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Good: Stylus control, graphics, sound, stages, multiplayer

Bad: Repetitive single-player mode, odd point system

First: Game to feature a cactus doing a slam dunk

Having already proven his adeptness at princess-saving, turtle-stomping, go-kart racing, golfing, tennis, baseball, soccer and partying, Mario is now hitting the basketball court. Entirely skipping the console scene, Mario Hoops 3-on-3 arrives on the DS with some unique stylus controls.

Throwing out typical face button controls, 3-on-3 is controlled almost exclusively by making specific motions on the touchscreen. Tapping the screen causes you to dribble, but thankfully, you don't have to do it constantly (it makes you run faster, however). The primary purpose of dribbling is doing it over coin blocks. The points you acquire with these coins is distributed into your game score once you sink a basket or dunk. This becomes tiresome, as offense becomes a repeating cycle of "run around dribbling on coin blocks for a while, then run up and dunk."

Because of this odd point system, it's entirely possible to get 100+ points on a single dunk, especially on the ridiculously easy first tournament. To give you an idea of how simple it is initially, the score of my first game was 673-52.

Swiping the stylus to the left or right will pass to one of your two opponents, and swiping it straight up will shoot the ball. Each character has an impressive Special Shot that can be activated by dribbling twice in a particular pattern ("W" for Wario, "L" for Luigi, etc). This produces some funny sequences, such as Waluigi swimming through the air or Dixie Kong shooting the ball out of a cannon.

Defense is significantly simpler, as you generally just run to the ball carrier and swipe down to attempt a steal. To block a shot or dunk, you can swipe up twice to knock it down. The same item blocks that grant the offense coins will give the defense items. Most of the items featured as far back as the SNES Mario Kart are included, including lightning bolts, mushrooms, and turtle shells. Past Mario sports titles have awkwardly included these (particularly Tennis), but they're incorporated far better on a basketball court. If an opposing player breaks free and is headed towards the basket, a well-thrown turtle shell can stop him dead in his tracks.

One of the best aspects in MH is the variety of courts. Many locales familiar to Mario fans are used, including Koopa Beach and Luigi's Mansion. Most feature interesting variables, such as the pirate cannons firing at you on the beach or the shot-blocking ghosts in the mansion. One court even forgoes the hoop entirely and requires you to shoot the ball into Petey Piranha's gaping mouth.

Graphically, it's easily one of the most impressive DS titles. While it's certainly not the first Mario title on the portable, Hoops brings the universe to the system in a more vivid and visually striking way than any other. The "DS has N64 graphics" argument is proven wrong, as this looks noticeably better than any 64 Mario title. Anyone who has played a Nintendo-developed game in the last decade knows what to expect from the sound: solid effects and catchy tunes.

While it certainly offers some fun (and an innovative control scheme), Mario Hoops unfortunately grows stale too fast. Unless you have a friend with the game, you'll quickly tire of the tournaments, exhibition games, and forgettable minigames. The addition of several unlockable characters is nice (especially the surprise inclusions of some Square characters), but it's not enough to significantly prolong the experience.

Graphics: 9.0

Sound: 8.5

First Play: 8.5

Replay Value: 7.0

Gameplay: 7.5

Overall: 7.6