The pennant race is heating up, and Mario and his friends are getting caught up in the love of the game. In "Mario Superstar Baseball," classic Nintendo characters from the Mushroom Kingdom, like Donkey Kong, Luigi and Bowser, take their conflicts to the baseball diamond.
As one might expect from a sports game in which a character named Princess Peach is playable, "Mario Baseball" is far from simulation. As in all the Mario sports titles, the emphasis is on fun and simplicity. It's for people who like the general idea of baseball but get turned off by all the strategy. Those looking for extensive stats, deep gameplay and perhaps a franchise mode are not even searching in the right ballpark with this one.
But how fun is it? "Mario Baseball" does many things right, but it is far from perfect.
The central mode of "Mario Baseball" is called "Challenge," and this is where the main story takes place. Players pick a character from the Mario universe and play through several games and mini-games until finally taking on Bowser's team. On the way, characters join up to help build the team into a powerhouse. This mode is fun but short. To lengthen gameplay it can be completed on several different difficulty modes.
There are six main fields, and each pose different hazards to the game of baseball. In the Donkey Kong field, for example, giant barrels will occasionally roll across the outfield, potentially crushing fielders trying to go for the ball.
Batting is generally enjoyable and much easier to pick up and play than in a baseball simulation like Electronic Arts' "MVP Baseball." Players simply move the batter around the box and swing or bunt when the timing is right. It is also possible to charge one's swing by holding the button down, and to add even more power by using some of the team's limited "star power."
Pitching is a similar process but gets repetitive fairly quickly. Players can move side to side on the mound and throw fastballs, curve balls and change-ups. Like batting, players can charge their pitches and add extra star power to them for a special pitch. There is no way to control how high a pitch is, however, and this takes a little bit away from strategy.
Fielding and base running are the weak points of "Mario Baseball." Fielders simply control sluggishly and it's often difficult to figure out which character is under the player's control until it's too late to make a catch. Also, despite the game's seeming emphasis on simple play mechanics, throwing is made more awkward on the controller than necessary. Most modern baseball games treat the controller's four face buttons as shortcuts to each base on the diamond, but "Mario Baseball" only has one throw button that is used in combination with a direction on the analog stick.
The main problem with base running is visible on fly outs. It can be very difficult to get the runners to return to their base before a throw is made. Many annoying double plays result.
The best part of "Mario Baseball," and really the main reason to consider picking it up, is the multiplayer, which allows for up to four players. Many of the game's flaws don't stick out as much when there's someone to brag to and hiss obscenities at. There are several fun mini-games to play if normal baseball gets tiresome, including a Bob-omb Derby and a frantic Toy field.
In the end, "Mario Superstar Baseball" isn't a great game, but it definitely has its moments. A rental is recommended, but buy it only if there are other people around to play ball.
