Mario Strikers Charged

The most eye-poppingly intense "sports sim" on Wii

In going for the most pyrotechnical Mario sports game imaginable, the designers seem to have forgotten that the reason classics like Mario Kart have been successful isn’t simply because they have loads of skill-leveling power-ups - it’s because there’s a solid game underneath. Strikers gets it all backwards but it’s definitely a whole lot better on Wii than it was on GameCube.

The Wii-specific controls are limited to the goalkeeping minigame, which uses the pointer function, and a satisfying shake of the remote to punch opponents. Shaking the nunchuk also switches between the two power-ups you can hold in reserve, but since the items fly so thick and fast it isn’t an option we’ve ever bothered with during a game. Played against a human, locally or online it’s something that, while not exactly Mario Kart or Smash Bros. in terms of skill, is an experience you won’t forget.

You'll love
  • Improves upon original
  • Mixing up team with sidekicks
  • Crazy new power-ups
You'll hate
  • Feels a bit unbalanced
  • Scoring "regular" goals is tough
  • Good in short doses
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The Knowledge
Mario Strikers Charged

Genre: Sports
Expected release date: 07/30/2007
Published by: Nintendo
Developed by: Nintendo
Franchise: Mario
8 GREAT
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The most eye-poppingly intense "sports sim" on Wii
Wii Review  -  Jul 24, 2007