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[Admiral Bobbery]

A game that defies the laws of physics will astonish Nintendo Wii players around the world. One game that unites all people under one console. One game in which people fight to get to the top. A game we all know. Super Mario Strikers Charged. This game is the sequel to the last one for Game Cube, which received several criticisms from others. Gamers could select their team captains, but they couldn't pick their sidekicks. Special moves called megastrikes practically guaranteed goals. And the selection of characters and stadiums seemed as light as the CPU-controlled artificial intelligence. These have now been fixed an online play has opened a new world.

Likewise the previous edition of the game, you start out by selecting a team captain from primary Mario characters such as Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Daisy, Wario, and, of course, Mario himself. Each character has their own unique way of playing on the field. Sidekicks may now be chosen and include some like Hammer Bro, Birdo, Monty Mole, Shy Guy, Dry Bones, Boo, and a few others. You can also choose three side kicks instead of the usual of one. All these characters can enable their megastrikes by pressing and holding down the B button. The sidekicks fool the goalie into doing something else. For example with Toad you can jump over the goalie and shoot the ball. The captains of the team go even further with their mega strikes by using a golf-swing meter which determines how firing a series of ball in which the other player may now control the goalie by trying to deflect a series of balls. A player may score up to six points with this feature.

The actual game play is very intense. Normally you won’t see everyone going around pulling a Zidane all the time, but in Strikers Charged, it occurs all the time. Tackling for no reason is how people here play the game. Characters can shoulder-check another player into the wall to stun them for a short amount of time. This can be done by pressing any of the four directional keys in the direction of the tackle. Blue shells can give the player the ability to throw the shells at another player and freeze them for a period of time. Other items include chain chomps, stars, mushrooms and some of the other items you see in the Mario Kart series. You may not be attacked so much in the three different cups but when you get into the online play, be prepared all the time.

Online play is a great multiplayer feature. Up to two people may play at a time, on one console against two other. This may be one feature of why people actually buy this game. They need a challenge and if you need a challenge, then online play is for you. Points can be gained by facing other ranked players and you can try to make your way to the top of the leader board. Communication between the other systems is great. It loads fairly quickly. The only downside to this is you need to enter a separate Super Mario Strikers Code for a friend to face you. Other than that, it’s the greatest thing.

The overall presentation of the game could have been better. At first when I saw the opening for the game I thought “Oh, It’s probably just like the other one.” When DK make an appearance, about half way through, thing became interesting. It became better all the way to the end. The characters and scenery lacks some small details that would improve the graphics. When the captains enable the megastrikes they all have cheesy anime fighting-game poses. The sidekick megastrikes create a nicer flow than the captain megastrikes. One thing that I did like was that the characters actually talked between goals. I was a bit surprised to find Mario talking in actual words. They talked to their teammates and did some poses, which were quite funny and not boring.

Overall the game is great, single player, multiplayer, and online play. It’s a great party game and should be on your wish list.


Game Rating: 9.2/10