December 2, 2005 - There's a simple truth: sports games don't sell as well on GameCube as they do on PlayStation 2 or Xbox. Take, for example, the relative performance of EA's Madden NFL franchise across the three platforms. The title sells best on PlayStation 2, which has the biggest installed base so it makes sense. But surprisingly, Xbox figures aren't too far off. Easily and without question the biggest gap lies with GameCube numbers, which are always disappointing by comparison. So really, what is Nintendo to do? The answer, it seems, is to slap Mario and friends on the covers of these sports games. Big N fans may not line up to play a GameCube baseball title, but they might spend their money on a baseball effort with characters from the Mushroom Kingdom. Hence, we've seen Mario, Luigi and Peach cameo in everything from the SSX to NBA Street franchises. It's a dirty strategy, but it's also one that works. As much as we're loath to admit it, we oftentimes find ourselves increasingly drawn to these sports entries after we learn that Nintendo's trademark characters will star in them.

The latest game to take advantage of this formula is Super Mario Strikers from Next Level Games. Diehard GameCube owners might recognize the developer as the same studio that brought us Soccer Slam a few years ago. That was a solid effort with a lot of good ideas, but it was also an incredible bomb -- according to data, approximately three people bought it. Strikers in many ways feels like Soccer Slam. It's designed so that it's immediately accessible. It's what we like to call "arcadey," which means that it plays fast and friendly, but lacks on options and depth. And the two games even share a similar visual presentation. They unfortunately also share most of the same technical shortcomings. As a result, Strikers -- like Soccer Slam before it -- proves to be a fun and enjoyable multiplayer title, but kicks a little short of the goal where the single-player mode is concerned.

It's Go Time
We like Next Level Games' style. The studio has avoided the Nintendo template where Super Mario Strikers' presentation is concerned. There's no filler storyline to set up the action that follows. You in contrast simply choose the mode you want to play, define a couple of match options and you're off. However, this is not to suggest that the game is also void of personality. Actually, the software house deserves a pat on the back for aspiring to give Nintendo's trademark characters a visual edge that appropriately gels with the sometimes brutal sport of soccer. Classic mascots such as Mario, Luigi and even Yoshi look just a little bit meaner. Meanwhile, Nintendo prudes will probably find themselves taken aback with Peach's outfit, which shows more of the character than we've ever seen before. In another game, especially were guns involved, we might find these makeovers to be forced, but they fit in the Strikers universe, particularly when you find yourself slamming an opponent into a wall.

The gameplay modes in Strikes are self explanatory and disappointingly slim. The meat and potatoes of the game are its Cup and (later unlocked) Super Cup Battles -- the equivalent of tournaments in other sports titles. You can also set up a quick Grudge Match against a friend or an AI-controlled opponent. There's a Custom Battles option, which more or less enables you the freedom to design a no-frills Cup Battle. There's a tutorial mode and there's a trophy section. That's it. You can to the game's credit define skill levels, match times, and whether various power ups can be used in matches, but even so, none of the aforementioned modes comes anywhere close to a franchise offering in other titles.

Worse is the underwhelming selection of characters and the manner in which teams must be designed. When creating a team, you must first pick a captain, which is always a major mascot -- and there are only nine featured in the game. The big ones are covered, at least. You get everybody from Mario, Peach and Daisy to Kong, Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi. The problem is that you can't choose multiple captains per team. Instead, you're forced to populate the rest of your group with one sidekick character, and there are only a paltry four to choose from. So, for example, if you choose Waluigi as your team captain and Birdo as your sidekick, your four-character team will be Waluigi plus three Birdos. Given that Strikers is a Mario sports title, we expected both more Mushroom Kingdom characters to choose from and more flexibility in the manner in which we assign said mascots.

Finally, the game's selection of stadiums is equally lackluster. There are only seven and many of them look very similar. The differences between the stadiums in Strikers are purely aesthetic, which is in direct contrast to Mario Superstar Baseball, whose various venues presented unique challenges and obstacles. As a result, you might find yourself growing tired of the backgrounds before too long.

Of course, if you're looking at Strikers solely for the core game experience, then you can disregard the last three paragraphs and keep reading. You'll be pleased to know that, although not without flaws, this is one of the most addictive multiplayer titles to hit GameCube in quite some time. With two or more people, it is transformed into one of those games that you just can't stop playing. We're unable to count how many times we said, "All right, just one more match," as we tested the title with co-workers. And, you know, the single-player mode is fun, too, but to a lesser extent.