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Wii
Super
Mario Stadium: Family Baseball
- New, In Stock |
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NCS Game Synopsis
«©NCSX»
Mario conquered platform gaming about a decade ago.
NCS pinpoints Super Mario Bros 3 (Famicom, 1998) as
the definitive platform game that reached the
pinnacle of the genre. All platform games afterwards
would never equal the silicon-wafered nirvana that
was SMB3.
Once Nintendo hit that lofty peak, they
started pimping Mario out into different gaming
categories - for example, Dr. Mario in 1990, Mario
Open Golf in 1991, Super Mario Kart in 1992, and so
on and so forth. The plump plumber has been featured in
nearly every type of video game including the
National Pastime.
Just as the summer of 2008 is about to creep up
on us, Nintendo releases another Mario baseball
game where Princess Peach, Luigi, Waluigi, Mario,
and more get to swing for the fences and hustle on
the bases. The Wii Remote is used to hurl pitches and
swing the bat with realistic motion. For example,
to throw a pitch, the Wii Remote is moved back and then
thrust forward to launch a fastball. A similar
motion is used to swing the bat where the Wii Remote is
snapped forward as the pitch sails towards the
plate.
Jan Code: 4902370516661
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NCS Game Notes
» In the
intro to the game, everyone is on a boat that's
headed to a baseball-themed island. They disembark
and run up the height of a lighthouse to take in the
expanse of the island below. Later, they gallop into
a baseball stadium and magically wave Wii Remotes into
bats and play ball. An interesting visual is Donkey
Kong who bats with his fist instead of a wooden
stick. He also plays rough with Luigi.
» At the outset of the game, you can choose one of
three save-data files.
» In the "Now Loading" screen, Mario runs with both
arms pumping. Another "Now Loading" animation shows
Donkey Kong beating his chest.
» At the outset of the game, five ballparks are
available to play upon. Two additional ballparks
must be unlocked before they're accessible. A
conventional stadium called Mario Stadium may be
found on the southwest corner of the island but the
other four ballparks feature unconventional designs.
They are: DK Jungle, Yoshi Park, Wario City, and
Peach Rink.
» Start a new game and choose one of 12 captains as
follows: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Wario, Catherine,
Daisy, Luigi, Mario, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Waluigi,
Bowser Jr, and Bowser. After choosing your captain,
you'll choose your opponent and then the level of
COM difficulty. Next, a team roster selection screen
pops up where you'll choose 8 players for your team
from a field of 40 players. Note that 9 players are
blocked by question marks and aren't accessible yet.
Players that are selectable include a Piranha Plant,
Goomba, Boo, Baby Mario, Mr Toad, and many others.
» The innings in each game are selectable from 1, 3,
5, 7, and 9.
» Each captain's team has a special name. They are:
The Mario Fireballs
The Wario Muscles
The Daisy Flowers
The Yoshi Eggs
The Diddy Monkeys
The Catherine Lips
The DK Wilds
The Luigi Knights
The Peach Royals
The Waluigi Smarts
The Koopa Rookies
The Koopa Monsters
» When batting, you're supposed to pull the Wii
Remote
back with a sideways motion. As the ball nears the
plate, swish the Wii Remote in another sideways motion
to swing the bat and connect with the ball. Before
the actual game starts, you'll get to swing the bat
three times in a practice run to get a feel for the
mechanics.
» When Wario strikes someone out, he presents his
backside to the camera and smacks it. For himself.
» Fielding is handled through the analog stick on
the nunchuk. Throwing a ball from the outfield or
infield is similar to pitching or batting. After
catching a ball, whip the Wii Remote in a sideways
motion to throw it back to someone in the infield.
» The Challenge Mode is a sort of RPG/Baseball game
where Mario roams around the island, interacts with
characters, and engages in baseball missions where
simple objectives such as hitting balls into the
outfield are accomplished.
» To power up a batter, wave the Wii Remote up then
down once and the character will charge up. Wait for
the ball to sail over the plate and then swing the
Wii Remote to knock out a homer. Your timing has to be
pretty dead-on to hit a home-run but you'll know
you've got it when the words "Just Meet" appear and
the camera zooms in on the hit from three different
angles in rapid succession.
» We tried one mini-game where four players stand in
four lanes and throw pitches at their respective
Piranha plants that are also in each lane. When
pitching, a little wooden gatepost goes up and down
to block your throw. To win, hit the Piranha plant
as many times as possible to push it back towards
the end of the lane and score points.
» For players who need practice, a Training Mode
allows players to pitch, bat, field, run the bases
and more in short tutorials.
» Super Mario Stadium isn't a conventional baseball
game and anyone looking for a straightforward
baseball sim won't find it here. The baseball field
is littered with obstacles including mobile ice
chunks and power-up moves are available to the
players to give them an edge over the opposition.
Gamers looking for fantasy baseball however will
find it here in spades.
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This document is ©NCSX 2008. All rights reserved. No
reproduction in whole or in part of this document
may be made without express written consent of
National Console Support, Inc.
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