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 Post subject: Wii - Mario Strikers Charged Football
PostPosted: Wed Jul 23, 2008 6:15 pm 
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Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 11:51 pm
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Location: Bradford, UK
XBL Gamertag: Blokeh
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Wii system code: 2445-8086-3386-0718
Mario Strikers Charged Football
Nintendo Wii
1-4 players

Those who have played the original Mario Strikers Football on the Cube will remember the fun of smashing Peach into an electric fence before making off with the ball, turning it into a searing ball of flame and then smashing it into the opposing goal, taking the keeper out too, for a lovely 2 point goal. The single player was great, and the multiplayer even better! So how has the long-awaited sequel managed to improve on itself?

Well, after spending an initial half hour going through the training mode, you can see that it's still the same game as before. The graphics now look sweeter than ever, and each captain has their own unique - and in Waluigi's case hilarious - intro music, but other than that, everything you remember, from Megastrikes to Hitting to Weapons, is all in there but this time they've been overhauled and fine tuned.

This game uses the Wiimote and Nunchuk as we all knew it would. Button A passes the ball, button B shoots, and holding down Z while pressing either A or B allows you to chip the same shots over players' heads. The C button fires off whatever weapon you're currently holding and shaking the Wiimote will send you shoulder-first into the nearest opponent. Jinks are back too and can be performed by pressing on any direction of the D-Pad. Sounds pretty simple, no? Well, that's because it is. Picking up the game and pulling off passes and chips and shoulder barges is child's play, although mastering the skills is another thing altogether, but at least new players won't be put off by a complex array of button combos.

What HAS changed, however, is the way games are played. No longer do you have a fixed back-up squad. This time you can choose your other teammates. Toad, Koopa, Hammer Bros, Birdo, Dry Bones, Shy Guy, Boo and Monty Mole are all interchangeable and each one has their own specialities. Some are fast defensive players, but will lack shooting and passing skills. Others may be fantastic shots, but move like an 80 year old. Others are good in every area, but great in none. Choosing the right teammates can be the difference between victory and defeat. Another change is that now all teammates have their own special "skill shot". Charged just like a captain's Megastrike, Koopa turns the ball into a huge steel shell, Hammer Bros jump into the air, throw hammers at the goalie before kicking the ball into the net, Boo turns invisible and passes through the keeper.... they are quite tremendous, but each one requires a set distance from the goal to work properly, and half the fun is working that out!

And speaking of Megastrikes.... possibly the biggest change in the game yet. Same routine as before, hold down the B button in the opponent's half will start you off. But from there on it it's a different story. The same old gauge appears, only this time the first part of the gauge determines how many shots you'll fire off (between 3 and 6). This requires you to think: an easy 3 shots or risk getting tackled and go for 6? The second part of the gauge determines the speed. Then it's off into the air, perform a fancy little move, then the shots are off. However, just because you chose 6 shots, does not mean 6 goals.... Should you find yourself on the wrong end of a Megastrike, the game changes to first person mode, and you aim the Wiimote to control a pair of hands onscreen. When the balls appear, you simply "catch" them out of the air!

So now that Megastrikes are saveable, how can you score? Well, it's not call "Strikers Charged" for nothing. Every time the ball is passed, the ball "charges", growing in colour and intensity with every pass until it glows a brilliant white. The higher the charge, the better chance of scoring a shot on goal. You will find yourself starting off firing Megastrikes all over the place, but eventually you will learn that success comes with passing to your teammates and utilising them to their potential. The playing field is now a whole lot more level. Or so you'd think.

The perfect computer AI would gently increase in difficulty, but Strikers' seems to go from "invitation to tea and biscuits" to "death sentence in a Nazi camp" after the first Cup tournament, which does spoil the game a little as you will find yourself getting more and more frustrated. But luckily this game IS a multiplayer game, and that's where the REAL fun is.

But what if you don't have any friends? Did I mention this game is ONLINE? I didn't? Oh, I AM sorry.... Yes, Mario Strikers is the Wii's first online game outside Japan, meaning that you can play against other people from other countries all from your living room. But while you can simply jump into a game with anyone else who is of a similar skill level to yourself, if you want to play a particular person, then you'll have to use Friend Codes. Yes, they're back and they're as annoying as ever, but they don't detract from this game's fun factor.

There's lots of unlockables to keep you going: stadiums, captains, in-game cheats, etc, and there's a whole array of set challenges for you to overcome. You'll get annoyed as hell with the CPU AI, but if you're anything like me you'll spend all of your time trawling through the online multiplayer in a bid to reach the top spot before the scoreboards are wiped at the end of the day.

Ratings
Graphics: A
Sounds: B
Gameplay: B
Replayability: B

Overall score: B

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