The latest entry in the Mario Strikers series is right around the corner and reviews are starting to trickle in. But what's the general consensus on Mario Strikers: Battle League? Well, we've rounded up some verdicts to give you lovely people a better idea.
Before we dive in, however, make sure you check out our own review! We gave the game a glowing verdict, stating that it's "a masterclass in competitive game design" and "is the best sports game on Switch right now".
First up in our round-up is IGN, who gave the game an 8/10 and highlighted its gameplay and replayability:
"If you’ve played any games in the series before, there won’t be many surprises in store for you and the small roster of characters and game modes is definitely disappointing, but what’s there is incredibly fun and replayable. I’m impressed by the online mode in the time I’ve had with it so far too, as it sets the stage for a ranked playlist that I look forward to grinding my way to the top of."
Next up, Destructoid's review very much echoed IGN, stating that the gameplay is enough to keep players occupied, giving the game an 8/10:
"For anyone who lives in a dorm, or is in a position to wrangle up a lot of friends and/or family members, Mario Strikers: Battle League is a no-brainer. Eight-player local play is a blast, especially when you consider that nearly everything is online-only these days. I was shocked that Battle League had this much going on under the surface, and the gameplay itself is enough to carry me through for quite some time."
Game Informer reckons that the game boasts strong gameplay in its 7.5/10 review, but lacks in content for anyone not looking to play online:
Mario Strikers: Battle League may not be the ultimate version of the world's most popular sport, but its strategic matches, fun online modes, and energetic animations make for an enjoyable experience. While the single-player crowd may find the game a bit lacking, Nintendo's return to the pitch is bound to create the same triumphant highs, and friendship-ending lows the company's suite of other party titles is known for.
Gamespot gave the game a 7/10, agreeing that Battle League is a bit thin regarding content, but states that the gameplay is far more strategically deep than previous titles:
Mario Strikers: Battle League is a thin package, without very much variety in terms of game modes and options. But it is a more technically complex game than many of the Mario sports titles, which may give it legs for dedicated players. Sports are all about proving your skill in head-to-head match-ups, and that will have to be enough, because there isn't much else to it.
VGC's 3/5 verdict was reasonably strong, highlighting the gameplay as a high point, but criticising the shallow single-player content and lacking roster:
"The gameplay itself feels great and there’s very little to complain about when it comes to the actual football, outside of the abundance of rebound goals, but it starts to feel somewhat stale when you’re playing as the same characters over and over. The Mario canon is filled with characters that could work as part of the game, and we’re sure they’ll eventually be added, but for now, it’s a lot of Waluigi, which is either a terrible or amazing thing, depending on your view of the purple deviant."
Finally, GamesRadar+ was a bit more critical of the experience, calling the game underdeveloped and recommending players wait for a discount, giving the game a 2.5/5:
"I just really wish that joie de vivre had carried over to the gameplay of Mario Strikers, which at its core is an average football arcade game with a few Nintendo-brand bells and whistles resting on it. I guess I had fun at times, but I suspect deep down that if I'd paid full retail price for it, I would've come away feeling a lot less charitable about the whole thing. Maybe snatch it up when it's discounted and you're looking for a household party game - otherwise, all but the most fervent football fanatics can probably skip this one."
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![Mario Strikers Battle League Football [Download Code - UK/EU]](https://images.nintendolife.com/products/18852/100x100.png)
Comments 49
What a home run!
wait wrong sport.
Pretty mixed but it seems like most of the criticism comes from a lack of single player content. While that definitely does suck and they should have included more, I was mostly just planning to play it as a multiplayer game on the side while taking a break from whatever single player game I'm playing anyway so it shouldn't affect me too much.
Gamesradar+ gave it 2.5/5 not 2.5/10.
Looks like a solid Strikers game, looking forward to play it!
Oof, that GamesRadar+ review certainly doesn’t mince its words. I don’t really play online in these things though so I knew this wouldn’t have the content to keep me entertained. Wish we got a true RPG mode in these like the GBA Mario Tennis and Golf games.
@TMG44 Haha, quite the typo.
It is a bit disappointing that both this and Switch sports are so bare bones.
Man Utd need to sign Mario
It's hard to recommend now a game that is lacking so much content...
The potential is there, but they should've delayed it a few months, instead of updating it. A shame. Nintendo should STOP doing this already. The worst thing of Nintendo in the Switch era, imo.
I feel like I should play the original, and Charged, before getting Battle League. I know they're not interconnected but I still regret not getting those games when I had the chance.
@Olliemar28
Still missed the other typo in the same sentence though!
the game is tempting, but I think I'd rather buy it once it is is completed and done. and on sale. and the truly finished product is printed onto a cartridge.
@CharlieGirl Somehow I doubt that last part is ever going to happen unfortunately but I would absolutely buy it a second time if that came to be (and probably sell my original copy).
That guitar cover in the background... what is it? Is it on Spotify? I NEED IT!
@the_beaver I don't think delaying it would have changed anything. I doubt it's a case of it not being ready, this is generally how Nintendo releases online games to keep the momentum going. So many games are just dead online after 3 months, so it makes sense really. Blame Street Fighter V and Overwatch
As with most multiplayer games, I'm gonna pass on this one. Who knows, maybe I'll bite if they throw in a decent amount of single player stuff down the line.
So no singleplayer, eh? Pass for me then, cant be bothered with sweaty online play cause in a month from now only trihards who are perfect at everything will be playing, ruining the fun for "normal" players.
@Big_Fudge Sorry, but I blame Nintendo and nobody else. Smash Bros Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 came with SO MUCH content at launch, and they are really alive, or at least they have been for many years. Then you look at games like Tennis and Golf, and nobody plays them anymore.
That strategy simply doesn't work for games like this. It mght work for shooters like Overwatch or Splatoon, but not for these. Nintendo should know it already after so many flops, but they're doing it again.
@1UP_MARIO With how far they've fallen in recent years, they'd most likely grab someone like Yoshi: someone who used to be the best in the world who's now just ok as the years have gone on.
@nimnio There's precedent too, the original Strikers was similarly light on single-player content compared to other Mario sports games on the GameCube, yet it still sold better than all of them.
I am looking forward to making a club with the friends. I feel like those people who mostly play games solo are going to resent this experience. Not every game is made for every kind of play style!
Yep as expected the content is just poor for a full priced game, but I liked what I played of the demo so I will have to rent this, no way I'm paying for it
This sounds okay. I loved the original, but dont know if I need to pay 60 dollars for it again. After playing the online test thing I'm glad I'm not getting it day one. Would rather save the money for Fire Emblem 3 Hopes.
Can you mix and match local and online competition?
Removed - unconstructive feedback
All the complaints about 'content' seem to be missing the point entirely.
So that's Mario Party, Tennis, Switch Sports, Strikers all lacking content. If Nintendo gave these games as much attention as the likes of Smash Brothers and Kart they would be knocking it out of the park time after time. Pity.
So yet another undercooked, overpriced Switch game, unfortunately?
@Aurumonado Which is?
I just look at examples such as Smash Bros or Mario Kart, and really I don't see any reason for this.
This only affects the overall perception of quality of the game after time, and therefore the potential number of players. Within a few months people will look at the reviews, at metacritic, at that 7.5 of Strikers and Tennis, at that 7 of Mario Golf, and they will likely decide NOT to buy the game. It's not worth it. However, they will look at that 9.2 of Mario Kart 8 or that 9.3 of Smash Bros, and they'll go for them without any doubt. And just look at the sales and number of people playing online in a comparison.
Now tell me what the point is.
@Aurumonado I really don't get how others think the ones who gave bad reviews for not liking the game on a fundamental level will suddenly like it a lot more if it has a story or more characters.
I would like to know what brilliant single player content others were hoping for that wouldn't just amount to playing a bunch of matches against the CPU.
So 65-70/100 seems more accurate for anyone wanting to enjoy it longer than 2 weeks.
@the_beaver For an arcade sports game like this, the mechanics carry it. The original gamecube game didn't have any extra modes and a lot of people (myself included) are still playing it to this day.
Without a good single player mode I am not interested. But maybe they will a release an update for the single player?
Game graphically looks great in both modes. Performance is solid outside briefly with cinematic.
A lack of shoehorned story mode being the reason some review websites are giving 50-60s out of 100 is laughable. Mario Golf on Switch didn’t suddenly became an amazing game because of a shoehorned story mode
@Arawn93 I agree, I honestly hated the single player in the new golf game. It was so cringe. I mean the bulk of this is focused on the clubs, and the gameplay is so fun that I am glad they didn't shoehorn a horrible story in it
@the_beaver They're not still alive because they had loads of content at launch, they're alive because they're Mario Kart and Smash, plus they've been online before . In terms of online play, Switch Sports, Mario Strikers, Mario Golf are all brand new franchises.
Love Mario Strikers, but I can't understand why the 15 year old and still excellent Strikers Charged has more game modes and twice as many characters as this game (about 9 or 10 captains and almost as many team mates). For me the single player mode Challenge Mode was a no-brainer to make a comeback with new game modes.
Seems pretty disappointing. Sounds like another lazy sports game from Nintendo. Ugh
They could always patch in things that weren't there when the reviewers played it (microtransactions) like sony did with GT 7
Sounds bare at launch but I trust NLG enough to buy it day one.
@the_beaver It has been a successful formula. I can understand why you would want it to have everything from the start, but that makes it hard to keep the game active. A periodic impulse of new content/modes is more likely to keep intrigue
Also, there is an overemphasis on content these days which makes a lot of games feel bloated. I’d much prefer the game be tightly engineered.
Metacritic score is sitting at 75. Once again minimal effort from Nintendo unless its a AAA title.
I'm honestly impressed that besides the lack of content, they find the game strong enough to stand on its own still. Content isnt the biggest deal to me for Strikers, past games honestly didn't have much either outside of characters and stage gimmicks I'll probably won't use.
I'm all for a mario sports game doubling down on its competitive, high skill ceiling gameplay. I also found strikers too hard to play as a kid and I haven't bought any of the mario sports on switch yet. I'm very curious about Strikers and may pick it up
@sixrings It's because NintendoLife has a pro-Mario bias, which is not unexpected of a site calling itself "NintendoLife".
That's why for first party games I prefer to read other people's reviews.
If the Strikers gameplay is as solid as it usually is, then I'll get it for sure. You know Nintendo will keep updating the content, but the amount varies a lot from game to game.
It's also interesting to see people comparing it to Smash Ultimate and MK8 that are basically ports of Wii U games with the DLC included, and more DLC added later.
I fear me and me mates are legit too old for this game. No way nowadays I can gather them all up for a few nights of local play unless planned months in advance. Back in our college days we would have played this game non-stop.
@OldMcGroin Yeah, other than a few stand outs I feel like a lot of Nintendo's output on switch has been totally phoned in
Imagine releasing a game for online multiplayer, with online infrastructure akin to what was available in the mid 00s.
This is kind of dumb. I can't trust Nintendo's online enough to give this game a chance.
Pass.
Game sounds fun but lacking content. What is with Nintendo and sports games...all their sports games come out lacking a lot of content. Such a bizarre pattern.
Golf had to have numerous updates to add content and even then a couple changes could have very much improved the game. Switch Sports has to wait on a soccer update and golf being added 6 months later and doesn't have boxing which most people seem to want (instead has two similar sports in Tennis and Badminton). I think Aces also had to have some content updates unless I'm remembering incorrectly.
So the question is, are they going to have some free content upgrades for Strikers or is the package complete.
Def grabbing this at midnight, just hope this has as many players as RL, Mario tennis online is dead starting at like 7pm
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