My only complaint is that a lot of gamers will get bored long before they ever complete the single-player mode. But as l
Using the stylus you touch, draw and tap various commands that include dribbling, shooting, passing, blocking and stealing. Some of the commands are more responsive than others. For instance, the dribbling is great. Simply tap on the screen and you’ll bounce the ball just like in real life. Question mark block containing coins make great platforms for dribbling on. As the ball bounces on the block, coins are collected. The more coins that you amass the bigger your score will be if you happen to make the next shot. You can collect up to 100 coins at a time on some blocks which will increase the basket score by five times the regular amount which is 20 points. Power-ups can also be found in some of these blocks such as the star that makes you invincible, the mushroom that makes you faster and the bomb that will temporarily stun your opponents.
Blocking and stealing are also good touch commands. Make a downward slash with the stylus and you’ll attempt to swipe the ball from another player. Move toward them by pushing the D-pad and you might be able to complete the steal of the ball. Slashing upwards will enable you to jump and hopefully block the ball while it’s in the air. If you can manage to time another slash at the right moment you will unleash a double jump that should guarantee you control of the ball. When landing, slashing down will cause you to hit the ground like an earthquake, once again temporarily stunning your opponents.
Passing involves drawing a straight line in the direction of the character that you want to pass the ball to. Keep in mind there are two other AI-controlled characters on the court with you at all times, even though they don’t really do much to help you out. The character that you’re passing to will not always be located on a perfect horizontal line and all too often you will advertently draw an angle instead of a straight line and the ball will end up somewhere else, such as at the basket which makes it vulnerable for interception by the other team. The further along that you get in the game the more difficulty you will encounter with this touch style of control. Things get faster and more frantic later on. More advanced moves will require the drawing of a symbol or a letter which lacks any kind of basketball feel. Not only does it feel unnatural but it wastes time and gives your opponent the advantage, not that they need it because they virtually every move they attempt is pulled off flawlessly. This style of control should be confined to casting magic spells.
Your opponents in the single-player mode have an unfair advantage over you. They appear to have no weaknesses. Even after you get used to the control system and the lay of the land, so to speak, you will be thrust into a new arena which is a typical madcap Mario world filled with platform elements such as cannon balls, man-eating flowers and rolling barrels. So now you have to contend with the dangers in the environment as well as attempt to play an intense game of basketball. The environments, or courts, are very well designed but they just interfere too much with the gameplay, the main focus of which should be basketball. Some of the courts include a ghost ship, the beach, a volcanic island, an icy level, Bowser’s castle and a casino filled with slot machines that can increase your score much like the coins in the question mark boxes.
It’s the multi-player mode that unleashes the full potential of this game. If you use the single-player mode as a training exercise, you’ll be in good shape to take on the most skilled of human opponents. It’s refreshing to play against an opponent that will actually make mistakes. Since the playing field is leveled, the controls seem like less of an issue since you are both hindered by them. This game was designed for four-players, it’s obvious that it wasn’t an afterthought. You can see all of the players clearly on the screen and although they obscure each other when they all converge at one point, it’s not unlike real football in that regard. Otherwise the controls work well and there is no lag, framerate of collision detection issues.
Square Enix has really done its homework to deliver a great looking, colorful package that is so Mario that it should make Nintendo a little jealous. It blends traditional Mario 2D graphics with 3D environments for extra depth and visual impact. You’ll hear a lot of familiar sound effects including the Mario-running-out-of-time panic music. The characters all have a few different words of dialog they use when they score or leave the court. The in-game animations blend seamlessly with the actual game to display great dunks, dekes and other entertaining asides.
Mario Hoops 3 On 3 is packed with characters, modes, mini-games and unlockables. If you can play through the single-player mode on the most difficult setting you will unlock some characters from Final Fantasy. My only complaint is that a lot of gamers will get bored long before they ever complete the single-player mode. But as long as you’ve got the Wi-Fi mode and some friends to play against, this might not be a questionable purchase.