and are welcome additions. Just as important is the new emphasis on defense. Players have a new shoulder charging move that can push the opposition into electric fences that surround the fields (resulting in some hilarious cries of agony from characters such as Peach and Donkey Kong). For those gamers who have preferred playing offensively in arcade sports games, this keeps the action exciting even when they are not holding the ball. Everything else, from the super shots to the "perfect passes," just feels right. The only other game in the genre that I have enjoyed as much was NFL Blitz, and I would likely give Strikers the edge if I had to pick a favorite.
Unfortunately, as much as I absolutely love the multiplayer portion of the game, I have some serious complaints. As I've mentioned before, there just was not much to do when I was playing alone. While the artificial intelligence is more than competent (playing the game on legendary is a humbling experience), the game lacks variety. The Gamecube editions of Mario Golf, Tennis, and Baseball all had numerous things to unlock. Sadly, the only hidden rewards in this game are new fields and a painfully unbalanced team of robots. One would think that Next Level Games would see the engaging quest mode available in Mario Superstar Baseball and would try to mimic the idea. Instead, Strikers is comparatively bare bones. Even the number of playable characters in the game seems limited after playing any other Mario game.
I realize that the last paragraph may have turned off some players who were looking for a reason to dust off their Gamecubes again, but when four people are playing, the game allows for much more strategy and chaos. I would love to see a sequel that adds some new activities for people to do after the party is over, but all in all, players get their money's worth with Super Mario Strikers.
