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56-452: Strikers is a sports game incorporating characters and themes from the Mario franchise. The game features the basic aspects and objectives of a football game, although no referees are present and characters can legitimately shove others out of possession of the ball. As in other games such as Mario Power Tennis , the player can use Mario -themed items such as bananas and red shells to hinder

112-532: A cartoon Pele in no time". Similarly, critics welcomed the developers' choice to forgo traditional football rules in the favour of a more arcade-like style of gameplay. Despite this, IGN complained of a "disappointingly slim" variety of modes, as well as the perceived small roster of characters and inflexibility when choosing teams. On a similar note, Eurogamer criticised the vague presentation of characters attributes, making it difficult to determine what their respective strengths and weaknesses are. Despite enjoying

168-409: A low difficulty level at times. GameSpy noted how the number of options and variables enhanced the multiplayer experience, and commented that "The game is very good on its own, but it excels when you bring friends into the mix." The mechanics of the tennis gameplay were also popular, with reviewers lauding the game's accessibility as well as its depth relating to the variety of shots available and how

224-442: A mediocre response, with critics praising the use of character and audience chants while criticising a lack of variety and repetitiveness. GameSpot thought the menu music had "some nice flair to it", despite noting sounds such as Luigi 's goal celebration that, while charming when first heard, became tedious. In Japan, Famitsu gave the game a score of three sevens and one six for a total of 27 out of 40; Famitsu Cube + Advance , on

280-417: A mixed response, with critics reporting occasional problems with Striker ' s framerate. While praising the character models and goal animations, GameSpot bemoaned the absence of a "Mario feel" when appraising the menu and settings. IGN noted "blurry textures, uninspired stadium designs, and almost incomprehensibly a sometimes sluggish framerate", despite enjoying the characters art style. The audio received

336-530: A pair of unique moves known as "Power Shots". Power Tennis was developed simultaneously with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour , and the pair shared similar technology and concepts with each other during production. Such similarities include an emphasis on the Mario theme in characters and settings as well as alternative game modes such as "Ring Shot". The GameCube version was positively received in general, attaining an aggregate score of 81 percent from GameRankings and 80 out of 100 from Metacritic . Critics praised

392-695: A part of their Who Are You? campaign. Nintendo announced in 2008 that they would be re-releasing the title as part of their New Play Control! selection, which feature added Wii controls. The game can be controlled using the Wii Remote and optional Nunchuk attachment, allowing the player to trigger actions such as forehands and backhands by swinging the Remote like a tennis racket. It was released on January 15, 2009, in Japan and in March 2009 in other countries. It

448-494: A penalty or card system, rating the power-up system as compensation for this considering power-ups are awarded to the team of a player that has been pushed or shoved. Super Mario Strikers received generally positive reviews from critics, with reviewers lauding the game's characterisation and visual style, being reminiscent to that of Kazuto Nakazawa . GameSpot 's Brian Ekberg praised the game's accessibility, stating that "Strikers' pick-up-and-play design will have you playing like

504-474: A visible gauge to trigger a successful shot at a goal, resulting in a character-specific animation. As in other Mario sports titles such as Mario Power Tennis , the player can use items—bananas, red shells, etc.—to impede the opponent. Some "power ups" can aid the user by granting temporary invincibility while others immobilize or hinder the opponent. The player can also push opponents into electric barriers, which can electrocute them. The central antagonist of

560-546: Is Nicklas Lidström , and features commentary from Tim Kitzrow and Harry Teinowitz. NHL Hitz Pro had the IIHF license, enabling it to use the jerseys of the Olympic hockey teams. The game also has many game modes, one of the most popular being the "Pick-Up Hockey" game mode, where the game would turn into either a roller, street, or pond hockey match-up between two amateur teams. NHL Hitz Pro features NHL-style gameplay for

616-726: Is a 2004 sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the GameCube . The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis , and is the fourth game in the Mario Tennis series . The game was ported for the Wii in 2009 as part of the New Play Control! series, and was also re-released as a Nintendo Selects title in 2012. A companion handheld game, Mario Tennis: Power Tour ,

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672-456: Is a superior alternative. While GameDaily editor Robert Workman criticized the motion controls, he stated that everything else works. He also describes it as being mildly enjoyable with three other friends. In spite of the negative reception, the Wii version has had some positive reception. While Official Nintendo Magazine UK editor Tom East similarly bemoaned the motion controls, he felt that

728-438: Is classic arcade-style soccer, but the game gets an extra kick from power-ups, random Bowser attacks, and a Telemundo -style announcer." The Sydney Morning Herald gave it a similar score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "immediately likable". In GameSpot's E3 2005 coverage, this game was given the award "Best Sports Game," and was nominated a finalist for "Best Game of Show." It received GameSpy 's "Game of

784-456: Is divided into Gimmick courts and standard courts. An alternative to these are "Special Games", which involve the player trying to meet a tennis-related objective on a Gimmick court. These Special Games come in multiple forms, incorporating themes from past Nintendo games, such as "Tic-Tac-Glow", which requires the player to hit balls of water to liberate Shine Sprites trapped in dirt, a reference to Super Mario Sunshine . Power Tennis supports

840-534: Is made adhering to standard rules; the match is won once the predetermined number of points is equaled or surpassed. A similar mode, "Item Battle", involves the characters using items based on the Mario universe to interfere with each other's game and gain an advantage. The central mode of the game is "Tournament Mode", which comprises a set of events with accumulating difficulty. This set of events must be finished successfully to unlock playable characters. This mode can be completed either in "doubles" or "singles" , and

896-463: Is the goalkeeper for all sides except the "Super Team", which consists of four captain robots and a Robo-Kritter. Both sidekicks and captains have varying gameplay attributes with "balanced" and "defensive" play types available. Strikers follows the basic gameplay featured in most football video games, including the ability to dash, tackle players, and lob the ball. Despite this, characters not in possession can legitimately hit opponents with or without

952-516: The Mario series . The range of courts includes the standard three types of tennis court , but consists predominantly of those themed upon games in the Mario series, known as "Gimmick" courts. As well as adopting the style aesthetically, these feature thematic elements that influence how the match will be played on that surface, such as the ghosts in the Luigi's Mansion court, which hinder movement when

1008-513: The NHL Hitz series. It was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2 , GameCube , and Xbox . Unlike the previous titles in the series, it has 5-on-5 gameplay instead of the usual 3-on-3 gameplay with the earlier titles. The game does not include penalty shots , and it is still an arcade-type hockey game like its predecessors. It also has a lot of hard hitting . The cover athlete of the game

1064-549: The Mario franchise. Many characters, such as Wario , had already appeared in the game's predecessor and several other Mario spin-offs , while this was the first appearance for Wiggler as a playable character. All of the characters are categorised into six groups that reflect their playing style: all-around, technical, power, speed, defensive, and tricky. Inherent in each character is a set of two unique moves known as "Power Shots". These powerful moves, which are accompanied with an animation each time they are triggered, incorporate

1120-404: The Mario universe, Bowser , will also appear occasionally as a non-player character to obstruct the players from each side. Strikers includes six stadia, each having barriers to prevent the ball from going out of play. These stadia only vary aesthetically and do not affect gameplay, featuring different surfaces such as grass and wood. The player can adjust the match settings to limit or expand

1176-456: The review aggregation website Metacritic . GamePro said of the game, "It's a tight three-way race on the hockey front this season, and the only real downside to Hitz is what its fans will actually appreciate: its heavily arcade-style approach. If you like your hockey more serious, EA's game falls halfway between Hitz and the technical, highly realistic ESPN game. If 'serious' is the last thing you associate with hockey games, you'll have

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1232-538: The role-playing game elements that were present in Mario Tennis were excluded from Power Tennis , stating that he felt they were more suitable for the "deep single-player experience" present in portable consoles. Regarding the themed courts in the game, he explained that the concepts were conceived during long brainstorming sessions, with courts selected that would both remind gamers of older Mario games and introduce new gamers to Mario games they may not have played. When questioned regarding difficulties in developing

1288-696: The Year 2005" awards for "Best GameCube Sports", "Best GameCube Multiplayer", and was ranked second for all the GameCube games in 2005. It was a finalist for " Sports Game of the Year " by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences during the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards . Super Mario Strikers sold 950,000 copies in North America as of December 27, 2007. It sold 1.20 million copies overall. Mario Power Tennis Mario Power Tennis

1344-473: The background animations, commenting that "The crowds in particular are a repeating blob of the same sprites over and over". On the other hand, the audio received a mediocre response, despite the comical voice acting. Power Tennis sold 139,000 copies during its first week of release in Japan, and sold 377,000 copies altogether in the country from release to December 31, 2006. Power Tennis had sold 296,893 units in North America by January 31, 2005. The game

1400-415: The ball ("Big Hit"), resulting in a more arcade -like style of gameplay. The game also features "Perfect" passes and shots, which trigger in sequence if both a pass and shot are applied close to the opponent's goal. The most powerful shot possible is the "Super Strike", which only the captain can make and will account for two points if successful. Once charged, the player must time button presses accurately on

1456-430: The big-hit tackles and the ability to dash constantly given the absence of a stamina meter. Despite this, Eurogamer remarked that it was deeper than first anticipated, while IGN lauded the game's "tight controls" and use of Super Strikes. The ability to push enemies into the electric barrier and the use of items was also welcomed as a means to make the game entertaining while playing defensively. The game's visuals received

1512-454: The brothers felt pressure to make a game that was original and would not appear too similar to its predecessor on first sight. Following release, IGN interviewed Hiroyuki regarding the development of the game. He revealed that Camelot had received co-operation from Nintendo in relation to voice acting and animation, which Takahashi stated as "contributing quite a bit to the improvement of the game's graphics". Takahashi proceeded to explain why

1568-402: The character comes into physical contact with them. Although standard tennis is available, variants of the sport can be played which adopt different rules and methods of victory. "Ring Shot" involves the player earning points by hitting the ball through rings of varying sizes, with the number of points dependent on the difficulty of the shot. The player acquires the points whenever a winning shot

1624-450: The character's specific qualities. They can only be triggered occasionally in the match, but will usually result in defending or scoring a point, depending on the type of shot chosen. Generic tennis moves, such as slices, dropshots, and lobs, can be applied at any time in the match. Power Tennis was developed by Camelot Software Planning , with a team of approximately 30 people, headed by brothers Hiroyuki and Shugo Takahashi. The game

1680-476: The controls as being only so-so. GameShark editor Danielle Riendeau, however, described the controls as excellent, though adding that it occasionally misreads her shots. In the first four days of the Wii version's release in Japan, Mario Power Tennis sold 56,000 copies. By January 3, 2010, it had sold 205,070 copies in Japan. NHL Hitz Pro NHL Hitz Pro is an ice hockey video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Midway Sports , in

1736-413: The controls, also describing the act of releasing GameCube titles for the Wii with motion controls as being lazy. GamePro editor Dave Rudden criticized the game for adding multiple moves into Wii Remote motions, commenting that it would have to be "twice as responsive" for it to work. Eurogamer editor Oli Welsh criticized both the inaccurate controls and limited improvements, stating that Wii Sports

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1792-648: The current Internet environment and feel satisfied". Nintendo collaborated with the Lawn Tennis Association in 2005 to promote Power Tennis in the United Kingdom. The promotion featured on-site sampling and official Nintendo branding at various tennis events such as Wimbledon . The LTA's ACE Magazine advertised Power Tennis and featured competitions offering the game as a prize. Nintendo also released an online questionnaire regarding players' habits and preferences in relation to tennis as

1848-401: The first time, and although arcade-like features pop up from time to time, the game is far more realistic than the previous titles in the series. Among the changes to Hitz Pro are 5-on-5 gameplay, as opposed to the 3-on-3 action seen in NHL Hitz 2002 and 2003 , less exaggerated player appearances and wrap arounds . NHL Hitz Pro received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to

1904-474: The form of "Strikers 101", where the player can practice individual aspects such as shooting and dashing. "Cup Battles" allows up to four players to compete in tournaments against artificial intelligence opponents to advance through more difficult cups for rewards, with "Super" denoting the higher-ranked tournaments. Strikers was developed by Next Level Games , who revealed the game at the E3 conference of 2005 in

1960-434: The form of a playable demonstration. In an interview, game director Mike Inglehart and marketing director Grace Kim revealed that Strikers was originally intended to be a more realistic Mario sports game, but the development team opted for an "over-the-top" style after numerous consultations with Nintendo. Next Level Games cited a connection between Strikers and NHL Hitz Pro in terms of gameplay mechanics, claiming that

2016-476: The game to its predecessor, reviewers praised Power Tennis for its incorporation of the Mario franchise in the different scenarios and courts. The gameplay features introduced to the game received a mixed response. IGN noted that the Special Games varied in quality between different games, with Casamassina commenting that "they certainly don't make or break the experience." The game's "Power Shots"

2072-529: The game's depth and variety, but criticised the Power Shot animations, which could not be skipped. The Wii version in contrast received a more mixed reaction, with praise for the graphics and multiplayer but criticism for its motion controls. In 2010, it was included as one of the games in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die . Mario Power Tennis includes variations of tennis matches consisting of characters, courts, and scenarios based on

2128-727: The game's use of characters and the player categories, stating "When you put it all together, you have a broad cast of characters, each of whom offers a different feel." Despite this, the Gimmick courts were labeled by Matt Casamassina as a "distraction" and "annoyance", although he acknowledged that some courts were better than others. Additionally, Nintendo World Report' s Michael Cole thought that most players would revert to standard courts "after being 'unfairly defeated' by ghosts, paint, or some other trap." Eurogamer 's Tom Bramwell welcomed Power Tennis ' s style, which he said emphasized gameplay over simulation and realism. When comparing

2184-400: The game, Takahashi noted the effort used in making the opening sequences, developing the Special Games, and animations, which caused problems with meeting the schedule. Although there was speculation about online capabilities before release, Takahashi refrained from making the game online-compatible due to fear of lagging problems, stating "I don't think you can play a tennis game online under

2240-399: The lack of gameplay modes and single-player offerings. A sequel, Mario Strikers Charged , was released for the Wii in 2007. Super Mario Strikers is a five-a-side football console video game comprising characters and themes from the Mario series . Each team consists of a captain character from the Mario series and three secondary Mario characters known as "sidekicks". Kritter

2296-549: The latter influenced the "responsive gameplay" in Strikers , as well as the use of goalkeepers and on-field collisions. The developers revealed that the character system would be "balanced and fun", although Nintendo had "the ultimate say" in regards to character design, wanting strong and aggressive styles that did not deviate from past characterisations too much. For this reason, voice recording for Strikers required more lines and sounds than in other Mario sports titles. The game

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2352-481: The match time and select whether features such as the Super Strike will be included. As the player advances through the game, further adjustments can be made called "cheats", that can render goalkeepers weaker and grant an infinite number of items. Strikers includes multiple gameplay modes such as the "Grudge Match", which is the standard single and multiplayer match mode of the game. Training sessions come in

2408-545: The multiplayer still held up, as it becomes balanced since the other players would have the same problems with the controls. 1UP.com editor Justin Haywald agreed, stating that while it made single player modes difficult, the game was meant to be played with friends. Game Informer editor Matt Helgeson, however, found the motion controls to be good, commenting that other developers should learn from Nintendo. In spite of this, fellow Game Informer editor Matthew Kato described

2464-516: The opposition and gain the advantage. Each team's captain can use "Super Strikes" that, if timed accurately, will result in two points scored for the striker's team. Each team comprises a goal keeper, a main Mario character (captain), and three of the same secondary Mario characters known as "sidekicks". The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to video game review aggregator Metacritic . In general, reviewers lauded Strikers' accessibility and multiplayer gameplay, but criticised

2520-401: The option for four-player multiplayer , which can be accessed during "Exhibition Mode", the standard mode of play where the player can choose his or her opponents and the conditions of the match. Such options include the difficulty of the opponent, the court used, and the number of games and sets required to win the match. Power Tennis features 18 playable characters, all of whom derive from

2576-500: The other hand, gave it a score of one nine, two eights, and one seven, for a total of 32 out of 40. Not all non-video game publications gave the same praise for the game. Common Sense Media gave it all five stars and called it "a perfect game for a bunch of teenagers to play because it's wacky, fast-paced, and just plain fun." However, Maxim gave it a score of seven out of ten and stated that "With matches of five-on-five taking place on small fields with really basic controls, Strikers

2632-487: The position of the character affects the contact with the ball. Most critics praised Power Tennis ' s presentation, with reviewers noting the game's opening sequence especially. Nintendo World Report complimented the level of detail given to the themed locations and character animations, stating that it "[puts] even the Mario Kart series to shame." IGN generally shared this view, although they criticised

2688-547: The variety and appearance of Strikers ' stadia, GameSpot noted only cosmetic differences among them, and criticised a lack of physical features to make them more interesting. Strikers ' multiplayer gameplay in particular was welcomed by reviewers, who praised the developers for providing aggressive and fast-paced action. Conversely, the game's single player offerings gained a less enthusiastic response, with critics noting "boring" and repetitive gameplay. GameSpot thought some features were "overpowered" in parts, including

2744-405: Was also met with an ambivalent reaction—the shot themselves were praised for adding strategy and character, although GameSpot 's Ryan Davis commented that "it would have been nice if you could just skip past the animations and keep the wild moves." In general, the game's multiplayer modes were more popular than single-player, with the "predictable and basic" artificial intelligence contributing to

2800-630: Was also released on Game Boy Advance around the same time as the original GameCube release, bearing the same title as Power Tennis in Europe. Power Tennis incorporates multiple characters, themes, and locations from the Mario series . The game includes standard tennis matches, but contains variants that feature different scoring formats and objectives. Other variants include "Gimmick" courts, thematic areas with components and properties that directly affect gameplay. The game has 18 playable characters, each categorised by their style of play and each with

2856-480: Was at fifth position in the Australian GameCube sales charts from October 16 to October 29, 2005. During the 8th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards , Mario Power Tennis received a nomination for " Console Action Sports Game of the Year " by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . In spite of the mostly positive reception the GameCube version held, the reception for the Wii remake

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2912-404: Was being developed simultaneously with the game. Shugo noted that the original would have been more serious and contained deeper gameplay, but with fewer " Mario -esque" gimmicks. There was also a willingness not to update the graphics only without exploring advancements to concepts and gameplay, which Hiroyuki stated would be "unacceptable for a Mario game". Due to the success of its predecessor,

2968-404: Was developed in 13 months. Assisted by producer Ken Yeeloy, Inglehart stated in an interview a willingness to link any new feature of Strikers with the sport of football. With this, they decided to accentuate "the exciting parts" of the game, with Inglehart using the electric fences in the stadia as an example in reference to the physicality of the sport. They also explained reasons for not using

3024-479: Was first unveiled in a 2002 issue of the Japanese magazine Famitsu , and was later presented at the E3 conference of 2004. Before release, the brothers discussed multiple developmental processes in an interview with Famitsu . Camelot had been working on a previous GameCube version of Mario Tennis , but discontinued the project and began again using ideas and technology from Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour , which

3080-399: Was later re-released in North America on June 10, 2012, along with Pikmin 2 as Nintendo Selects titles. The GameCube version of Mario Power Tennis enjoyed a generally positive reception, with reviewers complimenting the variety of play and multiple minigames available. GameSpot named it 2004's "Best Alternative Sports Game" across all platforms. GameSpy 's Raymond Padilla lauded

3136-407: Was mixed. It holds an average score of 65/100 and 68.19% at Metacritic and GameRankings respectively. While it has been praised for the original game's graphics holding up to current Wii games, many editors have found fault in the controls. IGN editor Mark Bozon criticized its motion controls, describing them as imprecise, for ruining a "great game". X-Play editor Dana Vinson similarly disliked

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