Nintendo have recently launched the Mario Sports Superstars game on 3DS. This is a 5-in-1 sport game featuring Football, Baseball, Tennis, Golf and Horse Racing. Usually, my children love to play this sort of generic games on their Wii U when their friends come over as it makes for a great party game. So when we received this for the 3DS, we were not sure how this family game would translate onto the portable device.
The game sees Football and Baseball come to the Nintendo 3DS family of systems for the very first time. The elements of Golf and Tennis have been developed by CAMELOT, who previously developed the titles Mario Golf: World Tour, and Mario Tennis Open.
Players can pick one of their favourite 16 characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy! There are two blank slots for amiibos. Each character has their own set of statistics for power, speed, finesse, shooting, passing, defence and stamina etc. There should be at least a character that will suit your style. With each of the five sports, there are tutorials, training, and tournament modes. Not only that, there are also local and online multiplayer modes. I don’t allow my children to go online hence we have not tried to play with others online.
Football
This is full 11-a-side football. Before you play, you have to pick your characters to play as the midfielders, goalkeeper and the rest of the team players. It also allows you to set formations/positions, change the stadium, or even the time of day. This is quite a light hearted and friendly game to play with young children unlike those FIFA games. The controls are easy to pick up too.
Baseball
Baseball game is more or less like the game of rounders. It requires you to go through the tutorials before you can start playing the game. It is very simple and clear to learn how to pitch and swing the bats etc. This game didn’t really appeal to my daughter though.
Tennis
You get to choose between hard, grass or clay surfaces and each has an impact on ball bounce and speed. You can also play singles or doubles with the computer. It’s a lot of fun and both children really enjoy this one.
Golf
Select your locations between the emerald woods, gold links or crystal beach. Not only that, you can pick 3, 6 or 9 holes, the strength of the winds and many more. Once again, this is nice and straightforward to play and both of my children enjoy it.
Horse Racing
This is not just a racing game! You can have pick you own horse, name them and look after them. Each horse has their own unique stats for you to choose. They are not your average horse, in fact, each of them are very cute and chubby. Walk your horse, pet them and look after them. Earn enough points to buy your horse new accessories. This type of game really appeals to Ms C – she loves looking after the horses. The happier your horse becomes, the more it will improve the bond with your horse. The better the horse is, the better its mood and the better it will perform for you in races!
When your horse is ready, bring him out for a race and see what he can earn for you. You can play with up to 6 players. You can also select your locations and the number of laps etc.
amiibo
There is a brand new series of Mario Sports Superstars amiibo cards released alongside the game. There are 90 cards to collect, 18 characters, in each of the 5 sports. Tap a Mario Sports Superstars amiibo card to unlock the Star Character in the corresponding character of the corresponding sport. This Star Character will have increased statistics beyond the character’s original abilities. Additionally, when you scan a Mario Sports Superstars amiibo card you also receive a special item to use in the game, which could be anything, from a new tennis racket to add to your collection, to a stylish new Golf club.
Road to Superstars
What’s more is that the amiibo cards also unlock the ‘Road to Superstars’ mini game. This game looks like a brick breaking style game. Using Mario Sports Superstars amiibo cards, players will break down walls and defeat enemies using items related to the amiibo card in use (tennis balls, golf balls etc.). At the end of the level, you will come up against a boss. Defeating the level boss results in the character and the sport displayed on your amiibo cards receiving the Superstar status. Characters with this Superstar status have increased statistics, even beyond the Star characters. Once completed, you’ll be able to select this character in the other modes of the related sport.
When we saw this game on 3DS, we were not very sure if we would like it because both of my children love to compete against each rather than play against the computer. My children would prefer to play together but since we only have the one 3DS, they can’t and they are not allowed to play online. But there is still much to enjoy about this game. I think the horse racing game has won my daughter over. She loves that she is able to look after her horses. Overall the games are fun to play but there is limitation of physical activities. I do think winning trophies in each sport might not provide the incentive for them to continue playing it. It will be a game that they play on occasion.
For more information about Mario Sports Superstars 3DS Review, please visit https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-3DS/Mario-Sports-Superstars-1136172.html
Disclosure: We received a download code for the purposes of writing this review however all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We are part of the Nintendo Family Blogger Network. Images used with permission