I don't like baseball. It's conventional nine inning structure as well as the strategically optimal way to play it being drawn out just makes it an absolute chore to watch. It's because of this though that I think it was an absolutely incredible choice for a Mario sports series adaptation and Mario Super Sluggers delivers on most fronts with that.

The area that Mario Super Sluggers really shines is its core gameplay. There are of course all the hallmarks of a Mario Sports game here with captain specific special moves and items that you can throw onto the field to halt the opponent’s progress while you score runs but I think what I appreciate more here are some of the more unique mechanics that can be used by all players. Things like the buddy jump which allows two of your fielders to boost one another up and grab a would-be home run ball or the buddy move that lets you throw a ball to base at the speed of sound to get a runner out, it’s things like these that give the game depth and make it a blast to play. The character roster in this game is expansive and each character has their own strengths and weaknesses, chemistry with other characters, and unique attributes that makes building the perfect team before starting a game feel like a game in and of itself. Perhaps the aspect of gameplay I enjoy the most though are all the unique ballparks to play in. The game has nine stadiums each with their own theme and gimmick, my favorites being Daisy’s stadium which takes place on Daisy Cruiser from Double Dash and will occasionally have a giant squid (Gooper Blooper if you wanna get technical about things) come and tip the ship sideways and Wario’s stadium set in the middle of a city and complete with bursting water grates and a giant golden idol of Wario in a fancy top hat for all to stand and admire. All these aspects add up and turns a sport I find incredibly boring into one that’s really deep and a blast.

Despite having such fun gameplay, in terms of content and unlockables the game is just fine enough. As a kid that didn’t matter, me and my brother would play this game so much to the point of making our own championship brackets in the exhibition mode where we would face off against each other using different teams and have a blast in the process. As an adult with only one functional Wii remote and a shortage of friends who are the right kind of dysfunctional enough to play a game while silly Mario baseball league with me though, there’s just not a lot for single players like me to do here. The main event here is the challenge mode, a story mode of sorts where you explore around the island the game takes place on and its many baseball parks and solve puzzles, recruit teammates, and play mini baseball challenges that test your skills on all the game's various mechanics. I have to commend the ambition here as this kind of thing hadn't been done in any of the prior Mario sports games, but in execution I find this mode kinda lacking if I'm being honest. It only took me around 2-3 hours to 100% the whole thing and no part really posed any significant challenge, least of all the severely anticlimactic final baseball match against Bowser which I won by scoring 10 runs and triggering the mercy rule within the first inning. Apart from this mode there's a handful of really hit or miss minigames and the Toy Field mode which is just not fun at all. There's a load of unlockable characters in the game and a few unlockable stadiums but you get everything naturally by playing through the aforementioned challenge mode so the unlockables here aren't really feel exciting or worth anything.

There was a time where I was absolutely enamored with this game and had it up there with Mario Strikers Charged for one of the best Mario sports games, as it stands now though it's just not that game to me anymore. Growing up means looking at things from your childhood and coming to the realization that some of them weren't good, at least not as good as you remembered and that's kind of how I felt when replaying this game. Mario Super Sluggers is still a game that I enjoy because of it's really fun core gameplay and it's a blast if you can find someone to play it with, but as it stands, I think the most fun I have had and probably will ever have with this game remains in my nostalgic memories.

more like BASED BALL

This is the sports game that needs a follow-up. Strikers is good and all, but does it have King K. Rool? Didn't think so.
Mario Super Sluggers is peak Mario Sports game. It's roster is MASSIVE with numerous bangers like K. Rool, King Boo, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, etc.
The music is unironically amazing and the Credits theme slaps to a degree that is fundamentally unnatural.
Oh gameplay is good too and it's a pretty good party game with friends.

Mario Super Sluggers is evidence that you can indeed make baseball not boring

I remember getting this game on my Wii back when I was a wee lad and boy I soaked so many hours into the game like you wouldn’t believe. I wasn’t even into baseball, but somehow those colorful and wacky Mario characters put their own unique spin into it and I was hooked.

there’s a couple of modes you can try out here, you got Exhibition (basically the free play mode where you can create your baseball teams and go all out), Challenge Mode (where all the story is and how you unlock other characters/stadiums/features), Minigames (self-explanatory) and Toy Field (Let’s Make a Deal meets baseball). Exhibition and Challenge Mode are the big two that I’d recommend, Exhibition is where I (and probably you) will get most of your replayability, and Challenge Mode is essential if you want to unlock everything.

I don’t remember much of what happened in Challenge Mode storywise, but I do know that I had a great time with it so I advise not to pass it up and see if you enjoy what it has to offer. I unfortunately do not have the time to revisit it right now, but perhaps when I do I’ll write a second review that goes into that aspect in more detail.

as for the gameplay, you have a variety of Stadiums that you can choose to play in. almost all the Stadiums have their own unique gimmicks except for Mario Stadium because Mario. Peach Ice Garden has Freezies running around like they own the place, Yoshi Park has a train that commits vehicular manslaughter, Wario City has a giant Wario in the center to let you know you’re playing Wario City, DK Jungle has giant barrels that are lit on fire during the night, Bowser Jr. Playroom has loud Chain Chomps, Bowser Castle is a giant OSHA violation, Luigi’s Mansion has a GHOST and Daisy Cruiser has Gooper Blooper messing with the place and everyone insists the game must go on, what troopers. as cool as all that is, I think my favorite part about the Stadiums is how you can unlock the ability to be able to play them during the night. the Stadiums were already great on their own, but they all look a lot cooler at nighttime.

after that you can choose your captains and team players to your liking. each captain has their own unique Star Skills they can use to throw off the batter or launch a crazy ball to buy their team time to run across the bases. every single character also has their own different stats with some being excellent pitchers, great battlers, or fast on the field. with so many characters to choose from, you can straight up create an OP team that’ll net you easy wins, namely the ones that have a high chance of getting Home Runs. but if you don’t feel like analyzing every characters’ strengths and weaknesses, just slap Petey Piranha on your team and you win everything gg shake my hand. that said, my favorite detail is that every character in the game has “chemistry”. basically if two characters share chemistry with each other, they’ll be able to throw fast balls to each other and jump high enough to catch Home Run balls, giving you an advantage in the field if you place them near each other. on top of that there’s also bad chemistry meaning characters that don’t like each other will perform worse together. not only does it encourage team building, it’s also fun to see which characters do or don’t get along with each other. did you know that King K. Rool prefers King Boo over Bowser, Blooper and Hammer Bro don't get along, and that Birdo has beef with Tiny Kong? what the HELL did Tiny Kong do to Birdo?! too bad we’ll never find out! have fun with this keeping you up at night

I think that’s about all I have to say for now. if you’re a Mario fan that can also tolerate baseball, this is the game for you. lots of character importance, a fun story mode, some good old callbacks I mean good god they made Daisy Cruiser from Double Dash it’s own Stadium, no way you’re convincing me that isn’t cool. you want a good baseball game, play any of the others, if you want a real man’s sports game to prove you’re a true baseball connoisseur, you play THIS.

while I was writing this review I found out that this game never released in Europe, damn they got robbed

me and my brothers have been playing this nonstop over the last month and it made me really miss this era of videogames. i don't wanna be the 'nintendo games used to be COOL' guy but jfc man, nintendo would never make something like this today. the gameplay, presentation, personality, replay value, enormous roster, unlockables - it's all here.

When I think of games that define nintendo's strengths, it's this: Just finding a simple niche and making an extremely well-polished package surrounding it.