Mario Strikers Charged Editor Review

Is this arcade-soccer sequel really charged? Find out inside!



Next-Level Games delivers this new installment in the Mario Strikers series. Combining soccer and the Mushroom Kingdom gives us a totally new fun-packed game over traditional games such as FIFA. Actually, if you thought that these realistic games were quite boring, you might want to think again with this new title published by Nintendo.

We previously had Super Mario Strikers on the Nintendo Gamecube which was enjoyable as a local multiplayer game, but it lacked online and most importantly, its single player mode (considering the Gamecube was not an online console). The characters choice was limited and no sidekicks could be selected. There was much to expect with this sequel, but rest assured, Nintendo met this goal.

The game has impressive graphics but even better, an online mode. We can finally see the online strategy of Nintendo and Mario Strikers Charged is a good example of it.



The game features multiple modes to choose from. First, there's the Domination Mode which allows you to play with your friends locally (or in single player against CPU) with your own settings. Unlike certain modes where your characters and stadiums are predefined, you can set the skill level, cheats, match goal and much more for each match. Not all stadiums and characters are available at first, you will need to unlock them in the various modes offered.

The second mode is Road to the Striker Cup. You must enter qualification rounds just like you would do in real soccer championships. While you're allowed to choose your captain, all other elements such as the stadium and your opponents are already preset. In order to progress to the next cup, you need to defeat a new character in a best-of-three series (this character will become available if you win the cup). Each cup increases in difficulty and frustration. While some of the CPU tactics are repeated over time, they are not easily bypassed.

The stadiums' interactive elements must also be taken in count. From lava pits to cows flying around the field, there are many ways to get yourself kicked out of the stadium temporary. These elements must always be watched and they can be used to your advantage in some situations. The stadiums that remove some of your players from time to time will cause you a lot of problems. At some occasion, you're left with a slow defensive player while your opponent has 3 fast and powerful players. What a great chance for them to make goals while there's nothing you can do about it. This is rather frustrating if you consider that 1 match lost is elimination of the whole cup.



The third mode is Strikers Challenges. You're proprosed a list of various challenges to complete, each with a different difficulty. Each completed task unlocks a cheat you can use in Domination and Wi-Fi modes. An example of challenge would be to win the game with 3 more goals than your opponent. Some of them are rather easy while some requires luck and determination.

Like most of the games available, a tutorial mode (Strikers 101) is included. The only difference this time is that it's actually useful and you should try some of them when you first play the game. They teach you how to use some special tricks that you wouldn't discover while playing a normal game. Super Abilities and Megastrikes will often make the difference in winning a game in matches.

If you played MarioKart, you know what special items are. When you shoot the charged ball or being attacked, you earn a special item (taken from MarioKart such as the green and red shells, bananas, bobombs, etc.). These items can be thrown at your opponents at any time. You can have a maximum of 2 items at the same time. Super Abilities are unique to each captains. They act as a special item but they are quite different in use. For example, Mario and Luigi grows 5x times bigger and can squash your opponents by walking over them. But use it wisely, as it won't last forever!



Megastrikes can only be used by the captain. In order to use it, you need to charge the ball by holding the B button. After a few seconds, a gauge that looks like a golf gauge will appear next to your captain. Release the B button to stop the needle next to the amount of shots to the goalie you want. The Megastrike will then activate and will shoot many balls to the goalie. If your opponent is a friend, they will need to point the wii remote at the screen and stop them by pressing A as soon as they appear on the screen. This is a good way to increase your score but is rather difficult to achieve since your opponent will try to tackle you if you try to charge one. If your opponent is charging a Megastrike and you're not near enough to stop him, simply shake the Nunchuk to make the gauge wobble and making the needle drop to a less powerful shot.

Finally, one of the best feature of this game is the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection mode. You can play on ranked servers against random opponents in your country to gain points or simply play with your friends. The game still use the system of friend codes (just like the DS). You are first asked to choose a Mii as your profile. This means your family can play with their own profile using the same game. Once you're connected to the online system, you can start playing right away, manage your friends or see your position on the leaderboard.



The overall experience is lag-free and really smooth but we've experienced some connection drop-outs or slow logins during some sessions. Hopefully, these issues will be fixed in the future. Note that these problems are not frequent and should not be noted as a con to the game.

You can either play alone or team-up with a friend in cooperative play. Which means a total of 4 players can play but only 2 players locally. You cannot play 4 players on 4 different Wii consoles. The game settings selection is the same as the Domination Mode where various options can be choosen from prior to the game. You can then invite your friends to your match using the Buddy List. The online mode is overall well implemented and definitely enhanced the game experience.

The music selection ranges from various style but a bit repetitive. Each character has its own music which means playing with the same character brings the same music on every goal. The visual aspect is really impressive. The characters are well modeled and animated but more importantly, the environment effects are great. From dust in the wind to thunders electrifying the whole stadium, they are crisp and fluid. The game also support progressive display (480p) and keeps a solid frame rate even in intense games. The camera is far from the field and allows a broader view of play, especially useful in long passes over the stadium.



While some expected heavy use of motion controls, they are almost not used in the game. And quite frankly, it's better like that. Having to motion every action in the game would totally ruin the gameplay experience. The game rather use the A button to pass, B to shoot and charge. You can shake the wii remote in order to tackle your opponents. The balance of buttons and motion controls is perfect and allows a comfortable play.

The expectations of a sequel to Super Mario Strikers have been met and this game is totally a must have. The controls are perfect and it kept the same arcade-style fun as it's predecessor. A lot have been put in the visual aspects and new features.

The single player will keep you busy for a while but will seems a bit non-challenging compared to the online mode. The only downside to it is the use of the friend codes and some connection issues happening not too often but still noticeable.

Invite some friends to play and organize an online match because Mario Strikers Charged is the ultimate multiplayer experience on the Wii.

Rating	Description
8	Presentation New characters and even more stadiums, Charged put all new exciting elements to the mix. Online play is a great new feature.
8.5	Graphics Characters are well done and nicely animated in the various cinematics. The stadiums feature impressive natural effects and the camera movement is just perfect.
8	Sounds While the songs are repetitive, the music is very catchy and well defined for the game. The sound effects and voice-acting are good to hear.
8	Gameplay The controls are easy to use while offering huge possibilities. The online play is lag-free and the fun is present in every game.
9	Lasting Appeal Loads of tournaments, challenges, not to mention online play which adds a good replay value.
8.6	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

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