Mario and his usual gang of pals are back at the never-ending lineup of sports games with Mario Super Sluggers. To be honest, the only reason I wanted this game was because I wasn't fully satisfied with the original Mario Superstar Baseball for the Gamecube. Like Mario Strikers before it, I assumed the sequel would be 10 times better than the original. Unfortunately, I assumed wrong. The game isn't terrible, but not a huge improvement as I expected. Here's the breakdown:
Story: Princess Peach has once again used her Princessy powers to create her own Baseball Island (although I'm guessing she just hired a bunch of Toad slaves to do it for her). Now, to celebrate, she has invited all her friends to come and play baseball in a variety of different stadiums. In the tradition of Mario games, Bowser and his chip off the old block Bowser Jr., have invaded the island and challenged our heroes to a fight... in the form of a baseball match. Win, and you get the honour of winning and some cool characters. Lose, and you get to try again. Well, generic story gets a generic grade. 5/10.
Gameplay: While the modes in this game are not a shock to Mario sports fans, they all work fairly well. Exhibition Mode is a simple match between two teams. Pick the characters and the settings and hit the field. Next, you have Challenge Mode. This is where that wonderful story shines. The actual setup of the mode itself is pretty fun though. To make a long story short, you go around the different stadiums, defeating Bowser's minions and scouting teammates. What makes this fun is the adventure style of play. It reminds me Lego Star Wars or Smash Bros. Brawl's Subspace Mode. Yes, they seem completely different, but play it and find out. Once you beat Challenge Mode though, it's over. Not much more to do but some minigames and random matches. Speaking of minigames, there is a Minigame Mode. These games don't stand out, but they're a nice diversion if you get bored of matches. Toy Field is way more fun than in the original. In this mode, you run around trying to catch the ball that a player hits on to the field to rack up points and vice versa. Finally, there is the Record Mode. This just shows your records in minigames and matches. A basic selection of modes laid out nicely earns gameplay a 7/10.
Graphics: The characters are really polished compared to the last version, but the stadiums and menus seem last-gen. Minor issues with the outfield in stadiums such as DK's Jungle make it seem as though your ball is a home run when really it hit a wall. Kind of annoying when you really need that 1 point, but it's not nuisance enough to really hurt the game. Still, I expected more graphically considering this is a Wii game. 6.5/10.
Controls: Why, WHY didn't Nintendo just make this game Gamecube controller compatible? The Wii remote works well enough in it's three different forms, including Nunchuck style, upright style, and sideways style, but not perfectly. When it comes to a baseball game, that matters. The batting seems a little off sometimes, and the pitching seems too easy to master. It's like there is no learning curve at all. On top of all that, you don't even have to control your fielders when using the Wiimote in the upright position. Bad choice control wise, especially when so many other games are allowing GCN controller compatibility. 6/10.
Sound: All the voices are here, as well as some catchy baseball tunes, but other than that, the sound is lacking. What more can we expect from a baseball game with Mario characters anyways? 7/10.
Value: If you liked the original Mario Superstar Baseball, you will get more from this game. If you haven't, you might not experience all it really has to offer. On that note, it does have a lot to offer, just be willing to play through some annoying garbage to get to the gold. 7/10.
Overall: While not the best Mario sports spinoff, it does what it's meant to do in the most basic form. It entertains Mario fans until the next sports game can be spit out of Nintendo headquarters. Get it if you love Mario or the previous Baseball game. Don't if you hate him. It's as simple as that. 7/10.
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