G4TV

Good ol' Becks may be in his first season of bringing soccer to the stubborn American masses, but another uber-celeb is entering his second outing on the pitch. Fresh off the fun-but-shallow Super Mario Strikers, Nintendo's plumber protagonist takes to the grass for another go in Mario Strikers Charged -- this time on the Wii.

Scouting Report

Mario Strikers Charged follows a long line of Mario-themed sports games, though only a few have ever tackled team sports. Playing off the fantasy elements of the franchise, you'll roll around as a destructive egg with Yoshi, chuck tools as a Hammer Bro, and drop some banana peels for slapstick comedy. The game resembles soccer only in that there are goal nets set up on each end of the field, but the chaos happening between them is pure Mario.

In-game offense is full of seemingly sure-fire scoring mechanics with specialty shots and one-timers. The trick is getting open for long enough to pull them off. This game isn't called Charged for nothing. Many shot types require holding a button for an extended amount of time. All the defense needs to do is slide or smash into you, and possession of the ball changes hands or, in this case, feet. With a relatively small field to play on, games turn into a battle royal of activity.

Team captains have the beefiest skill set; being made up of stars like Mario, Wario, and the newly added Bowser. That's not to say, however, sidekicks don't earn their three roster spots on your team. With eight to choose from including the new Dry Bones, Monty Mole, and Shy Guy; their character-specific maneuvers are almost as powerful as anything Luigi or Peach will throw your way.

Off-Season Additions

GameCube's Super Mario Strikers faltered in single-player, so Nintendo and developer Next Level Games boosted that aspect this year. An interactive tutorial gets you up to speed; tournament cups with ramped difficulty will take the bulk of time to go through; and challenges like playing short-handed or winning by five goals not only give you a little extra to do, but come with cheat-tastic rewards for exhibition games.

The control has had to switch to accommodate the nunchuk and Wii remote. This comes in handing whist swinging the remote around for big hits, and defending captain-exclusive megastrikes -- basically multiball shots -- by controlling the goalie's hands to swat prospective scores away. However, using the d-pad for slides and the nunchuk's Z button for lobs can be both confusing and uncomfortable.

Multiplayer once again supports four folks, but Mario Strikers Charged actually offers online play. While it's one of the first Wii games to sport this feature, Strikers is virtually lag-free and boasts some decent matchmaking. You can even mix up your online and offline, recruiting a real-life buddy (assuming you have one of those) to combat your faceless, faraway opponents.

Nagging Injuries

It would be unfair to compare the gameplay balance of Strikers to the FIFAs or Maddens of the video-game world, but this title has a few too many money moves and easy-score exploits that threaten to deflate your good time. Stray into the realm of playing strangers online, and don't be surprised to see your skilled opponent's Boo sidekick light you up for a hat-trick several times over. The fact that consecutive teammate passes bolster your shot's power will also lead to what is essentially a nonstop game of keep-away -- few people's idea of fun.

While the graphics really show what the Wii's extra memory can do -- real-time replays are especially attractive -- the camera is pulled out so blasted far, it's often hard to differentiate your color-coordinated teammates. Add in the abundance of power-ups and stadium-specific perils flying around, and it's often difficult to tell what the hell is going on.

Sudden Death Overtime

Mario Strikers Charged on the Wii is a better ballgame than its GameCube predecessor, thanks to online play, more robust single-player, and more shots, sidekicks, and stadiums. Of course, with a year and a half and a shiny new console, that's what we expect. In the grand scheme of things, it hasn't quite taken the series to a new level -- especially with the impasse that is its control. A few more stats and team customization would be nice, too.

Every minor gripe or slight improvement melts into obscurity when you're playing it the way it should be, however: With three pals on the couch, hip-checking and one-timing your way through a few dozen games and as many frosty beverages. But quality time with buds doesn't always equal a quality game. Mario Strikers Charged still has a ways to go before being considered an arcade-sports champion. 

Article by: Justin Leeper