Each sport can be played with or without the nunchuk, though needless to say, it’s much easier with both controllers. No matter which game you choose to play, as previously mentioned, many of the controls are the same. However, there are no real options to adjust in Tournament mode beyond simply the number of players, their respective characters, and whether it’ll be 2×2 or 3×3 matches-an omission which ultimately greatly damages this mode’s potential appeal (which we’ll come back to in a moment). This is where you can most quickly unlock the hidden arenas and characters, generally through a series of three matches per cup (and three cups total per sport: Mushroom, Flower, and Star… sorry, no unlockable Special Cup here). While it’s possible to select a single match in any unlocked arena in Exhibition Mode, the focus is in Tournament Mode, which sends eight teams against each other in a tour de force. The different sports also share most of the same arenas, lightly modified to accommodate whichever game is currently taking place in them. For instance, all of the games feature coins (which either add to your point total or, in the case of dodgeball, boost your power) as well as items. That’s not to say that the different games feel the same-only basketball and hockey share any sort of architectural similarity-but rather that the various modifiers that come as part of the Mario Sports treatment are easier to digest thanks to their relative congruence. As presented, there’s no shortage of content, though some of the depth (such as that of basketball and dodgeball) is not immediately apparent.Īll of the included games share commonalities in concept and controls, a design choice which effectively smoothes the learning curves and makes switching between sports easier. You’ll find basketball, hockey, dodgeball, and volleyball included (along with four mini-games). Hard to say why Nintendo decided to feature four different sports in Mario Sports Mix as opposed to taking the usual approach of a single sport per title, but perhaps they figured that none of these sports individually would make for a compelling full-featured package. But all prejudgments aside, Square Enix’s second Mario Sports title (the first being the middling Mario Hoops 3-on-3) arrives as a decidedly solid entry for casuals and youngsters alike, neither revolutionary nor tired, and most certainly good for some lighthearted fun. Some might argue that these games have begun to lose their charm, and it’s no secret that most of us press-like folks didn’t come away from E3 2010 singing the praises of Mario Sports Mix-it just seems old hat these days. Since, we’ve seen Next Level Games and, finally, even Square Enix take a crack at the subgenre. Camelot was the first developer widely associated with bringing these ideas to life, and their Mario Golf and Tennis titles gathered quite a lot of attention then. Since the N64 days, Mario has had the opportunity of trying his hand at plenty of major sports.
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