Mario Hoops operates in the same vein that the other Mario sports franchises do, exaggerated versions of that sport being played with coins and Marion characters. I could not resist getting his title as my guilty pleasure is playing basketball as a paratroopa. The game is simplistic in nature as it is a 3 on 3 full court game that utilizes different backdrops from the various Mario games, DK island, Peach island, etc. as their courts. The game alters the concept of two and three point land by making 2 point shots worth 20 coins and three point shots worth 30 coins. Each shot can also be worth more coins if you dribble over question mark boxes or pick up stray coins that may be scattered on the court after a steal or bock. Along with the usual coin system there is also the usual powers that can be accessed from the question mark cubes: turtle shells, mushrooms, lightning etc.
The game play is unique and takes full advantage of the touch screen to allow for shooting, passing, stealing all by using just the stylus. You can also set it to use the buttons to help make the game easier for you. In the offset the games are very simple and almost unchallenging but this isn’t too bad while you learn to play and become more adjusted to the different player abilities and courts. My main gripe is that once you unlock all the different things in the game there really isn’t much to do aside from play against buddies via the wireless connection. One interesting thing about the game is the affiliation with Squaresoft Enix, which means you can unlock the white and black mage, ninja, cactus and moogle from the FF series, basketball just went Mario Fantasy!
Overall Rating : 7 out of 10
