Power Button Podcast
Tip JarNintendo Explains Mario Strikers Online Capabilities
May 25, 2007
With the upcoming Mario Strikers Charged for the Nintendo Wii poised to be one of the bigger sports games released this summer, prospective soccer (or football, depending on your homeland) fans are eager to find out the details behind the game's online multiplayer mode. As you'll recall, Strikers is the first Wii game to allow actual competitive gameplay over the Internet. We're not just trading scores or screenshots here, folks. We're gonna challenge players from all over the world! Wait, what's that you say? It's not worldwide? Aw.
Note: If you'll be using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in Mario Strikers Charged Football, you will be able to play only with people within Europe. If you choose FRIENDLY and invite somebody living in another continent after having inserted their Friend Code, you might be able to play with him or her, but Nintendo does not advise it as the lag could potentially make the match unplayable.
OK, so we'll play regionally. So then, how does the scoring system work when playing online? How are players ranked? Nintendo explains it all.
Players climb the rankings boards as they compete on Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection specific to the region they are playing in. They earn ranking points by scoring goals, posting game wins and even just competing.
Hmm, so players improve their rankings by winning points and matches. Alright, I follow.
Players can earn up to 20 points total: 10 points for a win, 1 point for a loss and 1 point per goal, to a maximum of 10 points. With a positive structured rankings system, players are rewarded for playing games in their entirety, creating better online experiences for all participants.
Thank you! Hopefully that'll put a kink in the habits of those dishonorable disconnecters out there.
The ultimate reward is watching a player"s rank climb the leader board. Players are matched up with opponents of similar skill levels through a rankings-based matchmaking system. The player who has earned the most points for that day will be rewarded the title of Striker of the Day. To keep the ranking system honest, players earn points only when competing in ranked games, not when playing against friends.
I somehow missed out on the original Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube (which is odd since I have all of the other Mario sports titles released that generation), so I'm looking forward to giving this sequel a try. Here's hoping it turns out to be as promising as it looks.