Mario Strikers Charged Football Wii

Mario Strikers Charged Football Product Details

Released on 25/05/2007

• Mario Strikers Charged Preview

  Green shells for Goalposts! Scorchio!

  Once upon a time it was just Mario, humble platforming plumber and all-around nice Koopa-bashing good guy. Then it was Mario Kart; and from there Nintendo's imagination seemed to run wild. Since the N64 appeared we've had Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf and the Mario-fronted Super Smash Brothers, as well as Mario's first foray into the world of football, Super Mario Strikers on GameCube.

  Mario Strikers Charged is the follow-up to that largely overlooked little gem. It was Mario's tennis exploits which seemed to take the plaudits on Cube, but this time Nintendo have made sure soccer is firmly the sport of choice for eager Wii owners. Indeed, they believe in 'Charged so much that they've decided to go and make it the Wii's first online title.

  Not the typical game

  First, let's get one thing clear - as you may have guessed from the title, and the sheer fact that it's a sporting game involving Mario and friends - 'Charged is not your typical eleven-a-side footballing feast a la Pro Evolution Soccer and co. No, Strikers instead does for the footy genre what Mario Kart did for racers and imbues it with all manner of frantic over-the-top cartoony gameplay.

  Players start a match in Mario Strikers Charged by picking their team captain from a range of the core Mario characters including Mario himself, Luigi, Bowser and Donkey Kong, and four other, more minor characters, such as Koopa turtles and Boo the Ghosts. And, pleasingly, it's an instantly pick-up-and-play experience, with none of the stuffiness of the more 'serious' football titles flooding the market, but plenty of typical Nintendo idiosyncrasies to make it fun.

  Does for the footy genre what Mario Kart did for racers and imbues it with all manner of frantic over-the-top cartoony gameplay.

  The big one being Megastrikes. A little like a Super Smash Brother's special move, Megastrikes in Mario Strikers  are basically a charged-up shot on goal, with each team captain having their own individual version.

  Facing a Megastrike yourself will mean using the Wii Remote as a pointer and moving a hand around the screen to stop several oncoming balls, while instigating a successful megastrike can see you register up to six goals at once. That means that in a mere heartbeat you'll be able to turn the game on its head, and make Mario's moustache twitch with anger as he ends up on the wrong end of a nine goal footy thriller.

  Footie with a Wii spin

  Other than the pointer aspect, controls in Mario Strikers Charged will work more like your typical footy title, albeit with a definite Wii spin. The Nunchuk analogue will be used to move players, with A passing, B shooting, and a flick of the Remote instigating bone-jarring tackles, while other buttons still can be used to fire some of the Mario Kart-like power-ups you'll find dotted around the pitch: with everything from banana skins to green shells making this truly the most frantic footy title that's probably ever been envisaged.

  And that, we're pleased to say, should bode incredibly well for the Friend Code activated online mode. It's a typically family-friendly Nintendo online offering in another easily accessible release which doesn't take itself too seriously - and yet a game with enough going for it to warrant more than just a passing playtest, from even the most discerning gamer.

  Colourful, frantic and fun in the extreme, Mario Strikers Charged should continue the Wii's legacy as the first choice for easy-access novelty sports games, and may kickstart the Wii's presence as an online gaming system in the same way Mario's racing exploits did on DS.

  Preview by: Mark Scott
  Preview Published: 20.04.07

  Published: 18/05/2007

• Super Mario headed for the 3DS

  It's obvious, but it's still good to hear: Nintendo's already working on a Super Mario game for the 3DS. Phew!

  The news came from Mario's daddy, Shigeru Miyamoto, speaking on Iwata Asks - thanks, Eurogamer. The legendary designer announced, "In the interests of adopting new technology for the Super Mario Bros. tradition, I am now making a new Super Mario Bros. game for the Nintendo 3DS system."

  He didn't offer any further details, but he did expand on a comment of Mario co-creator Takashi Tezuka's, suggesting that Mario must always be family friendly. "I think Tezuka-san is exactly right about making something that families can enjoy together," he said, "but I also think it's important to always use the most advanced technology for Mario in order to create something no one has ever seen before. Of course, it's important to make sure people still say things like "Falling down the holes is the most fun!" but something new is necessary for other aspects of the games, and it's those new elements that make a Super Mario Bros. game what it is."

  With no news of a date, this is one we're probably going to have to wait for - but it will be worth it.

• What has Mario got planned in 2012?

  2011 has been a fantastic year for gaming most recognisable face, Nintendo Mario, and 2012 looks set to be another. From platforming to kart racing, tennis, Olympic sports, role playing and party games, the portly yet agile plumber is clearly a highly versatile character who can do it all. Here, GAME takes a look back at a couple of the best Mario games from this year, in case you missed them, and looks ahead to some of 2012 undoubted highlights.

  3DS hasn exactly been lacking in quality games in its first year on the market, but the arrival of Super Mario Land 3D (3DS) in November and the launch of Mario Kart 7 earlier this month have really made the portable console a must own system. Mixing the best elements of older Mario games with new ideas and technology, the former is perhaps best described as a blend of the more straightforward, accessible 2D Super Mario Bros. games for Wii and DS and Wii more challenging 3D Super Mario Galaxy titles. Its magical worlds are essentially made up of left to right dashes through obstacle courses, which see players running, jumping, hovering and gliding to master the environments with the aim of reaching a flagpole at the end of each level. With simple, intuitive controls, it instantly accessible and there always a clear path to completing each stage, usually littered with coins to collect, question blocks to bump and enemies to stomp. But Mario can also wander around a little in the game 3D environments, and only explorers and the most skilled players will locate all of the secret areas, items and unlockables ingeniously hidden away in the expertly designed levels.

  Mario Kart 7 is another must-play title for newcomers and series veterans alike, mixing old and new to great effect too. It offers 16 new courses and 16 classic ones from older MK games for players to compete on, all based on environments and characters from Nintendo Mushroom Kingdom. The best showcase of the console's 3D screen yet, theye absolutely gorgeous to look at and just as well designed, featuring exciting new airborne and underwater sections to compliment the on-track action. With basic accelerate, brake, fire and jump buttons, the game easy enough that anyone can pick it up and play instantly, but itl take months of practice to master the multi-route tracks, learn all of the shortcuts and become an online karting king.

  Looking ahead to 2012, Mario will be joined by a host of Nintendo stablemates as well as characters from Square Enix popular Dragon Quest series in January release Boom Street (Wii). A Monopoly-style board game that challenges players to play the real estate and stock markets to win,here are 27 characters to choose from 13 from Mario games, 13 from Dragon Quest and your Mii and over 15 boards based on memorable areas from each series, with different shapes and layouts providing loads of replay value. Players race around the board trying to accumulate wealth and hit a target value while buying, selling and trading property to see who can be the first to cash out, and with both beginner and advanced settings, it could be the perfect game to get the family huddled round the telly on those cold winter nights.

  Mario Tennis (3DS) also looks set to be a smash hit next year. If previous games in the series are anything to go by, itl do its best to nail the balance between realism and zany, fast-paced tennis action starring all of your favourite Mushroom Kingdom characters, as well as a few surprise ones. Wee expecting a mixture of tactical tennis gameplay, special moves and plenty of mini-games that should make a great title for Mario and sports fans alike.

  Mario and friends, including Sega favourites like Sonic the Hedgehog, will keep things physical in Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympics on the Nintendo 3DS, which launches in February 2012. Players will go for gold in over 50 Olympic events that make full use of the handheld different control methods, serving up a wide variety of ways to play. Competing for the top of the podium alone or in head-to-head games with friends, players will frantically slide the Circle Pad round and round to row, tilt the system to keep their balance on the beam, and blow into the microphone to keep breathing at the right time while swimming.

  Also in 2012, players will see the moustachioed, genre-hopping plumber embark on an exciting new role playing adventure in Paper Mario also on the Nintendo 3DS. It will feature frantic, turn-based battles set in a colourful and varied 3D world that takes in weapons, locations and items from Mario past and present,. It will also require clever strategic use of a range of ability-giving stickers, which can be used to carry out attacks on enemies or to fill in missing parts of the levels.
  

  Published: 21/12/2011

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