Built from the ground-up for the Wii, Mario Strikers Charged is not a port, but a true sequel to Super Mario Strikers, which was on the GameCube. The sequel takes all of the fun aspects of the first: multiplayer mayhem, slick interface, wonderful art, and intense competition; and mixes in new elements like motion controls, a full-blown 1-player experience, and online matches over Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection. The result is a fantastic looking game that supports true 16x9 widescreen televisions. The picture is in 480p, offering up a crystal-clear and vibrant image that showcases the game's awesome art style, fluid animation, and spectacular arenas.

There are several modes of play. If you want to immediately get into the fray and kick some koopa shell (or hairy apes, pesky plumbers, and annoying princesses also abound) you'll want to pick Domination. Here up to 4 players can battle it out on one television. Of course your friends aren't always around and that's where Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection comes into play. You can play 1 versus 1 or 2 versus 2 (2 players per Wii) against anyone across the U.S. providing you have their friend codes and they have yours. If you'd like you can also play ranked matches against random opponents to try and climb the leaderboard, which takes into account number of goals scored, wins, and how much you play online. In Strikers Challenge you are given a series of obstacles to overcome for each character and you'll earn secret player cards if you complete them successfully.

To learn the basic game controls you'll want to visit Strikers 101, but the real meat and potatoes of the game is the Road to the Striker Cup. This fully realized tournament mode gives players plenty of challenging rounds to play through with the ultimate goal being to win the Striker Cup. Multiple players can still join in to help you out and the game will pit human team members against computer opponents, which can be even more enjoyable since it's a cooperative effort. As you make your way through the different cups and play well you'll have chances to win trophies that you can view later in the trophy room.

As with the Mario Kart games, Strikers is enjoyable playing solo, but the fun factor increases exponentially when played with friends. The game allows up to 4 players to battle it out on one system, but it comes at a price: each player must have his or her own Remote and Nunchuk attachment. Making full use of both controllers, the game has a slight learning curve, but nothing that can't be learned in just a few minutes of playtime. The game makes very little use of the motion controls, relying instead on the Nunchuk's analog stick to move the characters around. On offense the A button passes the ball and the B button shoots. Holding down the B button will power up the shot. If your team captain is in possession of the ball a meter will appear while charging up the shot. The objective is to get the white needle as close to the orange section as possible to pull off a MegaStrike. If successful, the team captain will fly up into the air and launch a flurry of soccer balls (up to 6) at the opponent's goal. The game will show a short cinematic and then the view will change to that of the goalie. The player on defense blocks the incoming balls by pointing the remote at the screen and controlling the goalie's hands to knock the balls to the ground.

On defense you can shake the Remote when near opponents to knock them down. Shaking the Nunchuk will allow players to switch between available items. Pressing the C button allows you to use them. These power-ups will appear throughout the match and are obtained by charging up shots or when you're attacked. Standard weapons include items like the green and red shells(to take down challengers) a banana peel (to slip them up), and a bob-omb (great for clearing the field). Helpful items like mushrooms and stars will boost your stats for a short period of time. In addition, each Team Captain has his or her own special power-up that can quickly change the game. For example, Wario's weapon of choice is farting on the field to disorient players with noxious fumes. Mario grows in size to stomp all over the competition whereas Peach freezes enemies by taking pictures of them. These weapons and items work very much like those found in Mario Kart or Tetris DS in that they can easily change the outcome of a game at a moment's notice.

The graphics in Mario Strikers Charged are very stylish, almost gritty in appearance. The menu systems are slick and smart and the various stadiums all look fantastic. There are a plethora of characters from the Mario and Donkey Kong universe tucked into every nook and cranny of the game. All of the Team Captains animate perfectly, as do the new Sidekicks, which can be chosen before the match to help you out on your team. Each character exhibits emotion when goals are made and some of the animations are simply hilarious. Over the course of time you'll see some of the same animations over and over, but they really don't ever get old no matter how many times you see them. Each stadium looks distinctively different and many exhibit natural hazards like lightning bolts or gusts of wind that can greatly impact how the game is played. The music is top-notch as well, with each character having his or her own theme song and the ambient crowd noise roars to life at the appropriate moments, even screaming the Team Captains' names in unison. The audio and visuals come together perfectly to form a truly remarkable game.

As I mentioned earlier, Mario Strikers Charged is really the first true online game for the Wii. Yeah, Pokemon Battle Revolution beat it to the market, but honestly it wasn't much of a game and it surely didn't showcase the online options like Strikers does. The online mode is extremely easy to use and fun to play. It is, however, unfortunate that I can't use my system's friend code instead of having to use another new one that's unique to this game. It would be awesome if Nintendo could address this issue so I don't have to always exchange new friend codes with people I already have designated as friends. Also lacking is any sort of communication option while online. You'll have to use the phone to talk with your friends. It would have made sense to include some type of headset support (the Wii has 2 USB slots currently doing nothing) or at the very least allow gamers to chat via keyboard. The good news is that the online works well with no lag.

Nintendo reminds us once again why they are the kings of multiplayer games with the release of Mario Strikers Charged. The non-stop and over-the-top insanity while playing with three friends simply must be experienced. The single player mode has been beefed up considerably and the online option means there's always someone out there waiting to challenge you. Strikers is an unexpected surprise and one that will entertain you and your friends for years to come.