Play Mario Slam Basketball (FireX) (EU) Online

Mario Slam Basketball, known as FireX in Europe, came out for the Nintendo DS in 2006. It was developed by Square Enix, which was a bit of a surprise at the time. The game arrived when the DS was full of creative, sometimes quirky titles, and this one fit right in with its over-the-top take on sports.

You control a team of three Mario characters, dribbling, passing, and shooting to outscore the opponent. The main goal is to win matches across various cups and tournaments. Signature mechanics include using special items, like banana peels to trip rivals or fireballs to steal the ball, and pulling off super shots that require timed button presses for huge points. The pacing is fast, with constant shoving and item chaos, and the difficulty can spike sharply in later cups. It feels like controlled mayhem, where every match could turn on a single absurd play.