Looking for a bit of competition among fellow Mario Strikers Charged (Wii) players in the UK? If you think you've got what it takes to win, the Xleague.tv eSports channel has just announced a series of events you may fancy, beginning with a Mario Strikers tournament come this August 18. Contenders who sign up can expect to start playing immediately, with matches arranged as 1-on-1 competitions, and entrants able to compete via Xleague.tv's website.

To further up the ante, Xleague also announced that the tournament, league play, and finals will be broadcast on their Sky channel 279. Cash and prizes are expected to be announced soon. Lee Catania, Xleague.tv's Marketing Manager, had this to say about the news:

Being in the exclusive position of having an online and television presence, we're able to give unprecedented support for the Nintendo Wii unrivalled by any other UK platforms. It's a terrific console and we're proud to be including it in our line-up as we intend to bring our viewers and on line community the very best in next gen gaming.

Guys interested in joining the competition are advised to drop by the Xleague.tv site (via the read link below) for registration.

 

If you've been waiting for the supercharged football action that is Mario Strikers Charged, then you should check your calendar. Today, the Nintendo Wii video game charges to store shelves.

In case you've been spending your days cooped up in your basement, here's a bit of a primer about the game Mario Strikers Charged. It's the sequel to the GameCube title, Super Mario Strikers, and it sports nine new stadiums-slash-battlefields and a motley crew of new characters. You can create your own dream team by drafting your favorite characters in captain or sidekick positions. Additional content like cheats and game elements can be unlocked by beating the Striker Challenges and the Road to the Striker Cup.

Mario Strikers Charged features single player and multiplayer modes via Wi-Fi Connection. In multiplayer mode, you can slug it out with players nationwide, coast to coast. Every week is a fresh tournament for players as leaderboards are reset weekly.

Nintendo of America's George Harrison, senior vice president of marketing and communications had this to say about the title:

Mario Strikers Charged incorporates unique Wii controls such as flicking the Wii Remote to tackle the ball from your opponent or using it to block shots on the goal. There's no better way to keep a game challenging and fun than to invite more people to join the action. With Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, we're creating a real community where players at any experience level can take part in the fun.

So if you're up for a cross between football and Super Smash action, then go ahead and get the Mario Strikers Charged. We're sure it'll be a ball.

If there was ever a game franchise that took Soccer into a full-on contact sport, Mario Strikers Charged definitely takes the cake. Not only are you encouraged to use items to knock ball-dribbling players off their feet, you're pretty much given leeway to steal the ball by any means possible - even if it's body-checking players into the stadium walls, or kicking the ball into them so hard they're stunned. We see more of that and then some in this video update of Mario Strikers Charged for the Nintendo Wii.

The first video, Goal Scoring Gameplay, gives us a peek at the many ways one can score a goal in Mario Strikers Charged, and we see none other than Mario himself taking it to the goalkeeper with a MegaStrike Goal attack. On the other end of the spectrum, the second video, Koopa Kicking Gameplay, shows Mario's arch nemesis Bowser and his minions working like a well-oiled machine to get the goals.

Mario Strikers Charged hits first, hits fast and hits HARD. Updates as we get them, and enjoy the videos!

The other video after the jump!

More E3 updates coming your way! This time, what we have for you below is the official trailer video for Mario Strikers Charged being played at the event in California. The title has been available for European fans for some time now while Wii owners in North America may get it beginning July 30.

Speaking of releases, we expect that Mario Strikers Charged will also be received warmly by us American fans just like the way our counterparts in Europe. It should be remembered that the game ranked top three among Nintendo Wi-Fi games even after being available only for three days.

What's up this week down under? A whole new bunch of gaming treats from Nintendo. This week will see a couple of title launches for the Wii, while there's seven new games for you to pick up for your DS.

The two new titles for the Wii are Mario Strikers Charged, which lands in Australia with online multiplayer capabilities, and the odd royal gang from the land of Far Away, Shrek the Third. As for the DS titles, take your pick from the list below:

• Shrek the Third (Dreamworks)
• Brothers in Arms DS  (Ubisoft)
• Harvest Moon DS
• Nicktoons Battle for Volcano Island (THQ)
• Picross DS
• Princess Natasha
• Puzzle Quest

Anyhow, we're sure there's already a healthy bunch from among you who have already grabbed a copy of Mario Strikers Charged. So, the next best thing to say is, of course, enjoy! Keep it posted here for more updates on what's hot and what's not. This list: definitely hot.

Fancy a game of football? Whether it's a 2 vs. 2 local multiplayer or online, we're sure you'll love Mario Strikers Charged. Here's a a TV commercial illustrating how the battles will work.

This video is a German TV spot featuring 2 vs. 2 multiplayer on the Nintendo Wii - just like the other commercial we've seen. The gist of it is that Next Level Games' Mario Strikers Charged can get the most competitive gamers fighting for bragging rights. Be on your toes, as this video game is set to invade North America by the end of July.

In the meantime, why don't you check out the video? Girls beat the boys!

What can we say - Europe loves their football (aka soccer). A recent survey taken of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection games (ending May 27) indicates that aside from titles like Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart DS, Mario Strikers Charged has taken Europe's Wii consoles by storm:

1. Pokémon Diamond - 1,460,474 connections
2. Pokémon Pearl - 1,007,074 connections
3. Mario Strikers Charged Football - 399,569 connections
4. Animal Crossing: Wild World - 360,855 connections
5. Mario Kart DS - 294,993 connections
6. Metroid Prime Hunters - 201,480 connections
7. Jump! Ultimate Stars - 128,872 connections
8. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker - 108,299 connections
9. Tetris DS - 71,347 connections
10. Pokémon Battle Revolution - 51,781 connections
    

What makes this chart all the more interesting is that Mario Strikers has only been out for three days since the survey's readings and so far has only seen a Europe release. This means that these massive numbers are being generated possibly from one region, as compared to the top two (Pokemon Diamond and Pearl) which have already been released in Japan and North America. Mario Strikers is expected to hit the USA this July 30 while Japan stands to receive it by December 31.

Some European Nintendo Wii fans were disappointed that it states in the manual of Mario Strikers Charged that "you will be able to play only with people within Europe," with concerns on lag taking the blame.

Essentially, that means there will be peak and none-peak days and times if servers for the online part of the game are restricted on a time zone basis. In turn, this means that there will be instances when the rooms will overflow and there will be times that you'll be hard-pressed to find your ideal playing companions.

Joystiq suggested that a latency test might have been the first step to not putting up regional barriers, and went on to say that at times, playing with people in South Africa was more lag-free than playing with people in North America.

We certainly hope that in due time, Nintendo finds a way to work around lag issues when globalizing games. It's really just a different level of fun and competition when playing with fellow gamers from across the planet. That atmosphere of being part of something big makes for more intense matches and more fulfilling results.

We have here for you two new videos for Nintendo's Mario Strikers Charged. The first video is a Wi-Fi demo being performed by a player, and basically, he discusses the ins and outs of the Wi-Fi system for the game. The second video, on the other hand, is a new game trailer.

We're expecting Mario Strikers Charged to be shipped any time now, today, so you might want to prep up for the game via these videos, especially the demo. Anyhow, you just have to click play and it's a go for you. Enjoy!

Mario Strikers Charged's new trailer after the jump!

European clan gaming site, ConsoleGaming.eu, announced that it will be spearheading the first competitive Nintendo Wii ladder in the EU region. It says that this ladder will take the form of Super Mario Strikers Charged.

The General Manager of the gaming site, Marco Spoor notes that by launching a competitive ladder for Super Mario Strikers, they might draw in the more casual gamer into their fold. "This will bring us closer to achieving our aim of becoming a central hub for which all European gamers can converse and compete in a ladder environment," says the General Manager.

Mario Strikers Charged will join the current eleven ladders (all of which spread out across three formats - the PS2, the Xbox 360, and the PS3) that the gaming site has. To register for the ladders feel free to head to their site via Read link below.

A competitive ladder for casual gamers? Well, if you can count folks who spend 20 hours a day on games like Zuma as "casual", then ConsoleGaming's plan just might work.