Game of the Week #44

[The Passion of the Mario]

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 (DS, 2006)



Mario's sole foray into basketball (at least until next year's Mario Sports Mix), Mario Hoops 3-on-3 was developed by Square-Enix. There are many different courts with different gimmicks and environmental hazards, such as Koopa Beach (with its incoming cannonballs), Luigi's Mansion (with its mischievous ghosts), and Bowser's Castle (with its fireballs, bombs, and Thwomps). As in other Mario sports titles, game-changing items like Banana Peels, Koopa Shells, and Thunderbolts also come into play. There are many different game modes, and many ways to mix up gameplay variety.

There are twenty-one playable characters. As this game was developed by Square-Enix, five of these characters are guest stars from the Final Fantasy series. The Mario characters include Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, Princess Toadstool, Princess Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Bowser Jr, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Dixie Kong, Birdo, Boo, Fly Guy, and Paratroopa. The Final Fantasy roster includes White Mage, Black Mage, Ninja, Cactuar, and Moogle.

Here's a gameplay video.

Click to view video.