Mario Strikers Charged Wii Review
Nintendo's Soccer Video Game Delivers Fun Experience Online and Off
Those looking for a fun sports experience on the Wii -- and who have played Wii Sports one too many times -- may be interested in Nintendo's Mario Strikers Charged.
In July 2007, Nintendo released one of the best sports experiences on the Wii since Wii Sports with Mario Strikers Charged (also known as Mario Strikers Charged Football in Australia and Europe), a sequel to the enjoyable but less consistent Super Mario Strikers on GameCube.
A Game for the Casual Sports Fan...
First and foremost, Mario Strikers Charged is a soccer game for the casual sports fan. The game doesn't stick to the rules of professional soccer, and you won't find any in-depth league manager modes. Instead, Mario Strikers Charged sticks to fast and furious gameplay for the gamer hoping to move past Wii Sports.
The game's appeal to the casual gamer is obvious from the character selection. In the game, players can choose their team captain from a cast of popular Nintendo characters such as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Wario, Waluigi, and Petey Pirahna, as well as teammates from characters such as Koopa, Shy Guy, Monty Mole, Birdo, Boo, Toad, Hammer Bros., and Dry Bones.
Each character has their own special moves. Specifically, team captains can unleash a "mega strike," in which the opposing team must block up to 6 shots at once, while the teammates have their own "skillshot" moves, which are single, more powerful shots to the goal. Each character also has a special"deke" move, which allows the character to whomp their opponent or speed up once he or she has possession of the ball. Finally, players can also rack up special items, such as shells or extra boosts of speeds, that can be unleashed on one's opponent at any time.
Each game is played out on one of several very unique stadiums. While a playing field with no quirks is included in the game, most playing fields feature some type of unique atmosphere, such as strong winds, lightning strikes, etc.
...but Maybe Too Casual?
Though all the items and crazy stadium settings and powerful moves add up to a very unique and fast-paced gaming experience, Mario Strikers Charged can sometimes border on the gimmicky. Most gamers go through a first phase where they are very frustrated by some of the more gimmicky moves that the computer (or human) players can perform.
But while most of these moves can be effectively countered with skill, many gamers will then run into a different problem: the game, especially in single player, can seem a bit too shallow and repetitive. After a while, all the matches feel the same, even if they're in an interesting new setting against varied opponents.
Most Fun in Multiplayer
But to dwell on the shortcomings of the single-player mode would be to miss the game's biggest asset: its extremely fun multiplayer modes. Simply put, Mario Strikers Charged is one of the best multiplayer experiences on Wii. In Suite101's many play tests over the past few months, Mario Strikers Charged has continually stood out as one of the top choices for multiplayer games, even above more obvious choices such as Mario Kart Wii.
The game also offers an online mode, and up to two players at home can face up to two players somewhere else in the world. However, Mario Strikers Charged seems particularly laggy, especially compared to the virtually lag-free Mario Kart Wii, and indeed some online matches were virtually unplayable. The online mode also doesn't support voice chat, meaning good, old-fashioned at-home multiplayer may be desirable for most players.
Overall
Mario Strikers Charged has several other assets that haven't been discussed in this review -- including beautiful graphics, catchy music, and a quick learning curve. These things, along with an addicting multiplayer mode, add up to at least a solid rental.
Whether Mario Strikers Charged deserves a purchase is, in the end, dependent on whether gamers are most likely to play the game for its single player or its multiplayer, since the single-player mode is more repetitive. For those gamers who live for multiplayer, though, Mario Strikers Charged deserves a purchase.
A couple other recently or soon to be released games may also catch the Wii gamer's eye: Hudson's Deca Sports or Namco's We Ski. PS3 or Xbox 360 owners may be interested in SEGA's upcoming Beijing 2008.
Overall Score: 8.0 / 10
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