User:Paper Yoshi/Test

January '11

Hello 'Shroom readers! After being absent from the previous seven issues, the Upcoming Games section is back! In this issue, we'll take a general look at the next Mario game, Mario Sports Mix.

Mario Sports Mix, as the name says, is a sports spin-off game. It features four sports: basketball, volleyball, hockey and dodgeball. The game is heavily influenced by Mario Hoops 3-on-3, as both were developed by Square Enix.

North American Boxart

Mario Sports Mix has 19 playable characters. These include the Final Fantasy characters from Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Slime, from the Dragon Quest series. Players can also choose their customized Miis. Both hockey and dodgeball have supporting characters. Shy Guys appear as the goalies on hockey, while colored Yoshis (red or blue, depending on the team) stay at the back of the court in dodgeball.

All of the sports feature common gameplay from the Mario spin-offs: items can be obtained by touching ? Panels, and each character has his/her unique special ability, which can prove very useful during the matches.

Release dates for Mario Sports Mix:

• Japan: Released on November 25^th
• Europe: January 28^th
• United Kingdom: February 4^th
• North America: February 7^th
• Australia: confirmed for 2011

And that's all for now, folks! We'll dig deeper into each sport in the next issue. See you then!

February '11

Welcome everyone to the second issue of 2011!! This is Paper Yoshi once again with Upcoming Games. Although it's been already released in all major regions, January's game carries over to this month. As I promised, we'll take a look at each sport from Mario Sports Mix in this issue.

Basketball

If you've played Mario Hoops 3-on-3, you know how to play this sport in Mario Sports Mix. Shots from inside the 3-point line are worth 2 points, and the ones from outside the line are worth 3 points. Unlike Mario Hoops, Special Shots are worth 3 points (replacing the 4 points given in the DS game). A new feature in this incarnation of "Mario Basketball" is the addition of a shot clock to the screen, which forces players to shoot within 24 seconds. Coins also return, adding one point for each collected coin.

Volleyball

This volleyball game is very similar to the real sport. Players can serve and spike normally, while there's no time limit (it's the only sport without one). Once again, coins, which are obtained by stepping on ? Panels, add points to the score. Just like the gimmick courts from Mario Power Tennis, volleyball stages feature obstacles that may change the ball's course.

Hockey

The Mario series characters step on the ice ring once again, but in this game Sonic characters are absent. The gameplay is roughly the same as Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, with the usual additions to a Mario spin-off: ? Panels and Coins. This time, though, the ice stages are joined by other types of court, such as sand or grass.

Dodgeball

In dodgeball, players must hit the opponent to deplete their health meter, thus sending them to the box at the back of the court. Since this sport doesn't have a scoreboard, coins have a different purpose: the more coins players collect, the more "damage" they deal to the opposing team.

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All sports allow characters to use special abilities after they fill the corresponding meter. They can also obtain and use items to hinder other players.