Super Mario Strikers Hands-On

Earlier this week, during a visit to Next Level Games' studio in Vancouver, we had an opportunity to spend some quality time with a near-finished version of Super Mario Strikers. Currently scheduled for release in Europe (as Super Mario Football) on November 14 and in North America on December 5, Super Mario Strikers is a colorful soccer game in which eight of Nintendo's most prominent characters captain rival teams. Like most previous sports games set in the Mario universe, Super Mario Strikers bears only a passing resemblance to the sport on which it's based, and after our time spent with the game thus far, we believe it does a great job of marrying the world of professional soccer with the world of Nintendo.

One of Next Level Games' goals when developing Super Mario Strikers was to create a sport that would be wholly believable within the context of the Mushroom Kingdom. To that end, matches are played in large stadiums filled with Mushroom Kingdom inhabitants who, at least in the minds of the development team, have stood in line for hours in the hope of getting tickets to see their heroes in action. The heroes in question, of course, are the team captains: Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Peach, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Wario, and Waluigi. Regardless of their relationships in previous Mario games, these eight personalities are bitter rivals when they step onto the field with their respective teams, and you can expect their behaviour toward one another to be far more competitive and passionate than in any other game to date.

Gameplay options in Super Mario Strikers will include grudge match, in which a score is kept as the same two teams play rematch after rematch; cup battles, which will let you compete in mushroom, flower, star, and Bowser cup tournaments; super cup battles, which are lengthier tournaments that you'll unlock by completing the cup battles mode; and custom battles, which will let you create your own competitions for up to eight player-controlled teams. The main menu screen will also boast a "Strikers 101" tutorial and practices mode, as well as an options screen that can be used to let you tweak match lengths, choose from four difficulty levels, and suchlike.

After deciding on your gameplay mode and choosing one of the eight captains (whose abilities vary only slightly) for your team, you'll be prompted to pick one of four sidekick types to fill the remaining three outfield positions. Your team options include Toads, Koopas, Hammer Bros., and Birdos, who, like their captains, play almost identically. The only major impact on gameplay your character choices will have is that you'll get power-ups that are appropriate for your squad more often than others. If you choose Donkey Kong for your captain, for example, you might get more banana skins to throw around the field.

Power-ups play a huge part in Super Mario Strikers, since they can turn the tide of a match when used well, and they are essentially what makes the game so different from any soccer game that's gone before it. You'll be awarded power-ups according to how you're performing on the field, much like you would in a Mario Kart race, where being in last place invariably results in you picking up better weapons. In the absence of a referee, you'll also find that power-ups are awarded to teams whose players are knocked to the ground by mistimed tackles or are blatantly attacked off the ball and forced against the electric fence that surrounds each field.

Make no mistake, Super Mario Strikers is a soccer game with attitude, and since the only reason play is ever stopped is for kickoffs after goals have been scored, it's incredibly fast-paced. Power-ups can be used at any time during a match, so as you bear down on goal using FIFA-style controls (complete with lob passes, dummy shots, and trick moves), don't be surprised if you fall foul of a freeze shell, a banana skin, or even a giant Chain Chomp. Since tackling isn't particularly difficult in the game, there's also a good chance you'll simply be dispossessed by one of your opponents, or perhaps by the crocodile goalkeeper, who demonstrates a great understanding of his position (for the most part) and is immune to even the most heinous of challenges.

In addition to power-ups, there are a number of randomly occurring events that can dramatically alter the course of a match. The most dramatic of these is undoubtedly the arrival of Bowser, who--upset that he wasn't chosen as a team captain--will occasionally leap from the sky and on to the field to then breathe fire on any players who get too close to him. Bowser is also able to tilt the playing field, quite literally, making goal scoring an uphill struggle for one team. The scoring of goals, of course, is crucial to any soccer game, and Super Mario Strikers is no exception. We're pleased to report that the goals we've scored in Super Mario Strikers to date are every bit as satisfying as those we've put away in other soccer games, thanks not only to some impressive ball physics, but also to some quite inventive shooting mechanics.

You'll be able to use your shoot button in a number of different ways, so while tapping it for a quick shot on goal might work occasionally, holding it down to charge up a more powerful shot will increase your chances of scoring. If you manage to hold the button down for a few seconds without being interrupted by another player, you'll be presented with a golf-game-style swingometer that, if you time your subsequent button taps well, will send a near-unstoppable "superstrike" hurling toward your opponent's goal. Superstrikes are accompanied by spectacular animations and are worth two points instead of one, which is perhaps why they're so tricky to pull off. Slightly easier to perform are the first-touch shots that can be played as you receive a "perfect pass" from a teammate. These invariably take the form of bicycle kicks, flying headers, or spectacular kicks in midair, and they are made all the more satisfying by the fact that you get to watch them in slow motion. There are no tie games in Super Mario Strikers, so if neither team is winning when time runs out, you'll simply keep playing until the deciding goal is scored.

We got to play at three different themed stadiums (The Palace, Pipeline Central, and Underground) during our time with Super Mario Strikers on this occasion, but we're told there will be a further four to unlock in the finished game. We also noted that a secret ninth team captain's portrait appeared as a silhouette on the prematch selection screen, but his or her shape wasn't recognizable to us as anyone from Nintendo's existing roster. We look forward to bringing you more information on Super Mario Strikers just as soon as we get our hands on a copy.