History VideoGame / MarioStrikers

* NintendoHard: In ''Mario Strikers Charged'', just wait until you reach the Striker Cup. Then wait until you reach the knockout stage. Then attempt Yoshi's, Bowser Jr.'s or Diddy Kong's challenges. Most of the game is actually pretty easy, but the difficulty spike you have to overcome to reach [[HundredPercentCompletion 100% completion]] is absolutely ''insane.''

* '''''Super Mario Strikers'''''[[note]]''Mario Smash Football'' in European languages[[/note]] ([[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GCN]], 2005): The first entry, bringing staple Mario-themed items of varying danger, potency, and size to the playing field. Body-checking enemies into the electric fence is actively encouraged (though doing so recklessly will award enemies a retaliatory item) and captains may perform high-flying Super Strikes that, when timed right and uninterrupted, can guarantee a goal worth two points instead of one.

* TookALevelInJerkass: More or less the whole cast compared to their classic depictions (even when ignoring the villains) is subjected to this in ''Charged''. From Peach and Diddy throwing a tantrum when the opposing team scores, to Yoshi apparently growling at his opponents, to Daisy stomping over to her teammates for her to obviously take her anger out on them. The only real exceptions are Mario, who quickly regains his composure, and Luigi, whose worst act is basically a DeathGlare.

In line with other ''Mario'' titles in the SportsGame genre, the games are far more cartoony and arcade-like than the typical [[VideoGame/FIFASoccer FIFA]] affair. Expect to see characters doing backflips in slow-motion, items being flung everywhere, the ball becoming encased in an egg or metallic Koopa shell, and enough roughhousing (including shoving opponents into [[ShockAndAwe electric fences]]) that you'll be certain that "red cards" don't exist in this version of the sport. To say nothing of the various stadiums you'll find yourself playing in, with hazards ranging from [[ShockAndAwe bolts of lightning casually electrocuting the players]], [[PlayingWithFire fireballs burning them]] or [[SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom Thwomps crushing them]]. Indeed, ''Magazine/NintendoPower'''s review of the games described them to be less of a soccer game and more of a soccer-themed obstacle course, and ''Battle League'' outright dropped all pretenses and decided that the characters are playing a football/soccer-adjacent game called "Strike". Either way, gaining points is still your priority, but so is being flashy while you do it.

** As of the July 21, 2022 update, Birdo, Boo, Bowser Jr., Dry Bones, Hammer Bro, Koopa Troopa, Monty Mole, and Petey Piranha are not playable in ''Battle League'' after having been playable (either as a captain or a sidekick) in ''Charged'' (as well as ''Super'' for Birdo, Hammer Bro, and Koopa Troopa).

** Bowser is non-playable, instead appearing as a stage hazard while generic robots called the Super Team take his place.

* FurryConfusion: One of the objects that can slap away players in Thudnder Island is a cow that is designed like a real one, looking nothing like other cows we see in the series like in ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' where they look more cartoony.

''Mario Strikers'' is a series of [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball football/soccer]] games developed by Creator/NextLevelGames, consisting of three titles - ''Super Mario Strikers'' ([[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GCN]], 2005), ''Mario Strikers Charged'' (UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}, 2007), and ''Mario Strikers Battle League'' (UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, 2022) Often viewed as the DarkerAndEdgier part of the [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario franchise]] - partially due to their more "rough" art style and [[{{Stripperiffic}} skimpier clothing]].

Despite being in the SportsGame genre, the games aren't exactly your typical [[VideoGame/FIFASoccer FIFA]]-style football/soccer game...it's quite common to see characters doing backflips in slow-motion, items being flung everywhere, the ball becoming encased in an egg or metallic Koopa shell, characters being [[ShockAndAwe electrocuted by an electric fence]] and... headbutting. Matches can be held at some stadiums with [[ShockAndAwe bolts of lightning casually electrocuting the players]], [[PlayingWithFire fireballs burning them]] or [[SmashingHallwayTrapsOfDoom Thwomps crushing them]]. Indeed, ''Magazine/NintendoPower'''s review of the games described them to be less of a soccer game and more of a soccer-themed obstacle course. In fact, ''Battle League'' outright calls the game they're playing "Strike" and insists that it only resembles football/soccer. Gaining points is still your priority, but so is being flashy while you do it.

'''''Super Mario Strikers''''' (''Mario Smash Football'' in European languages) brings staple Mario-themed items of varying danger, potency, and size to the playing field. Body-checking enemies into the electric fence is actively encouraged (though doing so recklessly will award enemies a retaliatory item) and captains may perform high-flying Super Strikes that, when timed right and uninterrupted, can guarantee a goal worth two points instead of one.

'''''Mario Strikers Charged''''' (''Mario Strikers Charged Football'' in European languages) retains nearly all of the features introduced in the precursor, but ups the ante by adding skillshots for sidekicks, captain-specific items ranging from Mario and Luigi's gargantuan growth, to Peach's camera flash freeze, to DK's GroundShatteringLanding, aptly represented by the disembodied head of your captain, and the new, all-powerful Mega Strike for captains. For example, if Koopa charges the ball for long enough, he can release a metallic Koopa shell that dazes Kritter, creating a much easier scoring opportunity. For captains, unlike the previous Super Strike, the Mega Strike is a new move that fires off 3-6 balls at the opponent's goalie which, depending on how many balls are saved, can score anything between zero and ''six'' goals.

'''''Mario Strikers: Battle League''''' (''Mario Strikers: Battle League Football'' in European languages) has the same features as ''Charged'' but adds the ability to customize characters as well as combining stadiums. It also changes the Mega Strike for the Hyper Strike, which functions similarly to the Super Strike from the original game. With the Hyper Strike, the player must grab an orb that randomly drops on the field and then charge it up. If a goal is made with a Hyper Strike active, the player scores two goals.

* ToiletHumor: Wario’s Gas Mask ability in ''Charged'', which creates a cloud of stinky gas. Most of the humor comes from the other characters’ reactions should they walk into the cloud.

* ThreePointLanding: Several characters do this doing their entrances in ''Charged'' and ''Battle Leaue''/

** Hammer Bro's Skillshot unleashes a flurry of hammers at the goalie. If one of the hammer hits the goalie, it’s most likely going to be a score.

** The Soccer Balls used in the game also differ, being more traditional ones as opposed to the series' usual electronic balls. The traditional Soccer Balls, however, are used as items in the VideoGame/SuperSmashBros series.

* WhipItGood: Waluigi strikes the ball with a whip during his Mega Strike.

[[caption-width-right:350:What, you thought that Mario and the gang playing soccer would be clean, family-friendly fun? '''''[[DarkerAndEdgier THINK AGAIN!!]]''''']]

There are two main modes found in the trilogy - ''Cup Battles/Road to the Striker Cup'' (campaign), ''Grudge Match/Domination Mode/Quick Battle'' (versus). The Cup modes found in the games consists of multiple cups where your teams compete in tournament brackets in order to win the trophy. ''Domination Mode'', like normal versus modes, is a customized match between any two teams of your choice. ''Super Mario Strikers'' has a separate versus mode for custom rules, called ''Custom Battles'', it is merged with ''Domination Mode'' in the sequels. ''Charged'' has an aditional mode called ''Striker Challenges'', which consists of 12 different missions (one for each captain) where you and possibly your opponent will be handicapped in some way, and will have to win the game based on certain criteria. ''Charged'' and ''Battle League'' also feature online play, with the former having a ranked system while the latter has both non-ranked and ranked play via ''Strikers Club'', which has you gather up over 20 people to form a club to compete in division rankings across seasons to gain currency in order to customize more parts of the club.

There are three main modes found in the trilogy - ''Cup Battles/Road to the Striker Cup'' (campaign), ''Grudge Match/Domination Mode/Quick Battle'' (versus), and Custom Battles(Super Mario Strikers, Striker Challenges (''Mario Strikers Charged''), and Strikers Club (''Mario Strikers: Battle League''). The Cup modes found in the games consists of multiple cups where your teams compete in tournament brackets in order to win the trophy. ''Domination Mode'', like normal versus modes, is a customized match between any two teams of your choice. ''Striker Challenges'' consists of 12 different missions (one for each captain) where you and possibly your opponent will be handicapped in some way, and will have to win the game based on certain criteria. Charged and Battle League also feature online play, with the former having a ranked system while the latter has both non-ranked and ranked play via Strikers Club, which has you gather up over 20 people to form a club to compete in division rankings across seasons to gain currency in order to customize more parts of the club.

'''''Super Mario Strikers''''' (''Mario Smash Football'' in European languages) brings staple Mario-themed items of varying danger, potency, and size to the playing field. Body-checking enemies into the electric fence is actively encouraged (though doing so recklessly will award enemies a retaliatory item) and captains may perform high-flying Superstrikes that, when timed right and uninterrupted, can guarantee a goal worth two points instead of one.

'''''Mario Strikers Charged''''' (''Mario Strikers Charged Football'' in European languages) retains nearly all of the features introduced in the precursor, but ups the ante by adding skillshots for sidekicks, captain-specific items ranging from Mario and Luigi's gargantuan growth, to Peach's camera flash freeze, to DK's GroundShatteringLanding, aptly represented by the disembodied head of your captain, and the new, all-powerful Megastrike for captains. For example, if Koopa charges the ball for long enough, he can release a metallic Koopa shell that dazes Kritter, creating a much easier scoring opportunity. For captains, unlike the previous Superstrike, the Megastrike is a new move that fires off 3-6 balls at the opponent's goalie which, depending on how many balls are saved, can score anything between zero and ''six'' goals.

'''''Mario Strikers: Battle League''''' (''Mario Strikers: Battle League Football'' in European languages) has all of the same features as ''Charged'' but adds the ability to customize characters as well as combining stadiums and the Hyper Strike. With the Hyper Strike, the player must grab an orb that randomly drops on the field and then charge it up. If a goal is made with a Hyper Strike active, the player scores two goals.

* BareMidriffsAreFeminine: In the first two games, Peach, Daisy and Rosalina all wear midriff-baring sports outfits, whereas the male characters wear full shirts.

* TamerAndChaster: The female designs in ''Battle League'' no longer [[BareYourMidriff show off the characters' midriffs]].

* {{Bowdlerize}}: As of ''Battle League'', BareYourMidriff is averted for the female characters, who dress far more conservatively compared to the first two games.

* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: All of the characters, including Peach, Daisy, and [[PhysicalGod Rosalina]], are prone to huge levels of abuse, from getting tackled, to set on fire, to getting pushed into ''an electric fence''!

** [[ActionGirl Peach and Daisy]] all the way in this game. They're not that interested in trying to look pretty, happy and cute in this game and are much more interested in kicking ass and playing as brutally as the guys. Ditto Rosalina, Pauline and Birdo.

** [[ActionGirl Peach and Daisy]] are portrayed as far more independent here. They're not that interested in trying to look pretty in this game and are much more interested in kicking ass and playing as brutally as everyone else. Ditto Rosalina and Pauline.

** Hammer Bro's Skillshot unleashes a flurry of hammers at the goalie for a guaranteed goal.
** Birdo's Skillshot encases the ball in an egg, which flies through the goalkeeper for a guaranteed goal.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Waluigi's signature power-up causes him to create a tangled, purple wall behind him as he moves. It's called "Wall-Luigi".

'''''Super Mario Strikers''''' (''Mario Smash Football'' in Europe) brings staple Mario-themed items of varying danger, potency, and size to the playing field. Body-checking enemies into the electric fence is actively encouraged (though doing so recklessly will award enemies a retaliatory item) and captains may perform high-flying Superstrikes that, when timed right and uninterrupted, can guarantee a goal worth two points instead of one.

'''''Mario Strikers Charged''''' (''Mario Strikers Charged Football'' in Europe) retains nearly all of the features introduced in the precursor, but ups the ante by adding skillshots for sidekicks, captain-specific items ranging from Mario and Luigi's gargantuan growth, to Peach's camera flash freeze, to DK's GroundShatteringLanding, aptly represented by the disembodied head of your captain, and the new, all-powerful Megastrike for captains. For example, if Koopa charges the ball for long enough, he can release a metallic Koopa shell that dazes Kritter, creating a much easier scoring opportunity. For captains, unlike the previous Superstrike, the Megastrike is a new move that fires off 3-6 balls at the opponent's goalie which, depending on how many balls are saved, can score anything between zero and ''six'' goals.

'''''Mario Strikers: Battle League''''' (''Mario Strikers: Battle League Football'' in Europe) has all of the same features as ''Charged'' but adds the ability to customize characters as well as combining stadiums and the Hyper Strike. With the Hyper Strike, the player must grab an orb that randomly drops on the field and then charge it up. If a goal is made with a Hyper Strike active, the player scores two goals.

* MarketBasedTitle: Primarily to account for the classic Football/Soccer divide, all of the games have a different title in Europe and Australia: