Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox

|developer=[[Square Enix]]

|designer=

|released={{releasedate|Japan|July 27, 2006|USA|September 11, 2006|Australia|October 26, 2006|Europe|February 16, 2007}}

|genre=Sports

|modes=Single player, Multiplayer

|ratings={{ratings|esrb=E|cero=A|pegi=3|usk=6}}

|platforms=[[Nintendo DS]]

|media=[[Nintendo DS]] Game Gard

|requirements=

|input={{input|nds=1|stylus=1}}

'''''Mario Hoops 3-on-3''''', also known as '''''Mario Slam Basketball''''' in Europe and '''''Mario Basketball 3on3''''' in Japan, is a ''[[Mario (series)|Mario]]'' sports game developed by [[Square Enix]] for the [[Nintendo DS]]. This time, [[Mario]] and his friends are playing basketball.

In the beginning, it was meant to be an original intellectual property, but Square Enix felt that it would work well if it were a part of the ''Mario'' franchise, and so Square Enix contacted [[Nintendo]], who then allowed it to use the ''Mario'' label. This game is the first in which ''Mario'' and ''Final Fantasy'' characters appear together as playable characters.

==Characters==

<br clear=all>

{|border=1 width=30% style=float:right

|width=15%|'''Technical''' - Good at shooting

|width=15%|'''Powerful''' - Good at stealing

|width=15%|'''Tricky''' - Full of trick moves

|width=15%|'''Speedy''' - Fast

|width=15%|'''All-around''' - Equal stats in all four categories

===Starting Characters===

{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 style="border:1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse" width =100%

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Mario]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Luigi]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Princess Peach|Peach]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Princess Daisy|Daisy]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:MarioHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:LuigiHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:PeachHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:DaisyHoops.png|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || All-Around

| '''Character Type || All-Around

| '''Character Type || Technical

| '''Special Ability || [[Fire Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Green Fire Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Heart Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Flower Shot]]

|'''Baller Name || "The Jumpman"

|'''Baller Name || "Mushroom Dynamite"

|'''Baller Name || "3-point Royalty"

|'''Baller Name || "Cash Money Coin Collector"

! colspan=2 | [[Yoshi]]

! colspan=2 | [[Wario]]

! colspan=2 | [[Waluigi]]

! colspan=2 | [[Bowser Jr.]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:YoshiHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:WarioHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:WaluigiHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:MH3on3 BowserJr1.png|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || All-Around

| '''Character Type || Powerful

| '''Character Type || Technical

| '''Character Type || Speedy

| '''Special Ability || [[Flutter Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Move-It Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Twist Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Graffiti Shot]]

|'''Baller Name || "Piranha Playa Hater"

|'''Baller Name || "Sir Stomp"

|'''Baller Name || "The Question"

|'''Baller Name || "Masked Man"

! colspan=2 | [[Donkey Kong]]

! colspan=2 | [[Diddy Kong]]

! colspan=4 rowspan=5 |

! colspan=2 | [[File:DKHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:DiddyHoops.png|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || Powerful

| '''Character Type || Speedy

| '''Special Ability || [[Konga Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Jet Shot]]

|'''Baller Name || "Dunky Monkey"

|'''Baller Name || "Diddy? No he didn't!"

===Unlockable Characters===

{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 style="border:1px solid black; border-collapse:collapse" width =100%

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Koopa Paratroopa|Paratroopa]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Dixie Kong]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Bowser|Bowser]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:ParatroopaHoops.PNG|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || Tricky

| '''Character Type || Speedy

| '''Character Type || Powerful

| '''Character Type || All-Around

| '''Special Ability || [[Wing Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Cannon Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Bomber Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Egg Shot]]

|'''Baller Name || ''None''

|'''Baller Name || ''None''

|'''Baller Name || "The Big Shell"

|'''Baller Name || ''None''

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Boo|Boo]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:BooHoops.PNG|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:FlyGuyHoops.PNG|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:MoogleHoops.PNG|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:NinjaHoops.png|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || Tricky

| '''Character Type || Tricky

| '''Character Type || Tricky

| '''Character Type || All-Around

| '''Special Ability || [[Thriller Dunk]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Thunder Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Moogle Dance]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Leaf Veil]]

|'''Baller Name || ''None''

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[White Mage]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Black Mage]]

! colspan=2 width=25% | [[Cactuar]]

! colspan=2 rowspan=5 |

! colspan=2 | [[File:WhiteMageHoops.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:MH3on3 BlackMage.png|107x113px]]

! colspan=2 | [[File:MH3on3 Cactuar.png|107x113px]]

| '''Character Type || Speedy

| '''Special Ability || [[Holy Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[Meteor Shot]]

| '''Special Ability || [[1000 Needles]]

|'''Baller Name || "The Light"

|'''Baller Name || "Abracadabra Kid"

|'''Baller Name || "Stick and Sting"

==Courts==

The fourth course of each tourney (excluding Rainbow Ship) is an unlockable and can only be played in [[#Exhibition|Exhibition Mode]]. The rest of the courts are played in Tourney Mode as well.

*'''[[Mushroom Tourney]]'''

**[[Mario Stadium (court)|Mario Stadium]] - The basic basketball stadium, with no hazards.

**[[Koopa Beach (court)|Koopa Beach]] - Pirate ships shoot cannonballs onto the beach occasionally. Also, the water on the edges slows down movement.

**[[Peach Field]] - [[Lakitu]] holds the only basket on this course - he moves it depending on which team has the ball. Also, [[Cheep-Cheep]]s appear periodically to bounce over the field.

**[[Sunset Beach]] - No pirate ships, but otherwise the same as Koopa Beach.

*'''[[Flower Tourney]]'''

**[[DK Cruiser]] - Taking place on a raft, sometimes the barrels come loose and roll around, flattening players in their way.

**[[Luigi's Mansion (place)|Luigi Mansion]] - Ghosts sometimes take the ball in midflight, and players must jump to retrieve it.

**[[Daisy Garden]] - Two Petey Piranhas act as baskets, and reject any dunk unless they fall asleep or if the player gets a star.

**[[Malboro Garden]] - Malboros spit poisonous gas if players come too close. The garden itself is the exact opposite of the Daisy Garden.  

*'''[[Star Tourney]]'''

**[[Wario Factory]] - Players ride an elevator as the court and bigger [[Bob-omb]]s are sometimes dumped on the course, which anyone can use and throw - before they automatically explode.

**[[Jr. Street]] - Taking place in a city, players can take a risk by collecting [[Slot Coin]]s to make the slots spin to either gain or lose points.

**[[Bowser's Castle]] - Fireballs and [[Bomb (species)|Bomb]]s spring up from underneath the course. A player affected by a burn will run randomly if not directed by the D-pad and can still do defensive maneuvers, but cannot retrieve the ball for himself or herself. Huge, living fireballs sometimes appear, burning a few characters and, after a few seconds, spontaneously combusting. Also, [[Thwomp]]s are sometimes hidden under [[? Panel]]s.

**[[Glare Desert]] - A tornado moves around the course at midfield, otherwise a standard course.

*'''[[Rainbow Tourney]]'''

**[[Sherbet Land (Mario Hoops 3-on-3)|Sherbet Land]] - Missed steal attempts while running causes the player to slide on the icy field. Also, a unique item to the course, [[Freezie]], can encase a player in ice for a few seconds.

**[[Bloocheep Sea]] - Taking place underwater, everything moves much slower. If the ball hits a [[Blooper]], it will bounce off. Finally, [[Mimic]] appears here.

**[[Pirate Ship (Mario Hoops 3-on-3)|Pirate Ship]] - Cannon balls roll down the court, exploding upon being touched. Also, [[Gooper Blooper]] appears as a sideline threat, and the stage tilts slightly left to right.

**[[Rainbow Ship]] - Despite being on a flying ship, it is a completely standard course. At the end of the Rainbow Tourney, there is a match against the Ninja, Black Mage, and White Mage here.

==Gameplay==

The main mode is Tourney mode, where a team of 3 is chosen and they compete against other teams for the cup, in generally 3 matches. Exhibition mode is like quick-play, as well as customizable.

Almost all of the gameplay in the game is controlled by the Touch Screen. The only exceptions are moving a character, which is controlled by the D-pad, and a special form of passing, which uses the L button. This can be switched around with the buttons controlling movement and the R button for passing for left-handed players.

There are many moves for offense and defense. The player's team of three is identified with a red circle below them, a blue circle for the opponent team's players. The player's team's basket is always facing ahead of them, and the opponent's team in the back, even when switching court. Therefore, generally, stroking up on the touch screen is used for offense and stroking down is used for defense. For more on moves, see the Practice section.

The match starts at half court, with the center of each team preparing to jump for the ball that [[Lakitu]] will release at the start. Matches are played in at least two periods lasting two and a half minutes. At the end of each period, each team's coin count is reset to 0 and another jump-ball at half court is initiated. Whichever team has the most points overall when all periods are played, wins the match.

===Scoring===

[[File:Jetshot.jpg|frame|right|The player already has 100 coins, making it (if the player scores) the highest possible score outside of [[Jr. Street]], 140 pts.]]

Scoring is a bit different in ''Mario Hoops'' than in a real world basketball game. Each shot made is worth 20 points. Shots made outside of what is normally the 3-point line are worth 30 points (therefore, the basic shot is multiplied by 10 in ''Mario Hoops''). Special shots, regardless of position are worth 40 points. To compound the points, [[Gold Coin|coins]] also come into play. Players can collect coins by dribbling over the [[? Panel]]s scattered about the court. Regular coins add 1 point each to the score, and red coins add 10 points to the score. Every time a team makes a basket, their coins are reset to zero. Getting hit, either from items or other players, will result in some of the player's coins scattering on the field, which can be picked up by anyone, including the character who lost them. The limit to the number of coins one team can have is 100 (therefore the maximum normal score for one shot is 140, and for Jr. Street, the maximum score is 420), and the more coins one has, the more are lost on a hit. If the player make a shot with a lot a coins, the player can really go from losing to winning in a matter of seconds. If the ? Panels aren't on the field, then the shot value is divided by ten, making normal shots worth two points, three-pointers worth three, and special shots worth four.

===Items===

*'''[[Banana]]''' - The simple yellow peel still trips up anyone who slips on it.

*'''[[Green Shell]]''' - Bouncing freely, Green Shells are more powerful than Bananas when they make contact. They are discarded from the field when they have bounced twice off the boundaries.

*'''[[Red Shell]]''' - Red Shells have less accuracy than in the ''Mario Kart'' series, and miss often if the player makes a sudden turn (quick-dash). The Red Shell will then act like a Green Shell.

*'''[[Spiny Shell]]''' - The shell, even though without wings, can fly in the air and target the ball, creating a familiar blue explosion. Does not miss.

*'''[[Fake ? Panel]]''' - When thrown, disguises itself as a ? Panel, except for a backward question mark. A character trying to get an item or collect coins will be knocked down when he or she steps on the fake panel, as well as lose the ball if it is on offense.

*'''[[Bomb (item)|Bomb]]''' - When thrown, they explode within 3 seconds, knocking anyone in the vicinity down.

*'''[[Mushroom]]''' - Boosts speed for the character for awhile.

*'''[[Poison Mushroom]]''' - Contrarily, slows the character for awhile. This is the status ailment the Malboro inflicts.

*'''[[Star (item)|Star]]''' - Invincibility. A single touch causes the character to drop the ball; it is impossible to steal the ball from anyone invincible.

*'''[[Thunderbolt (item)|Lightning]]''' - Everyone except the user is struck down for a couple of seconds. Initially, the player must jump at the bolt to use it, as it is up high, giving the defensive player the edge. However, it eventually hovers down, allowing the offensive player to run into it.

*'''[[Slot Coin]]''' - only available from purple ? Panels on the offensive, this powers the slots in [[Jr. Street]].

*'''[[Mimic]]''' - A treasure-chest item from [[Bloocheep Sea]], Mimic will slowly go after the player with the ball, chomping away. Sometimes he will spit up many Red Coins instead.

*'''[[Freezie]]''' - Characters can become icicles if hit by this item from [[Sherbet Land]]. Acts like a Green Shell when thrown.

==Modes==

[[File:485737-mario-hoops-3-on-3-nintendo-ds-screenshot-title-screen-with.png|thumb|The title screen with all four modes.]]

Challenges contains both practice modes and then a true extra challenge-like mode after completing the main practice mode.

====Practice====

<span style="color:blue">Practice</span> <span style="color:red">game skills</span> to use during games. Choose a skill you want to practice from the menu.

As Mario, players will practice basic techniques upon starting the game, then advanced techniques after winning the first tourney (Offense 2 and Defense 2). If a defensive man is needed for practice, it is always Wario.

<center>The following is a table of each lesson, which explains the control mechanism for each move, as well as each exercise to practice the lesson. If the requirement is just a number, the player must do the move that number of times. If it's a time limit, the player has that much time to do that objective (i.e. block a player from dunking).</center>

 

{| width=100% border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2 style="-moz-border-radius:8px;text-align:center;color:black" align=center

|- style=background:#DFB;

| colspan=5 style="text-align:center;border-bottom:2px solid black" | '''Mario Hoops Rules''' <br> A demo is shown of a game between Mario, Luigi and Peach vs. Wario, Waluigi and Paratroopa, showing what is possible once practice is complete.

|- style="background:#ffe0d9"

! width=2% | # !! width=12% | Lesson !! width=57% | Move !! width=19% | Exercise !! width=10% | Requirement

|- style=background:#fff0e9

|01 || Dribble! || Tapping the touch screen causes whoever has to ball to dribble in the direction the touch screen was tapped. Dribbling on [[? Panel]]s produces coins. || Collect coins quickly! || 0:30

|- style=background:#fff0e9

|04 || Do a charge shot! || By holding the stylus down on a touch screen for a few seconds, the ball will "charge up". Upon shooting, there is greater accuracy. || Do a charge shot! || 3

|06 || Run and dribble! || By dribbling in the same direction as the character moves, the player will pick up speed. This is essential to grab as many coins as possible from ? Panels. || Chase the ? Panel! || 1:00

|07 || Quick-dash! || By dribbling in one direction and then turning in the same direction, the player will make a quick turn, perhaps avoiding trouble. || Quick-dash! || 8

|10 || Rebound-dunk! || If the ball doesn't quite go in from a normal shot and is bouncing on the rim, the player can approach it like a dunk to regain control and score. || Rebound-dunk! || 3

|12 || Do a trick! || When moving, swiping down and then again left or right causes the character to quickly move sideways, possibly getting by defenders. || Use trick moves! || 3

|13 || Direct-pass! || While holding down <tt>L</tt> and then stroking in any direction, it is possible to pass in any direction, instead of the character automatically moving to a position. || Make a direct-pass! || 4

|- style="background:#dce3ff"

|- style=background:#e9f0ff

|01 || Steal the ball! || Stroking down causes a simple steal attempt. The steal must be placed where the ball is, not just at the opponent. The ball then comes loose, giving the opposing team a chance to get the ball. || Steal the ball! || 3

|- style=background:#e9f0ff

|02 || Jump! || Stroking up means to jump on defense. It can be used to deflect and block both simple and charged shots, with good timing. || Jump and block! || 3

|03 || Jump-steal! || Stroking up while jumping causes the player to do a steal motion in the air. Likewise, it can lodge loose a ball about to be dunked, if the timing's right. || Jump-steal to guard the hoop! || 3

|04 || Items || When ? Panels are run over on defense, an item is produced and, in the example here, a Green Shell is thrown in the direction the stylus is stroked. || Hit Wario with a shell! || 3

|05 || Swap characters! || Pressing <tt>L</tt> changes control to the player closest to the ball. Stroking sideways left or right while pressing <tt>L</tt> changes to that character regardless of proximity to the ball. || Switch players! || 4

|- style="background:#dce3ff"

! width=2% | # !! width=12% | Lesson !! width=57% | Move !! width=19% | Exercise !! width=10% | Requirement

|- style=background:#e9f0ff

|06 || Block 'em! || Rubbing the stylus causes the character to create a small blue force field in front of him or her, and move around with it. Opponents can't get by this field. || Block Wario! || 0:20

|- style=background:#e9f0ff

|07 || Charge-steal! || Eventually the force field will turn red. Stroking down then will cause a stronger steal that can knock down any player. || Charge-steal! || 3

|08 || Drop-steal! || Jumping and then stroking down causes the character to do a ground-pound related move. The opponent can drop the ball within a wider range than a simple steal. || Make 'em drop it! || 3

|09 || Sidestep! || Stroking left or right causes the character to quickly move sideways. He or she can sneak up on an opponent and catch them off-guard by doing a simple steal. || Sidestep and steal! || 3

|10 || Rebound! || Catching the ball by jumping as the ball bounces around the opponents' rim is known as rebounding. It requires some timing to when the ball is at a low point. || Nab a rebound! || 3

| colspan=5 style="background:#F9F9AA;border-top:3px solid black" | '''Free Practice''' <br> With Mario, Luigi and Peach, any move can be practiced here. <br> To play defense, the player can pass-direct down, but there are no real opponents to practice most defensive maneuvers.  

====Special Shots====

<blockquote><span style="color:blue">Practice</span> <span style="color:red">dribbling commands</span> of players who've mastered their <span style="color:blue">special shots</span>!</blockquote>

Players can practice [[Special Shot]]s with any player unlocked (the shots themselves don't have to be mastered, despite the in-game description). It acts like a lesson, with the objective to do the special shot 3 times from anywhere on the court, with two other characters supplied for alley-oops. For specific info for each character's special shot, see the [[Template:Special Shots|template]].