Gamespot really missed the mark on this one, and surprisingly this is vastly superior than the new one for wii

User Rating: 9.5 | Super Mario Strikers GC
This is, in my opinion, the absolute best mario sports game ever made. I've enjoyed them all but this one really takes the cake. The reason? It didn't have to be a mario game. Yes there are crazy items in the game, but thankfully you can turn them off. I found them to make the game overly random, frantic, and frustrating. It's really nice that you at least have the option to turn them off because they certainly have their advantages as well.

The actual soccer is fun and fast paced. The pitch is considerably smaller than an actual soccer field, and the game benifits by actually encouraging aggressive tackles which is really fun. There's plenty of difficulty levels, trophies, and the soccer itself is actually pretty deep for a mario sports game.

Multiplayer is superb. I've spent countless hours with my buddies playing this game. Do yourself a favor and buy this instead of the one for wii.