Mario Sports Mix

Mario Sports Mix is a Mario sports game for the Wii, featuring Mario and company competing in four sports: hockey, basketball, dodgeball, and volleyball. This game is developed by Square Enix, who also developed Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

Gameplay
There is cooperative play, as well as versus. Cooperative play is for up to three players, while competitive is for up to four players. The Wii Remote and Nunchuk control style are used as the control scheme for the game. However, the player can also use the Wii Remote in the horizontal position. Players are able to perform actions through moving the Wii Remote, such as jumping or hitting a volleyball.

Basketball
It is played in a similar way as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. The coins that the players gather along the way are added up to their total score. Also in this sport, there's a shot clock on the bottom-left hand corner of the screen so the characters can shoot within the time limit of twenty-four seconds, just like in a professional NBA game. Each shot outside the 3-point line is worth three points, while inside the line shots give two points. Special shots always give the team three points. Collected coins also add one point for each coin to the score (For example: If a special shot is made and there are seven coins, then the team receives ten points total because adding seven to three equals ten). Players are also able to defend, block, and make dunks in this game in a similar way as the real game.

Volleyball
As in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, there are ? panels in the floor, which give items to the players who step on them. The coin system is also the same and it will increase the player's score (based on the amount of coins he or she gathers). This is the only sport in the game that doesn't have a time limit. Players can serve and spike the ball in similar ways to the real game. Unlike most of the games, many of the stages often relay obstacles that may deflect the players serves and hits.

Hockey
Like all of the other sports, Hockey also has the ? Panels on the floor that gives the players items or extra coins that increases their total score. Additionally, the puck itself is a Coin. Every game begins with a face-off to determine which team will get the puck. Scoring a goal will result in another face-off. The goalkeepers in this sport are Shy Guys. Their color depends on which team they're in (for example, the red Shy Guy represents the red team while the blue one represents the blue team). On courts without ice, the game involves the characters wearing roller blades as opposed to skates. In order to steal the puck, players must tackle each other, which can be achieved by the motion of shaking the Wii Remote or simply by making a character go next to the opponent with the puck. Sometimes, a struggle ensues and players must shake their Wii Remote the fastest they can in order to win the puck over and knock the opponents away.

Dodgeball
Dodgeball is played by throwing a ball (most of the time). There are 2 teams of 2 or 3 and a colored Yoshi (red and blue, according to which team they are on) on their team. Players have a Health Meter and lose a portion when they get hit, except for the colored Yoshi. The colored Yoshi can never be "knocked out", but can not ever leave the box at the back of the court. Players can not control the Yoshis unless they encounter the ball, which is all they will ever try to do. If a Player loses all their HP, they are out and they are sent with Yoshi of their team into the box. However, unlike the Yoshis in the box, they can leave if they hit someone. If they manage this they get a small portion of health back and can move freely again. Items can be used to hinder the opposing teams, but not make them lose their vitality unless used in conjunction with the ball. Also, if both teams have at least one player remaining at the end of the game time, a Sudden death follows the regular game time. With this term, no game ends in a draw. Items can be thrown onto the court or used with the ball. Sometimes players will encounter coins. If this happens, higher levels of stamina will be lost.

Special Abilities
As in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, this game is shown to make use of character specific abilities. There is a meter that needs to be risen all the way to the top to use the attacks. These abilities would allow the characters to unleash a powerful move in the variety of sports in the game, that could help the player win a game. When used, they will completely change the gameplay of the sports. Each special ability is unique to each character and these moves tend to vary from the sport that the player is playing.

Playable Characters
There are 19 playable characters in Mario Sports Mix. All of them are categorized by five groups: green, orange, crimson, blue, and hotpink.


 * green - All-Rounders have normal Power, Speed, and Technique. All-Rounders aren't weak at any stats, but they aren't strong in any as well.
 * orange - Technical characters have more Technique, but less Speed and Power. These characters can better aim their shots. They can also give them a wacky curve.
 * crimson - Powerful characters have more Power, but less Speed and Technique. These characters have stronger and faster attacks and shots.
 * blue - Speedy characters have more Speed, but less Power and Technique. These characters can move faster over the ground.
 * hotpink - Tricky characters have one stronger stat, but the others are usually very low, making them a little more clumsy than other characters, but they do have some useful, but tricky moves.

The Final Fantasy characters from Mario Hoops 3-on-3 make a return in this game. Additionally, the Dragon Quest character Slime makes an appearance, previously having appeared in Itadaki Street DS. These characters are all unlockable and also the only unlockable characters of the game.

Playable Character Statistics
Characters have their own stat values, which depicts their strengths and weaknesses. The stat values are out of 5.

Worth notable is that all All-Rounder, Technical, and Speedy characters, along with Wario and Donkey Kong, have a stat total of 9/15. Tricky characters, along with Bowser, have a stat total of 8/15. Finally, the Final Fantasy characters, Ninja, White Mage, and Black Mage, have one stat point more. This means that Ninja and White Mage have a total of 10/15 instead of 9/15. Black Mage is a Tricky Character, so he has a total of 9/15 instead of 8/15.

Lastly, Cactuar is unique for having a stat that exceeds the 5 point maximum, which is its speed; it's even faster than the Speedy characters.

Non-Playable Characters

 * Koopa Troopa
 * Boo
 * Lakitu
 * Shy Guy
 * Pianta
 * Monty Mole
 * Birdo (species)
 * Behemoth
 * Behemoth King

Courts
There are ten new courts in Mario Sports Mix, including four returning courts from the previous follow-up, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 for a grand total of fourteen playable courts. Each tournament holds three courts that can be played depending on the sport.

Items
As in most Mario games, there are items available during the gameplay of Mario Sports Mix. These items are available by touching the various ? Panels.
 * Green Shell
 * Red Shell
 * Banana Peel
 * Mini Mushroom
 * Super Star
 * Bob-omb
 * Coin

Modes of Play
Mario Sports Mix  has two game modes for each sport: Exhibition and Tournament. Each sport also has a tutorial video so players can learn on how to play these sports.

Exhibition
Exhibition mode allows players to play any one of the four playable sports and customize the rules of the match from the court selection screen. From there, players can select any two or three of the nineteen playable characters and one of the fourteen compatible courts before the match begins.

Players may unlock characters or courts by playing a lot of games in this mode. Character skins can be unlocked by playing a lot with a particular character. This also counts for Tournament mode. However, if the player unlocks something in (for example) dodgeball, it is only unlocked for (in this case) dodgeball and not the other sports.

Tournament
In Tournament mode, players can compete for the trophy in the same manner as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. There are three rounds in the tournament (First Round, Second Round, and Final Match). When a player wins a game, he/she will move on to the next round of the tournament. Each time the player wins a cup, they can earn one of the three crystals. If all three cups are cleared for that corresponding sport, then it becomes a big crystal that can be placed on the Star Ship (for example: green for Volleyball). If all of the sport tournaments are cleared, then the player must battle Behemoth from the Final Fantasy series. Defeating him will result in a new mode, Sports Mix.

After winning the Star Cup of a sport, the player unlocks a Hard mode for that sport. Opponents are more difficult than in Normal mode. Also, if the player clears the Star Cup on all sports, and then defeats Behemoth, Sports Mix mode will be unlocked. Clearing the Star Cup on all sports in Hard mode will make the player face off against Behemoth King.

Sports Mix only has one skill level, which is Expert, and it's a tournament that involves all the sports.

Alternate Routes
Players can also replay tournaments to find alternate routes. Players can find alternate routes by performing some actions in a tournament match, for example scoring a point with a Special Shot.

In the alternate routes, players won't play normal matches, but missions instead. If the player loses a mission, he/she will get sent back to the normal tournament. If the player wins a mission, he/she may continue on, but the road is splitting up often. The player may choose which way he/she wants to go. These roads lead the player to different missions, different events, or sometimes even back to the normal tournament. Once the player comes back to the normal tournament, he/she cannot re-enter the alternate routes until they start over the tournament.

Taking right choices or guesses, the player may reach Secret Final. The Secret Final is the last mission of the tournament. If the player loses this mission, he/she will not get sent back to the normal tournament, but he/she can retry the mission instead. If the player wins this mission, he/she will earn the tournament Cup, like the player did in the normal run.

Players may unlock hidden characters, courts, or character skins by winning missions. However what he/she will unlock depends on the mission, the sport, and even the routes he/she took before reaching the mission. Unlocked items are only accessible in the sport the player won the mission in.

Alternate routes in the Star Cup are a little different compared to the Mushroom and Flower Cups. If the player wins some missions in the route, he/she will travel to the Star Road. The Star Road is a series of difficult missions. If the player manages to reach the end of the Star Road, he/she will get a message Star Road Complete! and he/she will travel back to the normal tournament by jumping on the Star.

There is no Secret Final for the Star Cup, but after clearing the Star Road, the player immediately goes up against the Final Fantasy team. Unlike with the normal tournament, however, crystals do pop up during the match; the crystals act like coins, which adds extra points for Basketball, Volleyball, and Hockey, while strengthening attacks in Dodgeball.

If the player beats the team (and Behemoth if all of the sports are cleared), he/she will unlock a Final Fantasy character for every sport.

Party Games
In addition to the tournament and the exhibition modes, Mario Sports Mix has four party games, one for each sport. They can be played for up to four players.
 * Feed Petey - Basketball
 * Harmony Hustle - Volleyball
 * Bob-omb Dodge - Dodgeball
 * Smash Skate - Hockey

References to Other Games

 * Super Mario Bros.: The underwater theme is one of the tunes available in Harmony Hustle.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: In the underwater theme in Harmony Hustle, part of this game's underwater melody can be heard.
 * Super Mario World: The athletic theme is one of the tunes available in Harmony Hustle.
 * Mario Tennis (series): Peach and Daisy's alternate costumes, called "Tennis-Wear", is based off this series.
 * Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Much of the gameplay mechanics come from this game, especially in basketball. Most stages are also based off this game. The theme of Bloocheep Sea makes a return as one of the songs in Harmony Hustle.
 * New Super Mario Bros.: The design and function of the Mini Mushroom is based off this game.
 * Luigi's Mansion: The court takes place in a mansion based off this game.
 * Super Smash Bros. Melee: Luigi's combo attack in Hockey is a reference to two of his attacks in this game: the Green Missile and his dashing attack.
 * Mario Kart DS: The concept of Waluigi owning a pinball-themed course returns.
 * Mario Kart Wii: In Toad Park, Toads can be seen driving Mario Kart Wii-styled karts. Some item images are also borrowed from this game, such as the Green Shells.