Super Mario Strikers
Publisher: Nintendo
Official Site: http://www.nintendo.com/

ESRB Rating: E
Reviewed Platform: GameCube
Available Platforms: GameCube
For up to 4 players.

Overall: A-
Violence: B+
Sexual Content: A-
Language: A
Alcohol/Drug Use: A

What is this game about?

Nintendo brings its stable of popular Mario characters to the soccer pitch in Super Mario Strikers, an exclusive GameCube title sure to be a hit with most kids. Game modes include grudge matches, Cup battles (tournaments) and custom battles (tourneys of your own design).

Is it fun to play?

Super Mario Strikers has a lot of arcade appeal, especially when compared to the top-notch, but super serious video game franchises based on the beautiful game World Soccer Winning Eleven and FIFA come to mind.

You’ll play 5-on-5 matches featuring one team captain (such as Mario, Luigi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Princess Peach, etc). A crocodile automatically tends each goal, but you have a choice of four different teammates.

Thing is, the three teammates all have to be from the same species. Your choices are Koopas, Birdos, Toads, or Hammer Bros. Each one has its own advantages when it comes to the gameplay, but they pale compared to the captains, who can trigger super kicks stylized shots in which a boomerang-shaped object appears and you have to time button pushes to stop a white, moving line within a small green area. If you do, you’re guaranteed a goal and these goals are worth two points. Other goals are only worth one. But they’re hard to pull off with regularity.

The controls are easy to learn, with basic button pushes controlling passes and shots, while the C stick (the yellow one) can be used to trigger dekes

The game also supports up to four players playing at once, so Strikers is a game that can come in handy at gatherings or parties because it can keep plenty of little gamers entertained at once. And since the games are short (about five minutes per match), everyone can get in on the action if you’ve got more than four players (or if you have fewer than four controllers).

There are also several stadiums, including ones that have to be unlocked by progressing through the game, which gives Strikers plenty of replay value.

As well, there are milestones to achieve, which also unlock aspects of the game, such as power ups.

What do parents need to know about Super Mario Strikers?

From a parent’s perspective, Super Mario Strikers is a game that infuses plenty of thrills and attitude into soccer.

And depending on your parental views, attitude may not be what you’re looking for your child to take away from this game.

As with most Mario sports titles, players on the losing end of a game (or in the case of Mario golf, a sub-par score) tend to pout or throw little dramatic tantrums. While it’s generally benign stuff, some impressionable kids might mimic what they see, so be careful to stay on top of that if you are trying to teach your children to be good sports whether they win or lose.

Tackling is a huge part of the strategy you’ll need to employ to win in Strikers. In the real world, soccer tackles -- unlike football -- require players to make contact with the ball before the opposing player, otherwise they will be penalized.

In Strikers, there are no penalties and tackles are essential to master in order to force the other team to turn the ball over. In fact, you can tackle someone out of super kicks.

While most tackles aren’t overly violent, ones executed near the sidelines are because the pitches are surrounded by invisible, electric force fields. So, if you tackle a player into the force field, they get zapped complete with comic shrieks and little lightning bolts.

The fact there are no penalties was probably done to streamline the gameplay, but it does leave out an important part of the real game in favour of an arcade, anything goes sensibility.

The power up cheats can also be a cause for concern. With the touch of a button, you can unleash havoc on the field. This is a staple of many Mario games, such as the Mario Kart series. You can send three green shells out that will knock down opponents, while red ones will actually chase down members of the other team. Blue shells cause your opponent to freeze, while banana peels cause them to fall. It escalates up to mushrooms that give you a speed burst, or stars that turn you invisible.

Parents should discuss sportsmanship with their children prior to playing because some kids could easily become upset when their breakaway is interrupted by a flying banana peel or if they suddenly turn to ice and their opponent goes the other way for a goal.

During several sessions playing with my seven-year-old son, I found that whoever is playing as Player 2 seems to be at a disadvantage. Frequently, I found that Player 2’s goaltender was significantly weaker than the other goalie. Whether that’s a programming flaw, I’m not sure. But repeated sessions over several days revealed the same quirk.

But the fact you can play with up to four players is also a real plus for this game. Unlike some Mario titles (tennis, in particular), Strikers allows players to suit up on the same team. The players you control have a 1 or 2 above their heads so you can tell who’s who.

I really enjoyed the fact that after playing head-to-head, my son and I could then team up together.

My only other concern about this title is rather minor, but it might be an issue for some parents. The female characters in the game, particularly Princess Peach, are portrayed in a rather sexist, stereotypical fashion. Peach dons some extremely tight shorts and a tight shirt, which some may find offensive although, to be fair, the curves on display are similar to those you’d find on a Barbie doll.

And you only see these curves and tight-fitting clothes in pre-rendered animation sequences that play as the players come onto the field and during goal celebrations. The rest of the time, the action is seen from an elevated camera view that shows most of the playing field.

Overall, Super Mario Strikers has a lot of appeal for kids of all ages, despite a few issues that might raise the odd parental eyebrow.

Wayne Chamberlain

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