Mario Hoops 3-on-3

Mario Hoops 3-on-3
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Square Enix Nintendo SPD Group No.4
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS; Virtual Console (Wii U)
Release date	Nintendo DS: July 27, 2006 July 27, 2006[?] September 11, 2006 October 26, 2006[?] February 16, 2007[?] Virtual Console (Wii U): May 11, 2016[?] May 26, 2016[?] May 27, 2016[?] November 3, 2016[?]
Language(s)	English French (France) German Spanish (Spain) Italian Japanese
Genre	Sports
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - Parental Guidance USK: - Six years and older
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Wii U: Digital download Nintendo DS: Game Card
Input	Wii U: Wii U GamePad Nintendo DS: Gamepad Stylus
Serial code(s)	NTR-AB3J-JPN NTR-AB3E-USA NTR-AB3E-USA NTR-AB3P-EUR

Mario Hoops 3-on-3, titled Mario Slam Basketball in Europe, is a sports game developed by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. It is a basketball game in the Super Mario franchise, with two competing teams of three characters, per the game title. Mario's first role in a basketball game was NBA Street V3. A follow-up titled Mario Sports Mix was released for the Wii in 2010, retaining the basketball sport, in addition to adding three more sports. The game was released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2016.

Gameplay

Gameplay on Mario Stadium, featuring Mario with the ball, dodging Wario

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 involves both teams of three, represented red and blue respectively, trying to score the most points in two periods (both lasting 180 seconds), by shooting the ball into the hoop ahead of them. Each regular shot is worth 20 points, not 2 points like in contemporary basketball, and shots at the three-point line are worth 30 points. Scoring with a Special Shot, a powerful move used by a character while directing the ball to the basket, is worth 40 points. A player can dribble the ball on ? Panels for coins and Red Coins, each adding one and ten points to the score, respectively, before resetting the next hit. The coins are reset after scoring a basket and when starting the second period. If a player is hit, they drop their coins and opponents try to pick them up.

The title screen, featuring four modes, including the settings and menu

Before a round begins, both teams are in the center of the court, anticipating for Lakitu to drop the ball so they can obtain it. Players can either move around with the ball, pass it to a teammate, or dribble it away from opponents trying to get it. Players can swipe up the touch screen to throw the ball, though they can charge the move to increase the accuracy before throwing. If a player approaches a hoop with the ball, they dunk it, even reattempting if it bounces off of the backboard. Players can steal a ball by either swiping at an opponent, ground-pounding, or catching it while the ball is being passed to an opponent. Players can jump to try and stop opponents from scoring or to even steal the ball. Players can form a blue force field as a form of defense, especially from another player with the ball, it becomes red eventually. Players without the ball can move over ? Panels for items, typically hindering the opponent in some way.

Modes

Challenges

Practice

Practice game skills to use during games. Choose a skill you want to practice from the menu.

Mario is always the player character in practice made, and lessons with a defensive character always have at least Wario. The earlier lessons are about basic game mechanics and rules, but more advanced techniques are taught after winning the first tourney (Offense 2 and Defense 2). Some lessons have a number requirement, where performing the move the same number of times is required to win, though some opt for a time limit instead.

Mario Hoops Rules A demo is shown of a game between Mario, Luigi and Peach vs. Wario, Waluigi and Paratroopa, showing what is possible once practice is complete.
Offense
#	Lesson	Move	Exercise	Requirement
01	Dribble!	The player dribbles the battle wherever they tap on the touch screen, as well as get coins from dribbling on ? Panels.	Collect coins quickly!	0:30
02	Guard the ball!	The player dribbles the ball away from their opponent, who tries to steal it.	Guard the ball for 20 seconds!	0:20
03	Shoot the ball!	The player slides the stylus up to score a basket.	Aim for the basket!	3
04	Do a charge shot!	The player charges up before throwing the ball, with higher accuracy.	Do a charge shot!	3
05	Pass!	The player passes the ball to either the team player on the left or right	Pass the ball around!	5
06	Run and dribble!	The player moves faster by dribbling the ball in the direction they are moving, as well as to get to the ? Panels more quickly.	Chase the ? Panel!	1:00
07	Quick-dash!	The player can dash by dribbling a direction and then moving the same direction.	Quick-dash!	8
08	Dunk the ball!	Sliding the stylus up near the basket causes the player to dunk.	Dunk 3 times!	3
Offense 2
#	Lesson	Move	Exercise	Requirement
09	Do a fake!	The player can move the ball while charging.	Fake, then do a charge shot!	3
10	Rebound-dunk!	The player grabs the ball quickly as it bounces on the rim to dunk it.	Rebound-dunk!	3
11	Charge-dunk!	The player briefly rubs the stylus back and forth to get coins right before dunking.	Charge-dunk!	3
12	Do a trick!	The player moves quickly by sliding the stylus down and then going left or right.	Use trick moves!	3
13	Direct-pass!	The player chooses which direction to pass the ball by sliding the stylus in that direction while holding L.	Make a direct-pass!	4
Defense
#	Lesson	Move	Exercise	Requirement
01	Steal the ball!	The player swipes at their opponent's ball to take it.	Steal the ball!	3
02	Jump!	The player can deflect balls thrown by their opponents.	Jump and block!	3
03	Jump-steal!	Same as the previous except the player steals the ball too.	Jump-steal to guard the hoop!	3
04	Items	The player gets items from running over ? Panels without the ball.	Hit Wario with a shell!	3
05	Swap characters!	The player presses L to switch to another team player.	Switch players!	4
Defense 2
#	Lesson	Move	Exercise	Requirement
06	Block 'em!	The player rubs the stylus to produce a small, blue force field, blocking opponents.	Block Wario!	0:20
07	Charge-steal!	When the force-field turns red, the player can slide the stylus down to steal the ball more effectively.	Charge-steal!	3
08	Drop-steal!	The player performs a ground-pound from a jump and then sliding the stylus down, allowing for a steal.	Make 'em drop it!	3
09	Sidestep!	The player slides either left or right to sidestep quickly, allowing them to sneak up on opponents.	Sidestep and steal!	3
10	Rebound!	The player catches the ball from the rim of the opposing team's hoop.	Nab a rebound!	3
Free Practice With Mario, Luigi and Peach, any move can be practiced here. To play defense, the player can pass-direct down, but there are no real opponents to practice most defensive maneuvers.

Special Shots

Practice dribbling commands of players who've mastered their special shots!

Players can practice Special Shots with any character, and their corresponding shape and sequence is always shown. The goal is to score three Special Shots. They can go alley-oops with one of their two teammates.

Dribble Race (Time Trial)

Get 100 coins from ? panels and head for the goal! Beat the best time!

The goal is for the player character to collect 100 coins on each of the three courses and cross the finish line as quickly as possible.

Course	? Panel value	Preset record	Unlock criteria
Peach's Castle	10 coins	45 seconds	N/A
Sunshine Road	5 coins	55 seconds	N/A
Rainbow Road	5 coins	1 minute	Clearing records of the previous two stages

Tourney

Winning the Mushroom Tourney

Tourney involves predefined matches with other teams, consisting of a Round 1, Round 2, and the Finals. There are four tourneys, titled Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Rainbow, all following the naming scheme of the Mario Kart series. Once all four tourneys are won, their respective hard mode versions are unlocked. The player can pick their three characters. The main screen shows player characters on blocks. When the player wins a game, the first player of their team hits a block, revealing a beanstalk to the next set of blocks, while the CPU captain cries from getting an Empty Block. The player can retry matches they lose in. Upon clearing the finals, the player's team can get the gold trophy above the ? Block, though the Rainbow Cup has an extra match on the Rainbow Ship, because the Final Fantasy characters took the trophy to there, and winning that match plays the staff credits afterward. The rankings are determined as follows:

• Gold - Winning all matches with at least a 200-point advantage
• Silver - Winning all matches by a 100-point advantage
• Bronze - Winning the tournament

Exhibition

Players select their team and a stage to play on. There are a few other settings they can change:

• Time per Period: 1:40, 2:00, 2:30 (default), 3:00, 3:20.
• # of Periods: 2 (default), 4.
• ? Panels: On (default), Off. If off, shots inside the outer line are worth two points, outside of the line three, and special shots worth four.
• CPU Level: 1 (Amateur), 2 (Weak, default), 3 (Normal), 4 (Tough), 5 (Brutal), 6 (Pro).

Matchup

Exhibition

Mario Hoops Face-off! Game results will be recorded in the player ranking. Win matches to earn points and rank up!

The same as the single-player version, except with two human players. It is the only one of three matchup modes unavailable for DS Download Play.

Dribble Race

Dribble Race Versus Friends! Nab 100 coins from ? panels and beat everyone to the goal!

Same as Dribble Race Mode, except up to four players compete.

Coin Hunter

Coin Hunting with Friends! Throw items and scramble for coins! Hold on to coins until the end to win!

Up to four players begin with fifty coins, trying to eliminate opponents and their coins. It can be played on either Mario Classic 1-1, Mario Classic 8-4, Mario Classic 2-2, or Strange Forest; the last two become available by winning five of these battles in a row.

Options and player rank

The Toads found on the main menu.

Options is accessed by tapping a sign of a Toad holding a wrench. The player can customize their name, rank, multiplayer win rate and record icon (the latter of any player character), and the ball used in gameplay. It is also possible to switch the handedness, more usage of the face buttons, and "call-outs," where the player can receive requests for other basketball challenges. The other Toad has a rank menu, where the player can view their ranking, their friend's profiles, and sort them by favorites.

Controls

Command	Buttons	Stylus
Common Controls
Move	Point the in the desired direction.	none
Jump	Press when the selected character does not have the ball.	Stroke the from the bottom of the Touch Screen up when the selected character is without the ball.
Swap Characters	Press when the selected character does not have the ball and the player will switch to the character closest to the ball handler.	Press and stroke the when without the ball and the player will be switched in the direction of the stroke.
Offensive Controls (when the player is in possession of the ball)
Shoot	Press	Stroke from the bottom of the Touch Screen to the top.
Pass left	Press	Stroke to the left.
Pass right	Press	Stroke to the right.
Dribble	Press	Tap Touch Screen with
Dunk shot	Press while moving towards the hoop.	Stroke from the bottom of the Touch Screen to the top while moving towards the hoop.
Charge-dunk	Press to begin the dunk then press and hold .	Swipe up with the to begin the dunk then rapidly rub the screen with the
Charge shot	Hold down and simultaneously.	Press and hold the on the Touch Screen.
Special shot	none	Enter the selected character's command by tapping the in the appropriate pattern.
Defensive Controls (when the player is without the ball)
Sidestep left	Press	Stroke the to the left.
Sidestep right	Press	Stroke the to the right.
Steal	Press	Stroke the from top the bottom.
Throw items	Press	Stroke the in the desired direction that the item wishes to be thrown in.
Block	Hold down	Press and hold the Touch Screen with the
Jump-steal	Double tap	Swipe up twice with the
Drop-steal	Press then	Swipe up then down with the

Special Shot Commands

See also: Special Shot (Mario Hoops 3-on-3 and Mario Sports Mix)

Special Shot commands are used by tapping out a shape on the touch screen twice, with the number of taps depending on the shape. If a player's shot does not make it over to the basket, their teammate dunks it for them.

Command Type	Total Number of Taps	Special Shot	Character	Description
	10	Fire Shot	Mario	Mario dribbles the ball in an "M" shape, engulfing it in flames and tossing it into the hoop.
		Flutter Dunk	Yoshi	Yoshi grabs the ball and flutter kicks upward to make a slam dunk.
		Jet Shot	Diddy Kong	Diddy uses his Barrel Jet to soar up high and toss the ball down into the hoop.
		Konga Dunk	Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong slams the ground repeatedly, then jumps to make a slam dunk.
		Moogle Dance	Moogle	Moogle bounces with the ball and rolls it around before tossing it into the hoop.
	6	Green Fire Shot	Luigi	Luigi hurls a smoking green basketball into the hoop.
	7*	Cannon Shot	Dixie Kong	Dixie summons a cannon and loads the ball into it before blasting it into the hoop.
		Egg Shot	Birdo	Birdo throws and catches the ball with her snout, then fires it into the hoop.
		Flower Shot	Daisy	Daisy surrounds herself with flowers, orbiting the ball around her before tossing it into the hoop.
		Heart Shot	Peach	Peach creates hearts around herself, jumps upward and propels the ball into the hoop.
	10	Move-It Dunk	Wario	Wario creates a "W" around him before charging forward and dunking the ball.
		Twist Dunk	Waluigi	Waluigi creates whirlwinds around the ball and tosses it up, "swimming" upward in the air to dunk it.
	10	Bomber Dunk	Bowser	Bowser stomps repeatedly and sets the ball ablaze, then jumps up high to make a slam dunk.
		Graffiti Shot	Bowser Jr.	Bowser Jr. swipes at the ball with his magic brush, then strikes it into the hoop.
		Thriller Dunk	Boo	Boo unleashes several copies of itself to enshroud the ball before spiking it into the hoop.
	8	Leaf Veil	Ninja	Ninja elevates the ball upwards and vanishes in smoke, reappearing higher to make a slam dunk.
		Wing Shot	Paratroopa	Paratroopa grabs the ball and soars towards the hoop for a slam dunk.
	11*	Holy Shot	White Mage	White Mage summons magic blue symbols, turning the ball into a comet which flies down into the hoop.
		Meteor Shot	Black Mage	Black Mage summons magic purple symbols, summoning a meteor shower which carries the ball down into the hoop.
	8	1000 Needles	Cactuar	Cactuar tosses the ball up and corkscrew jumps high up to headbutt it, falling through the hoop with the ball.
		Thunder Shot	Fly Guy	Fly Guy wields a spear enveloped in lightning and skewers the ball, sending it high up to dive down into the hoop.

* - Even though the command type "▽" has three points and the command type "☆" has five points, the first set of taps for each symbol is not complete until the player hits the first point again. This makes the first set of commands a total of four taps for the triangle, and six taps for the star. Thus, after the fourth or sixth tap, the player must tap again three or five more times to create another triangle or star respectively.

Characters

Playable characters

The game's starting characters in the Select Characters screen.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 has sixteen characters of the Super Mario franchise and five from Final Fantasy, for a total of 21. Eleven of the characters are unlockable. There are five character types: All-Around, which have balanced stats; Technical, which specialize in aiming; Speedy, which move around fast; Powerful, which can throw the ball far; and Tricky, which are advantaged in one stat while having the others relatively low.

Starting characters

Name	Special Shot	Baller Name
All-Around Characters
Mario	Fire Shot	"The Jumpman"
Luigi	Green Fire Shot	"Mushroom Dynamite"
Yoshi	Flutter Dunk	"Piranha Playa Hater"
Technical Characters
Peach	Heart Shot	"3-point Royalty"
Daisy	Flower Shot	"Cash Money Coin Collector"
Waluigi	Twist Dunk	"The Question"
Powerful Characters
Donkey Kong	Konga Dunk	"Dunky Monkey"
Wario	Move-It Dunk	"Sir Stomp"
Speedy Characters
Bowser Jr.	Graffiti Shot	"Masked Man"
Diddy Kong	Jet Shot	"Diddy? No he didn't!"

Unlockable characters

Name	Special Shot	Baller Name
All-Around Characters
Birdo	Egg Shot	"Diamond Dino"
Ninja	Leaf Veil	"Mr. Invincible"
Technical Characters
White Mage	Holy Shot	"The Light"
Powerful Characters
Bowser	Bomber Dunk	"The Big Shell"
Speedy Characters
Dixie Kong	Cannon Shot	None
Cactuar	1000 Needles	"Stick and Sting"
Tricky Characters
Paratroopa	Wing Shot	None
Boo	Thriller Dunk	None
Fly Guy	Thunder Shot	None
Moogle	Moogle Dance	"Game & Watch Me"
Black Mage	Meteor Shot	"Abracadabra Kid"

Costume changes

Some characters have unlockable costume changes, whether it changes their outfit or their palette. The player can change their selected character's outfit by pressing . A few characters can change between four colors: blue, green, red, and yellow.

Screenshot	Costume	Description
	Peach	Peach wears a pink skirt.
	Daisy	Daisy wears a yellow skirt.
	Ninja	Ninja wears an indigo outfit.
	White Mage	White Mage has purple hair, a red jewel, and magenta patterns on her clothes.
	Black Mage	Black Mage wears a light-brown robe, a lime-green hat, black pants, and black gloves.
	Yoshi	(left): Yellow Yoshi (right): Light Blue Yoshi (up or down): Red Yoshi
	Fly Guy	(left): Yellow Fly Guy (right): Light Blue Fly Guy (up or down): Green Fly Guy

Non-playable characters

Screenshot	Enemy	Description	Stages
Blooper		Bloopers swim around, deflecting the ball if it hits them.	Bloocheep Sea and Mario Classic 2-2
Bob-omb		They explode after being picked up and thrown.	Wario Factory]]
Bomb		Inflicts fire damage to players, causing them to lose the ball and coins.	Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road (from ? Panels)
Cheep Cheep		They can be dribbled on for coins in Peach Field, but appear in the background elsewhere.	Peach Field, Bloocheep Sea, and Mario Classic 2-2
Dry Bones		The likeness of the hoop backboard on the Pirate Ship	Pirate Ship (reference)
Fire Bar		Inflicts fire damage, like Bombs.	Mario Classic 8-4
Ghost		They can take the ball, forcing players to retrieve it.	Luigi's Mansion
Gooper Blooper		Gooper Blooper swings his tentacles at players nearby.	Pirate Ship
Lakitu		It serves the ball before starting a round and holds the hoop in Peach Field of the opponents of whoever has the ball.	Various
Malboro		Two of them are baskets at Malboro Garden. Their poisonous breath functions identically to Poison Mushrooms.	Malboro Garden
Petey Piranha		Two of them are baskets at Daisy Garden. They are sometimes asleep, but they attack nearby players while awake.	Daisy Garden
Podoboo		They jump from the lava and inflict fire damage on contact.	Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road
Sushi		Non-interactable species in the background of a court.	Bloocheep Sea
Thwomp		They attempt to crush players.	Bowser's Castle and Mario Classic 8-4 (hidden under ? Panels)

Mario Stadium crowd

The following are part of the crowd at Mario Stadium:

• Goombas
• Piantas (blue and yellow)
• Shy Guys
• Toads

Courts

Each tourney has an unlockable fourth course playable only in Exhibition Mode.

Mushroom Tourney

Preview	Court	Description
	Mario Stadium	A basic basketball stadium with no hazards.
	Koopa Beach	Cannonballs are sometimes launched from pirate ships, and the water can slow players.
	Peach Field	The hoop is held by Lakitu, and Cheep Cheeps sometimes bounce on stage.
	Sunset Beach	A variation of Koopa Beach without cannonballs

Flower Tourney

Preview	Court	Description
	DK Cruiser	The raft has barrels that sometimes roll around and Banana Peels that sometimes fall on.
	Luigi Mansion	There are ghosts that can steal the ball.
	Daisy Garden	Players can only score a hoop, represented by a Petey Piranha if invincible or while Petey is sleeping.
	Malboro Garden	Similar to Daisy Garden but with Malboros instead.

Star Tourney

Preview	Court	Description
	Wario Factory	Bob-ombs are featured as hazards on the court.
	Jr. Street	Players who score baskets with Slot Coins risking getting either more or fewer points,
	Bowser's Castle	Has Podoboos and Bomb hazards, burning players, and Thwomps that crush players.
	Glare Desert	A tornado sometimes arrives, knocking player who touch it.

Rainbow Tourney

Preview	Court	Description
	Sherbet Land	A slippery court with Freezies, which freeze players temporarily.
	Bloocheep Sea	The match takes place underwater, so the characters and objects move slower.
	Pirate Ship	Explosive cannon balls roll around, harming players on contact, and Gooper Blooper can tilt the stage slightly.
	Rainbow Ship	Takes place on a flying ship but has no hazards.

Unlockables

Tourney Mode

Trophy	Normal Mushroom Tourney	Normal Flower Tourney	Normal Star Tourney	Normal Rainbow Tourney
Bronze	Paratroopa	Dixie Kong	Bowser	Ninja
Silver	Costume Change: Peach	Costume Change: Daisy	Moogle	White Mage
Gold	Watermelon Ball	Yoshi Egg Ball	Spiked Ball	Black Mage
Trophy	Hard Mushroom Tourney	Hard Flower Tourney	Hard Star Tourney	Hard Rainbow Tourney
Bronze	Birdo	Boo	Fly Guy	Costume Change: Black Mage
Silver	Soccer Ball	Costume Change: Yoshi	Costume Change: Fly Guy	Costume Change: White Mage
Gold	Cheep-Cheep Ball	Dice Ball	Goomba Ball	Costume Change: Ninja

Courses

• Sunset Beach - Playing an exhibition match on Koopa Beach during 16:00-18:00, set on the system's internal clock.
• Malboro Garden - Dunking at Daisy Garden three times and then finding a blue seed in a ? Panel.
• Glare Desert - Winning at least 800 points at Jr. Street in the Star Tourney.

Last character

• Cactuar - Winning an exhibition match at Glare Desert after dribbling it a few times.

Balls

Sprite	Ball	Description
	Basketball	Available from the start.
	Blue/White/Red	Unlocked by winning one match in tourney mode using only three-point charged shots.
	Yellow/Green	Unlocked by playing an exhibition match at Daisy Garden.
	Purple/Orange	Unlocked by playing an exhibition match at Bowser's Castle.
	Black/Red	Unlocked by winning an exhibition on Rainbow Ship without ? Panels.
	Blue/Silver	Unlocked by finishing Practice Mode.
	Spiked	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Star Cup tourney.
	Watermelon	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Mushroom Cup tourney.
	Pumpkin	Unlocked by losing 5 games in a row in wireless exhibition.a
	Dice	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Hard Flower Cup tourney.
	Soccer	Unlocked by obtaining a silver trophy or better in the Hard Mushroom Cup tourney.
	Star	Unlocked by winning one match in tourney mode using only Special Shots.
	Yoshi Egg	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Flower Cup tourney.
	Cheep Cheep	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Hard Mushroom Cup tourney.
	Goomba	Unlocked by obtaining a gold trophy in the Hard Star Cup tourney.
	Rainbow	Unlocked by winning 7 games in wireless exhibition.a
	Silver	Unlocked by having 2000 points in profile. a
	Gold	Unlocked by having 5000 points in profile.a

^a - Unobtainable in the Wii U Virtual Console version due to the lack of wireless functionality

Items

Items for all courts

Offensive and Defensive items

The following items can be used by any player, regardless if they are on offense or defense.

Sprite	Item	Description
	Coin	Each of a team's coins becomes an additional point when scoring a goal. If a player takes damage, they drop coins.
	Red Coin	Same as coins but worth ten of them.
	Lightning	Strikes down teammates and opponents for a few seconds.
	Mushroom	Increases the user's speed temporarily.
	Poison Mushroom	The opposite of the Mushroom, slowing the player briefly. A Malboro's breath has the same effect.
	Star	The Star gives temporary invincibility while making the user faster, and other players who touch them are damaged.

Defensive items

Sprite	Item	Description
	Banana	Slips a player who runs on it. They are sometimes thrown on DK Cruiser.
	Bomb	They explode a few seconds after appearing, but at less range than a Bob-omb.
	Fake ? Panel	They look like ? Panels, but with a backward "?" and trip players who run over them.
	Green Shell	They knock over players, but if a Green Shell bounces around twice, it disappears.
	Red Shell	A homing variation of the Green Shell.
	Spiny Shell	Targets whoever has the ball before exploding.

Items for specific courts

Sprite	Item	Description	Court
	Slot Coin	Up to three can be obtained from purple ? Panels to activate the slot machine. A team is more likely to be rewarded the more Slot Coin they have.	Jr. Street
	Freezy	They freeze players in blocks of ice temporarily.	Sherbet Land
	Mimic	They go after the ball, harming players along the way, though Mimics can sometimes release coins.	Bloocheep Sea

Soundtrack

Main article: Mario Basketball 3on3 Original Soundtrack

An original soundtrack featuring 31 tracks from the game was released only in Japan on October 18, 2006. It was published by Square Enix.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Hoops 3-on-3 staff

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 was developed by Square Enix, well known for their Final Fantasy franchise and its characters, some which are playable in this game. It is their first Super Mario-themed game they have developed for the Nintendo DS, the other being the Japan-exclusive Itadaki Street DS later on, which also features Super Mario characters crossing over with another of Square Enix's IPs, Dragon Quest. Shin Azuma directed the game, who would later reprise his role as a director in Mario Sports Mix, the follow-up title to Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Masayoshi Soken has composed the game's soundtrack, and he would also later compose the soundtrack for Mario Sports Mix.

Development

Developers at Square Enix chose to make a basketball game while exploring various ways to make use of the Nintendo DS's Touch Screen, and approached Nintendo to integrate characters from the Super Mario franchise. Due to Square Enix developing this game, it is the first game to feature the Super Mario and Final Fantasy characters together as playable characters, in addition to other Final Fantasy elements present in this title.

The game received two promotional browser games, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 -- Dribble Skillz and Superstar Shootout.

Reception

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 has received generally positive to mixed reviews, scoring a 69 on Metacritic based on 40 reviews and a 70.36% based on 42 reviews in GameRankings respectively. General praise has been given towards the game's crisp graphics and animations and the Super Mario-themed take towards the sport to make it feel different from other basketball games, though the touchscreen-centric controls have been a major point of contention, with reviewers either thinking that it adds to the gameplay or that it subtracts from it. Another common criticism is that the game lacks replay value and is very light on content, and the lack of online play makes this game difficult for users to pick up again. Many have also expressed criticism toward the attributes and skills of the Final Fantasy characters, saying that they are overpowered compared to that of the rest of the roster.

Jeff Gerstmann from GameSpot gave the game a 7.1 out of 10. Gerstmann has praised the game for the innovative touch-screen based controls, the Super Mario-themed environments and hazards in the courts and the game's graphics, though has criticized the game for its lack of content, the repetitive single player mode, the lack of variety of sound clips and animations, and the lack of online play, where the download play has only "tedious minigames". He has recommended the game to people who wish to play in local multiplayer modes, but has advised for solo players to ignore the title due to lack of longevity. Aaron Kaluszka of Nintendo World Report gave the game a 7.5 out of 10. He has stated that the game feels awkward at first that it controls entirely with the touchscreen, though has remarked that after a few minutes of play, the controls start to feel intuitive. He has additionally praised the game's graphics and sound, calling the presentation "fun". Some criticisms of the game he has was with the game AI, saying that the game feels like "Mario Hoops 3-on-3 often plays more like Mario Hoops 1-on-3." as AI teammates "don’t really do much besides stand around waiting for a pass." and the game's multiplayer, limited to only two player offline play and four player support only being available in Mario Party style minigames.

Craig Harris of IGN gave the game a 6.8 out of 10, criticizing the touch-centric control scheme, saying, "This new touch screen control works but it sort of lacks immediate response, giving it a soft, mushy feel -- a stylus stroke isn't as quick as a simple button press. Even if the touchscreen control offers more variety on the court, it just doesn't feel as satisfying as it should be. Some touch screen controls are more complicated than you'd expect -- special moves need to be tapped out in a specific pattern twice, maneuvers that feel too disconnecting from the rest of the ball-handling control." He has also criticized the method to collect coins, calling dribbling on the ? Panels to obtain coins to score more points, saying that "this game boils down to just how long can you hold onto the ball and tap squares as fast as possible." Another criticism of his was the game's AI, saying that the AI is stupid to let players score while they sit around in the early game, though the game has a difficulty curve and it takes time to reach challenging opponents. One praise of the game that Harris offered were its bright, colorful, and detailed graphics, especially for Nintendo DS standards. Keza McDonald of Eurogamer, giving the game a 6 out of 10, has echoed similar thoughts regarding the enemy AI, saying that they just stand there, and they cannot prevent steals until Hard mode. Another common complaint was the lack of online play and a viable single-cart option mode, though McDonald has praised the touch control scheme.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo DS	Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot	7.1/10	"It's short on modes and asks you to replay the same tournaments on multiple difficulty settings, but the core gameplay in Mario Hoops is pretty good."
Nintendo DS	Aaron Kaluszka, Nintendo World Report	7.5/10	"What do you get when you combine NBA Jam, Super Mario Kart, and the Nintendo DS touch screen?"
Nintendo DS	Cole Smith, Cheat Code Central	3.5/5	"My only complaint is that a lot of gamers will get bored long before they ever complete the single-player mode. But as long as you’ve got the Wi-Fi mode and some friends to play against, this might not be a questionable purchase."
Nintendo DS	Scott Anthony, Pocket Gamer UK	7/10	"Fun, frantic, and action-packed, Mario Slam Basketball is a good-looking game that lacks solid opposition."
Nintendo DS	Craig Harris, IGN	6.8/10	"The gameplay just never reaches the presentation's level, and never quite gets up there with the likes of the other Mario sports on Nintendo handhelds and consoles."
Nintendo DS	Keza MacDonald, Eurogamer	6/10	"Mario Hoops 3-on-3 is actually a very good simple basketball game, but the simplistic AI and chaos factor often prevent that from shining through."
Nintendo DS	Tom Orry, VideoGamer	6/10	"It's not without its problems, is far too simple and lacking in features, but as sports games on the DS go, it's one of the best."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		69
GameRankings		70.36%

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Peach

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Moogle

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Mario Hoops 3-on-3 media.

Theme

File infoMedia:MH3o3Theme.oga ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

• Game & Watch: Moogle's baller name is "Game & Watch Me".
• Donkey Kong: Mario's baller name is "The Jumpman", referencing an alternate name for Mario in this game.
• Super Mario Bros.: There are many references to this game. An 8-bit Small Mario chasing two Goombas is seen on Mario Stadium. Also, Bowser's Castle and Bloocheep Sea's music are remixes of the Castle and Underwater themes, respectively. The ground in Tourney Mode is the same as the one of overworld levels of this game. Finally, the Classic 1-1, 8-4 and 2-2 courts of Coin Hunter are references to the respective levels of this game.
• Super Mario Bros. 2: The final victory theme is a cover of the first half of this game's ending theme.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: The Airship Theme and "Fortress Boss" theme can be heard during the cutscene where Ninja steals the Rainbow Tourney trophy.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Luigi's special shot is Green Fire Shot, a reference to his Green Fireballs acting like Mario's.

References to later games

• Mario Sports Mix: This is the second project developed by Square Enix using the Mario Hoops 3-on-3 formula. Basketball is one of the featured sports there. Additionally, the Final Fantasy characters return in that installment.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マリオバスケ３ｏｎ３[?] Mario Basuke Surī-on-surī	Mario Basket(ball) 3-on-3
Chinese (traditional)	瑪利歐籃球 3對3鬥牛 Mǎlì'ōu lánqiú sān duì sān dòuniú	Mario Basketball 3 on 3 bullfight
French (NOE)	Mario Slam Basketball[?]	-
German	Mario Slam Basketball[?]	-
Italian	Mario Slam Basketball[?]	-
Spanish (NOE)	Mario Slam Basketball[?]	-

Notes

• Waluigi's Baller Name, "The Question", is a reference to the real-life former basketball player Allen Iverson, whose nickname was "The Answer".
• In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the trophy for Green Koopa Paratroopas states that they appear in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 even though in said game only Red ones appear.

External links

• Instruction booklet
• American English instruction booklet