Mario Super Sluggers Preview

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(6 Votes)

Andreas Asimakis, Associate Editor

Thursday, August 14 2008

The Mushroom Kingdom is once again ready to take on America's Favorite Pastime with Mario Super Sluggers. Set for a North American release on August 25th, this sequel to 2005’s Mario Superstar Baseball will have Nintendo’s Super Mario franchise characters return to the mound.

For starters, all the basic mechanics of baseball are present. A flick of the Wiimote will have players pitching and swinging with great ease while the Nunchuk’s Analog Stick can be used to retrieve the ball. Tapping on the A Button will advance the runners while holding the B Button down will cause uncertain players to retreat to their former bases.

Players will also have special pitches available to them as well. Holding down certain buttons will result in pitches such as curveballs, changeups, and fastballs. Special Signature Pitches will be available as well. These flashy moves, like Mario’s Fireball Pitch, can be used only by Team Captains once they have accumulated enough Star Skills. And it wouldn’t be a Mario game without specials items. Classic player stumbling nuisances such as Green Shells and Banana Peals can be thrown at fielders in an attempt to keep them from catching the ball.

The character themed fields will allow players to compete in environments from the lavish Wario City to the exotic DK Jungle. And with the stadiums housing booby traps, obstacles, and surprises of their own, players will have more to pay attention to than just the opposing team.

Mario Super Sluggers Preview

Much like its Gamecube counterpart, Mario Super Sluggers will revisit many of its predecessor’s modes. Challenge Mode will make its return as players will have to solve puzzles, take down enemies, and complete missions in order to recruit new characters. Exhibition Mode however, cuts out all the grunt work and instead will take players straight to the baseball field. And while a Practice Mode awaits players who are new to the game, Mini-games such as Homerun Derby will challenge veteran players’ skills. Finally, Toy Field will bring four characters together to hit baseballs to designated point areas all around a board game style environment. And although the roster is quite limited from the start, continued playtime will unlock over 40 classic Mushroom Kingdom characters for players to take the field with

It might seem like a minor upgrade, and lack of online play may be tad unnerving, but Nintendo has always managed to make their sports games fun as a local multiplayer affair. What better excuse to invite a few friends over! And with a release date only several weeks away, we’ll see if Mario’s latest sports outing turns out to be a Homerun for the fans.

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