Mario Strikers: Charged

Let me get this out of the way first, this is not a soccer game. Its not even really a sports game. Its better described as Mario Kart without the karts. If you want a genuine soccer title, pay FIFA a visit. What it is though, is a cut-throat action/sports game with soccer thrown in to give you an excuse to keep beating each other. This is not a bad thing however, as the title does deliver a better than average sports experience as well. Those of you familiar with just about any videogame Mario & Co. make an appearance in will not be suprised by MSC's vast array of Nintendo characters, items, and insanity. I must say from the moment I turned the game on I was very impressed with how well the game mechanics work. (i.e. the ease of control and fluidity of movement.) The Wii remote is very responsive and engaging, with a variety of motion controls added to keep things interesting. There are a decent number of options for the single player mode, including practice sessions, situational games (for example, you are down 2 goals and have 3 minutes to score them), and ''Road to the Striker Cup'', which could be described as the main game for the single player experience. The meat and potatoes of this game is the well designed multiplayer aspect. The online game is one of the better experiences on the Wii to this day. It is very seamless with little to no slowdown, a daily and weekly leaderboard, and some limited stat tracking. Connecting with other players takes no time at all. (In most cases.) My only gripe with the online mode is the menus can take some time to get outta the way so you can get back to the game. A minor flaw, but has led to some gripes from time to time.
If a Mario-themed soccer romp sounds like fun to you, go spend your money today. You wont be disappointed. However if you are a true soccer fan looking for authentic soccer action, you might pass this one by.


GRAPHICS AND PRESENTATION:
Nothing too flashy or different from what you are used to seeing on the Wii. The visuals are certainly not sub par by any means. Menus can be frustratingly slow during multiplayer bouts and slightly laggy throughout.

SOUND AND MUSIC:
Nothing short of great. There are a number of very catchy tunes and all the sound effects are well used.

GAMEPLAY:
Responsive and engaging. Shaking the Wii remote is a great way to ''tackle'' and and block goals during a Megastrike.

REPLAY FACTOR:
Plenty of replayability here... an addictive control scheme and fast multiplayer action.


OVERALL RATING: 8.25 out of 10