Fun, yet disappointing
Three years later Mario Super Sluggers is released despite the barrage of complaints coming from many gamers the Mario sports series is still alive but despite all possibilities created by the Wii's controls it doesn't look like developers really took their time when developing the game this time around.
On Mario Super Sluggers Mario and his peers hit the Baseball fields of the Mushroom Kingdom and compete against each other. When it comes to features the game offers a surprisingly good amount of changes when compared to its predecessor. Not only do characters have special batting and pitching special abilities, that were available on the previous game, but they now also posses fielding powers. Wario throws a super fast laser ball while Mario becomes gigantic.
Chemistry also comes in play much more often in this game. As the ones who played Mario Superstar Baseball should know, when characters who like each other bat one after the other they will have their overall stats slightly improved, and this time around when characters who have chemistry are fielding close to each other they will be able to perform buddy moves and perform extremely high jumps to steal home runs or throw the ball at incredible speeds directly to one of the bases. Items can also be used as the teams will sometimes gain green shells, bananas and other kinds of power-ups to use after they hit the baseball.
Speaking of hitting baseballs, the controls are where the game truly disappoints. For starters let's just say that they aren't even as good as the amazing controls featured on Wii Sports Baseball. Two years after the release of a baseball game with such nice controls one would expect Nintendo to take a step forward and improve them to give players an even better experience but unfortunately the controls have been extremely simplified. Waggle is all that it takes to pitch, bat and throw the ball while fielding. The speed of your movement will not affect how fast the ball will go and the motion won't change its effect. Pressing the A button or moving the control stick will allow different pitches but the system could have been much improved due to the Wiimote.
The game also suffers when it comes to the outfield camera. After the ball is hit by the batter the camera will quickly switch and you will gain control of one of your outfielders but the game isn't specific to show you which one of the characters you are controlling. The selection of the character you should move is done automatically and you won't be able to change that, so allowing hits because you got confused when fielding will unfortunately happen more frequently than it should.
The single-player mode of the game is powered by a silly storyline. Mario and his friends go to some sort of Baseball Island but just after they start enjoying the wonders of the sport Bowser Jr. takes over the place and the island is suddenly filled with his minions. In order to clear the single-player you will have to visit 5 stadiums that belong to certain captains and perform scouting missions. Once you enter the stadium you will control your character as if you were playing an RPG game, as you encounter the characters of that stadium you can try the scouting missions they have to offer.
The scouting missions range from hitting a home run to eliminating a player by performing a buddy move. Indeed they are quite fun but in the end of the single-player mode you will be extremely disappointed because there just isn't enough baseball being played in the game, most of the time you will be going through mini-games. The scouting missions generally serve the purpose of a tutorial in order to explain the player all the vast array of in-game options. I feel this could have been avoided by the playing of a single tutorial match right after you begin the adventure.
In the end you will spend around three from five hours to recruit all the characters, something that is not necessary to beat the single-player mode and you will undeniably have tons of fun despite all shortcomings. Overall the single-player mode lacks challenge, something that made the previous game so awesome.
The multiplayer mode truly makes the game shine. You and your friends can pick nine characters out of the more than fifty available on the roster and form the teams, creating a decent team takes a lot of strategy and testing the different characters. The options for the multiplayer mode are quite varied and the lack of stadiums that was present on Mario Superstar Baseball has been strongly addressed as the game has some incredible fields to be played like Luigi's Mansion, Daisy's Cruise, DK Jungle, Wario City or Peach's Ice Garden. Most of the fields can be played either at night or during the day, something that will slightly alter some of the field's traps.
The game also has a very engaging Toy Field mode where players compete individually on a different but extremely fun type of baseball game. There is a chance you will find yourself playing this mode more than the regular baseball matches. Besides, there is a ton of nice mini-games that can last for hours.
The character models look really good and the whole game is as usual very colorful. The fields have an astonishing look and it is pretty easy to notice that the textures and effects were really explored. It may not be the best looking game of the system but it does a very good job when it comes to looking good. The soundtrack is mind-blowing as some fields have old-school themes that have been remixed to new and more modern versions without losing its charm. The original tunes are also great and make Mario's baseball games even more exciting.
Sadly the game lacks an online mode, something that would probably increase its general quality by much. Mario sports games like Mario Kart Wii and Mario Strikers Charged have the Wii's best online modes and the same could be easily expected from Sluggers and the decision of leaving a mode so important for a multiplayer based game out of the package is indeed very strange and makes us wonder if the developers didn't rush its production.
In a nutshell Mario Super Sluggers could have been much better if the controls had been improved and an online mode was made. In some areas the game just overflows with high production values but in others it just feels totally rushed. If you are a fan of the Mario sports series and are looking desperately for a good multiplayer experience on the Wii then that's your game but Mario sports games look pointless to you after so many releases then you must stay away as Sluggers won't come even close to changing your opinion.