Mario Strikers scores big

Mario is long past his days as a simple plumber. Nintendo has put their mascot and his pals in almost every kind of game imaginable, from racing to tennis to golf and even throwing a party or seven. Mario’s latest foray takes him to the soccer field, and he’s bringing the riot with him. Super Mario Strikers is what happens when you take the basic gameplay of soccer and throw in the hard hits of football or rugby with a side of typical Mario gameplay. All the previous Mario sports games have been excellent, and Strikers is no exception.

The controls are easy to learn and lend themselves well to the pick-up-and-play style for which Nintendo is known. In addition to passing, shooting and slide tackling, you can also do a charging attack which will flatten anyone unlucky enough to be the victim, and items can help gain control of the ball. Banana peels trip up, shells sting, mushrooms give a speed boost, and Bob-ombs produce explosive results.

And don’t worry about the ball going out of bounds, thanks to an electric force field, which can also fry an opponent when shoved into it. If all this madness wasn’t enough, Bowser will even drop in and have some fun at the players’ expense. However, to help deal with this, there is a special kind of shot called the “Super Strike,” which is immensely powerful, and is worth two points. If done correctly, it will even plow into the goalie and give him a one-way ticket to the back of the net, with the ball as carry-on luggage.

All this violence may not seem fitting for a Mario game, seeing as how they are the picture of innocent happiness. However, they seem to have given this game a new art style which is so edgy you’ll have to be careful not to cut yourself on the game disc. Wario and Waluigi are more offensive than usual, Peach and Daisy have what shall here be referred to as “interesting” new outfits and Yoshi looks like he’s become a carnivore. They’ve even made the Toads look tough. The graphics are pretty good and also reflect a bit of the edge, and the character celebration animations are entertaining to watch.

Game modes include quick Grudge Matches, Cup Battles, and Custom Battles where you can set up a tournament and a Tutorial mode. All of these can be played with more than one person, and doing so is highly recommended. Nothing like having a friend pull off a perfect pass so you can bicycle kick the ball into the goal.