Mario Sports Mix

Mario Sports Mix
American box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developers	Square Enix Nintendo SPD Group No. 4
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Wii, Wii U
Release dates	Wii: November 25, 2010 November 25, 2010 November 25, 2010 January 27, 2011 January 28, 2011 February 4, 2011 February 7, 2011 Wii U (digital download): October 8, 2015 October 8, 2015 August 11, 2016 August 24, 2016
Languages	English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese French (Europe) German Italian Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Sports
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone CERO: - All ages PEGI: - Three years and older USK: - All ages RARS: - All ages ClassInd: - General audience ACB: - General FPB: - Parental guidance
Mode	1-4 players Competitive & 1-3 players Cooperative Multiplayer (2-on-2 or 3-on-3)
Format	Wii: Optical disc Wii U: Digital download
Input	Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal) Wii Remote and Nunchuk
Serial code	RVL-RMKJ-JPN

Mario Sports Mix is a Super Mario sports game for the Wii and an indirect follow-up to the basketball game Mario Hoops 3-on-3. The main difference from before is that Mario and other player characters can not only compete in basketball, but also three other sports: hockey, dodgeball, and volleyball. The Final Fantasy characters from Mario Hoops 3-on-3 also return, and Slime, a Dragon Quest mascot, was added as one of the playable characters. This game was developed by Square Enix, who also developed Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

The game supported the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection feature, which enables players to play with other players in their region. To save any game data, three blocks of memory have to be used on the Wii system. However, due to the game's Wi-Fi compatibility, the game data is copy-protected, which means it cannot be transferred onto other Wii systems. Nintendo terminated the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service on May 20, 2014, making the game no longer playable online.

The game was later re-released for the Wii U Nintendo eShop as a digital download in Europe and Australia in October 2015 and in North America and Japan in August 2016; however, it was eventually removed after the service's discontinuation on March 27, 2023, making it no longer possible for players to purchase the game, but players who did so before this date can still play it as long as any version is on their Wii U device.

Story

The scene where Toad witnesses the sight of a mysterious, blazing comet falling into the Mushroom Kingdom.

One day in the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad is gardening flowers when suddenly the sky turns dark, and a strange object falls from the sky and crashes. Toad is worried about the situation, so he, along with some other Toads, rushes to the crashed object to examine it. The Toads find four colored crystals: a red crystal containing a basketball; a green crystal containing a volleyball; a yellow crystal containing a dodgeball; and a blue crystal containing a coin. While observing the mysterious crystals, the Toads suddenly come up with an idea of introducing new sports - Basketball, Volleyball, Dodgeball and Hockey - to the Mushroom Kingdom. The Toads also organize tournaments for the four sports. The best players of the tournament earn a prize: one of the four crystals that fell from the sky. Mario, his friends, and his foes are ready to play sports and enter the tournaments to find out who are the best players of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The discovery of the Sports Crystals lead to the events in the game.

When the players' team wins the Mushroom and Flower Cups, and gets to the end of the Star Cup, everything seems to be normal. However, in the final round, a Star Ship appears and the players' opponent turns out to be Ninja in disguise. Ninja steals the trophy and jumps onto the Star Ship, which prompts the players to follow Ninja to get the trophy back. They end up playing against the Final Fantasy team, while the Star Ship flies through space. When the players win against the Final Fantasy team, they receive one of the crystals that fell from the sky. The leader of the team then uses it to power the Star Ship and take the team back home.

After players receive all four crystals, the crystals merge and turn into a dark, glowing crystal. The dark crystal takes the players to another area. In this area, players encounter the Behemoth, a creature from the Final Fantasy series. The players must defeat the monster before it defeats them. When the players defeat Behemoth, the dark energy from the dark crystal disappears and turns into a rainbow-colored crystal. The players use the crystal again to power the Star Ship to take them back home.

Sports Mix mode's story is highly identical, except after the players' team defeats the Final Fantasy team, the three Sports Mix trophies that they receive end up merging into a dark crystal. That crystal also leads them to an alternate dimension, where the Behemoth King is found. Similarly with Behemoth, players have to defeat the Behemoth King before he takes them out. When the Behemoth King is defeated, the crystal's dark energy disappears, and it turns back into a rainbow crystal. The players use that crystal to power the Star Ship to take them back home.

Gameplay

Multiplayer cooperative mode.

Toad and Yoshi defeat Ninja and White Mage in a 2-on-2 Volleyball match.

White Mage, Pink Yoshi, and Toad defeat Ninja, Pure White Mage, and Black Mage in a 3-on-3 Dodgeball match.

Mario Sports Mix features four playable sports, all unique from each other. Players can play either alone with CPU allies or cooperatively/competitively with other players, with a max of 3 players a team. The Wii Remote and Nunchuk control style is used as the primary control scheme for the game. However, the players can also use the Wii Remote in the horizontal position. Players are able to perform actions through shaking the Wii Remote and/or inputting buttons as shown in horizontal Wii Remote scheme. All sports are played in periods, where, except for volleyball, there is a certain time limit to each period. When the time limit reaches zero, players move to the next period and change sides. Excluding dodgeball, points acquired in past periods also add up to the current game's total score. In dodgeball, another period commences when all team players get knocked out.

? Panels return from Mario Hoops 3-on-3, where they serve the same purpose: to provide players with either coins or an item. Unlike Mario Hoops 3-on-3, items are held in reserve rather than players holding them. The more coins players have, the more points they can get when they achieve a scoring. Players lose coins when they get hit by an opposing item, which makes the coins scatter on the floor. However, in dodgeball, coins increase the attack power of attacks, and players cannot lose coins from items.

There are also special options that can be adjusted for each sport in exhibition mode, such as turning on and off ? Panels, setting the number of periods and the time limit, and other options which can be specific for each sport. Once the options are set, they do not reset whenever a players turns off the game.

There is an option that enables the players to receive commands. However, this option is available only when the CPU level is set to "Easy".

There is also a cheat code that unlocks all content for a save file, performed on the file selection screen using both a Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

Basketball

Basketball plays in a similar fashion as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, but with a few minor changes.

Basketball is played in a similar fashion as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Players must score points by shooting a basketball into their hoop in order to win the game. Whichever team has the most points after all periods wins the match. Two points are acquired when the ball makes it in the hoop; three points are acquired when the ball gets shot from the three pointer and beyond or when a special shot is performed. The coins that the players gather along the way are added to their total score. Also in this sport, which is exclusive to this game, there is a shot clock on the bottom-left hand corner of the screen so the characters can shoot within the time limit, just like in a professional NBA or collegiate NCAA game. If they do not shoot before time runs out, the other team gets possession. Players are also able to defend, block, and make dunks in this game in a similar way to the actual sport. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then overtime begins. With overtime in this sport, no game ends in a draw.

Volleyball

Mario about to serve in Volleyball

Volleyball is played by hitting a ball without making it touch the ground. Players first start matches by serving the ball, either by ground or by air. The match then proceeds, while the players try to smack the volleyball so it touches the ground. If that occurs, the last team to successfully hit the ball over the net gains a point. When a point limit is reached (the default is fifteen points), the set is won. Players can spike the ball, deflect a spike, and use many other moves that bear resemblance to the actual game. Volleyball also has an out zone, much like tennis: any player who hits the ball into this zone forfeits a point to the opposing team. Volleyball is the only sport in the game that can never have a time limit.

Dodgeball

A match of Dodgeball

A Dodgeball game always begins with a jump-ball that is done by Lakitu to determine which team gets to attack first. Dodgeball is mostly played by throwing a ball to the opposing team. There are two teams of two or three characters and a colored Yoshi on the players' teams. Players can prevent a hit by catching the ball. Players who fail to catch the ball or dodge it lose their vitality. They can prevent this if they catch the ball before it hits the ground, especially if the ball flies upwards. Players cannot catch the ball if they are facing away from them, nor can they catch it if an item is in effect.

Players have a Health Meter and lose a portion when they get hit, except for the colored Yoshi, who can never be "knocked out," but cannot leave the box at the back of the court. Players cannot control the Yoshis, unless they encounter the ball, and even then, the only commands that the players can give them is to pass or attack. If players lose all their HP, they are out, and they are sent into their box. However, unlike the Yoshis in the box, they can leave if they damage their target with the ball. Players that do this also get a small amount of their HP regained, but are out immediately if damaged again. However, some alternate route objectives do prevent players who are out from leaving the box; this can also be applied to exhibition matches in the settings.

The first team to knock out the opposing team before the time limit expires wins the set. Additionally, the team who has the most number of remaining players automatically wins when time runs out. If both teams have the same number of players remaining at the end of the time limit, sudden death follows. With this term, no set ends in a draw. In sudden death, the first team to take damage loses the set. On a side note, this is the only sport which has a time limit in which players can set the timer to infinite.

Hockey

The opening face-off in Hockey

A hockey game always begins with a face-off that is done by Lakitu to determine which team gets the puck at the start of the period. If a team scores a goal or a special shot, another face-off takes place. The goalkeepers in this sport are Shy Guys, and their color depends on which team they are in. In order to steal the puck, players must tackle each other, which can be achieved by the motion of shaking the ( in sideways mode) or simply by making a character go in front of the opponent with the puck. Sometimes, a struggle ensues and players must shake their Wii Remote the fastest that they can in order to win the puck over and knock the opponents away. The team with the most points wins and, very much like basketball, this game is played in time limits and transitional periods. This sport uses a Hockey Stick.

Sports Mix

Sports Mix is a tournament-only game mode, which uses all of the sports. To unlock it, players must complete all four Star Cups and defeat Behemoth. In this game mode, the sport that is played is chosen randomly for each round. Computer controlled characters are set on the Expert difficulty level, the hardest difficulty level in the game. When the players beat the Star Cup, they fight the Behemoth King, instead of the normal Behemoth. The Behemoth King has more health than Behemoth and is harder to beat.

Players can select only characters and alternate costumes that are unlocked in all four sports. Characters unlocked in three sports but not the fourth cannot be used in Sports Mix mode.

Controls

Each sport utilizes various controls, depending on the control scheme that the players use.

Basketball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Run
Jump		Shaking the Wii Remote
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Offensive Controls
Trick Move	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Rotating or pressing
Pass
Jump Shot	while jumping.	Shaking the Wii Remote while jumping.
Dunk	button while running near the basket.	Shaking the Wii Remote while running near the basket.
Layup	while dunking.	while dunking.
Special Move	+	+
Item Shot		while shaking the Wii remote
Combo	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the ball.
Defensive Controls
Steal
Smash Steal	Blocking for an extended time period.	Blocking for an extended time period.
Jump Block		Shaking the Wii Remote
Jump Cut	while blocking.	while blocking.
Jump Attack	button while blocking.	Shaking the Wii Remote while blocking.
Use Item

Volleyball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Serving Controls
Move
Toss	Overhand: Underhand: then Jump Toss: then	Overhand: Swinging the Wii Remote up. Underhand: Swinging the Wii Remote down. Jump Toss: + swinging the Wii Remote.
Serve		Shaking the Wii Remote
Other Controls
Move
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Receive		Shaking the Wii Remote.
Jump	On the third hit, . If Auto Jump is ON, this command executes immediately before a spike.	. On the third hit, shaking the Wii Remote. If Auto Jump is ON, this command executes immediately before a spike.
Spike	while jumping.	Shaking the Wii Remote while jumping.
Super Spike	Spiking after charging at the landing marker.	Spiking after charging at the landing marker.
Aiming Spikes	to move the landing cursor.	to move the landing cursor.
Fake Out	while jumping.	while jumping.
Block	while near the net.	Shaking the Wii Remote
Use Item
Item Spike	while jumping.	button then shaking the Wii Remote.
Special Move	+	+
Combo	Holding and then releasing the button when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and then releasing the button when the players' team has the ball.

Dodgeball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Move
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.
Change Target	N/A
Direction Lock	N/A	Holding
Offensive Controls
Attack		Shaking the Wii Remote
Super Attack	While running near the center line, when the charge is full.	While running near the center line, shaking the Wii Remote when the charge is full.
Jump Attack	Running to the center line to jump. During that time, button to attack.	Running to the center line to jump. During that time, shaking the Wii Remote to attack.
Pass	is used to direct the pass on 3-player teams.	is used to direct the pass on 3-player teams.
Fake Out	Shaking the Wii Remote	then shaking the Wii Remote.
Special Move	+	+
Item Attack		then shaking the Wii Remote.
Combo	Holding and then releasing when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and then releasing when the players' team has the ball.
Defensive Controls
Dodge Roll	. Some characters repel the dodgeball instead of evading it; those kinds of moves have no effect against item attacks.	Shaking the Wii Remote. Some characters repel the dodgeball instead of evading it; those kinds of moves have no effect against item attacks.
Catch	This move has no effect against item attacks.	+ This move has no effect against item attacks.
Diving Catch	button before the dodgeball touches the ground.	Shaking the Wii Remote before the dodgeball touches the ground.
Steal Pass	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Use Item

Hockey

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Face-Off	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Face-Off Charge	Hold during Face-Off	Hold or during Face-Off
Skate
Stop / Turn	in the opposite direction.	in the opposite direction.
Fighting	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Swap Characters	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Offensive Controls
Shoot