40 Fun Facts About Mario Sports Mix

In Mario Sports Mix hockey, which familiar Mario object is knocked around the rink instead of a puck?

A coin stands in for the puck in every hockey match. In the opening story it arrives alongside a basketball and a volleyball when a strange object crashes near the castle.

Which monster, the mascot of the Dragon Quest series, joins Mario Sports Mix as an unlockable playable character?

Slime is the only Dragon Quest guest in the game. Its special shot fills the court with copies of itself that stun whoever they touch.

Which character's special shot in Mario Sports Mix uses the Poltergust 3000 vacuum to drag opponents towards him?

Luigi borrows the ghost-catching vacuum from his GameCube adventure. Rivals held in its pull for long enough trip over and cannot defend the shot.

Which Mario Sports Mix character paints the court with a magic brush so that defenders slip?

Bowser Jr. is classed as a Speedy character with top marks for pace, and the slippery paint makes it far harder to stop him scoring.

Which studio, the company behind Super Mario RPG, developed Mario Sports Mix?

Square Enix brought guests from its own role-playing series along, which is why a Final Fantasy team waits in the final of each sport's last cup.

Which character is gardening when a strange object crashes behind the castle at the start of Mario Sports Mix?

Toad runs to the crash site with his friends, finds sports gear inside, and decides to organise tournaments for all four games.

Which Mario enemies serve as the goalkeepers in Mario Sports Mix hockey, each dressed in a team's colour?

Shy Guys mind both nets, and one will sometimes whack a player who stands too close with its stick for no reason at all.

Mario Sports Mix sold nearly two million copies after launching on which games console?

Nintendo Wii owners could play with a Remote and Nunchuk or with the Remote held sideways, shaking the controller to shoot, spike and check.

What does Wario throw to open his special shot in Mario Sports Mix, before gas hides where he aims?

A bomb like the ones in the WarioWare series knocks nearby players away. The gas that follows leaves even Wario unsure where the shot is heading.

Which Mario character referees Mario Sports Mix, dropping the puck at every hockey face-off?

Lakitu also throws the ball up for the tip-off in basketball, and he carries it in on the end of a plunger.

What does Peach release in her Mario Sports Mix special shot, stunning rivals for a couple of seconds?

Hearts burst out of one large heart that surrounds Peach. She needs the help, because her Power rating is the lowest possible at one out of five.

Which character's special shot in Mario Sports Mix bounces the ball along a rainbow line that keeps shifting?

Yoshi throws two bouncing balls in basketball, but one of them is a decoy that scores nothing even if it drops through the basket.

In the Mario Sports Mix party game Feed Petey, what do players throw into Petey Piranha's open mouth?

Fruit scores by type: a watermelon is worth fifty points, a red apple thirty and an orange ten, and nothing counts unless the plant's mouth is open.

Which item in Mario Sports Mix shrinks any player it touches, slowing them down and blocking most of their moves?

The Mini Mushroom works as it did in New Super Mario Bros., and it is lobbed onto the court to sit in one spot until somebody runs into it.

What do players run across on a Mario Sports Mix court to collect an item such as a Red Shell?

Items are now held in reserve instead of in the player's hands. The ? Panels themselves return from the studio's previous Mario sports game.

Mario Sports Mix tournaments borrow three cup names from Mario Kart, so which cup is the second one players face?

The Flower Cup is the middle tournament of three, each lasting three rounds, and winning its third round opens a new court for that sport.

Which rare item in Mario Sports Mix is most likely to go to the losing team and switches itself on at once?

The Super Star makes its holder invincible and powers up the ball, which flies straight through defenders and homes in on the goal.

In the Mario Sports Mix story, what coloured objects fall from the sky with sports gear sealed inside?

Crystals in red, green, yellow and blue each hold one sport's ball or puck, and the best team in each sport's tournaments wins one as a prize.

Which Final Fantasy monster is the boss players must fight after winning all four sports in Mario Sports Mix?

Behemoth is fought with moves from all four sports at once, and beating it unlocks a tougher tournament that ends against a stronger Behemoth King.

Which earlier Mario sports title, also featuring Final Fantasy guests, is Mario Sports Mix an indirect follow-up to?

Hoops 3-on-3 came from the same studio and the same director, Shin Azuma, and many courts here are based on its basketball arenas.

Which Mario enemies burst out of broken crates on the Ghoulish Galleon court in Mario Sports Mix?

Dry Bones stun anyone who touches them, though a quick player can hide behind one as a shield while the ship tilts from side to side.

Which Final Fantasy character disguises himself as an opponent and steals the trophy in Mario Sports Mix?

Ninja leaps onto a flying ship with the trophy, so the players must chase him into space and beat the Final Fantasy team in the real final.

Which Final Fantasy creature has a Mario Sports Mix Speed rating that runs past the top of the scale?

Cactuar is so quick that its speed bar is drawn in red, but it skids when it changes direction and has bottom marks for Power and Technique.

Which Final Fantasy creature in Mario Sports Mix makes the ball vanish in mid-flight and reappear somewhere else?

Moogle joins the roster as soon as the first cup of any sport is won, and it pairs very weak power with a top technique rating.

Which Final Fantasy spellcaster in Mario Sports Mix uses lightning to shrink nearby opponents before shooting?

Black Mage is also the only player who skips the hockey stick, hitting the puck with his magical staff instead.

Which of the five character types in Mario Sports Mix do Peach, Daisy and Waluigi all belong to?

Technical characters trade muscle for accuracy, and all three carry a full five-out-of-five Technique rating that helps them aim their shots.

What does Diddy Kong throw in his Mario Sports Mix special shot to stun any defender it hits?

A banana boomerang swings out in a wide curve before the ball or puck follows. Diddy Kong backs it with a top Speed rating but the lowest possible Power.

Which Mario Sports Mix party game has players knock opponents off the stage, taking points from them?

Smash Skate is fought with hockey sticks on stages of its own, among them Sherbet Sea and Fire Mountain, and a wobbling player can shake the controller to stay on.

Which Mario Sports Mix court is known for its constantly rotating turntables?

Western Junction warns of each train with a railroad crossing signal, and any player standing on the tracks when it arrives is knocked away.

At which annual games trade show did Reggie Fils-Aimé first present Mario Sports Mix to the public?

E3 2010 was where he claimed that none of the four sports had appeared in a Mario sports title before, although three of them already had in some form.

Which Japanese magazine published the first review of Mario Sports Mix, scoring it 30 out of 40?

Famitsu printed its verdict about a week before the Japanese launch, with two sevens and two eights, and one reviewer feared four sports might soon bore some players.

Which online service, switched off in 2014, did Mario Sports Mix use for two-on-two matches over the internet?

Wi-Fi Connection paired two players sharing one console against another duo, friends or strangers, but only within their own region.

Which feature of professional basketball appears in Mario Sports Mix, handing the ball to the other team if ignored?

A shot clock counts down in the bottom-left corner of the screen, and a tied game goes to overtime, so no basketball match here ends in a draw.

In Mario Sports Mix basketball, a special shot that goes in is worth the same as which regular score?

A three-pointer is the best a single basket pays on its own, while Waluigi's special earns just one point for each of his shots that drops.

Peach and Daisy can unlock alternate outfits in Mario Sports Mix named after which other sport they play?

Tennis-wear costumes come from the Mario Tennis series, and each one takes forty matches as that princess, or a special mission, to unlock.

What do players collect and dunk on the head of the final boss in Mario Sports Mix to damage it?

Meteorites gain power each time teammates pass one between them like a volleyball, and one that hits the floor is lost along with its charge.

Sports Mix mode in Mario Sports Mix, where the sport changes every round, locks computer opponents to which level?

Expert is the only setting the mode offers and the toughest in the game, and the mode itself stays locked until the boss beyond the four sports is beaten.

How does Donkey Kong begin his special shot in Mario Sports Mix, dazing every player on the opposing side?

Donkey Kong pounds the ground with both fists, and he backs the shockwave with a full Power rating but the lowest possible Speed.

What does the four-armed machine in Waluigi's Mario Sports Mix special shot send out to stop attackers?

Electricity crackles from the machine while Waluigi fires three shots before aiming at the goal, and every one of them that connects is counted.

What shoots up on the Peach's Castle court in Mario Sports Mix to block shots and routes to the net?

Jets of water rise from the court outside the castle, and in hockey a player can shut them off by stepping on a special floor tile.