SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - "Rockin' Ya' for Hanukkah" Edition

Disclaimer: Contrary to this week's edition title, there are actually no rock songs featured in this edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs, but we can still celebrate tomorrow evening's beginning of Hanukkah to all of SPC's Jewish readers regardless!

It's an edition of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs spanning three generations of home consoles this week, starting with the new. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness brings us a sweeping orchestral overture to start things off. Following closely behind is the Evil Forest dungeon theme from Final Fantasy IX. Then, Mario Sports Mix and a little known Wii game called Opoona bring us some lovely music, too. Last on this week's edition is de Blob 2, also a Wii era game.

Either click the VGM volume name or the embedded video here in this article to hear each song and game represented. Also, check out the VGM Database for every past featured VGM volume on this weekly SuperPhillip Central staple. Now, let's get on to the music!

v1521. Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness (PS4) - Star Ocean Forever ~ Overture

We begin this edition with Star Ocean's fifth outing, a modest budget affair with lots of backtracking and corner-cutting to save money. Despite my issues with the game, I played through it to completion (well, getting one of the several endings in the game) and overall enjoyed my time with it. (Though it has nothing on the second or third games in the Star Ocean series.) Star Ocean Forever's Overture version plays at the title screen of the franchise's games. It blares as boldly as ever to great effect. Many problems persist with Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, but Motoi Sakuraba's soundtrack is definitely not one of them.



v1522. Final Fantasy IX (PS1) - Danger in the Forest

Nobuo Uematsu is perhaps my favorite video game music composer in the industry. His soundtracks run the gamut of emotions and tickle my nostalgia bones splendidly. He was absolutely on a tear with his work on the Final Fantasy series, and my favorite of his during the PS1 era of games was Final Fantasy IX. It was a game that hearkened back to classic Final Fantasy games after multiple futuristic ones, and the soundtrack went right along with it to an epic medieval soundtrack featuring brilliant character themes, fantastic battle works, and dungeon themes such as this one for the Evil Forest.



v1523. Mario Sports Mix (Wii) - Peach's Castle

From one Squaresoft game to a Square Enix game, we have Mario Sports Mix up next with a catchy and jaunty tune played during matches at Peach's Castle. Mario Sports Mix is a bit of an underrated Mario sports game to me. I enjoyed all four sports in the package which included basketball, volleyball, hockey, and dodgeball. Masayoshi Soken composed the soundtrack, just like with Mario Hoops 3 on 3. This particularly talented composer would later go on to score a wide variety of songs for Final Fantasy XIV.



v1524. Opoona (Wii) - Bonbon Battle 1

Koei-Tecmo presented a whimsical role-playing game for the Nintendo Wii that players used the Nunchuk attachment of the Wii Remote exclusively to control Opoona through dungeons and in battles. Speaking of which, this battle theme might seem familiar to fans of Final Fantasy Tactics and Valkyria Chronicles as it's the same composer, Hitoshi Sakimoto, who provided the music. This theme uses similar synth and sounds to what Sakimoto generally uses. Recently, Opoona got a guest starring role in Koei's Warriors All-Stars as one of the playable characters along the likes of Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa and Dead or Alive's Kasumi.



v1525. de Blob 2 (PS3, 360, Wii) - Boogaloo in Blue

Concluding this edition with more colorful and charming cartoon goodness, de Blob recently released for consoles on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The original de Blob was a Wii exclusive, but the sequel saw the series go multiplatform for the first time. The music of the de Blob series can be described as catchy, funky, jazzy, smooth, relaxing, and that just depends on which track you're listening to as you paint the games' levels with color. De Blob 2 is no different in this case, and thank goodness, as the soundtrack is just as fabulous as it was in the original Wii release.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs - Ocean of Stars Edition

It's going to be a fun week at SuperPhillip Central. I have in store the 550th review for the site, which I'll be posting later in the week. First, however, I have five new video game themes all a part of SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGMs. Next week we'll hit a new milestone with the 800th VGM, but let's not get ahead ourselves. There's good music this week to listen to first. There's themes from Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Mega Man Zero 2, and Fantasy Life. Enough talk! Have at these VGMs!

v791. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (PS3, 360) - Don't Be A Hero

Motoi Sakuraba is no stranger to composing battle themes, and he very rarely misses the mark. Don't Be A Hero from Star Ocean: The Last Hope is yet another astonishing theme in quality and sets the pace for a fast and frenetic battle ahead of our heroes. While the overall game wasn't of the highest caliber, the soundtrack that accompanied it certainly was.

v792. Mega Man Zero 2 (GBA) - Departure (Mythos Version)

A song that's perfect for getting into the zone, Departure is the theme of the very first stage in Mega Man Zero 2. However, this remixed version comes from an official arranged album. It enters the fray with excellent guitar and stunning synth. If you're ready, Zero, let's go!

v793. Fantasy Life (3DS) - Cheerful Tavern

I must admit that I stayed inside Castele's tavern much more than I intended, and it's all thanks to this tune. Nobuo Uematsu may be aging, as we all do, but his composition skills surely aren't getting rusty as his Fantasy Life score shows. Expect a review of this game very soon. It might just be SuperPhillip Central's 550th review!

v794. LEGO City Undercover (Wii U) - Rooftop Chase

If you own a Wii U and like open world games, do yourself a favor and pick up LEGO City Undercover. The combat is basic and some initial load times go for a while, but the meat of the game and the city available to explore are phenomenal. I easily got over 50 hours with this gem, and I consider it to be the very best the LEGO game series has to offer. All I want now is a capable sequel, so greenlight it, Nintendo!

v795. Mario Sports Mix (Wii) - Daisy Garden

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 was a Nintendo DS game with a lot wrong with it. Developer Square Enix took the lessons learned from that game and opted to create a better game out of it with the addition of three other sports in Mario Sports Mix. Masayoshi Soken returned to compose the music, and what we're left with is candy for the ears.

SuperPhillip Central's Favorite VGM - Is There A Big Game Coming Out Soon Or Something? Edition

Seriously. What's coming out tomorrow? Nothing big, right? We have no clue, but the internet and gaming community are both in uproars. Maybe we aren't that knowledgeable on gaming after all. In all seriousness, if you can tone down your hype for Grand Theft Auto V (if you even have any), we have our weekly lineup of five video game songs to share. There's Mario, Sonic, and even some F-Zero X to have some fun with! Let's get started!

v461. F-Zero X: Expansion Kit (64DD) - Rainbow Road

F-Zero X: Expansion Kit was a release that only occurred in Japan. In fact, the 64DD, an add-on to the Nintendo 64, only released in Japan as well. That's a shame, too, because as kids we remember thumbing through an old Nintendo Power and seeing coverage of this game, totally hyping us up. We had dreams of creating our own tracks, something the Expansion Kit possessed. Mario Kart 64's Rainbow Road made an appearance in the vanilla F-Zero X, but this theme only showed up in the Expansion Kit version.

v462. Mario Sports Mix (Wii) - Koopa Troopa Beach

While we approach the official end of summer in North America, we have Koopa Troopa Beach to listen to from Mario Sports Mix. The game was based off the foundation of the Nintendo DS's Mario Hoops 3-on-3, but it was much more improved and offered three other sports.

v463. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS) - Never Let Up!

Yoko Shimomura is some kind of musical goddess. Her work with the majority of Mario RPG games is hard to top. This boss theme from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team starts out very uptempo, but then it gets decidedly darker, shifting to a minor key. It's a terrific song to battle the baddies on Pi'illo Island.

v464. Sonic Rush (DS) - Raisin' Me Up

Dimps did well on the Game Boy Advance with their trio of Sonic Advance titles. Shifting to the Nintendo DS, they had extra real estate to work with in the form of a second screen. They utilized both to create levels that stretched to both screens. The composer from Jet Set Radio used his skills to create the fantastic soundtrack for Sonic Rush. This ending theme is inspirational and just darn catchy.

v465. Project X Zone (3DS) - Wanderer Road

Project X Zone was a game that many thought would not release in the West (us included). To our surprise it did. However, the actual game wasn't the most exciting one ever devised. For every cool character that would join your squad, there was a tedious and repetitive chapter to wade through. Wanderer Road is the theme of the two main characters of the game, characters who were made specifically for the game.

Rank Up! Mario Sports on Wii

Mario Sports Mix slam-dunked its way onto the Wii last month, so now's the perfect time for Rank Up! Rank Up! is the every now and then feature where we list a series of games from worst to best. It's a simple concept that's been very popular here on SPC. Today we're taking a look at Mario's sport outings on the Wii. There's been many, but which ones reign supreme? Let's find out, but first let's see which games we'll be putting under the metaphorical microscope.

Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)
Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)
New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (Wii)


Ever since the Game and Watch days, Mario has spread his wings and dabbled in other jobs and sports. On the Nintendo Entertainment System, he teed it up on the green in Golf, while it was on the Super Nintendo where seemingly his most popular sports entry was given birth in the form of Super Mario Kart. That series would go on to be one of most popular Mario sports series in history. From then til now, Mario has participated in nearly every sport under the sun sans North American football.

7) New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis (Wii)


The New Play Control! line of games was to fill the holes in Nintendo's own release schedule. What better way to do this than port Gamecube games to the Wii with special Wii remote controls? Seems flawless. Unfortunately, the controls in NPC Mario Power Tennis were anything but. In fact, they were fundamentally broken. The game did not register whether you were hitting with topspin or backspin, and the game would randomly lob the ball up into the air. After playing this game for less than a hour, I was embittered and quickly sent the game back to Blockbuster. A perfect chance to show off what motion controls can do, and Nintendo absolutely botched it.

6) Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii)


When it was announced that Mario and Sonic would be in the same game together, millions spun their rumor mills guessing what type of game it would be. Would it be a 3D platformer in the ilk of Super Mario 64 and Sonic Adventure? When it was revealed that their first game would be a mini-game collection, the hype died down considerably-- but not the sales, mind you. Regardless, most mini-games required you to waggle the Wii remote to speed up your character which by now, waggle was no longer a fun concept. We did it in Wii Sports boxing, we did it to control Link's sword in Twilight Princess, and most of us had had enough. Even with all of the fan-service in the game, nothing could stop this title from being the below-average game it was.

5) Mario Super Sluggers (Wii)


Taking Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom out to the ballgame, Mario Super Sluggers was the sequel to Mario Superstar Baseball on the Gamecube. In this sequel, the single-player mode consisted of an adventure-like mission mode where saving the day awarded you with new items and new teammates for your roster. The fundamentals itself added motion controls to swing at the ball. Holding the Wii remote back charged your swing while for pitchers, it charged their throw. With multiple stadiums to play on including the gimmick-free Mario Stadium, the topsy turvy Daisy Cruiser, and the frozen floors of Peach Castle, America's favorite pastime was well-represented in Mario Super Sluggers.

4) Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)


One could label this as a glorified mini-game collection, and they'd be correct in that assessment. However, each sport unlike this game's predecessor did not rely heavily on waggle to play. Instead you twisted and turned the Wii remote and nunchuk to carve through the snow as you skied downhill, participated in one of many dream events which had you racing through Mario Kart Wii's Mario Circuit track or speed skating in Eggman's Base, and unlocked character costumes for your Wii in the in-game shop. There were many events to partake in from real to dream, and the variety of control made each event feel different from the last no matter if you were interested in speeding through the bobsled course or the slalom course.

3) Mario Sports Mix (Wii)


From multiple mini-games to four sports in one, Mario Sports Mix was an enjoyable romp through all four sports: basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and hockey. Each sport had its own set of three cups to participate in to earn the mythical star cup trophy in each sport. Doing so enabled you to take on Behemoth from the Final Fantasy series in a two-on-one battle for supremacy. Each sport had just enough depth that repeated playings wouldn't get boring. The arenas were filled with eye candy as well from Waluigi Pinball's giant steel pinballs looming around the stage to Luigi's Mansion's ghosts turning off the lights during play. Mario Sports Mix ranks third on this impressive list of Wii Mario sports titles.

2) Mario Strikers Charged (Wii)


We go from a game with four sports with a game with just soccer as its focus in Mario Strikers Charged. In Europe, this was the first online game for Wii allowing players to take on one another across the nation or across the world. There were multiple captains and secondary teammates to choose from--from the eccentric Boo to the hammer-spamming Hammer Bro. You could even score up to five goals at once using a super shot which randomly shot five balls at your opponent's goalie who had to use the Wii remote to point at the screen and swiftly deflect said shots. One of the better anti-simulation soccer experiences, Mario Strikers Charged is an excellent edition to Mario's sports legacy.

1) Mario Kart Wii (Wii)


At last we've reached the number one spot where Mario Kart Wii zoomed into first place. Filled to the brim with content, Mario Kart Wii features a multitude of unlockable characters, weekly online racing challenges, online play with up to eleven other racers from around the world, sixteen new races, and sixteen retro races from past Mario Kart games. If you can get past the cheap AI who constantly seem to abuse items in later difficulties, you're in for a wild ride. Yes, you'll be cursing out the computer or human opponents when a lightning bolts stops all of your momentum while you're careening over a pit, but for all the cheap moments you'll experience, there's a lot of fun ones to be had as well.

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Rank Up! is out for the time being. Until next time where we rank a series of games, we'll be seeing you! Do you have a franchise you'd like to see get the Rank Up! treatment? Let me know in the comments section.

Even More Stats According to the Nintendo Channel

With the Wii players can download the Nintendo Channel and find out how long they've played various games. It's surprising that the other consoles don't have something like this. It's a cool feature to track how long you've played a given game. Nonetheless, here are five games with increased or new playtime data. If you're new to this segment of SPC, check out my past installments:

More Stats According to the Nintendo Channel
Most Played Wii Games According to the Nintendo Channel - Games 10-1
Most Played Wii Games According to the Nintendo Channel - Games 20-11
Most Played Wii Games According to the Nintendo Channel - Games 30-21

Donkey Kong Country Returns - 31 Hrs. 46 Min.


Donkey and Diddy return for an all-new adventure, and whether I was playing solo or with my older brother in cooperative play, there was some serious fun to be had. The game featured eight unique, themed worlds with the goal to collect all of the K-O-N-G letters in a world to unlock a super secret banana temple level. These were much more challenging than the usual levels which were already difficult as it was. With a friend, when one of you perished, a barrel held up by a balloon would slowly hover to the ground for you to tag your partner back in. Instead of taking turns like previous DKC games, you played together simultaneously. A wild ride indeed, Donkey Kong Country Returns nearly reached New Super Mario Bros. Wii levels of playtime.

Kirby's Epic Yarn - 28 Hrs. 39 Min.


Originally planned to be a game starring a new character, Kirby was thrown in midway in development as a character people could latch onto. It worked well as the sales of Kirby's Epic Yarn are in the millions as we speak. Like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn had cooperative play as well. You could grab your partner be it Kirby or the Prince of Patch Land, and toss him up to higher, out-of-the-way locations. Something impossible to do in single-player mode. Also like DKCR, there were several themed lands to explore from grass to space, water to fire. The music, too, was excellent with a heavy focus on light instruments such as the piano. If you're looking for a relaxing platformer, Kirby's Epic Yarn is the game for you.

Sonic Colors - 28 Hrs. 13 Min.


What is this-- a great 3D Sonic game? 2010 was the year of Sonic the Hedgehog it seemed, or at least the year Sonic got his groove back. There were three titles starring Sonic including Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (winning Multiplatform Game of the Year at the SPC Best of 2010 Awards), the somewhat decent Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, and finally, Sonic Colors for Wii and DS. We're focusing on the Wii version which featured six worlds each with six acts and a boss level. You could beat the game in a handful of hours, but collecting all the hidden red coins (five in each act) was a challenge all to itself. With superb visuals and a stirring soundtrack, Sonic Colors was a pleasant surprise for a hedgehog who just couldn't seem to catch a break.

Mario Sports Mix - 23 Hrs. 39 Min.


A variety of time spent with Mario's latest sports outing was divided up between solo play and cooperative play. Each tournament lasted three cups of three rounds each. After completing a given cup, you could play it again for the chance to play on secret routes to unlock new characters and stages. There were four sports in Mario Sports Mix: basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and hockey. Hockey was my least favorite as the games went on seemingly forever. I would have the AI chase me around my own goal just to kill time. Regardless, Mario Sports Mix is a game of genuine quality. While none of the sports are as deep as they would be if they were each a video game all to their own, each sport had enough depth to keep us interested.

Metroid: Other M - 17 Hrs. 5 Min.


I only performed one playthrough of Metroid: Other M, and unlike a lot of people who were put off by the story and the linear approach to the gameplay, I happened to enjoy the game a lot. Initiating attacks and moving around with the d-pad was a breeze, and pointing the Wii remote at the screen to scan objects and fire missiles was usually problem-free save for one hard-to-get expansion in Area 1. The Bottleship vessel held all kinds of secrets to uncover, bosses to battle, and areas to explore. Even if you grew restless hearing about "the baby", there was enough story to properly understand why Samus Aran acted the way she did in Other M. I look forward to the next Metroid game whenever and wherever it appears.

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Which games do you think you've spent the most playtime on, for any console? Give me a holler in the comments section.

Mario Sports Mix (Wii) Review

Two new reviews in one week? Has your good buddy, SP, gone mad? Apparently so, but I'm not complaining. Tonight we have a new game to review, and it's known in the Mushroom Kingdom as Mario Sports Mix for the Nintendo Wii. After the botched attempt at a sports title from Square-Enix's first go-round in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, how do they fare doing four sports instead of just one? Let's find out.

Four score and several sports ago

Mario is a man of a thousand professions. When he's not cleaning pipes as a plumber, he's refereeing a match between Little Mac and King Hippo, and when he's not doing one of his many jobs he takes the time to cut loose and have some fun. Perhaps on the golf course, tennis court, racetrack, or Olympic event. Now the Mushroom Kingdom cast is participating in four sports this go around with Mario Sports Mix. Featuring four unique sports: basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and hockey, does Mario's mix keep players coming back for more?

When a meteorite falls from the heavens and crashes nearby Peach's Castle, a brigade of Toads investigate. What they uncover is a rainbow-colored crystal just begging to be broken open. The Toads break up the crystal into four pieces-- each with a game ball or puck inside-- one for each of the four sports Mario Sports Mix contains. The Toads then decide to create trophies out of the four differently-colored crystals and have the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom participate in a series of tournaments for each of the sports to see which duo or trio of characters deserves the trophies and the title of champions.

Each sport follows the same basic idea. There are three cups to each sport: Mushroom, Flower, and Star. Each cup lasts three matches each. It's tournament-styled, so the tourney begins with eight characters, weeds off four for the second round, and then it's a one-on-one battle in the final round to see who will be the champion. There's three difficulty modes in Mario Sports Mix, but you'll have to tough it out and be bored playing on Normal difficulty first. The AI is so brain-dead and easy to defeat that you might get the wrong impression about the game. It's not an impossible feat to beat an opponent by at least one-hundred points given the particular sport. Of course, Hard and Expert modes offer more of a challenge. There's no catch-up AI to speak of, but the Expert mode will have you cursing at the screen quite often. Luckily, nothing is unlocked from completing Expert mode (which coincidentally is the SportsMix mode that unlocks after beating the Star Cup in all four sports).

From downtown!

In all sports, collecting coins and items is key. In basketball, volleyball, and hockey, grabbing coins gives you extra points for when you score. Items are used to throw your opposition off-balance, giving you the edge. Dodgeball is a different case. Coins gives your characters' throwing arms more power. More damage is taken off when you have more coins in your possession. Items in this mode are used the same way as in the other three sports.

After you beat a sport completely, you have the option of replaying said sport in hopes of unlocking alternate pathways to gain new locales and characters. In the Star Cup, you can bypass the traditional tournament mode and take a trip via airship to Star Road. It's here where you can unlock all sorts of goodies by participating in matches with bonus stipulations such as your opponents having a huge lead on you, the first goal wins, or items are exceptionally larger than usual. By completing Star Road, you unlock new characters for all four sports. It's important to note that most of the time, you only gain new characters and arenas in the sport you're currently playing in. For instance, that means that you have to unlock a character or arena in all four sports which is, quite frankly, a needless hassle. Oftentimes, Star Road occurs seemingly randomly in the first place, so trying to unlock it is an effort in frustration when sometimes you do get a chance to try the mode out, and sometimes you don't.

Speaking of characters and arenas, there's a multitude to open up and play with or on. There's a total of twelve Mushroom Kingdom members to play with including standbys like Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Toad, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Wario, Waluigi, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. Then there's the secret characters that, like Mario Hoops 3-on-3, are comprised of Final Fantasy characters such as the Ninja, White Mage, Black Mage, Moogle, Cactuar, and even Dragon Quest's mascot, the Slime, to play as. On the spectrum of arenas, there's fourteen in total. These range from traditional gimmick-free levels like Mario Stadium to places like Koopa Troopa Beach where the tide comes in, pulling in green shells to use on your opponents, Bowser Jr. Boulevard where you can score multipliers and point bonuses (or have points taken away) for scoring, and Daisy Garden where the premise at least in basketball is to slam or shoot the ball inside Petey Piranha's mouth while it remains open. Each arena is full of eye-candy and things to gawk at. Not every sport can be played in every arena. Waluigi Pinball can house hockey, volleyball, and dodgeball, but not basketball, for instance.

Basketball

One thing to add before I begin is that any sport can be played 2-on-2 or 3-on-3. In a given cup, you can play with up to two other friends to help you out. Furthermore, players have a choice between the Wii remote and nunchuk or just simply the Wii remote turned sideways by itself. The goal of basketball is simple: earn points by either shooting the ball into the net or slam dunking it. With the ball, players can juke around opponents handily while defense can try to swat the ball away from their competition with the A button. Like NBA Jam, shooting is performed by waving the Wii remote up into the air to jump and then lowering it to shoot. By running up to the net, you can perform a slam dunk this way. The opening tip-off is also handled by waving up the Wii remote to grab the ball as it is tossed into the air. The A button is additionally the designated pass button. Just watch out so you don't pass in the sights of your opponent as they will steal the ball away from you. Unlike the NBA, there are no fouls and no goaltending. Though a shot clock violation is still enforced even in the Mushroom Kingdom. Basketball can become very intense depending on the set rules. There's generally two periods of three minutes each for games in Tournament mode. This happens to be one of my favorite sports as your CPU teammate actually helps out instead of simply standing there like in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 on the Nintendo DS.

Luigi goes about this whole basketball thing the wrong way.

Volleyball

Nothing like beach volleyball on Koopa Troopa Beach with Peach or Daisy wearing short-shorts to resonate memories of Dead or Alive Beach Volleyball, eh? Those thoughts aside (perverts), volleyball is played with two or three teammates working together to knock the ball into the court of the opposing side. The first player serves the ball by waving up the Wii remote and then slamming it downward to strike it over the net. The opposition then volleys the ball to each teammate to set up an opportunity for a player to slam the ball to the other side of the net, hopefully scoring a point or points in the case of having coins. You can move the projected point of impact with the analog stick or d-pad as you set up your shot to attempt to fool your opponents at the very last possible second. If a player hits the ball out of bounds, the opposing team earns that point. Each game in volleyball goes to fifteen points. The winner, best two-out-of-three sets, earns the victory.

Volley to your partner to build up enough momentum to strike.

Hockey

Either played on ice, sand, grass, or whatever themed arena floor you're playing on, hockey is a fun sport where the camera shows the rink vertically unlike Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games where the rink was shown in a horizontal fashion. Players can win the face-off by waving the Wii remote. You can also body-check opponents this way as well and fire off shots at the net. Your goalie is usually a Shy Guy (AI-controlled) which can be told to dive for the puck with the hit of a button. Like the NHL, there's plenty of opportunities for fights, one-timers, slapshots (by holding a button and then striking with the Wii remote), and trashtalk. By pressing and keeping down the A button, you can perform a combo move (this is used in every sport, not just hockey) to pass the puck to your teammate to pull off a one-timer. Like basketball, there's two periods of three minutes each. Since the camera focuses on the player you are controlling, it can be maddening trying to find the puck even with the on-screen prompts. Trying to defend your net when the camera is focused on you is even more frustrating. Nonetheless, hockey is still an enjoyable sport that is simple enough to learn and tough enough to master.

The Mario brothers face off in a sensational showdown.

Dodgeball

Thankfully, Ben Stiller is nowhere to be found in this version. That man is somehow considered funny. I don't get it either. Regardless, dodgeball is the fastest sport in Mario Sports Mix. It takes but five minutes to complete a match if you're really smokin'. You throw by waggling the Wii remote, catch the ball by pressing A and B at the same time, fake out a player by holding the d-pad while waggling, and shake the Wii remote without the ball to dive out of harm's way or to catch a ball. You see, if you're hit, and the ball is caught by you or one of your teammates, you don't lose any health. Every player has a set amount of health. When they get hit so many times, their health dwindles to zero, and they are eliminated. They then get placed on the side of the court. If they hit a player with a thrown shot, they get to come back in, be it with little health remaining. Each team has a Yoshi which stands on the opposing team's sideline. In some cases, one could say dodgeball can be up to a four-on-four affair thanks to Yoshi. Yoshi can be passed to, so the opposing side must quickly turn around or else be smacked in the back by a dodgeball. Overall, dodgeball is a fun sport that much like volleyball is a best-of-three set game.

3-on-3 in dodgeball is just as hectic as it sounds.

When a player's gauge is at maximum, by pressing A and B together you can perform a devastating special move. Some trick the player into thinking the puck or ball is going one way but ends up going the other, while others are simply stronger versions of regular shots. Peach shoots out five hearts that daze anyone who gets smacked by one as she fires as hot whereas Mario blasts a fiery shot which usually not even the strongest of characters can block. These special moves are best saved for clutch moments. They can easily turn a game around when defeat seems like the utmost possibility.

Yoshi gears up for his super special move!

As stated, local multiplayer is a definite option in Mario Sports Mix, and that's a blast. However, there's also Nintendo Wi-Fi play as well. You can play random matches where you select a team and an arena to face off in. If both players choose different arenas, then it's chosen randomly. A win boosts something called a Nintendo WFC Skill level. Quitting matches early lowers it severely, so it's better to rough it out and lose than quit prematurely. You can also play with friends, of course, via those darned friend codes Nintendo is so crazy about. Sure, it isn't as big of a hassle as I state, but it is annoying a bit all the same. Online is virtually as smooth as butter with little to no noticeable lag. So if you lack nearby friends, you can always happily and successfully play them from across the country or even the world.

Everything about Mario Sports Mix oozes with a beautiful presentation. While the character models aren't Super Mario Galaxy quality, they are indeed a step-up from the Gamecube which is sad to say after four years and we've finally reached this point. Stages are littered with Mii faces (you can also choose to play as any of your Miis by the way), characters, and sensational set pieces to make things interesting. This is a good-looking game without a doubt. Masayoshi Soken and friend return from the astounding Mario Hoops 3-on-3 soundtrack, and come out shining with this brand-new score for Mario Sports Mix. There's a myriad of memorable melodies that your toes will be tapping to.

Overall, most of the sports in Mario Sports Mix have just enough depth from growing quickly stale. As aforementioned, they're mostly easy to learn and tough to master. Collecting all the characters and arenas in every sport is something that will take quite a while to do, and with the option to check your stats for each sport, stat-lovers will go crazy for this game. The online works really well, the presentation is near-perfect, and Final Fantasy fans will get a kick out of the game's final boss. Yep, you read right. A Mario sports game has a final boss in it. Along with the various themed mini-game (one for each individual sport) like checking opponents off the arena in the hockey-themed mini-game, for starters, there's plenty of content to enjoy in Mario Sports Mix. Yes, grinding for unlockables in each sport is an unnecessary pain, but if you can persevere, there's something for everyone in this marvelous medley of sports.

[SuperPhillip Says: 8.25/10]

Mario Sports Mix (Wii) North American Commercial

With the release date of Mario Sports Mix approaching (Feb 7th), it was about time we got a look at the new commercial for the game. All-in-all, nothing fantastic save for the ending line. I don't know why I find that funny. Stay tuned for a review of the game some time in mid-February.

Four score and a direct link here.

Mario Sports Mix (Wii) Debut Trailer

Taking four beloved sports and placing them into one game with a Mushroom Kingdom twist, and you get Mario Sports Mix, an upcoming sports title for Wii. The game features volleyball, basketball, dodgeball, and hockey-- each with their own special Mushroom Kingdom rules and havoc. For instance, on DK Dock, a dodgeball arena, treadmills move back and forth, messing with the player's precision. Stay tuned for more from Mario and his pals sometime in the coming year.

Mix it up here!