Video game review: Mario Strikers Charged

Let me begin by saying that, like a stereotypical American, I've never had any interest whatsoever in soccer. The only time I ever watched a game for more than ten minutes was when my Dad took me to a game when I was four years old, and he says all I did was mooch for snacks and then insisted on leaving before the game was over (much to his dismay).

And yet, when Mario Strikers Charged was released for the Nintendo Wii in Europe, the enthusiastic reviews it got was too much even for me to ignore. So despite my lack of soccermania, I decided to take a chance and bought a copy.

And you know what? The footie fans were right -- this game is !^?$#*&@# awesome.

To be accurate, though, Mario Strikers Charged is related to soccer only in the sense that you score by shooting the ball into your opponent's goal. In reality, between the various power-up items, the chaotic arcade action, and the (cartoonish) brutal combat, it's much more reminiscent of Cyberball, Speedball, or Mutant League Football.

Playing the game is simple enough. You pick a team Captain -- one of Nintendo's mainstay Mario characters -- and three sidekicks, all of whom are rated in speed, passing, shooting, and defensive skills. You then take to the pitch and try to outscore your opponent in the time alotted. The games tend to be nasty, brutish, and short, though you can extend your fun by playing a "best of" match in one setting (winner must win the best of five games, for instance).

What really separates Mario Strikers Charged from regular soccer are the numerous cartoonish wrinkles, a signature of Nintendo's Mario sports games. The arena is surrounded by an electric fence -- perfect for slamming opponents into -- and some fields feature environmental disasters, such as lightning strikes, wind-tossed tractors, or lava pools to be avoided or exploited. Teams can also use special items to disable opponents or enhance themselves, and each of the characters have unique moves to clear the area and go for the goal. Team Captains can also pull off a "Mega Strike," where they rocket into the sky and shoot up to six(!) balls at once at the goal, accompanied by a Wii-specific "block the balls" minigame.

Needless to say, the game gets chaotic very fast, but it never degenerates into random flailing. Instead, the game is tightly balanced; every tactic has a counter-tactic, and reckless players will inevitably lose to an opponent who skillfully plays the field and controls the ball. There's never the sense that things are completely beyond your control, and your victory or loss will depend solely on your own abilities.

For a single player, Mario Strikers Charged offers regular soccer/striker play, several Cups to progress through (winning them unlocks various extras), and "Striker Challenges" (pre-defined scenarios for the player to try and win). But while MSC is a very good single-player game, it really shines with a crowd. Up to four people can play at once in any combination (three-on-one dogpile!), or you can go on the internet and play one-on-one or two-on-two against friends or randomly-selected strangers. The online gaming geeks will note that MSC supports a national leaderboard, a friends lobby, and quarterly matches. I've only played online briefly against random strangers, all of whom promptly kicked my butt, which means I need a lot more practice.

Enough with all the gushing; is there anything wrong with the game? Honestly, after racking my brains for a half-hour, my only criticism is that the in-game tutorial doesn't teach more than the basics. And while you can play the game just by using the passes, shots, and Mega Strikes in the tutorial, you can't master the game without learning advanced techniques like lob shots and slide tackles, which you might not know about until you read the instruction manual.

For the parents out there, I'll mention that the game is (IMO) perfectly suited for anyone old enough to watch a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Despite the "edgy" presentation of some of the game elements, it never gets brutally violent, and the only questionable content might be Wario's fart attack or the princesses' bare midriffs and mildly voluptuous victory taunts -- though as a yardstick, I find the Bratz toys far more offensive than anything in Mario Strikers Charged. If you can overcome these minor hurdles, this is a terrific game to play cooperatively with your family (even if you have to set the computer opponents to an easy difficulty level).

Bottom line: It doesn't matter if you have any real-world interest in soccer or not -- if you have even the slightest interest in fast, frantic, arcade-style sports action, Mario Strikers Charged is a must-buy addition to your Wii game library.