Mario Superstar Baseball [GC]

You'll need to watch out for unexpected hazards or obstacles when pacing the field, too -- a truth that adds a layer of chance to the experience. For instance, a character's hit may smash directly into a coin box and fall to the ground before you can catch it. Or, alternatively, a tornado may swoop a ball from right field and send it flying into center. In Bowser's Castle, you have to watch out for earthquakes and lava. Most of the time, these elements don't play into the experience, but occasionally they do and they're bound to bring a smile to your face as you're reminded you're playing a Nintendo game.

Mario Party
Namco has included a host of Mario Party-style mini-games in Mario Superstar Baseball. These can be accessed in challenge mode or as stand-alone experiences for up to four players from the main menu. The games are very much like the offerings in Mario Party in that they are simple and shallow, but nevertheless enjoyable. In Bob-omb Derby, your goal is to hit as many pitches out of the ballpark as you can within a given number limit. In Wall Ball, you try to throw a fastball through a number of walls for points. In Chain Chomp, you're challenged to run the diamond collecting coins while avoiding the chomping baddy. And in Barrel Batter, you try to blow up barrels by hitting baseballs their way. These games are entertaining because they break up the baseball experience and also enable three additional friends to join in the challenge. But don't expect them to keep you busy for too long. In addition to everything else, the title boasts a Toy Field mode in which you compete against mascots on a virtual court filled with bonus tiles. Frankly, we failed to find this mode's appeal.

Style
Namco has created a very crisp, stylized baseball experience. Mario Superstar Baseball screams Mushroom Kingdom from beginning to end. The clean, often humorously animated character models that grace the field will please Nintendo fans. When Boo charges his bat, he turns to the camera with a pained look on his face. Wario spins out of control after he swings and misses. A bevy of lighting and particle effects surround and bring life to these animations. The fields are different in presentation. For instance, Yoshi's Stadium boasts a storybook background while Wario's Palace takes place in the desert. It all comes together for a baseball title worthy of Nintendo's stamp. But it's not perfect. Some of the animations, particularly when characters run the bases, are downright poor. In fact, during replays, you'll be able to see some models clipping through others as they sprint for home plate. On the other hand, the game does run at both 60 frames per second and in progressive scan mode.

The game delivers a fitting selection of happy, upbeat background music and downright ridiculous -- yet somehow funny -- character noises. We could listen to Shy Guy and Birdo all day. In fact, many of us have taken to imitating these amazingly cool mascots around the office. Does that make us sick? We can't help it. In contrast, whoever is calling the game's numerous strikes and balls has a voice so painfully screechy that it's difficult to stomach for even a short time. Everything runs crisply -- in the announcer's case, too crisply -- in Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound.

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