Critical Reception: Nintendo/Square Enix's Mario Sports Mix

This week's edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to the Square Enix-developed multi-sport action game Mario Sports Mix, which reviews describe as "a party game with a sports coat of paint." Mario Sports Mix currently earns a score of 67 out of 100 at Metacritic.com. Chris Slate at Nintendo Power rates Mario Sports Mix at 8 out of 10. "Despite an admirable performance on the soccer pitch, [Mario]'s recent sports history is known for so-so efforts on the baseball field, an uneven performance at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games, and an awful debut on the basketball court," he admits. "The good news is that no one needs to worry -- Mario has returned to form with a strong set of sports that doesn't contain a single stinker." Slate notes that Mario Sports Mix offers a unique spin on each of the included games. "Every sport in the package -- basketball, volleyball, hockey, and dodgeball -- offers a great mix of traditional rules and Mario madness," he explains. "Mario Sports Mix captures the essence of its sports while seamlessly weaving over-the-top arcade thrills with stage-specific gimmicks that put a subtle spin on the standard action. Slate cites a number of examples: "The distance between the basketball hoop and three-point line can change constantly, tall jets of water sometimes block part of the net in volleyball, leaping fireballs can toast players in dodgeball, and traffic cones and rollerblades may replace a goalie and skates in hockey." "Some stage effects are more dramatic than others," Slate warns, "but none of them interfere so much that they become an unwanted distraction." In addition: "Mario Sports Mix is loaded with extras such as bonus party games, an obsessive level of automatic record-keeping, a long list of tournaments to clear, and plenty of goodies to unlock," Slate says. "When all is said and done, it's highly likely that Mario Sports Mix will be the definitive Mario sports experience for Wii. The game is worthy of a spot alongside Mario's best sports titles." IGN's Jack DeVries scores Mario Sports Mix at 6.5 out of 10. "Back in 2006, Mario tried his hand at some 3-on-3 basketball on the DS," he recalls. "Square Enix has taken that game and expanded on it, with a few new sports, for Mario Sports Mix. The problem is, the original game wasn't all that fun to begin with, and someone seems to have forgotten that over the last four years." "I will admit that it has the high polish that one would expect in a Nintendo sports game," DeVries continues. "The character animation is fluid and energetic. Each character animates and controls differently, has unique special moves, and oozes all the charm and whimsy that has made me like these games in the past." However: "Then the game starts, and none of the sports feel like sports at all. Sports Mix comes off as a party game with a sports coat of paint." DeVries feels that Mario Sports Mix's gameplay is too shallow to be entertaining for very long. "The four sports are pretty fun, for a couple minutes, but each one gets too tedious," he claims. "What made games like Super Mario Strikers and other games good was that they felt like full sports games. There were teams, stats, and a sense of progression. Most of that has been stripped away or dumbed down for Sports Mix, leaving a very rudimentary three-round tournament mode and some very basic stats." Challenge also proves to be an issue in the game's single-player mode. "Unfortunately the AI doesn't seem to know how to handle the weird courses where things like fountains block the goal and have to be turned off," he notes. "I watched the opponents shoot at closed off goals and skate into barricades not knowing to wait for these things to change out." "Mario Sports Mix feels like a weird cross between something like Mario Sluggers and Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games," DeVries writes. "It doesn't have the depth and appeal of one of the bigger sports game, but it's too barebones to be a cool mini-game party sports game. It's shiny and humorous, and for little kids or a single evening it could make a fun party game, but this is a pretty weak offering, especially compared to all the fun sports games Mario has starred in." Heidi Kemps at GamePro gives Mario Sports Mix 3 out of 5 stars. "The problem with 'multi-sport' games is that when you cram a bunch of different sports onto a single disc, it's hard to lavish enough attention on the individual games to make them all good, or even passable," she explains. "The end result is a sporting gallery that, while fleeting fun with friends, lacks the sort of polish seen in Mario's other athletic outings." The game's cartoonish theme allows for varied gameplay. "The Mario elements come into play with obstacle-laden playfields, potentially advantageous power-ups, and characters' limited-use special skills to help turn the game in their team's favor," Kemps says. "These factors (the varied arenas in particular) can turn some ho-hum sports into tense, unpredictable affairs." However: "Mario Sports Mix is a title that is far more fun with friends, as you'll discover when you see the anemic single-player game. Rather than the elaborate single-player modes seen in some of the other Mario-themed sports titles, Mario Sports Mix only offers exhibition match-ups and a simple tournament mode where you aim to become the champ of different 'cups' by winning three matches in a row. "Getting through the cups on default difficulty isn't tough -- just boring, since the AI setting hovers around 'braindead' throughout," Kemps recalls. "You'll feel obligated to play through all of the cups multiple times, too -- one of the big draws are the hidden Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy characters, which are mostly unlocked in the tournament modes. However, they have to be unlocked individually in each and every one of the four sports, which adds a layer of tedium to the already dull-as-dirt CPU competition." The online multiplayer modes also prove problematic at times. "Jumping into a match against a randomly selected player is quite easy to do. It wasn't too hard to find online competition (though that may change over time) and the netcode seemed solid -- I only experienced noticeably detrimental lag on a one-star level connection," Kemps writes. "Your save data carries a personal score affected by winning or losing games online, and during my test session there were score-obsessed ragequitters who disconnected when games even started to look close. (Really, how lame do you have to be to pull the cord on a Mario game?)" "Mario Sports Mix is well-made enough that its primary audience -- casual and younger players -- are going to absolutely love it in spite of its flaws," Kemps concludes. "If you're a more advanced player, dedicated single-sport Mario titles like Super Mario Sluggers and Mario Strikers Charged are far more substantial and enjoyable experiences. But if you want a colorful pick-up-and-play game to enjoy with your less gaming-inclined friends and family, Mario Sports Mix ought to work just fine -- just don't expect to dig it out too often otherwise."