Nintendo has left me with one question. What can’t the Mario Brothers crew do? Tennis, baseball, racing. It seemed only natural that the gang would make a fast break onto the DS with "Mario 3 on 3 Basketball." As per every Nintendo family get-together, you choose a team of your favorite characters to hoop it up in full-court, three-on-three action. All of the regulars are here: Mario, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Yoshi, and so on.

Here the emphasis is on scoring. Baskets count for a gratuitous amount of points and playing good defense takes some serious effort. Power up icons on the court offer help in the form of turtle shells, bob-ombs, and various types of mushrooms. The top screen provides a vertical view of the in-game action, while the touch screen displays a diagram of the court. Small facial icons show who’s playing and what the character’s location on the court is. The stylus is used to control player actions like shooting, stealing, and jumping, and the directional pad controls player movement. This control style brings a fresh and innovative perspective to how basketball games can be played. However, it would be a stretch to apply these controls to an NBA simulation because of the labor intensive stylus movements. Swiping the stylus in the proper manner and direction takes away from the necessary elements of speed and precision which can be offered by a button control. The playful touch screen movements are a great example of how the touch screen feature can be taken advantage of, but it’s also a reminder of how developers must be cautious when applying it to specific situations.

Continuing the tradition of strong multiplayer gaming, Mario 3 on 3 Basketball has a link option that allows you to play head-to-head against a fellow baller. Unless you’re playing against someone unfamiliar with the DS the competition is more intense with another user. The game had some trouble maintaining the framerate during the more action-filled sequences, but the final version should have the fine tuning to ensure a smooth ride. The graphics were pleasing to the eye, and the environments immerses you with all the clever trimmings synonymous with the Mario universe. If you like basketball "Mario 3 on 3 Basketball" is as enjoyable an experience as you will find on the DS.