Best Mario Sports offering out there, but definitely could be improved.

User Rating: 7.3 | Super Mario Strikers GC
Super Mario Strikers is the game that brings the beautiful sport to the Mushroom Kingdom. And in that sense, its a little physical, a little violent at times, but like all Mario Sports titles, it creates an atmosphere of pure fun.

Graphics: Nothing much to say here if you're used to Mario graphics in the past. The effects are nicely created and the character models look quite good. Not spectacular, but definitely up to speed in this generation.

Gameplay: The sparkling star in this game. The controls are simple, but allows much room for creativity. It allows you to easily perform mid-air kicks and powered up SuperStrikes, without really taking away from the sport.
One major issue is the framerate, which largely drops when the unlockable team plays at Bowser Stadium, but aside from that experience, the game runs quite smooth.

Difficulty: Once you raise it from Rookie, you better be confident that you can handle it. The AI is quite impressive due to the fact that if you lose, you'll probably lose really bad. It's a hard game, so be prepared.

Value: Cups are fun to compete in, and there are a great deal of trophies to unlock, but the game suffers do to lack of unlockable characters. The secret 9th character isn't even a Nintendo great, so he seems out of place. More characters would have done wonders for the game, and would've allowed for more complex tournaments or even a franchise mode, but the game stands up great as it is. The gameplay makes up for all the games short comings, which is quite hard to describe in writing.

Multiplayer: Playing with others is a pure joy in SMS. The game even allows you to play Cups with others on your team, which adds a whole new level to Mario Sports, and that was something which wasn't available in Mario Power Tennis. Custom Battles allows you to create tournaments for up to 16 players, which becomes as addictive as ever.

In conclusion, if you have some friends to play with, this game is a must-buy. No hesitation. Framerate issues are only Bowser Stadium and *9th Team* exclusive, so if you avoid combining the two, this game gives an amazing experience.