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- Mario Hoops 3 on 3
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
- September 13, 2006 13:28 PM PST
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With an interesting control scheme and a whimsical presentation, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 offers a delightful twist on the sport of basketball. So warm up your stylus and lace up your shoes: it's game time!
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Mama Mia!
Mario's so hot, he's literally on fire!
The one thing that immediately makes Mario Hoops stand out is its controls. A combination of the stylus and D-Pad lets players tread the courts with deft precision. There is a bit of a learning curve but once you get used to it, you'll be making plays like your last name was Jordan. Items will also randomly appear to help you light up the scoreboard: there are mushrooms that slow you down or speed you up, various colored shells to throw at opponents and banana peels to give them the slip.
The game also features a quirky scoring system. Two point buckets might be fine and dandy for the NBA but in the world of Mario, each shot nets you 20 points. Depending on how many coins you've accumulated, that can ratchet up to a record breaking 100 points or more! Causing all this on-court mayhem is a classic roster of Mario characters, each with his or her own specialty. For example, Wario is incredibly powerful and can steal the ball with ease while Diddy Kong displays impressive speed.
Ball Hog
Someone tell Peach that she isn't playing soccer!
Like previous titles in the Mario sports franchise, Mario Hoops really shines when more than one human participant gets involved. You can take on your friends and foes alike in tournament mode, exhibition games and a variety of mini-games like Dribble Race and Coin Hunter.
With its light-hearted gameplay and silly graphics, Mario Hoops probably won't win over a diehard basketball fan but it's entertaining enough to keep most gamers glued to the on-court action. Nintendo definitely shoots and scores with this one.
PROTIP: Stroke your stylus repeatedly when performing a slam dunk to score more coins.
