Remember when they made Mario sports games that were fun to play even when you didn’t have three friends at hand? I’m thinking of “Mario Golf” and “Mario Tennis” — the Nintendo 64 versions, of course, before their makers thought character-specific special moves were the one and only thing that made Mario sports games special. Sadly, it seems “Mario Kart” is the only Mario sports franchise left that’s worth playing solo. “Mario Sports Mix,” containing hockey, volleyball, basketball and dodgeball, carries on the tradition of games like the Wii soccer outing “Super Mario Strikers.” It’s just barely saved by its multiplayer modes, without which you face such erratic, idiotic computer-controlled opponents that if you couldn’t play online, you’d beg strangers on Craigslist to come over for a little Wii.
“Mario Sports Mix” is the second sports game made by Square Enix — after the odd DS outing “Mario Hoops 3-on-3” — and the company’s third Mario game — after 1996’s beloved “Super Mario RPG,” back when the company was just Square. Its pretty music and cheerily bizarre arenas — basketball on the beach? — fit the aesthetic of previous Mario sports titles, but two of the sports played in the Mushroom Kingdom are a lot better than the other two.
Hockey is the star of the show, with fast gameplay and easy controls that are the perfect antidote to the humorless hockey sims coming out these days.
| ‘Mario Sports Mix’ |
| » System: Wii |
| » Price: $49.99 |
| » Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
Almost as good is super-simple but deceptively deep basketball, which feels more like the original “NBA Jam” than that game’s recent remake does.
On the other hand, there’s volleyball, which induces an overdose of Wii Remote swinging. Last and least is dodgeball, a huge missed opportunity. The game replaces the get-hit-and-you’re-out rule of dodgeball as we all know it in favor of a health bar, robbing the game of its most exciting mechanic. On top of this, you play with a ball that seems to have a speed governor. How is it that “Super Dodge Ball,” released on Nintendo’s first major home console, is more fun than a dodgeball game released 23 years later on Nintendo’s fifth major home console?
That said, if you have a family and have already worn out your copies of “Mario Kart Wii,” “Wii Sports Resort” and “Wii Party,” “Mario Sports Mix” is the game for you.
