The story of Mario Strikers, the insane reinterpretation of Nintendo’s soccer games

spin-offs that are usually included in the definition of “Mario Sports“Over the years they’ve been very successful. We’re talking about selling nearly sixty million copies. Although there are some precedents, as a category we can say they were officially born in the Nintendo 64 era, with Mario Tennis And the Mario Golfboth developed by Camelot (and produced by Nintendo).

Not all Marisc sports are equally beautiful, but some (not least Mario Tennis Aces) approach or achieve excellence. While they are very different, they all have common characteristics. First, it is not developed directly by Nintendo, which manufactures and oversees operations through dedicated teams (for now, mainly EPD 2). Like we just said, Mario Tennis and Mario Golf were historically sculpted by Camelot. Baseball titles from Bandai Namco, those related to the Olympic Games from SEGA. Another element common to all games is arcade career And the desire to caricature the main characteristics of the original sport without betraying it.

In this framework, in 2005, at the end of the Nintendo GameCube life cycle, I entered Super Mario Strikers (Mario Smash Football in Europe). The creators are Canadians Next Level Gameswhich was at the time in their third game, the first created in collaboration with Nintendo, but certainly not the last, so much so that they were Recently acquired from the Japanese company. Although the name suggests football, Super Mario Strikers is actually a game football Or rather, futsal, futsal. With some special rules, such as no fouls and throws, plus – on the sidelines – invisible electric fences.

All the features, those just listed, that you will find Mario Strikers: Battle League Soccercoming June 10. But now it’s time to remember his predecessor.

Super Mario Strikers

Super Mario Strikers has sold 1.5 million copies and has been critically acclaimed as well, with a Metacritic average of 76. It’s a Mariesque version of, as mentioned earlier, the futsal game: Goalkeeper (in this case Kritter, replaced on Switch by Boom Boom , which is more consistent with context) and four players. The latter were not the same and we are not only referring to the different characteristics of the same. They were divided into captains (and there were eight) and supporting actors (four). So the team consisted of goalkeeper (Cratter), A captain (Mario, for example) and three supporting actors (Koopa, Toad, Hammer Bros., and Birdo). In short, the teams are well defined by their captain. As usual, Mario was the balanced one, the heavy Wario, and so on. Surprisingly, in this first chapter there was no cart that just appeared in the field to break boxes, tilt the roof and shoot around.

Fire cart It wasn’t all on the game’s violence cake: not only were fouls absent (sort of Florentine football, in essence), but weapons were also included in the full Mariokartesque spirit. Weapons obtained as “credits” for certain actions (for example, the foul without the ball), which can be used to block the opponent’s offensive transformations, protecting himself from opponents during the attack.

Super Mario Strikers didn’t have many modes and had a limited set of characters and stages. However, thanks to the quality of the controls and its gameplay mechanics, it managed to be loved by many players. The games were very fun, and it was possible to register in many ways, not just through Superterry, which was worth two points: loaded shots which, unimpeded, were made by blocking in time – as in golf games – a line that swung from left to right. Super Mario Strikers also introduced a major feature of the series – the wrath of its heroes: in animation and situations, the Nintendo characters in this game were more “bad” than usual.

Mario Streakers Football Accused

Mario Streakers Football Accused (US only Mario Strikers Charged) The second and final installment of the series has been released on the Nintendo Wii. It was the first indoor game to get Online multiplayer Competitive and was really exceptional: not only to challenge other Parisian opponents, but also to have fun on the spot, since it was possible to venture on the net with a friend (two against two). Mario Strikers Charged Football, developed by Next Level Games, represented a clear step forward in both sales (two and a half million units) and above all in quality: Metacritic’s average is 79, but the distance with its predecessor is also wider than points The three that separate them.

Before talking about the innovations that have been introduced, it is good to point out how Mario Strikers Charged Football has, in terms of identity, reinforced what was previously mentioned: the characters are not only angrier than they were in other Mario sports, but also covered in metal shield (Even brief, in the case of Peach!). It’s a hallmark of the series, we’ll see how much maintenance will be maintained in the ring for the Switch: the shield will definitely return (along with the metal, actually…), and now it can be customized as well. The ball itself, in the Wii class, was not made of leather, but of iron.

An iron ball has a light inside, a light that gets brighter with each pass (equivalent to maneuvering, in short) and allows the ball to be hit with more force. The news certainly did not end here. In addition to a significant increase in the number of stadiums, characters, and supporting actors, Mario Strikers Charged Football special skills Per Player: A teammate’s “filled shot” had a less devastating effect than that of captains, but each of them had one. The value of the Supertiro, depending on the execution, can be more than the two goals of the first ring and the goalkeeper (if not fully executed) has the possibility of dodge through a “mini-game” in which he used the Wiimote (and his pointer).

In short, although some tend to prefer the first episode, the second chapter was practically better in every respect: we’ll see what the next chapter will be like, which will certainly remain true to the foundations of the series in at least two aspects. First, violence: do no harm, no throwing weapons, ground weapons. Second, the aerial game: midway between futsal and beach soccerIn Mario Strikers, the high-ball phrases are as important as the low-shot phrases. We’ve already seen a noticeable difference: the captains support character mechanic has been removed. We’ll know more in a few days.