A Soccer Shocker
All the classic Mario crew take the field for a four-on-four version of soccer. This game is quick and frenetic, and it showcases excellent action. Sure, you're playing soccer with Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, and the rest of the usual suspects, but on the soccer field they are fast, aggressive, and downright deadly. Strikers is sure to make you a soccer fanatic. It enables you to take on an aggressive A.I. in a variety of predictably named cup matches-Mushroom, Star, Bowser, and Flower. Beat these to open up Super Cup Battles, or you can organize your own custom battles.
On the field, the controls are sharp and swift. The beauty of soccer is that the action never stops. Here you can turn on a dime and make super-charged one-timers. Get into the flow and moving the ball down the field is mesmerizing. This game rivals Super Mario Kart for its remarkably on-the-money movement. The soccer show is of championship quality, too. The graphics are predictably Nintendo standard: crisp, clear, and cartoony. The magic is that you now know exactly what you're getting whenever you see"Mario" in the title of a game. The sounds-audio and effects- are energetic and imaginative. In particular, the music blends brass and synthesizers for a wonderfully orchestrated symphony of sounds.
Get Your Kicks
As the latest in the long legacy of Mario sports games, Strikers is a standard bearer. It's easily the Mario Kart of soccer games and that should tell you a lot. Even if you think you're a confirmed soccer hater, Super Mario Strikers just might rock your world.
KEY MOMENT: Koopa makes a quick pass to Donkey Kong who powers up and crushes a monster slam into the goal.