In a period where the media attention is all directed towards Nintendo Switch, many believed that Mario Sports Superstars was a simple filler for 3DS. Often companies release games that serve to cover slightly empty moments and for the dual-screen laptop it is certainly not a great period, the malice in thinking that the big N has done a bit of collage with classic sports titles with Mario and the his friends was lawful. On the other hand, we have been able to see how many were wrong, although it is not one of those unforgettable products, the basic idea and the structure of the games included in this collection works very well, with amiibo cards that could turn out to be a ' interesting addition not only for collectors.
Is five really the perfect number?
The five disciplines selected by Nintendo programmers are all varied and embrace a large slice of the public, since for better or worse a couple will be appreciated by everyone while those who don't like them can be avoided. One of the most striking features of Mario Sports Superstars is in fact the depth that each competition has in the single player, which if in the structure they show themselves equally well, they manage in their uniqueness to give their best to propose a fun and captivating arcade title. Whatever choice we will initially carry out a well-structured and precise tutorial will give us the basic information on how to play, and since it is impossible to avoid it, you will immediately notice how the usual style of the Kyoto house with a user friendly approach reigns supreme everywhere. Playing alone we will be able to opt for the championship, with three of different difficulty levels or for free competitions in which to set the options for each game and the basic rules. Depending on the sport, however, we will have a third mode, which almost always is aimed at improving the basic techniques of the player who will thus be able to dig deeper into the control system. If on the one hand we find titles such as golf and baseball very similar to the originals from which they take their cue, things change for the other games chosen, showing themselves as real evolutions of those products with the addition of horse riding which, at the expense of some initial perplexities, it proves to be a respectable product. Unlike Mario Strikers for Gamecube, the football version present in this collection will lead us to a more technical and dynamic title, which will allow us to select two main characters, a goalkeeper and the rest of the team to form a competitive team. We will also have the possibility to change the game layout, formation and even the position of the players to make better use of their basic skills. The fun is guaranteed, with the special shots that only increase the frenzy of the various matches and give that touch of special effects that do not hurt. The real flaws are attributable to the lack of cards, which will ensure that the slips are the order of the day, and the activation of the super shots a bit random and which fails to give a great strategy to the games. In training mode we will be able to practice with set kicks and make our interventions from outside the area more dangerous, managing to better understand shooting techniques while avoiding the shutter goalkeepers who seem unbeatable at the highest level of difficulty. Golf is identical to what we have seen as a single title, leaving aside the lack of some game options we are faced with the same title with the addition of new characters and training modes where you can practice manual shots. It must be emphasized that we are really faced with a complete version of that title and not a sort of demo or resizing, precisely because among the more than nine holes available and all types of shots and clubs available, the games will never be of a duration. very short. Unfortunately, among all the positive notes, baseball has given us some perplexity, a title that at first glance seems very technical given the possibility of selecting a team with different skills, with a roster of types of shooting with various effects beyond the classic balls. slow or fast but that did not convince us in the joke. In the meantime, we cannot move the batting player but only the area where we foresee the ball will arrive, after having guessed the trajectory then we can hit either with force, or with precision or simply dampen the ball. Here, in the last case, even at an easy level, the hitter will be almost 99% out, while too often the CPU will be able to catch our retorts on the fly.
The top of the fun is here
We could only mention the two sports that we enjoyed the most and on which we spent many hours, tennis and horse riding. The classic discipline where the old Sampras made us dream, we are too old to cheer Federer, is the most successful in our opinion for immediacy and fun. play a first-class arcade, which will allow us to choose whether to play with the classic semi-realistic style or with that of Nintendo with the presence of special shots and with very particular effects. In this title we also appreciated the presence of the possibility of using the lower touch screen to make some shortcuts for the most spectacular repeats. Also excellent is the way in which to try to hiscore by crossing the ball in gold rings, in this way you can improve accuracy and understand how to hit to send the small yellow sphere where we want. Moving on to horse riding, we cannot say that he left us some doubts initially, but in the end it is a very successful hybrid and to be explored in our opinion, since it wisely mixes elements from Tamagochi to horse racing. We will be able to start directly with various tournaments, choosing both the rider and the horse to use, divided by category and sex. However, two not indifferent aspects must be taken into consideration in our choice, namely the animal's mood and the harmony it has with us, two characteristics that will affect its standard abilities by improving or worsening them. In order to have any chance of winning on a higher difficulty level, it will be almost essential to spend many hours in the stable section of the title. In this game mode we will have to take care of our friend, pampering him, cleaning him properly and even taking some walks in the enclosure to increase the confidence and harmony between us. In all titles it is also possible to play multiplayer, both locally if everyone has their own cartridge, and online in competitions that can range from two players for baseball to a maximum of six for horse riding, increasing the fun in any case. and always being able to choose various options for the matches. The only problem we noticed in the local mode is that if the host does not "drop" us from his game we will not be able to choose to exit except by closing the console, while a simple option in the menu would have been more convenient.
The pay to win card
One of the introductions that seemed most interesting in Mario Sports Superstars are the game's amiibo cards and collectible cards, which are used to unlock various bonuses for each type of mini game present. Playing in each discipline we will accumulate game coins, these will be usable both to customize the characters or our foal, and to buy stickers to collect that will unlock new skills for each character, colors or rackets. Undoubtedly a feature that allows you to have certain bonuses more than normal and that increase the chances of winning, which is very welcome against the CPU but that perhaps our friends will like much less in the clashes with them. If thanks to these cards it is still possible to enhance each character, it is the amiibo cards that are sold separately from the game that will give us absolute perfection in every sport. In other words, only the Mario footballer amiibo card, to give an example, will allow us to use the mustachioed plumber in his best guise of the future Maradona, focusing on the one hand on the collection and uniqueness of these cards a bit like it used to happen. in Animal Crossing, but on the other hand a huge advantage for those who have them compared to those who instead have to use the standard characters that the game will give us, or even the enhanced ones. This choice by Nintendo to give a great advantage to amiibo card buyers is not exactly the best in our opinion, because it is in all respects a way of having significant advantages in the game, which you would not have without. We conclude by hinting at a more than good technical realization, with the usual very high level of style of first party productions accompanied by audio and music perfect for the type of game, with the Spanish spoken that despite everything is always very welcome.
An unexpected surprise this five
It is certainly not the best time to come out with a title for 3DS or even with an unreleased collection, but Nintendo despite expectations has put a lot of quality into this Mario Sports Superstars. A title that places us in front of five complete disciplines, well studied and that guarantee hours of fun both alone and online, with a great attention to the general quality and a gameplay so deep that it can split the five games into individual experiences. There remains some doubt about the use of amiibo cards which in some cases make the competition between players less balanced, but otherwise they are a welcome addition that at higher difficulty levels will be able to give a lot of satisfaction. A title that manages to do its duty and that should not be missing in the collection of every lover of arcade sports games, which with the touch of Nintendo always have an extra magic.
