Mario Strikers Battle League First Impressions

Mario Strikers Battle League released yesterday and Nintendo Canada provided us with a digital code to review the game on the same day. We haven’t had the game long but wanted to provide our readers with first impressions of it. How is Mario Strikers Battle League so far?

I wrote about the online mode of Mario Strikers Battle League during the online test and so I wanted to try out the single player initially. I haven’t played any online yet but will do so today. For this preview, I want to focus on what the game provides for those who want to play soccer by themselves.

Mario Strikers does not have a Story Mode, though that’s unsurprising since it’s a sports game. Instead single players have two real options: Quick Battle and Cup Battles.

In Quick Battle, you choose your team and then the computer’s team and then off you go to play a soccer match. Quick Battle lives up to its name: a quick match and then done. You can adjust the rules, like how long you play and such.

As for Cup Battles, it’s a bit more intense. In this mode, you’ll play soccer against multiple opponents in order to come out as the top team. Lose one match and your still in it for the Cup, lose two matches and you are out. There are several cups to take part in and each one focuses in one a different aspect of soccer such as passing, speed, strength, etc.

Mario Strikers computer A.I. opponents are pretty hard so far. Either that or I’m just really bad at this game. I’ve only won one match. The game is fun though. The optional items add a bit more of a Mario spin to the soccer. And putting gear on your teammates will level their stats up and make them better players. Both modes have the same type of gameplay, its just that the Cup Battles last a lot longer than the quick battles.

Mario Strikers seems like a good game but I can’t help wishing there were more off-line modes to take part in. Time will tell if Mario Strikers gameplay continues to be interesting or if taking part in the same type of matches over and over will get old. And I will have to try the online mode soon!

Stay tuned for our full review of Mario Strikers Battle League next week!