Mario Super Sluggers

Whether a diehard fan of the Grand Old Game, or someone who has never even seen a ball, bat or glove in your life, Mario Super Sluggers turns your living room into a rocking, socking baseball extravaganza. Staring the ever-lovable Mario and over 40 of his friends from the Nintendo universe, Mario Super Sluggers builds on the social-gaming fun and movements millions have learned from playing Wii Sports and turns even newcomers to gaming or sports titles into full-fledged baseball fanatics in a matter of minutes.

A whole new ball game

Come to bat as a captain Mario. View larger.

Go ape in the outfield. View larger.

Be ready to bring the heat. View larger.

Prepare for fielding challenges. View larger.

Gameplay
Set in the diverse environments of 'Baseball Kingdom,' this is a game that is easy to learn and compulsively addictive, but that also can be made to be as challenging as you want it to be. When you are a rookie go on the offensive by swinging the Wii Remote to smack singles, doubles, triples or even home runs; while when playing defense simulating a pitching motion to toss the ball over the plate. As you grow more confident in your skills, you can choose to attach a nunchuck controller while playing defense to control outfielders for an extra challenge. And regardless at what level you play at always remember that Mario Super Sluggers' nine mini-games are always an option. So, when you need a break from organized play, just grab a few friends and take the mound in a pitching challenge or swing for the fences in the home run derby.

In addition, since Mario Super Sluggers supports up to four players, with enough controllers, you can go two on two in epic battles. As you traverse the Baseball Kingdom, put together your "all star" team made up of your favorite Nintendo characters including the games five captains. Each of these has different abilities and temperament making them as valuable as they are difficult in the right or wrong situation. The result is a take on the American Pastime that you and your family will have a hard time putting down.

Multiple Game Modes
Baseball should be a social game, so whether you are by yourself or surrounded by friends, there's a Mario Super Sluggers game for every occasion.

• Challenge: Trek across Baseball Kingdom in this singleplayer. mode. Defeat characters in a variety of baseball-related challenges to persuade them to join your team. Once you've assembled an all-star team for the ages, throw down with the baddest baseballer in town: Bowser! The singleplayer. Challenge Mode is a sports fan's dream.
• Explore the rich and varied landscape of Baseball Kingdom as you gather teammates for your fight against Bowser. From lush tropical jungles to modern urban landscapes, each area of the kingdom is a new experience.
• Like high-powered free agents, the characters in Mario Super Sluggers won't join just any old team-they want to play for a winner. When you find a new character, he or she will test your skills on the field. Only by besting them in hitting, pitching and fielding contests can you get them to join your side.
• In Challenge Mode, you can control one of five captains, each with personal special powers. Yoshi can jump through manholes, Wario has the power of magnetism and Donkey Kong can climb vines and shatter barrels.
• Exhibition: Hit the field and try your luck with a team of your choice. You can play against either the computer or up to three other players.
• Mini-game: Challenge yourself or take on up to three other players in nine mini-games. From home run contests to pitching duels, you'll have more fun than a rookie at his first spring training.
• Toy Field: Battle against three other players in a hitting and fielding extravaganza. You can set your turn limit and the skill level of your computer opponents, or just play against friends.
• Training: Learn the ropes in an extensive tutorial mode.

Special Powers, Weapons, Moves & Features
Mario Super Sluggers isn't your typical baseball game. From special moves to obstacle-filled stadiums, there's always something new around the corner for players on the field to deal with. Just a few of the goodies you'll find out on it's fields of play are:

• Special Moves: All of the captains have unique Star Skills that allow them to perform special moves while pitching or batting. Mario can turn his fastball into a fireball, Daisy can create a flower garden in the outfield and Luigi can turn infield hits into a raging tornado. Non-captains can also use Star Skills to put a little extra mustard on hits or pitches.
• Chemistry: Just as in real sports, certain characters in Mario Super Sluggers have a special connection on the field. Known as chemistry, this connection allows players to make spectacular leaping catches, gun down speedy base runners and use items to interfere with fielders.
• Stadiums: There are nine unique stadiums in the game, everything from an ice-filled castle to an urban cityscape. Many stadiums can be accessed at both day and night, allowing you to play a doubleheader under the lights.
• Wii Nunchuk: Experienced gamers can also attach the Nunchuk controller for a more advanced gaming experience.

fun (grandmother, New haven Ct Usa, 2009-01-06)

My grandson truly enjoys playing any mario game they all seem to keep his interest

Grandsons Just Loved it (A. E. Falk, New Jersey, USA, 2008-12-27)

Gave this game to my grandsons ages 8 and 5. First game they played Christmas morning. They just loved it. Became the "cool" Grandma. Would recommend this game.

Fun and intense game (IceOnFire, Los Angeles, CA, 2008-12-09)

I almost always break a sweat playing this game. It gets pretty intense playing against the CPU or against another player. I love the different characters in the game, as they all have their strengths and weaknesses out on the field or batting.

THE BEST BASEBALL GAME FOR YOUNG KIDS (J. Vizcarrondo, Caracas, Venezuela, 2008-11-26)

MY SON LOVE THIS GAME, ITS VERY FUN AND THE GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING, ONCE YOU COMPLETE ALL THE TASKS, YOU CAN UNLOCK LIKE 40+ CHARACTERS, THE KIDS LOVES WHEN HITTING HOMERUNS, WOULD RECOMMEND 500 %, FOR SURE

Potentially fun, but a frustrating disappointment (R. Hessler, Ohio, 2008-11-17)

Short Conclusion First: Rent it first, see how you like.

On to the review, I really liked the Gamecube version. The game had endurance in it, still play it. Super Slugger doesn't. The Wii-ness of the game is simple, but fulfilling enough. Throwing, running, batting are well done. I should say base running takes some time to get used to. Their choice of how to control base runners is logical, however, not necessarily how you will be used to controlling base runners. Also in Toy Field, playing aggressively is a little different as well.. not as logical. You need to press B to hit a person. In other games a simple nunchuck shake would do that. Don't know why they went that route.

The big disappointment from a single player perspective is the Challenge portion of the game. The "Challenge" portion of the game is quite juvenile and lacks any desire to continue on with it, once beaten (and it is real easy to beat). The Challenge seems more interested in training you into how to play the game (they already have well done tutorials) than for you to actually play a game. You only play Bowser's and Bowser Jr's team, instead of a bunch of teams as with the Gamecube game. You run around, do remedial tasks and even a little puzzle solving in order to make your team grow instead of earning players as per the Gamecube version.

The Mini-games play well. Some changes from the old Gamecube version mini-games help make this game familiar, but unique. Toy Field is rebuilt and different (would have been nice to have the classic Toy Field as well), but certainly fun. You can play with teams of 2 if you like. The game play in Toy Field is much more straight forward than in the Baseball game itself.

Sadly, the big trouble with the game is the multi-player and fielding control. The game becomes very frustrating when it comes to controlling your fielders, both in single and especially in multi-player mode. In single-player, sometimes the wrong player is selected to get an in-field hit. For instance take a hit between 1st and 2nd, the game will have you controlling the 1st baseman, making an out much more difficult than quickly running the 2nd baseman to get the ball and throw. Another situation would be a hit that an in-fielder could dive and grab, but the game has given you control of the outfielder! By the time you know who you have control of, it may be too late to get the out.

In multi-player, you can field at the same time, but what team member is being controlled by what player is almost impossible to know from the beginning, making tough fielding plays very difficult.

To conclude, the game could have been much better. The single player draw is very limited. The game will only remain fun as a multi-player game. And playing a game between two people, instead of sharing the same team, can be and is fun. The mini-games are fun, as is Toy Field. Ultimately, you may find the fielding too frustrating. As I said earlier, rent this one first and get a good feel for the game. I feel that the Gamecube version, while less Wii-ish, is much more fun and less frustrating to play over the long-term.