Mario Sports Mix Review
Mario Sports Mix takes the Mario sport game formula and kicks it into overdrive to include four different sports in one package. Though the gameplay style isn’t particularly unique and each game has it’s own strengths and weaknesses, online games or local multiplayer give Sports Mix decent replay value for brief, infrequent game sessions.
Sports Mix comes across as an odd mid-point between previous Mario sports games such as Mario Power Tennis and recent casual sports games such as Wii Sports Resort. Sports Mix lacks the charm and nuance of the former yet doesn’t have the elegant simplicity of the latter. Instead the game tries to be a bit of both but ends up being simultaneously a little dull for experienced players and a little too complicated for new players.
Taken individually, each sport has its own merits and faults. Dodgeball is great for fast gameplay, but it suffers in the strategy department–there aren’t too many tricks at your disposal here, and those that you do have quickly grow stale. The game length in basketball is both its blessing and its curse; it allows for more involving gameplay, but it also drags on as you’re beholden to the game clock. Hockey has the same problem, though it is also open to more variety and planning thanks to the longer match time. Volleyball is a little trickier than the others which makes it more engaging and satisfying; it has the best balance of gameplay strategy and variability from outside hazards such as items or stage effects. All of the sports are noticeably repetitive though, and while that’s to be expected in this type of game, Sports Mix fails in keeping each match lively; instead they grow monotonous. The one saving grace is in the stage design.
Special attacks are incredibly difficult to block; unleash one to turn the tide of a match.
No matter what sport your playing, the best feature of the game is the stage itself. As you might expect from a Mario sports game, each playing field is full of wacky hazards and challenges to work around. Some are simple enough–for example, traffic cones that provide cover when a dodgeball is flying your way–but others reshape the match completely such as in in Peach’s Castle where jets of water can literally change the playing field. These imaginative aspects of each area liven up the gameplay considerably and challenge you to rethink your whole strategy. In addition, coins can tip the balance of a match by giving you extra points–or strength, in dodgeball’s case–while items provide even more hazards to work around, though the items don’t add as much to the game as the stages.
There are several characters and stages to unlock in each game–unfortunately, you have to unlock each character for each sport, so if you unlock someone for Volleyball, that doesn’t mean they will be available in Dodgeball. It becomes needlessly tedious to unlock every character, especially the more difficult ones. Furthermore, tournament mode–where you unlock several characters–can be annoyingly slow. Even when the matches are involving and difficult–which isn’t often–each match can drag on so that you’re just waiting for the timer to buzz. When the sports are already noticeably repetitive, it can make tournaments a little dull. Thankfully, you can quit and save mid-tournament, but even so it only solidifies the fact that multiplayer exhibition mode is the best way to play.
Use items either defensively or offensively to trip up your opponent.
Sports Mix is meant to be enjoyed with friends, so it’s not surprising that gathering a few people to play together is a much more satisfying way to play than battling computer players solo. If you don’t have anyone nearby to play with, the game features an online mode that supports all four sports. The gameplay gets much more interesting against another human opponent, and best of all two local players can play together online as a team so more people can get in on the action. While the connection itself isn’t bad, it can be a little difficult to find another player online; the community isn’t exactly robust at the moment, so you may be left with some down time as the game searches for another player.
Obviously, this type of game is going to be motion heavy, and though you are constantly shaking the remote to shoot, throw, or set a ball, the motion controls don’t overstay their welcome. They’re well incorporated to make the action feel natural, and aren’t as excessive as other games such as some of the sports in Wii Sports Resort. The Wii remote and nunchuk provides a great motion-centric control scheme, while the Wii remote alone focuses more on just the buttons. The latter scheme doesn’t lend itself to the gameplay as well as the former, nor is it as satisfying to play with.
Luigi's Mansion has a few surprises in store--watch out for interfering ghosts!
The game’s visuals are colorful and sharp, but they’re also rather uninspired. It’s the same art style we’ve seen in any other Mario spin-off with very little new or unique ideas. While the game looks good, it would have been nice to see something fresh. The music falls into the same rut: the tunes are good but they don’t stand out as anything special.
Mario Sports Mix may not fully appeal to either extreme type of player, but it’s a decent game in its own right. Plus, if one sport doesn’t appeal to you, there are three others to occupy your time with. While not an incredibly addictive game, it can be fun with friends or the occasional online opponent.
Rating: 
