« on: May 12, 2008, 07:22:10 PM »
God damn.
Those were the first two words that came to mind when I first loaded up the original Super Mario Strikers. Mario characters aren't really supposed to be this mad and hardcore. Yoshi looks pissed--and did Waluigi just do a crotch chop? This reaction mirrored itself with Mario Strikers Charged, as the ball is no longer a soccer ball but a round, metal ball with lights, the characters have even more equipment attached to them, and the interface emphasizes the whole futuristic vibe highlighted in the first.
You can immediately tell the budget on this game was a lot higher than the previous. First, the interface is much cleaner and interesting to look at, which was one of those small things I had a complaint about in the other game but in the long run isn't a big deal. Speaking of small things that may not matter is the music: there actually is music this game. The first game in this series lacked music during games--it, in my opinion, helps the atmosphere quite a bit.
Mario Strikers Charged introduces a few game play elements that you either will love or hate. First is the addition of different sidekicks which actually do things other than just kick charged shots: they will perform special dekes, special charged shots (such as Toad's flaming shot or Koopa Troopa's huge shell), and have different stats (speed, power, etc). This adds a bit of strategy to a game that was mostly pass pass shoot, and not making your Captain the main person to get the ball. Speaking of Captains there are a few more, and their differences are more striking than before. Each have their own special item. Megastrikes are even more powerful this game, but there's a way to block them. You can get up to five goals with one with a caveat: they can all be blocked by a really skilled player. The opposing goalie will be brought to a screen that resembles a sort of target shoooting--you have to aim the Wiimote at the screen and hit the balls that fly at the screen by click on it with A--the speed in which they appear will increase depending on whether or not you hit the green or the red in the meter.
Instead of perfect passes, you charge up the ball to different colors--white being the most powerful. You will find yourself relying on special shots rather than passing as much as the first, since they can pretty reliably take out the goalie (Kritter) and then be shot in. Dekes can be used to score as well, as some characters can hop over Kritter.
This game improved upon a few things that bothered the hell out of me, but added a few things that bother me. First, Kritter is a hell of a lot smarter and helpful. he'll leave the goal area if the ball is close enough to him and it isn't too risky. That's right: no more kicking the ball across the level so one of your characters can chase it down and get a cheap, free kick--he'll come out of the goal and grab it. He will also smack players a lot more often than before. It's easier to juggle the ball if it bounces off the goal thanks to a indicator in the air.
The cool thing is you can turn off a lot of the shit you don't like, such as items, Megashots, Skillshots and whatnot--which are part of my complaints. Things get way too fucking hectic and ridiculous. Your computer players can be rather stupid, which becomes frustrating when you have to make certain to switch to them the second you see the ball close to them.
Other than the weird look of some of the characters and some of the unnecessary additions, I really like this game, and it is a worthy sequel--one that makes the game what it should have been and then some. Definitely still the only soccer game I'll ever play.
