If there was ever a character that could fit the definition of “Everyman” Nintendo’s Italian, suspender-wearing, high pitched hero Mario could be it.  Mario has done just about everything.  From golf, to tennis, to bowling, to basketball, to building time machines, curing diseases, participating in the Olympics, fighting gigantic monkeys, baking cookies, driving go carts, and of course being an all around hero, Mario has done just about every activity under the sun.  In fact, take any game, put “Mario” in the title and throw some Nintendo characters in and you seem to have a recipe for success.  It’s only a matter time before “Mario Watches Paint Dry” will be the new smash hit of the holiday season.  So when Nintendo put Mario in some cleats and had him kick a ball around, most gamers weren’t surprised.

The first Mario strikers was received much in the way most Mario sports games are received, as a mediocre sports game with a Mario twist.  It was fun, but suffered from a couple downfalls.  Bowser wasn’t playable, you could never control the goalies, multiplayer could get a bit wonky, and the game was a bit more restrictive than people wanted.  There also wasn’t a whole lot to unlock, so replay value went down.  Still, even though the reception was lukewarm, it was still a fun game to bring out at parties and get togethers.

As is the status quo with most Mario sports games, a sequel is eventually made, and Mario Strikers Charged is that sequel.  Thankfully though, the reception for this game was a bit hotter on the stove than the last one.  Riding on the Wii’s coattails of success, Mario Strikers Charged fixed many of the problems with the last game, and gave the players more of what they wanted.  In addition, MSC gives Wii players something they have wanted for a very long time, online play.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let’s examine the gameplay a bit shall we.  Mario Strikers Charged is a soccer game with a Mario twist.  You get to control a team of Mario characters, each trying to score as many goals as possible on the opposing team.  Where this differs from many other soccer games, is the speed.  Mario Strikers Charged is fast, faster than its predecessor, MUCH faster than most soccer games out there, much faster than the actual game of soccer!  The ball moves quickly, and the characters move just as fast, traversing the whole field in a matter of moments.  The Mario twist comes in with the addition of items and special attacks.  Koopa shells, Banana peels, Bombs, and many other classic Mario items are everywhere allowing you to interfere with your opponent’s progress.

Another way Mario Strikers Charged differs from classic soccer games is the lack of a referee.  This is full contact futbol.  You can tackle, dive, and smash your opponents to smithereens with your character, causing the ball to change hands… er… feet quickly and often.  Characters also have their own special attacks and techniques they can use when they grab a special “captain” item (so named because it is only available to the captain of the team).  These attacks range from growing to a massive size, for Mario and Luigi, to stopping time for peach, to uhm… oh heck farting.  Wario’s special ability involves him passing a continuous stream of gas which screws up the controls of every one caught in the cloud.  I don’t know whose idea it was over at Nintendo to make Wario a fart themed character, but between Warioware, Smash Brothers Brawl, and now this, he is releasing more than his fair share of methane into the atmosphere.