This Day in Video Game History – September 11th, 2006 – Mario Hoops 3-on-3 Released for Nintendo DS

Mario and his friends (and foes) from the Mushroom Kingdom hit the basketball court in a game released on this day in history.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3, developed by Square-Enix and published by Nintendo, was released on the Nintendo DS on September 11th, 2006 in North America. This came after the original July release in Japan. Courtesy: Nintendo

Mario Hoops 3-on-3, developed by Square-Enix and published by Nintendo, was released on the Nintendo DS on September 11^th, 2006 in North America. This came after the original July release in Japan.

The game is the first Mario basketball title, and allows players to take the court in 3×3 matches. Aside from trying to score points (and stop the other team from scoring), Mario Hoops features special moves, items, coins, and more to give the game a more fantastic flair—much like Mario Kart or other Mario sports titles.

Aside from including a variety of characters from the Mario Bros. Universe such as Luigi, Peach, Wario, and Dixie Kong, Mario Hoops also features characters from Square-Enix’s own games to play such as a White Mage, a Ninja, and a Moogle.