Mario Sports Mix

Template:Infobox Mario Sports Mix is a Mario sports game for the Wii featuring Mario and company competing in four sports: hockey, basketball, dodgeball, and volleyball, along with the Final Fantasy characters who have appeared in Mario Hoops 3-on-3 as well. Slime, a Dragon Quest mascot, makes an appearance in this game, as well. This game is developed by Square Enix, who also developed Mario Hoops 3-on-3.

The game supports the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection feature, which enables players to play with other players in their region. To save any game data, three blocks of memory have to be used on the Wii system. However, due to the game's Wi-Fi compatibilities, the game data is copy protected, which means it cannot be transferred onto other Wii systems.

Story

The scene where Toad witnesses the sight of a mysterious, blazing comet falling into the Mushroom Kingdom.

One day in the Mushroom Kingdom, Toad is gardening flowers when suddenly, the sky turns dark, and a strange object falls from the sky and crashes. Toad is worried about the situation, so he, along with some other Toads, rushes to the crashed object to examine it. The Toads find four colored crystals: a red crystal with a basketball in it, a green crystal with a volleyball in it, a yellow crystal with a dodgeball in it, and a blue crystal with a coin in it. While observing the mysterious crystals, the Toads suddenly come up with an idea of introducing new sports - Basketball, Volleyball, Dodgeball, and Hockey - to the Mushroom Kingdom. The Toads also organize tournaments for the four sports. The best players of the tournament earn a prize: one of the four crystals that fell from the sky. Mario, his friends, and his foes are ready to play sports and enter the tournaments to find out who are the best players of the Mushroom Kingdom.^{[video 1]}

The discovery of the Sports Crystals lead to the events in the game.

When the players' team wins the Mushroom and Flower Cups, and gets to the end of the Star Cup, everything seems to be normal, but in the final round, a Star Ship appears and the players' opponent turns out to be Ninja in disguise. Ninja steals the trophy and jumps onto the Star Ship. The players follow Ninja to get the trophy back. They end up playing against the Final Fantasy team, while the Star Ship flies through space. When the players win against the Final Fantasy team, they receive one of the crystals that fell from the sky. The leader of the team uses it to power the Star Ship and take the team back home.

After players receive all four crystals, the crystals merge and turn into a dark, glowing crystal. The dark crystal takes the players to another area. In this area, players encounter the Behemoth, a creature from the Final Fantasy series. The players must defeat the monster before it defeats them. When the players defeat Behemoth, the dark energy from the dark crystal disappears and turns into a rainbow-colored crystal. The players use the crystal again to power the Star Ship to take them back home.

Sports Mix mode's story is highly identical, except after the players' team defeats the Final Fantasy team, the three Sports Mix trophies that they receive will end up merging into a dark crystal. That crystal also leads them to an alternate dimension, where the Behemoth King is found. Similarly with Behemoth, players have to defeat the Behemoth King before it takes them out. When the Behemoth King is defeated, the crystal's dark energy disappears, and it turns back into a rainbow crystal. The players use that crystal to power the Star Ship to take them back home.

Gameplay

Multiplayer cooperative mode.

Toad and Yoshi defeat Ninja and White Mage in a 2-on-2 Volleyball match.

White Mage, Yoshi, and Toad defeat Ninja, Pure White Mage, and Black Mage in a 3-on-3 Dodgeball match.

Mario Sports Mix features four playable sports, all unique from each other. Players can play either alone with CPU allies, cooperatively with others up to three players, or against one another. Four players can participate; however, they can participate only in Vs. mode since it is impossible to have all four players team up. The Wii Remote and Nunchuk control style is used as the primary control scheme for the game. However, the players can also use the Wii Remote in the horizontal position. Players are able to perform actions through shaking the Wii Remote and/or inputting buttons as shown in horizontal Wii Remote scheme. All sports are played in periods, where, except for volleyball, there is a certain time limit to each period. When the time limit reaches zero, players move to the next period and change sides. Excluding dodgeball, points acquired in past periods also add up to the current game's total score. In dodgeball, another period commences when all team players get knocked out.

? Panels return from Mario Hoops 3-on-3, where they serve the same purpose: to provide players with either coins or an item. Unlike Mario Hoops 3-on-3, items are held in reserve rather than players holding them. The more coins players have, the more points they can get when they achieve a scoring. Players lose coins when they get hit by an opposing item, which makes the coins scatter on the floor. However, in dodgeball, coins increase the attack power of attacks, and players cannot lose coins from items.

There are also special options that can be adjusted for each sport in exhibition mode, such as turning on and off ? Panels, setting the number of periods and the time limit, and other options which can be specific for each sport. Once the options are set, they do not reset whenever a players turns off the game.

On a side note, there's an option which enables the players to receive commands. However, this option is available only when the CPU level is set to "Easy".

Basketball

Basketball plays in a similar fashion as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3, but with a few minor changes.

Basketball is played in a similar fashion as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. Players must score points by shooting a basketball into their hoop in order to win the game. Whichever team has the most points after all periods wins the match. Two points are acquired when the ball makes it in the hoop; three points are acquired when the ball gets shot from the three pointer and beyond or when a special shot is performed. The coins that the players gather along the way are added to their total score. Also in this sport, which is exclusive to this game, there is a shot clock on the bottom-left hand corner of the screen so the characters can shoot within the time limit, just like in a professional NBA game. If they don't shoot before time runs out, the other team gets possession. Players are also able to defend, block, and make dunks in this game in a similar way to the actual sport. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, then sudden death will commence. With this extra period in this sport, no game ends in a draw.

Volleyball

Mario about to serve in Volleyball.

Volleyball is played by hitting a ball without making it touch the ground. Players first start matches by serving the ball, either by ground or by air. The match then proceeds, while the players try to smack the volleyball so it touches a ground. If that occurs, the last team to successfully hit the ball over the net gains a point. When a point limit is reached (the default is fifteen points), the set is won. Players can spike the ball, deflect a spike, and use many other moves that bear resemblance to the actual game. Volleyball also has an out zone, much like tennis: any player who hits the ball into this zone forfeits a point to the opposing team. Volleyball is the only sport in the game that can never have a time limit.

Dodgeball

A match of Dodgeball.

A Dodgeball game always begins with a jump-ball that is done by Lakitu to determine which team gets to attack first. Dodgeball is mostly played by throwing a ball to the opposing team. There are two teams of two or three characters and a colored Yoshi on the players' teams. Players can prevent a hit by catching the ball. Players who fail to catch the ball or dodge it will lose their vitality. They can prevent this if they catch the ball before it hits the ground, especially if the ball flies upwards. Players cannot catch the ball if they are facing away from them, nor can they catch it if an item is in effect.

Players have a Health Meter and lose a portion when they get hit, except for the colored Yoshi, who can never be "knocked out," but cannot leave the box at the back of the court. Players cannot control the Yoshis, unless they encounter the ball, and even then, the only commands that the players can give them is to pass or attack. If players lose all their HP, they are out, and they are sent into their box. However, unlike the Yoshis in the box, they can leave if they hit their target with the ball, and successfully damage their target. Players that do this will also get a small amount of their HP regained, but will be out immediately if damaged again. However, some alternate route objectives do prevent players who are out from leaving the box; this can also be applied to exhibition matches.

The first team to knock out the opposing team before the time limit expires, wins the set. Additionally, the team who has the most number of remaining players will automatically win when time runs out. If both teams have the same number of players remaining at the end of the time limit, sudden death follows. With this term, no set ends in a draw. In sudden death, the first team to take damage loses the set. On a side note, this is the only sport, which has a time limit, in which players can set the timer to infinite.

Hockey

The opening face-off in Hockey.

A hockey game always begins with a face-off that is done by Lakitu to determine which team will get the puck at the start of the period. If a team scores a goal or a special shot, another face-off will commence. The goalkeepers in this sport are Shy Guys, and their color depends on which team they are in. In order to steal the puck, players must tackle each other, which can be achieved by the motion of shaking the ( in sideways mode) or simply by making a character go next to the opponent with the puck. Sometimes, a struggle ensues and players must shake their Wii Remote the fastest they can in order to win the puck over and knock the opponents away. The team with the most points wins and, very much like basketball, this game is played in time limits and transitional periods. This sport uses a Hockey Stick.

Sports Mix

Sports Mix is a tournament-only game mode, which utilizes all of the sports. To unlock it, players must complete all four Star Cups and defeat Behemoth. In this game mode, the sport that is played is chosen randomly for each round. Computer controlled characters are set on the Expert difficulty level; the hardest difficulty level in the game. When the players beat the Star Cup, they will fight the Behemoth King, instead of the normal Behemoth. The Behemoth King has more health than Behemoth, and is harder to beat.

Players can only select characters and costumes that are unlocked in all four sports. For example, if the players unlock Cactuar for Basketball, Hockey, and Volleyball, but not for Dodgeball, it can't be selected in Sports Mix mode. If the players unlock Cactuar for Dodgeball as well, it can be selected in Sports Mix mode. In a similar manner, Light Blue Yoshi can't be used, unless it's unlocked for all four sports too.

Controls

Each sport utilizes various controls, depending on the control scheme that the players use.

Basketball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Run
Jump		Shaking the Wii Remote
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Offensive Controls
Trick Move	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Rotating or pressing
Pass
Jump Shot	while jumping.	Shaking the Wii Remote while jumping.
Dunk	button while running near the basket.	Shaking the Wii Remote while running near the basket.
Layup	while dunking.	while dunking.
Special Move	+	+
Item Shot		while shaking the Wii remote
Combo	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the ball.
Defensive Controls
Steal
Smash Steal	Blocking for an extended time period.	Blocking for an extended time period.
Jump Block		Shaking the Wii Remote
Jump Cut	while blocking.	while blocking.
Jump Attack	button while blocking.	Shaking the Wii Remote while blocking.
Use Item

Volleyball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Serving Controls
Move
Toss	Overhand: Underhand: then Jump Toss: then	Overhand: Swinging the Wii Remote up. Underhand: Swinging the Wii Remote down. Jump Toss: + swinging the Wii Remote.
Serve		Shaking the Wii Remote
Other Controls
Move
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Receive		Shaking the Wii Remote.
Jump	On the third hit, . If Auto Jump is ON, this command will execute immediately before a spike.	. On the third hit, shaking the Wii Remote. If Auto Jump is ON, this command will execute immediately before a spike.
Spike	while jumping.	Shaking the Wii Remote while jumping.
Super Spike	Spiking after charging at the landing marker.	Spiking after charging at the landing marker.
Aiming Spikes	to move the landing cursor.	to move the landing cursor.
Fake Out	while jumping.	while jumping.
Block	while near the net.	Shaking the Wii Remote
Use Item
Item Spike	while jumping.	button then shaking the Wii Remote.
Special Move	+	+
Combo	Holding and then releasing the button when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and then releasing the button when the players' team has the ball.

Dodgeball

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Move
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.
Offensive Controls
Attack		Shaking the Wii Remote
Super Attack	While running near the center line, when the charge is full.	While running near the center line, shaking the Wii Remote when the charge is full.
Jump Attack	Running to the center line to jump. During that time, button to attack.	Running to the center line to jump. During that time, shaking the Wii Remote to attack.
Pass	is used to direct the pass on 3-player teams.	is used to direct the pass on 3-player teams.
Fake Out	Shaking the Wii Remote	then shaking the Wii Remote.
Special Move	+	+
Item Attack		then shaking the Wii Remote.
Combo	Holding and then releasing when the players' team has the ball.	Holding and then releasing when the players' team has the ball.
Defensive Controls
Dodge Roll	. Some characters will repel the dodgeball instead of evading it; those kinds of moves will have no effect against item attacks.	Shaking the Wii Remote. Some characters will repel the dodgeball instead of evading it; those kinds of moves will have no effect against item attacks.
Catch	This move has no effect against item attacks.	+ This move has no effect against item attacks.
Diving Catch	button before the dodgeball touches the ground.	Shaking the Wii Remote before the dodgeball touches the ground.
Steal Pass	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Use Item

Hockey

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Common Controls
Face-Off	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Skate
Stop / Turn	in the opposite direction.	in the opposite direction.
Fighting	Shaking the Wii Remote.	Shaking the Wii Remote.
Swap Characters	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.	This only works if the players' teammates are CPU players.
Offensive Controls
Shoot		Shaking the Wii Remote.
Aiming Shots	; to adjust the aiming direction.	; to adjust the aiming direction.
Charge
Super Shot	Releasing after charging.	Shaking the Wii Remote after charging.
Fake Out	Shaking the Wii Remote while charging.	then
Pass
Special Move	+	+
Item Shot		then shaking the Wii Remote.
Combo	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the puck.	Holding and releasing when the players' team has the puck.
Defensive Controls
Check	button. A more powerful check is performed when players check three times in a row.	Shaking the Wii Remote. A more powerful check is performed when players check three times in a row.
Intercept		Shaking the Wii Remote.
Use Item
Goalkeeper Control	button when the opponent shoots.	button when the opponent shoots.

Behemoth Battle

Command	Wii Remote (horizontal)	Wii Remote + Nunchuk
Move
Swap Characters	This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.	button. This only works if the player's teammates are CPU players.
Shoot (Hockey)	button to charge and releasing to attack.	button to charge and releasing it to attack.
Attack (Dodgeball)		Shaking the Wii Remote
Dunk (Basketball)	button while holding a meteor and running near Behemoth's head.	Shaking the Wii Remote while holding a meteor and running near Behemoth's head.
Pass	while holding a meteor to pass to teammates. The teammates will treat the meteor as a volleyball.	while holding a meteor to pass to teammates. The teammates will treat the meteor as a volleyball.
Dodge Roll (Dodgeball)	button. All characters will do this move, regardless of defensive maneuvers in dodgeball.	Shaking the Wii Remote. All characters will do this move, regardless of defensive maneuvers in dodgeball.
Use Item
Special Move	+	+

Characters

Playable Characters

The starting roster.

There are nineteen playable characters in Mario Sports Mix; thirteen are default and six are unlockable. All of them are categorized by five groups:

• green - All-Rounders have average Power, Speed, and Technique. They generally are not weak at any stats, but they are not strong in any either.
• orange - Technical characters have more Technique, but less Speed and Power. These characters can better aim their shots.
• red - Powerful characters have more Power, but less Speed and Technique. These characters have stronger and faster attacks and shots.
• blue - Speedy characters have more Speed, but less Power and Technique. These characters can move faster over the ground.
• hotpink - Tricky characters have one stronger stat, but the others are usually very low. However, they do have some useful, but tricky moves.

Like Mario Hoops 3-on-3, this game is shown to make use of character specific abilities. Prior to using these abilities, there is a meter that needs to be filled (shown on the bottom left and right corners of the gameplay screen). These abilities in question can allow the characters to unleash a powerful move in the variety of sports in the game that can help the players win a game. Each special ability is unique to each character and these moves tend to vary from the sport that players are playing.

Finally, the playable characters have their own stat values, which depict their strengths and weaknesses. For the respective charts shown below on this article, the stat values for each playable character are out of 5.

Starting Characters

All-rounder Characters

Character	Special Ability	Stats
	Mario blasts a fiery shot at his target. The shot can be blocked by brute force, but can slip into the goal if the character fails to hold it off. In dodgeball, the blast has a radius that can hit nearby opponents.	Power	3/5
		Speed	3/5
		Technique	3/5
	Luigi first attempts to suck characters towards him while he is using his Poltergust 3000. After he draws them in, he makes a shot on his target. Opponents caught long enough in the suction will trip and be unable to defend against the shot.	Power	2/5
		Speed	3/5
		Technique	4/5
	Yoshi throws the ball in a single, bouncy rainbow line. The rainbow line quickly changes where it is going to land, possibly confusing players. In basketball and dodgeball, it is not one but rather two bouncy balls heading towards their goal, and they must both be blocked or dodged. However, in basketball, one of the balls is a decoy, and is not counted if it reaches the goal.	Power	3/5
		Speed	4/5
		Technique	2/5
	The Mii builds up energy as it aims to make its goal. When the ball hits in the ground in dodgeball, it sends out a blast radius than can hit anyone inside the blast radius. Characters can stop the shot in other sports a similar way as how Mario makes a shot.	Power	3/5
		Speed	3/5
		Technique	3/5

Technical Characters

Character	Special Ability	Stats
	Before sending the ball/puck, Peach releases multiple large hearts. Any character that gets hit by a heart gets stunned for a few seconds. Peach then sends the ball/puck into its respective place.	Power	1/5
		Speed	3/5
		Technique	5/5
	Daisy makes a small garden appear where her aim is. The garden limits movement of other characters. After she is finished building up energy, Daisy throws the item into her goal.	Power	2/5
		Speed	2/5
		Technique	5/5
	Waluigi soars in the air and brings out a machine. The machine has 4 arms that send out electricity to stop any would-be attackers. After Waluigi has fired his third shot, he shoots for his goal. In all sports, all the shots that connect are counted. However, in basketball, each successful shot is only worth 1 point, instead of its regular worth (2 or 3).	Power	2/5
		Speed	2/5
		Technique	5/5

Powerful Characters

Character	Special Ability	Stats
	Wario throws his trademark bomb similar to that of the WarioWare series. The bomb then explodes, which can knock any character in the explosion away. After the bomb has detonated, it fills up the court with gas, obscuring the view where Wario is going to shoot; that can make it hard for players (including Wario) to tell where the ball is going to be thrown to. Wario then shoots at his destination.	Power	5/5
		Speed	2/5
		Technique	2/5
	Donkey Kong bangs the ground with his simian strength that causes all characters in the opponent's side to be dazed. After this attack, Donkey Kong tosses the object into his goal.	Power	5/5
		Speed	1/5
		Technique	3/5
	Bowser spits a fireball at an area near his goal, where it makes a large blast. Any character that gets caught in the blast radius ends up knocked away and burnt. With brute force, Bowser then sends the object to his goal.	Power	5/5
		Speed	1/5
		Technique	2/5

Speedy Characters

Character	Special Ability	Stats
	Diddy Kong throws a banana boomerang that has an exponential curve. The boomerang stuns any defender it hits and after the hiatus, Diddy Kong then makes a shot.	Power	1/5
		Speed	5/5
		Technique	3/5
	Bowser Jr. takes out his trademark paintbrush and paints the ground with it. The painted ground makes characters easily lose their traction and slip, which makes it trickier to stop Bowser Jr. from scoring. Bowser Jr. then takes a shot to his goal.	Power	3/5
		Speed	5/5
		Technique	1/5
	Toad makes mushrooms appear that can hinder other players from preventing him to make a point or a shot. The mushrooms move automatically to make it even trickier to prevent the shot.	Power	2/5
		Speed	5/5
		Technique	2/5

Unlockable Characters

The complete roster.

The Final Fantasy characters from Mario Hoops 3-on-3 make a return in this game. Additionally, the Dragon Quest character Slime makes an appearance, previously having appeared in Itadaki Street DS. These characters are all unlockable and also the only unlockable characters of the game.

Characters who are unlocked by playing a certain number of matches or by clearing secret missions in Tournament mode, can only be used in the sports that they're unlocked in. However, characters who are unlocked by clearing Star Road can be used for all sports.

For the characters that are unlocked by playing a certain number of matches, the players are not required to win every match. Also, Wi-Fi matches do count as well. Also, when the players cleared the Star Road, but already has unlocked the character for all sports in a different way, the players gets the next character instead. For example, if players have already unlocked White Mage for every sport, and then clears the Star Road for the 2nd time, they'll unlock Black Mage for every sport instead.

All-rounder Character

Character	Special Ability	How to Unlock	Stats
	Ninja makes two copies of himself and go for the goal. The two copies are simply illusions and do not count for a point, but if the actual Ninja scores, he and his team gets a point. In dodgeball, if his copies hits opponents, they lose a section of their HP despite the copies being illusions.	The players should clear Star Road once.	Power	3/5
			Speed	4/5
			Technique	3/5

Technical Character

Character	Special Ability	How To Unlock	Stats
	White Mage aims her goal using a different aiming circle than any other character in the game. The aim is then proceeded by a shot, which is a blast of light. Any character that gets hit by the blast flies out of the way and loses a section of HP if played in dodgeball. In volleyball, the players can't choose the location of where the ball will land.	The players should clear Star Road twice. The players should clear a certain Mushroom Cup mission. The players should win the Flower Cup 4 times.	Power	2/5
			Speed	3/5
			Technique	5/5

Tricky Characters

Character	Special Ability	How to Unlock	Stats
	Black Mage waves his wand and uses lightning to shrink nearby opponents, as if they consumed a Mini Mushroom. He then sends the ball into the location of his aim. Opponents remain tiny for the duration of the move before returning to normal.	The players should clear Star Road three times. The players should clear a certain Mushroom Cup mission. The players should win the Star Cup 4 times.	Power	2/5
			Speed	2/5
			Technique	5/5
	Slime sends copies of itself into the court. The Slime copies stun any character they touch and they appear to follow the characters. Slime then tosses the ball into its point of aim.	The players should play 28 matches in one sport. The players should clear a certain Flower Cup mission.	Power	5/5
			Speed	2/5
			Technique	1/5
	When Moogle throws the ball, the ball disappears briefly, and then reappears at a different spot. The move could throw off opponents.	The players should clear the Mushroom Cup.	Power	1/5
			Speed	2/5
			Technique	5/5
	1000 Needles	The players should play 60 matches in one sport. The players should clear a certain Star Cup mission.	Power	1/5
			Speed	red
			Technique	1/5

Alternate Outfits

Blue Toad has been unlocked for Dodgeball.

Certain characters have alternate outfits that can be unlocked by performing certain objectives. Alternate outfits can only be used in the sports that they are unlocked in, but outfits unlocked by clearing Star Road can be used for all sports.

The players should note that they do not actually have to win the matches to be counted, and the minimum requirement for unlocking is at least having the characters in the players' team. Matches also get counted by playing Wi-Fi. To select another outfit, the players have to press the button on the Wii Remote, regardless of the control scheme used.

Oddly, in tournaments, it is possible for the CPU team to use more than one of a certain character, which is not possible for the players' team, nor in exhibition matches. Likewise, if the players' team contains a character who has an alternate outfit, the CPU team can still use that character in tournaments; Ex.: If the players' team contains Yoshi, it'll still be possible to see Yoshi with a CPU team.

Character	Alternate Outfit	Usage Unlock Method	Mission Unlock Method	Star Road Unlock Method
Mario	Fire Mario	40 matches as Mario.	Fire Mario mission at the Mushroom Cup.	N/A
Luigi	Ice Luigi	40 matches as Luigi.	Ice Luigi mission at the Flower Cup.	N/A
Yoshi	Light Blue Yoshi	15 matches as Yoshi.	Light Blue Yoshi mission at Star Cup.	N/A
	Yellow Yoshi	20 matches as Yoshi.	Yellow Yoshi mission at the Flower Cup.	N/A
	Pink Yoshi	25 matches as Yoshi.	Pink Yoshi mission at the Flower Cup.	N/A
Peach	Tennis-wear	40 matches as Peach.	Tennis-wear Peach mission at the Mushroom Cup.	N/A
Daisy	Tennis-wear	40 matches as Daisy.	Tennis-wear Daisy mission at the Flower Cup.	N/A
Wario	Wario Ware Outfit	40 matches as Wario.	Warioware Outfit Wario mission at Star Cup.	N/A
Toad	Blue Toad	15 matches as Toad.	Blue Toad mission at the Mushroom Cup.	N/A
	Yellow Toad	20 matches as Toad.	Yellow Toad mission at the Mushroom Cup.	N/A
	Green Toad	25 matches as Toad.	Green Toad mission at the Star Cup.	N/A
Ninja	Shadow White	20 matches as Ninja.	Shadow White Ninja mission at the Flower Cup.	Star Road cleared 4 times.
White Mage	Pure White	20 matches as White Mage.	Pure White Mage mission at the Flower Cup.	Star Road cleared 5 times.
Black Mage	Magic Red	20 matches as Black Mage.	Magic Red Black Mage mission at the Star Cup.	Star Road cleared 6 times.
Slime	She-Slime	20 matches as Slime.	She-Slime mission at the Star Cup.	N/A
	Metal Slime	40 matches as Slime.	Metal Slime mission at the Star Cup.	N/A

Non-Playable Characters

• Behemoth
• Behemoth King
• Birdo (species)
• Blue Shy Guy
• Blue Yoshi
• Bob-omb
• Boo
• Dry Bones
• Gold Ghost
• Koopa Troopa
• Lakitu
• Monty Mole
• Penguin
• Petey Piranha
• Pianta
• Purple Puncher
• Red Toad
• Red Yoshi
• Shy Guy

Courts

There are fourteen playable courts in Mario Sports Mix. Courts in this game are often based on the courts from Mario Hoops 3-on-3, some of them even directly return with a slight redesign.

Each cup holds three courts that can be played depending on the sport. There are also three extra courts, which do not appear in normal tournaments. They can be unlocked by playing many games or completing missions in Tournament mode.

Courts and compatible sports
Court	Dodgeball	Volleyball	Basketball	Hockey
Template:Color-link-piped	Mushroom Cup 1st round	Mushroom Cup 1st round	Mushroom Cup 1st round	Mushroom Cup 1st round
Template:Color-link-piped	Mushroom Cup 2nd round	Mushroom Cup 2nd round	Mushroom Cup 2nd round	Extra 1st round
Template:Color-link-piped	Mushroom Cup 3rd round	Mushroom Cup 3rd round	Extra 1st round	Mushroom Cup 3rd round
000	Flower Cup 1st round	Flower Cup 1st round	Mushroom Cup 3rd round	Incompatible
000	Flower Cup 2nd round	Incompatible	Incompatible	Mushroom Cup 2nd round
Template:Color-link-piped	Incompatible	Flower Cup 2nd round	Flower Cup 1st round	Incompatible
000	Extra 1st round	Flower Cup 3rd round	Flower Cup 2nd round	Flower Cup 1st round
000	Flower Cup 3rd round	Partly Incompatible Flower Cup alternate route only	Flower Cup 3rd round	Flower Cup 3rd round
Template:Color-link-piped	Star Cup 1st round	Extra 1st round	Extra 2nd round	Flower Cup 2nd round
000	Incompatible	Star Cup 1st round	Star Cup 1st round	Star Cup 1st round
Template:Color-link-piped	Star Cup 2nd round	Star Cup 2nd round	Star Cup 2nd round	Extra 3rd round
Template:Color-link-piped	Extra 2nd round	Extra 2nd round	Incompatible	Star Cup 2nd round
000	Extra 3rd round	Extra 3rd round	Extra 3rd round	Extra 2nd round
Template:Color-link-piped	Star Cup 3rd round	Star Cup 3rd round	Star Cup 3rd round	Star Cup 3rd round

Unlockable courts

Some courts must be unlocked before the players can play on them. The way to unlock these courts differs per sport.

Normal courts can be unlocked by simply playing on them in Tournement mode. Extra courts can also be unlocked by playing on them in Tournament mode, but the Extra courts only appear in the Alternate routes. It's also possible to unlock courts by playing many matches in Tournament or Exhibition mode. The player doesn't necessarily need to win matches.

Unlockable courts for every sports
Court	Dodgeball	Volleyball	Basketball	Hockey
Template:Color-link-piped	Already available	Already available	Already available	Already available
Template:Color-link-piped	Already available	Already available	Already available	Certain Mushroom Cup mission shoud be won or 30 matches played
Template:Color-link-piped	3rd Mushroom Cup round should be won or 10 matches played	3rd Mushroom Cup round should be won or 10 matches played	Certain Mushroom Cup mission shoud be won or 30 matches played	3rd Mushroom Cup round should be won or 10 matches played
000	Already available	Already available	3rd Mushroom Cup round should be won or 10 matches played	Can't be unlocked
000	Already available	Can't be unlocked	Can't be unlocked	Already available
Template:Color-link-piped	Can't be unlocked	Already available	Already available	Can't be unlocked
000	Certain Mushroom Cup mission shoud be won or 30 matches played	3rd Flower Cup round should be won or 15 matches played	Already available	Already available
000	3rd Flower Cup round should be won or 15 matches played	Can't be unlocked	3rd Flower Cup round should be won or 15 matches played	3rd Flower Cup round should be won or 15 matches played
Template:Color-link-piped	Already available	Certain Mushroom Cup mission should be won or 30 matches played	Certain Flower Cup mission should be won or 35 matches played	Already available
000	Can't be unlocked	Already available	Already available	Already available
Template:Color-link-piped	2nd Star Cup round should be won or 20 matches played	2nd Star Cup round should be won or 20 matches played	2nd Star Cup round should be won or 20 matches played	Certain Star Cup mission shoud be won or 40 matches played
Template:Color-link-piped	Certain Flower Cup mission should be won or 35 matches played	Certain Flower Cup mission should be won or 35 matches played	Can't be unlocked	2nd Star Cup round should be won or 20 matches played
000	Certain Star Cup mission should be won or 40 matches played	Certain Star Cup mission should be won or 40 matches played	Certain Star Cup mission should be won or 40 matches played	Certain Flower Cup mission shoud be won or 35 matches played
Template:Color-link-piped	3rd Star Cup round should be won or 25 matches played	3rd Star Cup round should be won or 25 matches played	3rd Star Cup round should be won or 25 matches played	3rd Star Cup round should be won or 25 matches played

Items

As in most Mario games, there are items available during the gameplay of Mario Sports Mix. These items are available by touching the available and various ? Panels on the court. Most of these items cause struck players to lose coins, and all items also affect teammates as well.

Item	Name	Function
File:MKwii Banana.jpg	Banana	A single banana is thrown into the court. The bananas can make players slip and fall, which stuns them for a brief amount of time. Bananas can also be used to block incoming shells. When players use the item in conjunction with the item, the ball/puck makes a homing, wide curve and can hit anyone with the same effects of a banana.
File:MKwii Bob-omb.jpg	Bob-omb	A bob-omb is thrown correspondingly to the user's aim. When the bomb lands, it explodes, knocking any player caught in the blast radius. Bob-ombs also obliterate items in its radius. A mini-game, Bob-omb Dodge, has a sole purpose of tossing Bob-ombs of various sizes at players, who must dodge these bombs.
File:Coin.jpg	Coin	Though not an offensive weapon, unlike all other items listed, coins play a vital role in Mario Sports Mix and serve as a puck in hockey, although the latter role is not associated with its sole purpose. Coins are mainly collected by running on ? Panels, but are also obtainable by stage hazards or by stealing them from other players via offensive items. Coins increase the score output and how much damage is done to players in dodgeball. Coins get depleted into points once players score, which means that players must collect coins again if they want to score more points.
File:NSMBU-Green Shell Art.png	Green Shell	Similar to its function in the Mario Kart series, Green Shells move in a straight line and bounce off any wall. They get destroyed by any other item in play and disappear when they hit another player or bounce in the wall enough times. When used in conjunction with the ball/puck, this item homes towards its goal and can hit any player in its way, however stopping the ball/puck momentum.
	Mini Mushroom	The Mini Mushroom shrinks any players it comes in contact with. Except when used in conjunction with the ball/puck, the Mini Mushroom behaves quite similarly to the Banana; they both get lobbed and both remain in one spot. Any player turned mini cannot perform most moves and gets movement lowered. The Mini Mushroom's effects revert over time.
File:NSMBU-Red Shell Art.png	Red Shell	Much like the Green Shell, the Red Shell functions not too different than its counterpart in the Mario Kart series. The Red Shell homes after its nearby opponent. When contact is initiated, the player gets knocked in the same manner as a Green Shell. Red Shells do not rebound off walls and can get destroyed by another item. When used in conjunction with the ball/puck, the Red Shell does a large curve and homes for the goal. When in this form, the Red Shell can knock other players away, but this stops the momentum of the ball/puck, much like the Green Shell.
File:Star.PNG	Super Star	Not too different than its functions in other various games, the Super Star makes players invincible. Unlike all other items, this item can be obtained very rarely. When this item is collected, it automatically activates itself. The Super Star not only makes players invincible, it also powers up the ball/puck, making it impervious to other player attacks while flying through the players, homing to the goal and moving at a much faster speed.

In the Behemoth battle, players can also collect Meteorites from ? Panels. Meteorites can be used in different ways; they can be thrown at Behemoth to damage it (like in Dodgeball). Players can also dunk it at Behemoth (like in Basketball). They can also pass the Meteorite at another teammate. Players must receive it and pass it to another player (Volleyball). By doing this, the SP Bar fills marginally, and the meteorite gains power. Coins can also be collected from ? Panels to give it more power. When the SP Bar is full, and all the players of the team are still in the game, the players can use a Special Shot, but only when the meteorite is at full power. This can give Behemoth significant damage. When the meteorite falls on the ground, it and its power disappear; players must collect a new meteorite and recharge it.

Modes of Play

Mario Sports Mix has two game modes for each one of the four sports: Exhibition and Tournament. Each sport also has a tutorial movie so players can learn on how to play these sports.

Exhibition

Players can select which court to play during a dodgeball match in Exhibition mode.

Before a match starts, a VS screen will be shown to let players know which two teams are involved.

Exhibition mode allows players to play any one of the four sports and customize the rules of the match from the court selection screen at anytime before the match begins (see Gameplay for more info). From there, players can select any four or six of the nineteen playable characters and one of the fourteen compatible courts.

Players may unlock characters or courts by playing games in this mode. Character skins can be unlocked by playing with a particular character certain times. This also counts for Tournament mode. However, what players unlock can only be used in that sport. So if players unlock Slime for Hockey, Slime can only be used in that sport.

Tournament

The Volleyball Mushroom Cup Tournament.

In Tournament mode, players can compete for the trophy in the same manner as in Mario Hoops 3-on-3. There are three rounds in the tournament. When players win a game, they move on to the next round of the tournament. Each time players win a cup, they can earn one of the three small crystals that corresponds to the sport's color and the players moves on to the next tournament. If all three cups are cleared for that corresponding sport, then it becomes a Sports Crystal that is placed on the Star Ship.

The Star Cup finals is always against the Final Fantasy team.

After winning the Star Cup of a sport, players unlock a Hard mode for that sport. Opponents are more difficult than in Normal mode. Also, if players clear the Star Cup at all sports, they receive all four Sports Crystals to power the starship. After collecting all four large crystals, they battle Behemoth and defeat Behemoth. Sports Mix mode is unlocked when this is cleared. Sports Mix only has one skill level, which is Expert, and it is a tournament in which each match is a randomly generated sport. Also, clearing the Star Cup in Sports Mix mode makes players face off against the Behemoth King.

Alternate Routes

Mario on an alternate route; Green Toad can be seen.

Players can also replay tournaments to find alternate routes. Players can find alternate routes by performing some actions in a tournament match, for example scoring a point with a Special Shot.

In the alternate routes, players do not play normal matches, but missions instead. If players lose a mission, they get sent back to the normal tournament. If players win a mission, they may continue on, but the road often splits. Players may choose which way they want to go. These roads lead players to different missions, different events, or sometimes even back to the normal tournament. Once players come back to the normal tournament, they cannot re-enter the alternate routes until they start over the tournament.

Taking right choices or guesses, players may reach the Hidden Final. The Hidden Final is the last mission of the tournament. If players lose this mission, they do not get sent back to the normal tournament, but they can retry the mission instead. If players win this mission, they earn the tournament cup, just like players do in the normal run. The Hidden Final involves completing a task that is usually more difficult than the others, for example, winning a match without allowing the opponent to score even once.

Players may unlock hidden characters, courts, or character skins by winning missions. However what they unlock depends on the mission, the sport, and even the routes they take before reaching the mission. Unlocked items are only accessible in the sport players win the mission in.

Alternate routes in the Star Cup are slightly different compared to the Mushroom and Flower Cups. If players win some missions in the route, they can travel to the Star Road. If players manage to reach the end of the Star Road, they get a message Star Road Complete!, and travel back to the normal tournament by jumping on the Star.

There is no Hidden Final for the Star Cup, but after clearing the Star Road, players immediately go up against the Final Fantasy team. Unlike with the normal tournament, however, crystals do pop up during the match; the crystals act like coins, which add extra points for Basketball, Volleyball, and Hockey, while strengthening attacks in Dodgeball.

Graphical changes

When completing sports in Tournament mode, some items in menus of the game change. Once a sport is completed in Normal mode, a crystal marks the sport in the record menu. When the sport is completed in Hard mode, the ball (or in case of Hockey, the stick since the coin is already gold) turns gold in the main menu. If Sports Mix mode is cleared, the usual blue background of the main menu, turns into a gold-red colored background.

Party Games

One of the four party games, Feed Petey.

In addition to the tournament and the exhibition modes, Mario Sports Mix has four party games, one for each sport. They can be played for up to four players.

• Feed Petey - Basketball
• Harmony Hustle - Volleyball
• Bob-omb Dodge - Dodgeball
• Smash Skate - Hockey

All sports have at least 2-3 levels.

Record Book

The game does keep track of the player's records for each sport. The records basically go as follows:

Page Number	Image	Details
Page 1: Player Record		Number of matches played Number of tournament wins Win percentage Average coin collected Direct hits with items
Page 2: Success Rates (Basketball)		Dunk Layup Jump Shot 3-Point Shot Block
Page 2: Success Rates (Volleyball)		Ace Serves Spike Fake Out Block Receive Save
Page 2: Success Rates (Dodgeball)		Attack Catch Diving Catch Dodge Roll Pass Steal
Page 2: Success Rates (Hockey)		Shot Super Shot Direct Shot Block Face Off
Page 3: Character Picks		The top five character picks for one sport.
Page 4: Stage Picks		The top five stage picks for one sport.

Gallery

• 

  Mario and Luigi (Basketball)

• 

  Mario and Bowser (Hockey)

• 

  Peach and Daisy
  (Volleyball)

• 

  Moogle and Cactuar (Dodgeball)

• 

  Basketball

• 

  Dodgeball

• 

  Hockey stick and a coin

• 

  Volleyball

Beta Elements

Main article: List of Mario Sports Mix beta elements

In the pre-final version of the game, the Health Meter in dodgeball was originally going to be split up into four sections, just like the health meter in the Super Mario Galaxy series that is divided into three sections. The final version of it is a meter with one section that depletes correspondingly. There was also a different logo shown at E3 2010. Also, the numbers, placement of bars and other text aesthetics have been altered from the final version.

• 1 MSM.jpg

  Early Basketball.

• 5 MSM.jpg

  The early health meters.

• 

  Original logo (Shown at E3 2010)

• KoopaTroopaBeachMSM.PNG

  The different numbers and bars, plus their placement.

• 

  Other different numbers and bars.

Glitches

Template:Conjecturaltext

If the player posistions White Mage far from the camera then looks closely, her crown will disappear. This is because the render distance of White Mage is too high to draw her crown on-screen.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Sports Mix staff

Director

• Shin Azuma

Art Director

• Gen Kobayashi

Lead Planning

• Isamu Hara

Planning

• Satoshi Sumida
• Hidekatsu Tetsuda
• Yoichi Yoshimoto
• Akira Matsumoto
• Kou Fukumaru
• Junichi Hirose

Lead Design

• Masahito Wakimura

Differences Between Versions

• The English translation for the PAL versions of the game is slightly different from the North American version.
  • The All-rounder type is renamed to All-around for the North American version of the game.
  • The function of the button in the Select Character screen is called Variation in the Australian and European version. However, it's called Change Color in the North American version.
  • When players get to the Select Court screen, the Australian and European version says Select Court. In the North American version, it's called Select Stage.
  • Because of the difference between British English and American English, some words are spelled differently.
• Depending on the sport and when the team scores or when the match ends, a different message will appear on the screen and it varies depending on which version (Example: Game Set! (Japan) / Good Game! (North America)).

References to Other Games

• Mario Bros.: One part of the menu theme is the sound effect of losing a life from this game.
• Super Mario Bros.: The underwater theme is one of the tunes available in Harmony Hustle.
• Super Mario Bros. 2: The animation used for Toad whenever he throws an item appears to be influenced by how he threw vegetables and other items in this game. Additionally, Toad's classification as a speedy character might reference the fact that he is the fastest character in Super Mario Bros. 2.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: In the underwater theme in Harmony Hustle, part of this game's underwater melody can be heard.
• Super Mario World: The athletic theme is one of the tunes available in Harmony Hustle.
• Mario Tennis: Peach and Daisy's alternate costumes, called "Tennis-Wear", is based off this series. More specifically, the design overall is based on the outfit that Peach wears for Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis.
• Mario Hoops 3-on-3: Much of the gameplay mechanics come from this game, especially in basketball. Most stages are also based off this game. The theme of Bloocheep Sea makes a return as one of the songs in Harmony Hustle. Also, in most of the sports select song, there is the sound of the main theme of this game.
• New Super Mario Bros.: The design and function of the Mini Mushroom is based off this game.
• Luigi's Mansion: A court takes place in a mansion based off this game. The Poltergust 3000 appears as Luigi's special shot.
• Super Smash Bros.: Donkey Kong has a defensive, spinning move that strongly resembles his Spinning Kong move from the Super Smash Bros. series.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee: The Green Missile makes an appearance as Luigi's dive in dodgeball and his third consecutive check in hockey; similar graphics appear when Luigi jumps up to block in basketball. Luigi's dash attack also appears to have been referenced as the second consecutive check in hockey. Also Bowser's Whirling Fortress move return as his deffence in volleyball.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games: The gameplay in Hockey is similar to Ice Hockey from this game.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Toad Park court is somewhat similar to the Baby Park racetrack.
• Mario Kart DS: The concept of Waluigi owning a pinball-themed course returns.
• Mario Kart Wii: In Toad Park, Toads can be seen driving Mario Kart Wii-styled karts. Some item images are also borrowed from this game, such as the Green Shells.

Trivia

The game's title screen with all four sports.

• The Hockey sport in this game is presented as Ice Hockey. However, on most of the courts, the characters play Roller Hockey.
  • In most countries, the name Hockey is generally used for Field Hockey. However, this variant of Hockey is not playable in Mario Sports Mix.
• None of the unlockable characters are Mario characters, but only Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest characters.
  • Skins of Mario characters can be unlocked, however.
  • There are no Tricky characters available from the start, which means there are no Tricky Mario characters in this game.
• Ninja, White Mage, and Black Mage never appear as CPU opponents at normal tournaments, except for the Star Cup finals. However, they can appear when players are taking alternate routes.
• This is the only Mario game to date that has Mario in a press conference.

External Links

• Official Japanese website
• Official Australian website
• Official European website
• Official American website