Mario returns with this sports collection…
Mario Sports Superstars is the latest Mario Sports title for the 3DS. It includes Football (or Soccer if you prefer), Baseball, Tennis, Golf and a new odd entry, Horse Racing to the mix. All modes have tournaments as well as exhibition play against AI, local or even online opponents. There’s a mass collection of cards to collect in-game, which you can earn by spending money earned from tournaments for a deck of cards, or if you want to spend real cash…you can get special Amiibo cards that will do the trick.
Football handles well, but scoring is tricky due to the rather large goalkeepers, luckily the superstar power builds up over time and gives you a better chance of getting the ball in the back of the net. Golf, Baseball and Tennis handle like you would imagine and does well, my personal favourite was actually Golf. It’s challenging, but rewarding. Horse Racing is a strange one to add to the mix, but it’s actually really deep as you build a stable of horses and train them to win.
On the whole, Mario Sports Superstars is fun in short bursts. It doesn’t quite have the lifespan to be played in huge chunks, but I guess it’s down to personal taste. The good thing is that there’s something here that most will find at least one mode to enjoy. Plus, collecting all the cards will take considerable time to do. Visually, the game looks pretty neat and runs at a solid framerate throughout. Character models and animations are well detailed, while the sounds are music are classic Mario as you would expect.
The Verdict
With 5 sports to get your teeth into and plenty of cards to collect, Mario Sports Superstars is a worthy addition to the 3DS. It may not have the replay value of other sports games, but it’s varied enough to offer something to pretty much everyone, even in short bursts.