An imaginative football title, but also concise: will Mario Strikers Battle League Football be able to go on the net in our review?
What we would recognize in one review di Mario Strikers Battle League Soccer has already been said elsewhere for another video game. Specifically, we allude to Honest Trailers, to whom Jon Bailey lent his warm voice for Screen Junkies and Smosh Gaming. In the latter case, Bailey summed up Rocket League as follows: “football, made interesting to watch”. Of course, it must be said that it is only the latest of the many digs that the American public has aimed at our balòn, but let's face it: if you are among the non-lovers of football, there is a reason. It may be the rules, the demotions, the betrayed hopes or a disproportionate round of money, but there is.
Of course, seeing the sport most loved by the Spaniards grappling with a Mario other than Balotelli is not a simple triumph of patriotic spirit. There is something more: the need to combine a sporting discipline with a cast that acts as a universal adapter. And if the Mushroom Kingdom has already been able to interpret various sports disciplines with interesting compromises (tennis in the first place), what does the most loved plumber have to say in the context of a sports simulator otherwise aimed only at enthusiasts? The use of objects by Mario Kart is a pretext like any other to strip football of referees and rules, but also (consequently) of frills.
"Next Level Games and Nintendo don't do things ad mentula canis"
So read (paraphrasing for editorial reasons) the brilliant review seen on Nintendo The Official Magazine (number 46, December 2005) for Mario Smash Football, forerunner of this Strikers Battle League. And despite the immature style of the Big N's current rib, the development team didn't pretend to give this spinoff a plot. That didn't stop them from injecting a dose of either, though personality to the entire cast that goes far beyond the simple accentuated expressions of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. On the contrary: Mario is not on the field to take prisoners. To put it in the Neapolitan style, à cummann iss.
As much as we regret confirming the demise of Waluigi's (Charged, Wii) inguinal pats, now immortalized as memes, the subversive spirit that separates the typically western flavor of this production from the rest of the oeuvre of the Kyoto colossus is still intact. As well as the superhero genre in The Boys, here too we see something familiar in a new guise distorted by the context. Here is a Peach who struggles to maintain the aplomb after a goal conceded (below), Donkey Kong who poses by doing breakdance when he scores, and a Boom Boom goalkeeper who scolds the team after having saved.
Referee gives up - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
So if you are used to reading a FIFA or PES review sighing at the thought of having to worry about fouls not to inflict, you can sleep peacefully: in Mario Strikers Battle League Football everything is valid. Elbows, kicks in the teeth and, in the case of Toad's hyperthrous, field invasions as well. The first moments of the game are consumed in what is currently also the entirety of the First Kick demo, that is a tutorial. The player has the opportunity to skip it, but usually (as we have had the opportunity to test on a subject completely unaware of this) it is never late to regret it.
The tutorial of Fùtbot (applause to Next Level Games for the name) worthily prepares the player to play unworthily, giving lessons on complicated commands. Many of them are contextual, as the (occasionally cumbersome, even here) tradition of soccer games dictates. Here, then, that Y allows us to make a "tackle" (read: a foul) towards the nearest unfortunate player. If we do not have the ball, of course. Otherwise, it is a lob with which to circumvent the attempts of the opponents to steal the coveted ball from us. The same goes for R (dodge / dribble) and other buttons. It is not a game that allows for distractions, therefore.
Let's Play, Kick, But Really - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
That learning curve of the game is vertiginous is the understatement of the century. It occurs to us again to consider Smash, often derided (wrongly) to allow you to "win even by pressing random keys". This is not the case, but this does not mean that it is inaccessible. This game, for its part, does not discount anyone, not even during the tutorial. Each lesson can be completed simply, or completed by taking care of every single objective not to be missed within a certain time limit. When the opposing Yoshis show up, however, reaching the en plein in the tutorial objectives immediately proves to be a cold shower.
A way like any other, in short, to bring back to reality the expectations of those who have taken for granted that they have the road paved for the mere presence of the Nintendo cast. Let's clarify: involving Mario certainly represents an opening to a larger audience than fans of videogame football, without a shadow of a doubt. But this does not detract from the game for its direct vocation to a very technical gameplay. The First Kick demo, as intended primarily as an online test, stops before the last part of the tutorial: one test match against the Yoshis. And if they are not joking, the cups certainly do not take long to pull out their claws.
Another World League - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
Summarizing the fundamentals of the game is quite simple. It is a real football under the cube root, without referees, rules and, in case of draws, penalties. At the same time, however, the "Mariesque touch" consists of Hyperthyroidism, that is spectacular shots (and occasionally impossible to save) that are worth two goals each, and in the objects. In fact, on the field it is possible to place bananas to prevent the advance of the opponents, shells to throw them away, even stars to dribble undisturbed and more. In this sense, there are all the conditions for a new inevitable title among multiplayer games.
And we are talking about a distinctly multiplayer vein because on the single player front we are on the minimum wage. The mode Cups is the closer you get to a real campaign, with six championships of three (or more) games each, at the end of which as many more difficult variants are unlocked. As evidence of the true potential of the game, which lies precisely in the possibility of playing together, the championships can be used locally for up to four players. The difficulty curve remains dizzying and the intent is sometimes clearly a lengthening of the stock, but in co-op everything soon becomes a bomb.
Final Fantasy Soccer – Recensione Mario Strikers Battle League Football
Yes, the Next Level Games trilogy responds to a certain reputation of "caciarone fun". But we would be lying to you if we denied the presence of a considerable amount of strategy. Each mode, from the most generous tournaments to the stingy of quick matches, allows you to earn a certain number of coins at the end of the event. The Cups prove to be more lavish in money the first time they are won, and soon the money earned offers us numerous opportunities to spend it. This is the right time to talk about the more tactical aspect of the game, which is the much talked about equipment.
Helmets, gloves, armor and shoes: these are the four items of clothing available for purchase, which according to the player's needs can be mixed together or make up a whole set. Each of them gives an extra point to a given one statistics of one character, but to the detriment of another. Once the regular Cups have been completed, it is possible to obtain more expensive items (from 100 coins to 300) that shuffle the cards on the table by penalizing three stats in exchange for a considerable bonus for just one aspect of the characters. All this translates into something similar to the assembly of karts in Mario Kart from the seventh chapter onwards, while being able to choose to play without any equipment.
Online and offline - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
Of course, you don't live on Cups alone, although they remain the most profitable option to quickly complete each character's wardrobe. The quick matches they are divided into game on a console, local game (by connecting two Switches together) and online game. As for offline play in its entirety, we don't have much to add beyond what you expect - this is simply a must-have game in your library for your multiplayer needs. In this sense, from such a range of options (up to a maximum of eight players, with the division into teams that suits you best) it is difficult to ask for more.
A proper applause, however, the quick matches deserve online and. We subjected the game's matchmaking to the stopwatch to the writing of this article, and it only took five seconds flat to get in touch with other players. Not everything about online communication is worthy of praise for this, but for what may be the needs of a player looking for immediate matches there is really nothing to complain about. The game throne supported by a sincere slogan is still in the hands of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, although in terms of games that "save the evening" we are facing a more than decent second place.
Willy the Coyote Floor Plans - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
What caused a sensation, during that phenomenal Nintendo Direct in February (probably destined to remain undefeated in 2024), was also the confidence with which the Big N showed off the mode Club Striker. The basic idea is to found your own football club (or football federation, to keep the acronym in Spanish). Up to 19 other people can join our XNUMX-a-side football club, contributing at their own pace to progress in ranked matches shared by all members without taking part in the game. And as an idea, there really is enormous potential.
It is with utmost despair that we report how much the execution of such a brilliant intuition fall on your face. We wanted to try the hard way, thus avoiding joining existing clubs in favor of our creation. We don't know what our flop is due to, but on balance it's been almost seven days since day one without the fledgling team getting even a new scion. Since progress, despite the pause periods between one season and another, also brings with it intriguing customizations for your personal stage, it's a real shame to see the developers' ambition so poorly rewarded.
Bleachers of Joy - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
We anticipate our considerations on graphics, because there are many joys but also occasional pains that it is better to talk about. Artistically speaking, we are in a real state of grace: as we anticipated, each character lets all his personality shine through in every mo (vi) chin, from the cel shading with which the Hyperthires emulate the original artwork to the animations that follow each change in the results (below). Among other things, the very mechanics of Hyperthires rewards spectacularity with another spectacularity: two times out of three, the Sphere Strike necessary to perform them appear following a chain of spectacular passages.
However, one animation in particular (that of Wario's goals in which he eats garlic, specifically) led us to pay attention to the framerate. True, breathing on the camera is entirely consistent with the character, but the transition from stable 30 fps to a series of slides left us dumbfounded. Unfortunately, even in some excited moments (according to conditions still unclear to us) the number of frames per second tends to an undignified dive. Given how often the action is difficult to follow, it can only further alienate the very laymen that this union hoped to bring to the football genre.
From Wario to VAR - Mario Strikers Battle League Football Review
The final whistle is approaching, and it is time we consider thetechnical aspect of the game. In addition to what has already been said, even under normal conditions there are sequences that reveal the excess of ambition on the part of the development team. Some animations (especially the one at the start of the game and, below, those of the goals) clearly show the fans as Serie B characters, an unwanted pun. Aside from this blatant difference in 3D models and framerates between audiences and players, however, the rest of the game is headed straight for top-notch production for what should be a lower priority spin-off. However, we advise newbies to set thevisual aid in the options, for greater clarity in the field.
The compartment audio closely follows every little facet of the artistic direction. Expect so many electric guitars in the soundtrack, which remains castrated only by a heart-pounding rhythm in the game that almost condemns the original productions to anonymity. Since this is an IP of the Big N, however, there is no shortage of nostalgic winks capable of overturning what has just been said during the last cups (remix of the themes of Super Mario 3D World and New Super Mario Bros. in primis). It goes without saying that the dubbing (especially the unsurpassed Charles Martinet) reaches new heights precisely for the verve of the development team.
Final considerations
For each review, the moment of the blessed vote always comes: and which one could we give to Mario Strikers Battle League Football? If we were to rely only on the contents of day one (which is the version taken into consideration), we would be on seven point nine: an "eight minus", so to speak. Since the undersigned hates decimals that are not the most decipherable multiples of five, let's talk about a eight as narrow as it is dignified. Of course, with the free DLC content announced now, you can take your liberties with a number that leaves some time it finds.
Instead, let the words do their duty: what does an eight mean? Going down, the ten represents what is unmissable for everyone, while the nine is a must for lovers of a genre. We are at the bottom step, which means that for the writer it is “highly recommended for lovers of the category”. In other words: despite the intent to make the football trend more mainstream, if it is not for you it will not be Mario who will make you change your mind. However, if an investment of money (sixty euros) and time (learning curve, grinding) does not scare you, you have found a stadium from which Electronic Arts and Konami will no longer detach you.
This was what we thought. But what is your opinion? Tell us below, and as always do not forget to stay on {marca_origen} to read other reviews and get all the most important news on the gaming sphere and beyond. For your gamer needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.
8 For fans of IP and the genre, not for everyonePoints in favor
- Outstanding artistic ambition ...
- Huge multiplayer potential ...
- Strategic depth without comparison ...
- Eight players on one console ...
- Virtually lightning-fast matchmaking ...
Points against
- ... but perhaps too much for the hardware
- ... and single player measured with a dropper
- ... as long as you can tolerate the grinding
- ... but it takes time to get used to the chaos
- ... pity only for the Striker Club
