Mario Super Sluggers

Mario Super Sluggers (Japanese: スーパーマリオスタジアム ファミリーベースボール Sūpā Mario Sutajiamu Familī Bēsubōru, Super Mario Stadium Family Baseball) is the Wii installment follow up to Mario Superstar Baseball. The game was released in Japan and North America in 2008. It was not released in Europe and Australia.

This game borrows elements seen from the Mario Superstar Baseball game, but it also includes new elements as well for this installment, including a variety of gameplay controls, using the Wii Remote/Nunchuck accessories, and a detailed Challenge Mode, which is the main focus of this game.

Gameplay
Mario Super Sluggers can be played using three different control methods:
 * Wii Remote (vertical)
 * Wii Remote (horizontal)
 * Wii Remote + Nunchuk combo

Assuming that the player is using the Wii Remote (vertical) or the Wii Remote/Nunchuck combination, in order to bat or pitch, the A button must be held and then the Wii Remote must be swung at the appropriate time. The more precise the hit/pitch, the further/faster the ball will go. To charge up a pitch or swing, the players must pull the Wii Remote back. They can also do curve balls as well by twisting the Wii Remote, while pitching. Once the ball is in a fielder's hand, the Remote must be swung so that the fielder can pitch the ball at one of the basemen.

In the outfield, players can create special moves if there is chemistry between outfielders:
 * Pass the ball to another outfielder slightly, and that outfielders pitch will be a very fast laser ball.
 * When a possible home run is hit, players can initiate a Buddy Jump. Upon jumping around another outfielder's head and pressing A, one of the players will jump incredibly high to catch home run balls. This must be done with precise timing.

Star Skills make a reappearance in Super Sluggers as well. Any player can pitch or bat using Star Skills, however only Team Captains can use special hits/pitches. Team Players can only use Star Skills that will make the ball go faster or slower. Both teams can store up to five Star Skill attempts; they are earned as a result of well executed plays.

The Stadiums
There are a total of 9 stadiums (excluding Toy Field) in all. Every Team Captain (excluding Waluigi, Birdo, and Diddy Kong) has a stadium which is based on his or her unique persona. Most of the 9 stadiums can be played in daytime or nighttime. Mario Stadium is the only stadium not to feature any gimmicks in the field, and Wario City is the only stadium that switches from day to night with no gimmick changes. The Bowser Jr. Playroom is only accessible during the day, while Luigi's Mansion and Bowser Castle can only be accessed at night.

Starting Stadiums
These stadiums are accessible when starting a new game file.

Unlockable Stadiums
spoiler warning: plot ending/details follow!

Upon meeting certain criteria during gameplay itself, these four stadiums will be available for access.

Spoiler ending.

The Participants
All of the characters from the Mario Superstar Baseball game make a return appearance in Mario Super Sluggers. Additionally for this game, there are new participants as well. It is now possible to put more than one of the same character on the team in Exhibition Mode, as long as they are different colors. Players are given the choice to play as their Miis as well, who's stats are all 6/10. Players can't choose to have a whole team of 9 Miis, but they can put 1 captain and up to 8 other Miis.

When players become Star Players, their abilities are boosted by 1 point each. However, players can only become Star Players by defeating Bowser's team in Challenge Mode.

Team Captains
All team captains are available to be selected in the game's Exhibition Mode. However, it should be noted that Bowser and Bowser Jr. are only selectable outside of Challenge Mode. Also, depending on progress made in the Challenge Mode gameplay itself, players are only able to choose Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Wario, and Donkey Kong while navigating the Baseball Kingdom locale.

Team Players
It should be noted that not all Team Players listed below are available from the start. In most cases, the player has to go through the Challenge Mode process and find the Team Players in question. Then he or she must pass the said tasks (including specified Scouting Missions/Battle Missions) prior to unlocking the said Team Player(s) for use in other modes for the game (in most cases, during the Exhibition mode setup process).

Certain Team Players can also be unlocked by playing the other available modes in the game. The targeted Team Players in question are added to the overall roster for the entire game, provided that certain conditions are met.

Chemistry
Like Mario Superstar Baseball, the characters will have good and bad relations with any other character. However, the characters will can make special abilities with another character when they show good Chemistry. The player can receive items with chemistry. If the player is a slugger and the next to the other player shares chemistry with the player, this will result in getting an item.

Items
There are a total of six items that are available during the course of Mario Super Sluggers gameplay, which are as follows:
 * Green Shell - Shoot a player and daze them if hit.
 * Fire Ball - Some fireballs will bounce around to burn someone.
 * Mini Boos (unlockable, gotten by getting it inside a Treasure Chest in Yoshi Park, and needed to have King Boo join.) - Make the ball invisible for about six seconds. The ball can still be caught and revealed if someone is lucky enough to catch it.
 * Bob-omb - Throw one and any players in the explosion are hurt. If the one holding the ball is in it, they will drop it.
 * POW-Ball (unlockable, gotten by getting it inside a Treasure Chest in Mario Stadium.) - All fielders are stunned for about four seconds.
 * Banana Peel - Shoot 3-6 bananas to trip the player.

Challenge Mode
Challenge Mode makes a return in Mario Super Sluggers, and is considered to be the primary mode for this game. However, the gameplay procedure for this mode includes a more in-depth story and an overall map screen involving the Baseball Kingdom locale. Along with recruiting players to go against Bowser's team, the players must solve from time to time certain puzzles and/or complete certain tasks in order to get to the main goals in order to proceed.

Captain Abilities
While navigating the Baseball Kingdom, depending on progress made in the Challenge Mode itself, the five Team Captains listed below can use unique abilities to help them do numerous things, including recruiting other Team Captains/Team Players, finding coins, and gaining access to certain areas they couldn't reach before. The abilities in question are as follows:
 * Mario: Talking to plant life, such as flowers and hedges and being able to use Warp Pipes.
 * Peach: Being able to interact with things such as tree stumps, water, and etc. to make characters appear and also being able to take thin pathways.
 * Yoshi: Being able to use Manholes and Ground Pound the ground by trees to make characters come out.
 * Wario: Being able to pick up metal things with his magnet and open treasure chests.
 * Donkey Kong: Being able to climb vines and smash wooden barrels and crates.

The "Challenge Mode Cutscenes"
During the course of gameplay for Mario Super Sluggers, players are able to encounter certain cutscenes that correspond with the game's Challenge Mode. There are a total of four videos that await to be seen by the player in this game, which also includes the game's opening (seen right upon game startup).

Although the basic criteria still remains for the player to encounter them during gameplay itself first, he or she is also able to view the same four videos outside of gameplay as well. These said videos can be accessed for viewing when the "Challenge Mode" category is added to the "Records" section (provided that the player has completed the Challenge Mode gameplay itself at least once). When viewing the Challenge Mode statistics in "Records", the four videos can be found in the "Movie List" sub-category.

The Game's Opening
Although this is seen for the opening of Mario Super Sluggers overall (after the game loads), it's still a combination of previewing the upcoming gameplay itself, as well as setting up what's to come in the game's Challenge Mode. This is the very first video the player encounters.

The Details
The game's opening begins with Toad, Daisy, Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, and Birdo on a small cruiser riding to the Baseball Kingdom, which is the location for the entire Mario Super Sluggers game. The cruiser arrives, and they meet up with Peach and Toadsworth who greet them at the entrance. Peach escorts her friends to the lighthouse at the Daisy Cruiser, showing them an overview of the entire locale. From there, they run into the Mario Stadium holding Wii Remotes (briefly "demonstrating" the game's targeted controls). Closeups of Daisy, Luigi, and Mario follow in regards to swinging their Wii Remotes. Daisy is shown first encountering her Wii Remote changing to her bat. Luigi encounters the same result as Daisy, and Mario's Wii Remote changes to his ball. Mario pitches the ball to Daisy right away following this, and she is seen countering it.

After Daisy countered Mario's pitched ball, the scenery immediately changes as the ball is chased after by Toads in the Peach Ice Garden, where they run into Freezies. The ball then rolls onto Wario City, where Wario chases after it to find it shoot into the air from a manhole water spout. The ball lands on Wario's head, causing him to fall backwards, and causing the ball to fly into Yoshi Park. Yoshi jumps over a pipe to catch the ball, realizing he is going to fall, he flutters around, but falls in with the ball. The ball flies to Diddy Kong at DK Jungle, where he is about to be run over by a barrel, when Donkey Kong comes to Diddy's rescue by smashing it.

The view switches back to Mario Stadium, where Mario pitches to DK, who then makes a hit. Yoshi goes for the catch, but both Wario and Waluigi bombard him with Bob-ombs. Yoshi slides to the catch regardless, throws it to Peach, who throws it to Mario, and then to Luigi on base. DK rushes to the same base where Luigi is standing - unfortunately resulting in DK's slamming into Luigi, sending him into the field wall. As Daisy, Toad and other spectators stand in alarm, they find out seconds later that Luigi has caught the ball. Lakitu calls it out, and everyone rushes to center field where Mario and Luigi are standing. After that, a final overhead shot of the Baseball Kingdom is seen to conclude the opening.

Bowser Jr. and Crew Crash the Party
This is the cutscene that is shown as the player is just beginning the Challenge Mode for Mario Super Sluggers. It takes place after Mario, Luigi, and Lakitu notice that there's something very strange going on outside of the Baseball Kingdom.

The Details
This cutscene starts with an overhead view of the Baseball Kingdom itself, but this time, through Bowser Jr.'s telescope. Bowser Jr. is extremely jealous that Mario and friends have their very own baseball stadiums there, so he pulls a lever which results in his gigantic block fort emerging from the sea (which is known as the Bowser Jr. Playroom). Then, with an extreme amount of force, he goes full speed ahead toward the Baseball Kingdom, resulting in his own stadium crashing headfirst onto the place. Mario and Luigi are shocked to encounter "unexpected guests" on their territory, which also includes their constant nemesis, Bowser.

The Hard-Earned Victory
If the player does manage to make it to Bowser Castle (while it is night time at the Baseball Kingdom) and defeat Bowser's team, then this is the "main ending" that awaits to be seen.

The Details
After a lot of dedicated teamwork from Mario and his friends, they have finally managed to muster enough strength to go against Bowser's team and defeat them in the process. Upon getting the final win, Mario and friends gather around the middle of Bowser Castle to celebrate their victory. Bowser, in the background, is obviously enraged and could not believe that he was just completely humiliated by the prowess of his challengers.

Minutes later, Mario and friends head back to the entrance of the Baseball Kingdom right as nightfall was occuring. Peach magically lights up the island; possibly symbolizing that the evil that gripped the Baseball Kingdom by Bowser and his gang has finally been eliminated, and all is well again.

The Final Festivities
This is the fourth and final cutscene for the player to encounter in Mario Super Sluggers. It is also triggered during the Challenge Mode gameplay after defeating Bowser's team a second time.

The Details
Mario and his friends are celebrating a well played season at the Baseball Kingdom, and Daisy starts things off by inviting everyone to a huge feast at the Daisy Cruiser -- especially Bowser and Bowser Jr. (despite their only getting small portions of food while others got a lot more).

Moments later, the fireworks show begins and everyone is enjoying the spectacular display from the Daisy Cruiser. However, they all decided that it was best to join the folks where the fireworks show was really taking place -- Mario Stadium.

That is where Mario and Donkey Kong assist in the fireworks display because it was also a homerun derby show as well; the two counter Bob-Ombs that were shot out from the cannon across from them. All the spectators are amazed at the fireworks that result afterwards.

Unfortunately, out of nowhere, Wario and Waluigi planned a sneak attack -- by inserting a Bullet Bill into the cannon. The cannon fires with the Bullet Bill aimed right at Mario. Mario was in trouble since his bat couldn't counter the Bullet Bill, nor could he react fast enough to dodge it.

But Bowser immediately drops in because his bat was stronger to alleviate the approaching threat. Bowser manages to counter the Bullet Bill with full force using his bat, resulting in the Bullet Bill going the other direction -- now headed towards Wario and Waluigi -- who are at this point running for dear life. The Bullet Bill destroys the cannon in the process and manages to snag both Wario and Waluigi, taking them straight up into the night sky. After hundreds of kilometers of flying, a huge fireworks explosion from that same Bullet Bill goes off. This was definitely not good news for Wario and Waluigi because of their being caught up in the extremely painful blast. Their beginning to fall down in agony and despair from the explosion hundreds of kilometers in the air doesn't help either.

Back on the ground, all of the spectators turned ecstatic after seeing the final blast, hence ending the show and all the great times they had for the season at the Baseball Kingdom.

Things To Note

 * Upon unlocking the "Movie List" menu (under the "Challenge Mode" category in "Records"), only the first three videos are able to be accessed (Game Opening, Bowser Jr. and Crew Crash the Party, The Hard-Earned Victory). The fourth video (The Final Festivities) is added upon reaching criteria to access it, as mentioned earlier.
 * On that same menu which holds the four videos, there is also a link to view the Mario Super Sluggers game credits (which is mainly shown when the Challenge Mode gameplay has concluded after defeating Bowser's team). The credits layout includes a few snapshots from the four cutscene videos, as well as snapshots from the gameplay itself.
 * In the second cutscene (Bowser Jr. and Crew Crash the Party), a Shy Guy, a Boo, and a Dry Bones accompany Bowser Jr. as he walks out of the Bowser Jr. Playroom. However, in the gameplay itself, Shy Guy is with the Yoshi Eggs team, while Boo is with the Wario Muscles team.
 * In the third cutscene (The Hard-Earned Victory), Birdos of several colors run out and celebrate the victory against Bowser with the rest of the players. However, only the pink Birdo character is playable in the game itself. They also appear in the first and fourth cutscenes, however, here, they are not seen as players.

Mario Super Sluggers Cards
Nintendo of America created an online Adobe Flash program hosted at MarioSuperSluggersCards.com in which players can collect and trade virtual Mario Super Sluggers baseball cards featuring many of the characters, special moves, teams, and stadiums from the title. In addition to the cards, the game also allows players to earn downloads. By placing two compatible cards in the double play drop zone, players can make “double plays” and unlock special videos, wallpapers, and screensavers. When a player completes his or her collection, a post featuring Mario and all of the cards is unlocked. In addition, his or her username will be added to the leaderboard below players who previously completed their collections. Over 700 users completed their collections.

After creating a username and choosing which Mario Super Sluggers character to use as an avatar, players are instructed to click on special banners found on child-friendly websites around the internet in order to collect cards. Lakitu, who gives instructions and hints to the player, tells the player that the one banner can be found on Nick.com. When the player clicks on one such banner, he or she is transported to one of eighty-two Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), each of which corresponds to one of the eighty-two cards. The system is based on luck, but players are also able to trade cards with one another using the swap function or discuss where to find banners and which cards yield double plays.

By checking their history, players have found ways to manipulate the system into giving them whichever card they wish. By checking their history, players can find which URL leads to which card and then share the URL with other players.

The eighty-two cards are divided by rarity into four levels. Forty-one character cards make up the first level, twenty-four special swing/pitch cards make up the second level, twelve team cards make up the third level, and five stadium cards made up the fourth level. Each card has a front and a back. For the "Level 1" cards, the front shows the character's artwork, name, and for captains, the team they are captain of. The back shows the character's name, abilities, "rooky year" (the year their first video game appearance was released), description, statistics, and for captains, team logo. An in-game screenshot of the player is also featured.

Links

 * Official Japanese Website
 * Official English Site
 * IGN
 * Japanese Commercial