Three Throw
| Three Throw | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Mario Party 4 gameplay screenshot | |||
| Appears in | Mario Party 4 Mario Party: The Top 100 | ||
| Type | 4-Player | ||
| Time limit | 30 seconds | ||
| Music track | Try Hard, Folks | ||
| |||
Three Throw is a 4-Player minigame based on basketball in Mario Party 4 and Mario Party: The Top 100. Three Throw predates Mario's first appearance in a basketball video game, NBA Street V3, which itself predates the first Mario basketball game, Mario Hoops 3-on-3.
The name "Three Throw" is a pun on the basketball term "free throw."
Gameplay[edit]
Just before the minigame starts, each character, from left to right, catches a basketball. After all four have caught one, they proceed to throw it into one of the hoops lined against the wall.
During the gameplay, characters stand behind a three-point line in front of three moving rows of basketball hoops. The goal is to score as many points as possible within 30 seconds by making jump shots. Shots made in the top or bottom row are worth one point, and shots made in the faster-moving middle row are worth two points. Only one basketball can be contained in a basket, meaning that if one character makes a shot, no other characters can make shots in that particular basket. However, empty baskets become available as the hoops scroll offscreen. Halfway through the minigame, the rows switch the direction they move in. Whoever has the most parts by the end wins at the minigame.
Setting[edit]
The minigame appears to take place within an urban area, as evidenced by a couple of tall buildings in the background, and the weather is lightly cloudly. The characters are standing on smooth, gray concrete with basketball lines drawn on it. The endline, baseline, free throw circle, and sideline are all white, and the three-point circle is yellow. The characters do not make use of these lines because they stand behind the three-point line for the entire minigame. The brick wall, which the hoops are lined against, is connected between two buildings. The hoops on the top and bottom have a red ring, and the middle hoops have a yellow ring to distinguish them.
The characters are in a somewhat dilapidated area. The top of the brick wall is somewhat broken, and one of the uppermost bricks is chipped. The left and right buildings also show signs of wear on the side, as evidenced by a visible brick texture.
The building on the left is stone gray, and has three stairs leading up to a dark green door. A dark green streetlamp, though of a different shade, is placed right next to the stair railing. The building on the right is a beige-yellow color, and there are bricks lined against its corner in a zipper-like formation. A dark red staircase attached to the right building, which suggeasts that it could be an apartment. A tin drum lies partially beneath the staircase, though it is still lined against the wall. A dark blue car resembling a Volkswagen Beetle is parked against the staircase, though most of it is off-screen. The texture of its license plate reads YRP168, although this is not visible during gameplay.
In Mario Party: The Top 100, the area was made brighter, and is somewhat more gentrified, although the brick texture remains visible on the buildings. Both the left and right buildings were changed to a bright orange, and every building in the background is roughly the same height. The streetlamp on the left is now light blue, and its glass is slightly more transparent. The car to the right was made a brighter blue.
Controls[edit]
Mario Party 4[edit]
– Jump
– Shoot
Mario Party: The Top 100[edit]
: Jump- in the air: Shoot
- [Top/bottom baskets: 1 point]
- [Middle baskets: 2 points]
In-game text[edit]
Mario Party 4[edit]
- Game Rules – "Try to make the most shots into the moving baskets."
- Advice – "The middle baskets are worth two points, the bottom worth one. Shoot after the high point of a jump to make it in the middle row."
Mario Party: The Top 100[edit]
- Description – "Time your shots just right to get the ball into the moving baskets!"
- On-screen – "Time your jump shots to make a basket!"
Gallery[edit]
Mario Party 4 preview icon
See also[edit]
- Settle It in Court - a Mario Party 8 minigame also involving free throws
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | フリーフリースロー！ Furī Furī Surō |
Free Free Throw! |
| Dutch | Bewegende baskets | Moving baskets |
| French | Lancer Franc | Free Throw |
| German | Dreierwurf | Triple Throw |
| Italian | Basket | Basketball |
| Spanish | Tira y... ¡canasta! | Throw and... Score! |
Trivia[edit]
- Even though the characters are standing behind a three-point line, they do not score three points from throwing making hoops like in actual basketball.
