N-Philes

Super Mario Strikers is a soccer game that pits friend against foe, friend against friend, and foe against foe. During End Boss month, I got the chance to finally try Super Mario Strikers, and after having my team, led by team-captain Waluigi, blow by all the competition, I was to face Mario in the finals. Following an incredible match against the portly plumber, Waluigi and I had done it. We had won the Bowser Cup and declared ourselves champions of the soccer pitch... or had we? All of a sudden the Super Team showed up for one final match, and the fight was on.



Created by Bowser to prevent anyone from winning the Bowser cup, the mechanical Super Team is comprised of four identical robotic athletes, all of which have the ability to pull off the infamous Super Strike, which, if hit properly, is impossible to stop and scores two points for the shooter's team. The move can usually only be performed by the captain of the team, so this advantage leaves any opponent of the Super Team open to Super Strikes from all over the field. Not only this, but their goalie is also a robotic Kritter with an considerably increased skill. The team moves the ball fluidly, taking advantage of Perfect Passes and weapons given to them by any naïve opponent's eagerness to body check them into oblivion. Hitting Super Strikes at key times is the best way to take advantage of any alone time you may have with the ball; if you are open for two seconds, you absolutely must fire a Super Strike at the net or else admit defeat at the hands of the robotic all-star team.



The game itself plays in a pretty basic fashion. You have your pass, shoot, slide tackle (steal), and body check. Attacking any non-ball-carrier with body checks awards the opposing side with an item to use in their attempt to score points. Taking shots on the opposing net however, can reward you with items also. Items in general include banana peels, red, green, and blue shells (homing hits, basic straight shots, and freezing shots respectively), bob-ombs, chain chomps, and many many other gadgets from the Mario Universe.



Eventually, I was able to defeat the mechanical monstrosities and win the conveted Bowser Cup, going on to solidify my paramount position as the greatest soccer player in the world. Super Mario Strikers is a great game, and has potential to be a great series to be milked for years to come. Here's for hoping that Nintendo decides to revisit the series with another iteration on the Wii, leg-mounted Wiimotes and all.