Now this, this is a fucking video game! Mario Strikers Charged is one of the most off the walls arcaedy fun games I've ever played and even going back I enjoy every second of it.
Let's talk about the gameplay first, It's perfect. It keeps the base fun concept of the first game you can't really change soccer) but improves all the areas where that game lacked to the perfect amounts. You're allowed to choose a whole team of sidekicks rather than just one type and they all actually play different and serve different purposes. The goalie is actually competent in this game, maybe even too much so. Megastrikes are rewarding for all the trouble it takes to actually pull one off. And the stadiums all have unique gimmicks, vibes, and music tracks. Furthermore, the items feel more diversified in this game, and they all have a specific use here, and the introduction of captain specific abilities in the item slot that help turn the tides when you're down is really neat. All of this adds up to some of the most enjoyable gameplay that is both fun for casual players and surprisingly deep for more competitive ones.
The gritty and brutal style that the first game established is carried over and doubled down on in this game to a great degree. Each captain and sidekick have their own set of win/lose animations that range from humorous, charming, or surprisingly badass. The game's UI is much less standard and much more stylized to the game's tone. The main selling point here though lies in the game's soundtrack, it's so smooth, epic, and adds so much to the gameplay and experience.
In terms of content the game steps it up from the first game's pretty barebones showing. The main singleplayer content is once again a tournament mode but with much more splendor and presentation to it than was in the first game. You make your way through three cups worth of matches and at the end of each cup you face off against a new captain which you unlock after beating their cup. These captain matches are much tougher than the rest of the ones you faced in the bracket to get to them and can be pretty easy to mess up on causing you to restart the whole cup (damn you Petey Piranha) but the presence of a solid and fair challenge in one of these games is enough motivation to keep going. After finishing these cups the game provides a new game plus of sorts by allowing you to defend your title on each of the cups in the form of much harder brackets and that are really fun. There's also a mission mode in the form of the Striker Challenges, which ramp up in difficulty and can prove a real challenge in and of themselves for anyone looking for more from this game.
Overall, Mario Strikers Charged is a rare one-of-a-kind game that we will likely never see the likes of again. I'm confident to call it not only the best Mario sports game ever made, but just the best sports game of all time.
Let's talk about the gameplay first, It's perfect. It keeps the base fun concept of the first game you can't really change soccer) but improves all the areas where that game lacked to the perfect amounts. You're allowed to choose a whole team of sidekicks rather than just one type and they all actually play different and serve different purposes. The goalie is actually competent in this game, maybe even too much so. Megastrikes are rewarding for all the trouble it takes to actually pull one off. And the stadiums all have unique gimmicks, vibes, and music tracks. Furthermore, the items feel more diversified in this game, and they all have a specific use here, and the introduction of captain specific abilities in the item slot that help turn the tides when you're down is really neat. All of this adds up to some of the most enjoyable gameplay that is both fun for casual players and surprisingly deep for more competitive ones.
The gritty and brutal style that the first game established is carried over and doubled down on in this game to a great degree. Each captain and sidekick have their own set of win/lose animations that range from humorous, charming, or surprisingly badass. The game's UI is much less standard and much more stylized to the game's tone. The main selling point here though lies in the game's soundtrack, it's so smooth, epic, and adds so much to the gameplay and experience.
In terms of content the game steps it up from the first game's pretty barebones showing. The main singleplayer content is once again a tournament mode but with much more splendor and presentation to it than was in the first game. You make your way through three cups worth of matches and at the end of each cup you face off against a new captain which you unlock after beating their cup. These captain matches are much tougher than the rest of the ones you faced in the bracket to get to them and can be pretty easy to mess up on causing you to restart the whole cup (damn you Petey Piranha) but the presence of a solid and fair challenge in one of these games is enough motivation to keep going. After finishing these cups the game provides a new game plus of sorts by allowing you to defend your title on each of the cups in the form of much harder brackets and that are really fun. There's also a mission mode in the form of the Striker Challenges, which ramp up in difficulty and can prove a real challenge in and of themselves for anyone looking for more from this game.
Overall, Mario Strikers Charged is a rare one-of-a-kind game that we will likely never see the likes of again. I'm confident to call it not only the best Mario sports game ever made, but just the best sports game of all time.