Mario Strikers Charged review

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.

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.