Back to the baseball diamond

From golf to tennis, it seems as though Mario has tackled nearly every sport in some way or another. Whether it be in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games or in a full-fledged release, Mario is more than just an Italian plumber who seems to be spend more time rescuing a princess than he does working.

In 2005, Mario and friends headed to the baseball diamond in Mario Superstar Baseball which received rave reviews. Like previous sport games that Mario starred in, aspects of the Mushroom Kingdom were thrown in the mix to give it a unique flavor. Providing both a lengthy game and an enjoyable experience, Mario Superstar Baseball was -and still is- one of my favorite sports games. Now, three years later, Mario and friends return to the baseball diamond in Mario Super Sluggers, a sequel to Mario Superstar Baseball.

I’m no baseball fan at all, or even a sports games fan for that matter. For some reason however, Mario Superstar Baseball got me hooked on both baseball and the game itself. I think what really got me interested was how well the game mixed traditional baseball with the Mario universe. In the main adventure mode, there were power-ups you could purchase, as well as special items for certain characters. Then when you played your next game, you could use them. Though the original is far from perfect, I found it to be a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience and I was addicted to the game for quite some time.

More of everything

Thankfully, Mario Super Sluggers fixes one of the problems I had with the original; the number of stadiums. In the first game there were only six stadiums players could play in. Though there was a secret stadium that could be unlocked through the main challenge mode, it was used for a minigame, not for an actual baseball game. In Mario Super Sluggers, the number of stadiums has been upped to nine and they are all newly designed. Three more stadiums than the original may not be a huge increase but it is most certainly welcome.

The number of characters has also been increased. In the original there were thirty four playable characters and ten more will be joining the original cast. Additions such as Mii’s, Baby Princess Peach, and King K. Rool will add more personality to Mario Super Sluggers.