Wednesday 23 August 2006
Mario Strikers Charged has been announced for Wii, as a Wii-mote enabled follow up to GameCube footie mash-up Mario Smash Football. With Nunchuk and Wii remote in hand, you'll be controlling Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and a host of other laced-up characters to fill your opponent's goal mouth with iron balls.
We've seen the game in full flow, and special skills like Mega Strikes - near-unstoppable multi-ball assaults on goal - use the Wii-mote's pointer for defending. If your goal is under attack, you must shoot each accelerating strike out of the air with the Wii-mote before it flattens your keeper. Strikers can also charge up the metal football, making it more likely to find the back of the net.
Above: Mario Strikers Charged looks almost identical to GameCube's Mario Smash Football
It's hardly the purist's choice of footballing fix, but Mario Strikers Charged looks to be a worthwhile addition to the pantheon of Mario sports games. It would be nice to see some more Wii functionality, though - perhaps strikers could use the pointer to direct their shot, while the defender tries to keep his goalie in the right position to make the save? Expect more Nintendo news almost immediately.
