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Mario Slam Basketball Mini Review
Chris Leyton
19/02/2007
Mario teams up with the creators of Final Fantasy to shoot some hoops...
Teaming up with Square-Enix, Mario Slam Basketball is the latest offshoot Nintendo themed sports title to feature the moustachioed plumber and the gang. The first Square-Enix developed title based upon a Nintendo brand since the exceptional Super Mario RPG on the SNES, the combination of excessively arcade gameplay and complete disregard of official rules, provides appeal beyond the slightly more serious b-ball titles around, though concerns over long-term depth and the inexcusable lack of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support raises some issues.
Throwing NBA rules out of the window, Mario Slam Basketball is for anybody who considers mushrooms and koopa shells more interesting then shooting some hoops and slamming some dunks! Knowing the difference between the Shells, Lightening Bolts and Mushrooms that litter the court, is more important then understanding the finer details of the travelling rule or the double dribbling violation. Central to the game is a control system that takes full advantage of the DS touchscreen. Using the d-pad to move, the touch screen covers a wide variety of techniques and governs every aspect in the game. Tapping away on the screen will make your character dribble with the ball dependant on the rate and position, providing a precise and accurate setup to guard the ball and tease your opponent with some slinky skills. Slam-dunks, defensive manoeuvres, and special moves, are all handled with ease via the stylus and touchscreen, making for a fun control system that feels both natural and immediately accessible.
Accentuating the sense of immediacy and creating an experience where the game is never truly over until the final whistle has blown, games in Mario Slam Basketball are rarely decided by how many hoops you've shot or points you've scored. A basic hoop scores 20 points, a shot from the 3-point area scores 30, whilst a super shot earns 40; picking coins up beforehand acts as a multiplier to the final tally, ensuring that a clever basket can quickly turn the tide of the game in the closing seconds. Much like Mario Soccer Slam before it, the items from the question marks on court and the exaggerated special tricks, lift Mario Slam Basketball above its ties to the real-world sport and pitch Mario Slam Basketball very much in the realms of fantasy sports as opposed to even a hint of an authentic simulation.
Split into Challenges, Tourneys, Exhibition and multiplayer Matchup modes, the single-player section comprises three matches in the Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Rainbow tournaments. Unlocking new characters, stages and balls along the way, it's a shame that the initial entertainment is hampered by the suspect long-term appeal of Mario Slam Basketball. The challenge from computer-controlled opponents rarely provides much of an obstacle, leaving four short tournaments that you'll run through in a couple of hours. The appeal of playing through a second time on an unlocked 'Hard' setting is a less than compelling prospect, although the increased challenge at least makes the game more exciting - it's a shame that a few of the tiresome early stages weren't axed and both types merged into something a little more enticing.
Given the developer's pedigree in the RPG genre, it's a little surprising to discover this an area that has completely been overlooked for Mario Slam Basketball. What could have been an easy area to lend the game some long-term depth with upgradeable attributes and a single-player mode akin to Camelot's 2005 GBA title, Mario Power Tennis, has largely been missed, leaving a lightweight, casual game that embraces the Mario Kart model a little too stringently.
The shallow single-player mode could be overlooked if the game offered plenty in the multiplayer stakes; however, any hopes of shooting some hoops and hurling some shells are decisively shot down by the lack of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. Presumably targeted towards the kids in the playground, Mario Slam Basketball provides Wireless and Download play; kids of a "slightly" older age, however, will find it significantly more difficult just to find a game. For what is essentially a first-party title, the decision not to include online options seems a strange one, relegating Mario Slam Basketball to the fun-for-five-minutes and forgotten soon after category.
Mario Slam Basketball is an impressive DS title on many fronts. The detailed and distinctive visuals are a highlight on the system; the instant entertainment provides quick blast satisfaction; the control system takes full advantage of the DS capabilities.
Like the question marks that line the court, however, all of these qualities are let down by issues over the game's shallow depth and longevity.
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