| Mario Hoops 3-on-3 | |
|---|---|
 North American box art | |
| Developer(s) | Square Enix |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Shin Azuma |
| Producer(s) | Toyokazu Nonaka Hiroyuki Miura |
| Artist(s) | Gen Kobayashi |
| Composer(s) | Masayoshi Soken |
| Series | |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Mario Hoops 3-on-3, known inEurope asMario Slam Basketball and inJapan asMario Basket 3on3 (マリオバスケ 3on3,Mario Basuke 3on3), is a 2006sports game developed bySquare Enix and published byNintendo for theNintendo DS. The game is the first in whichMario andFinal Fantasy charactersappear together as playable characters, and the secondMario game developed bySquare Enix, the first one beingSuper Mario RPG. It is the firstMario basketball game ever to be released, although characters from the series have appeared in theGameCube version ofNBA Street V3. The game was released on the EuropeanWii UVirtual Console on May 26, 2016 and it was released on North American Wii U Virtual Console on November 3, 2016.
The game features a series ofthree versus three basketball tournaments on different courts, each of three games. The game uses the Nintendo DS's touch screen extensively and features items and coins from theMario series. The game received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the game for being amusing and fun, but criticized the weak AI and limited multiplayer options, with full basketball games only being playable across two players locally who each had a copy of the game.
The gameplay ofMario Hoops 3-on-3 is centered on basketball games, structured into tournaments that the player must win to progress. The tournament ladder is made with graphics based on the originalSuper Mario Bros.. Each tournament consists of three games with two halves of two and a half minutes each. The one exception is an extra game with theFinal Fantasy team at the end of the final tournament. The player can win a tournament by winning the three games on its ladder.[1] Upon winning, the player is awarded either a gold cup, a silver cup, or a bronze cup. These cups correspond with winning by more than 200 points cumulatively across the three matches, 100 points, or simply winning all three games.
The matches feature three players on each side, with characters drawn primarily fromMario and other Nintendo games, as well as characters fromSquare Enix'sFinal Fantasy series. During matches, theNintendo DS touch control is used for all actions except for movement, which can be handled by the directional pad. The player can also control directly via the touch screen. The top screen of the DS shows the game in 3D, while the bottom screen shows an overhead view of the whole court.[1]Dribbling is performed automatically, but slower if the touch screen is not used actively to dribble.
The player can perform multiple moves, such as stealing the ball and passing, by using gestures on the touchpad. The player shoots by drawing a line forward on the touchscreen. Depending on where the character is and how he/she is moving, the shot will either be a normal shot, a special shot, or aslam dunk; these shots give the team different numbers of points. The basketball court contains multiple coin pads, which give the player coins when dribbled on up to a maximum value; when the player makes a shot, their coins are added to their total point score. Some items appear on the court; when used they grant the player special moves.[1]
There are two game modes: normal and hard. Hard mode is unlocked after the game is beaten on normal. In addition to the regular tournament game, there is an exhibition mode. In this mode, the player can customize the rules such as the amount of playing time, the number of periods played and turning items on or off. Multiplayer is limited to local games, and each player must own their own copy of the game.[1] The game does not have online multiplayer, and the "game sharing" option (playing multiplayer across only one copy of the game) only allows for the playing of select minigames, not full basketball games.[1]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 69/100[2] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 7/10[3] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 6.17/10[4] |
| Eurogamer | 6/10[5] |
| Game Informer | 6.5/10[6] |
| GamePro |   [7] |
| GameRevolution | C[8] |
| GameSpot | 7.1/10[1] |
| GameSpy | [9] |
| GameTrailers | 7.1/10[10] |
| IGN | (AU) 7.4/10[11] (UK) 7/10[12] (US) 6.8/10[13] |
| Nintendo Power | 7.5/10[14] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald | [15] |
| The Times | [16] |
The game received "mixed or average" reviews according to video gamereview aggregatorMetacritic.[2] The game was generally praised for its control, graphics, and variety, but was criticized for its simplistic AI, unsatisfactory minigames, overpowered skills for theFinal Fantasy characters, and lack of Nintendo Wi-Fi connection support.
411Mania gave the game a score of 7.5 out of 10 and said it was "a game that could've easily been rated much higher had there been Wi-Fi connectivity, smarter AI and a richer single card download-play option. Not including Wi-Fi was inexcusable as it would have easily been one of the most played games online. [...] I'd honestly recommend this game for any DS owner out there as I feel the game at least deserves a try. Some will be hooked, some won't, but you can't deny the fun ofMario Hoops 3 on 3."[17]The Sydney Morning Herald gave it three stars out of five and called it "fast-paced stylus-swiping basketball action best suited to short matches against friends."[15]The Times also gave it three stars out of five, saying, "The wild combinations of touch-pad and direction keys required to play make this a game you might not wish to use on public transport, and it somehow lacks the charm of previous Mario-themed games. Good, but not great."[16]
As of July 25, 2007,Mario Hoops 3-on-3 has sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.[18]
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