Mario Hoops 3-on-3 is a time capsule from 2006 when the DS stylus felt revolutionary. It's wholesome, safe, and genuinely tries to teach teamwork through basketball mechanics mixed with Mario chaos.
The problem? It's nearly 20 years old and stuck on obsolete hardware. Unless your kid is a die-hard Mario fan with a DS collecting dust, or you're feeling nostalgic yourself, there are dozens of better sports games (and better Mario games) available today. The IGDB rating of 63/100 tells the story—it was decent then, forgettable now.
If you already own it, great! It's perfectly safe and your kid will have fun for a few hours. But I wouldn't go hunting for a used DS cartridge in 2025 just to play this.







