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Mario Slam Basketball (Nintendo DS)
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| Description:
Before the advent of the PlayStation, Japanese publishers Square Enix and Nintendo used to be the best of friends. But when Square Enix tried to split their games between the PS one and N64, Nintendo was too jealous to share and they ended up falling out - a friendship only renewed in the last few years. There can be few that imagined that one of the first new games to evolve out of the partnership would be a basketball sim featuring both the usual Mushroom Kingdom suspects and Final Fantasy characters (White Mage, Black Mage, Ninja, Cactuar and Moogle). The result is even more bizarre than most Mario sports games, but only slightly less entertaining. To its credit, the game makes more use of the touch screen than most on the DS, with all the actions bar movement achieved using the stylus (although the basics can be replicated using the face buttons if you want to be boring). Your character dribbles the ball automatically but you can speed them up by tapping the screen and throws are managed simply by drawing the stylus in a straight line. A surprisingly subtle amount of control can be achieved, including several kinds of trick shots and even swapping hands when playing defense. A variety of special courts also complicate things with coins collected along the way adding to your score when shooting. Indeed the whole game works so well that the only real problem is the mechanical enemy artificial intelligence. It's therefore a real shame that playing multiplayer requires both people to own a cartridge each, although that's undoubtedly a result of the game's superb graphics which go well above the call of duty for a simple sports game.
HARRISON DENT
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4/5 |
Good effort...
(October 11, 2007) |
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This is a good basketball game, fun to play and very easy to get to grips with. The basic basketball skills can be mastered very quickly however the more complex moves take a little more practice but are satisfying when you get them right.
There are lots of differnt 'courts' available to play on, each with their own little characteristics and of course all the famous Mario characters are availble to play with (Such as Mario, Bowser, Luigi etc) as well as a few from the Final Fantasy universe.
My only critisim of the game is that it is very very easy to learn, i've only had the game a few hours and already I can beat the more advanced teams so it has the potential to get boring a little quickly. Also you can't actually play basketball games with other DS owners unless they themselves own a disk which I think is a bit cheeky.
Overall its a good game that could have been a brilliant one but definately worth getting if you enjoy basketball games
My only |
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5/5 |
Brilliant Nintendo Quality
(February 14, 2007) |
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If you have ever played a Mario sports title, you will know to expect power-ups and frantic action coupled with a great control system and a perfectly judged learning curve. Mario Slam Basketball, or "Mario Hoops 3 on 3" as per the US version that I bought, has all of the above. The use of the stylus is a little odd at first, but after a couple of games, it makes a lot of sense and is very intuitive. The game itself is excellent quality for a handheld, and is certainly in my top 3 titles for the DS.
This is a really great title and I hope it receives the recognition it deserves. |
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4/5 |
Slam Dunk From SquareEnix
(February 13, 2007) |
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Since Nintendo created their Nintendo DS system, they've absolutely maintained and and defined a whole new way of playing video games to the next degree. Not only that, they've also shown that in the element of their games with Mario. Since Super Mario 64 DS was developed, they've maintained so many DS titles with the Mario name that've delivered from Mario Kart DS, to the return of the classic 2-D days with New Super Mario Brothers. Now, with the success of their sports titles from other systems such as Super Mario Strikers from their Gamecube system, many skeptics are wondering if that kind of a Mario sports title can deliver on the DS. Here is the result.
Mario Hoops 3 On 3 for the Nintendo DS, brings the element of basketball, through Mario and company as if they've made the slam dunk. The object of the game is like most other basketball games, score the highest. You have so many differnt characters to choose from such as Mario and Yoshi, as well as clever unlockables Moogle and company from the Final Fantasy franchise. The courts all have unique Mario details that gave a whole unique way of playing basketball, from slam dunking on a airship, to the depths of the Blooper Sea. The graphics in the game are amazing, and absolutely deliver in detail from each character and move to score. The control, sadly misses a bit of the beat. Although you can control each of the characters well through the regular controls, but with the stylus, that is another story. The stylus controls miss out a little, and take a bit to get used to. Not only that, but it is the only way your character can actually execute their specialty shot from a Mario fireball, to a rainbow swoosh from Yoshi.
Despite a few flaws, Mario Slam Basketball is a solid sports title for the Nintendo DS. Although there may be other basketball titles down the road for the system, this is a really fun game to play for solo players, as well as muliplayer slam dunk action. I absolutely recommend this as addition to your DS library, and that is worth the slam dunk. |
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4/5 |
Another great Mario hit
(January 14, 2007) |
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A fantastic game using the usual Mario twist on sporting titles to good effect. Found an english version of this whilst on business in Hong Kong and although its been great fun playing in single player mode, there is no doubt the multi-player mode will be superb. Stylus controls take a bit of getting used to but easy enough to get the basics right and start winning some tournaments - no doubt the advance controls will need to be mastered to win the top ranking tournaments though |
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