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Mario Strikers Charged

Started by Olimar_91, October 05, 2007, 02:04:37 PM

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Olimar_91

Thought you knew the world of competitive sports? You may want to think again. Mario is back, and ready to play. And let me tell you, this plumber doesn't mess around. Welcome to Mario Strikers Charged, where you hit the pitch the way you never thought you could. It is Mario after all. And if there is one thing he has proven, it's that chaos can be good, very good.



MARIO STRIKERS CHARGED

Created by: Nintendo/Next Level Games
Available for: Nintendo Wii
Supports: 1-4 Players/WI-FI
ESRB Rated: E10+

Turn the clock back to 2006. It was a magical year, a brilliant peaceful oasis. Ok, no it wasn't. But hey, some good games came out, right? And then there was Super Mario Strikers, another cookie-cutter Mario sports game, right? Well, that's what I thought when I bought it. But it was much different. Not being a sports fan, I don't know much about the games... Yeah. So obviously, Mario sports games are more appealing, as they are usually easy to pick up and play. Strikers was not really that way though. Unlike most Mario games, it had a very high level of difficulty, and the atmosphere was darker and more twisted than you'd expect. It all sounds pretty awesome, no? Well, it wasn't all that way. The game had some flaws that bogged it down, especially noteworthy was the lack of gameplay options, making the experience seem shallow.

Thankfully for you giddy little Wii owners, Next Level Games has raised the bar with Strikers sequel, Mario Strikers Charged. Everything that was cuddly and lovable has returned. Or rather, shoving characters into electric fences, and rubbing in your points for each goal... Yeah, either way. But what makes the game stand out from its predecessor is the heaps of new stuff the developers threw in. Looking over both games I can easily say that Charged is a much more rounded and complete package. So even if you owned and still play the original, this one is worth a go.

The graphics in Charged are nothing to brag about. But it's also not ugly. The problem is that the game could easily shift to the Gamecube, and yes, the Wii can do better. I'm still waiting for a game to just completely amaze me with its graphics, and unfortunately, this game wasn't it. All nit-picking aside, you'll never really notice the graphics in this game, honestly. The pace is so fast that everything is like a blur. And as such, you won't be hearing anyone complain too loudly about this aspect of the game.

As for controls, it is what you would expect from the material here. You move around with the analog stick, shoot towards the goal with B, and pass or switch characters using A. The direction pad allows you to use "deke" moves, which vary from character to character. Toads deke for instance makes him jump, handy for hoping over said goalie and scoring. Very annoying, unless you're the one doing it. Pressing Z will lob the ball, and will also allow you to lob-pass. C throws items that you collect by getting unfairly tackled, or by charging a shot to a certain point before shooting. And finally, shaking your controller will enable you to tackle. There isn't too much Wii functionality, but it's nice to get a break from it now and then anyways. There is one other way to use the remote, but more on that later.



Another big problem I had with the original Strikers was its music, or lack of, if you prefer. The game was very dry in this aspect, and the stuff that was there was questionable. Thankfully, all that has changed. New arena's in the game have their own tunes, each one subtle, but also very nice. The menu songs are also improved, which was a nice little touch to sweeten the deal. Of course the sound effects are also good, you never really notice them, which is actually a good thing for this type of game.

Now for core gameplay, the meat. I've mentioned it earlier, but not it's time to come right out and say it, Charged is insane. The chaos of this game is unmatchable, making it fit right in with what you'd expect from a Mario Sports game. But I found that the chaos rarely takes over the fun. Despite shells flying, tackles here and there, and deke's by the truckload, I rarely felt like I had lost control. That type of edge makes this game comparable to the almighty Smash Bros. And that's not a comparison I make lightly.

One big overhaul this game got is the super strikes, or as there are now called, mega strikes. In the last game you had to stop a fast-moving bar at two points on a line. Depending on your accuracy, you could score a few instance goals. Charged on the other hand has you entering a mini-game of sorts, with you sending out balls, and the defense trying to block them. As before, you must stop a bar at two points; this time though one stop is for number of balls, and the other is for speed of their movement. Once you finish this part, the opposition goes into goalie first person perspective, and using the remote, they must block as many shots as they can. It's definitely a variation of the regular gameplay, but it doesn't require the same skills as the rest of the game does, which makes it seem somewhat misfit.



As far as modes in this game go, there is plenty to chose from. There's the generic single player mode, with customizable rules and such. A tournament mode, because what Mario sports game would be complete without it? A mission type mode, that will throw you into a game that has already begun and force you to win in strange circumstances. And lastly, the crown jewel of the game, WI-FI play. Nintendo has gotten a bad rep with their online, but Charged really pushes the envelope and sends a message of hope to Wii owners. It does support friend codes, but they aren't required, you can always seek a random person. And as you'd expect, you have people using annoying tactics, and sore losers you disconnect. But those things come along for the ride in an online game. And if you can overlook that, you'll find a very satisfying game mode here.

Mario Strikers Charged easily stands out as one of Mario's better sport efforts. It's easy enough to play for casual gamers, but has enough of a learning curve to really satisfy the hardcore market. Even if you aren't a soccer fan, I'm not, give this game a shot. It's more than worth the $50 investment, even with a few flaws here and there.

EDIT: Pics are up, thanks to gamespot for them.