Super Mario Strikers is a good soccer game with a superb multiplayer mode.
The gameplay in Strikers is fantastic. The controls are awesome, and you can't really make any huge mistakes while playing. However, the game is a bit on the easy side, and you should complete the cups pretty easily on the regular difficulty level. There are additional difficulty settings, but Strikers never really gets all that challenging at all. The action is intense though, and when you're down by a goal with ten seconds remaining, you can feel the pressure, and you REALLY want to score that goal. The intense action suits Strikers very well. Multiplayer modes are extremely exciting, and if your opponent is about as good as you are, get ready for intense sudden death soccer. One good addition to the gameplay is Super Strikes, which is a shot that's pretty hard to score on, but it's worth two goals if you do score. Overall, the game plays very well and it's a blast. Awesome stuff!
The graphics are very impressive as well, the characters look pretty strange with soccer uniforms, but it's still okay. The stadiums look excellent, and pretty much everything else does, as well. The only complaint I have for the graphics is that the animations aren't very well done. Sometimes, on replays, when characters kick the ball, it does'nt actually look like the ball is touching their foot. On top of that, when the ball touches the goal's net or the goalkeeper himself, the same effect happens and it looks pretty strange. Overall though, Strikers is a visually impressive game.
The sound in Strikers isn't amazing, but it's good and gets the job done. There really isn't that much sound in the game though. Most of the stuff you'll be hearing will be voice acting, like the crummy voice that shouts "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAALLLLL!" every time you score, very annoying. Then you'll hear the characters scream like mad when someone pounds them into the electric fence circling the field, which is satisfying as long as you're the one who does the pounding. The sound is good overall, but it could've been better.
If you're only buying this game for the single-player, then you'll be very dissapointed. It only has a small amount of cups to beat, as opposed to, say, a game like Mario Kart. There are four stadiums and a single team to unlock, and that's pretty much all there is to it. However, the game really shines in its multiplayer mode. Playing this game with a friend is a whole lot of fun, and you'll be totally hooked to the game, as you try to catch up to your friend who's won five games more than you, or if you're trying to maintain a strong lead over your opponent. Sudden death showdowns are awesome, and you'll be totally pumped if you happen to score the game-winning goal. This is the kind of game you'll want to play over and over again with your friends, whether you play with one, two or three friends at once. It's great multiplayer fun!
Overall, Super Mario Strikers does a good job of recreating the sport of soccer into the Mario universe. With some better sound and single-player options, we would've had a fantastic new addition to the Mario series, but although Strikers does fall short in a few categories, it's at least worth a rental, and if you're into soccer games or Mario games alike, it's probably worth a purchase.