In terms of playable characters, the usual collection of Nintendo mascots are here with a starting selection of 14 characters which are Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Shy Guy, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Wario, Diddy Kong, Koopa Troopa, Waluigi, Bowser Jr and Boo, not forgetting the odd unlockable character you'll pick up along the way. Each character has thier own style and unique skills. For example, Mario is an All-around player with average skills for all shots, Bower is a power player who moves slow but hits the ball with great force, while Daisy is a technical player who is a master of curling the ball. And then there are the 'power shots'. Perhaps the most controversial addition to the gameplay, 'power shots' are the special moves that defy physics, letting players smash balls with ferocious speed or make a last ditch attempt to save an otherwise lost point. As a player runs about the court and hits the ball, the head of his tennis racket gradually gradually glows pink. When it flashes, a 'power shot' can be used. They range from the relatively normal where Mario pulls out a huge hammer and smashes the ball, to the plain ridiculous as the court fills with water and Waluigi butterfly-strokes across it to reach the ball that's 10 metres away from him. There are two types of 'power shot'. There first being on offensive shot, while the other being defensive. It is the latter which greatly affects the gameplay as when balls are hit directly past an opponent, with no hope of return, a defensive 'power shot' can be used to return it. You don't need to be well-positioned or anywhere near the ball - simply activating the shot will send the player directly into the path of the ball. What's more, all power shots pause the on-screen action for unskippable animated sequences that, while entertaining at first, grow tiresome quickly. Points can be quite easily be won with normal shots so most 'power shots' just end up being saved as a safety net for any missed returns rather than adding much depth to proceeding. To make things worse 'power shots' can only be turned off for exhibition modes, not tournaments.
Looks like Waluigi is going to be in a bit of trouble....
Mario Power Tennis has 3 main modes of play. The standard Exhibition mode, lets you play any type of single game, by yourself or with up to 3 players. You can face the CPU to a plain old 1on1 match, team-up for a doubles match with a computer controlled player or take on your friends. Games can be setup for just single 2 game affairs or a proper 5 set match. The Exhibition mode allows for play on both regular courts and 'gimmick' courts. 'Gimmick' courts are a Mario-themed variation of the standard courts. These include Luigi’s Mansion, Delfino Plaza and the DK Jungle courts to name a few, each one offering a different type of surface effecting the speed and bounce of the ball in some way. Every court offers a 'gimmick' variation where the court has an obstacle of some kind. For example, in Luigi’s Mansion, the player has to play the ball whilst been distracted by ghosts. The ghosts can only be scared away if the ball is hit in a targeted area that lights up a tiny area of the court. In Delfino Plaza you are required to avoid sludge that's all over the court and score points as your character struggles to move his way through mud patches. As for the Gooper Blooper court, the court surface is made up of water panels that cause the court size to either expand or shrink this increasing/decreasing the chances of landing your shot in/out. These are for the most part very well done and offer a bit of variation and an element of luck to proceedings giving lesser skilled player more of a chance.
The Tournament mode has you working your way up the Tournament tree to the Championship match where you’ll compete for trophies and have a chance to open up some of the games unlockables like extra courts, mini games, characters etc. It's this Tournament mode that makes up quite a large chunk of what the game has to offer, so it's a pity that it's not up to scratch. The first problem which I've already mentioned is the fact 'power shots' cannot be turned off for tournament play meaning if you're not fond of the whole 'power shot' system then you're going to struggle to enjoy a large portion of the game. I personally don't mind the 'power shot' element, but I must admit there has been plenty of times I wish I could just play Tournaments without them. The second problem with the tournament mode is the difficulty, or be it the total lack of it. On my first attempt at winning all 6 tournaments I lost just a single game. Not a match, not even a set, a single game. If I was a master of the N64 Mario Tennis then maybe I could understand how I breezed through it so easily, but I was more of a Virtua Tennis guy back then so I never really ever got that good at Mario Tennis 64. While the AI does actually adapt to your style of play, it is simply just too easy to trick. A dropshot just over the net followed by a volley will fool the CPU for a fair few games before it finally learns to lob you as you run to the net, by which time the game is practically over. Overall, given that the Tournaments are the arguably the main focus of the game, it's disappointing that it didn't amount to more. Given that there are no plans this time around for a GBA version, the addition of an RPG-like single player mode is even more of an omission than in the N64 game. Anyone who has played the GBC version of Mario Tennis (of Golf for that matter) would know how well these RPG modes worked with you being able to make a player in any style you want by upgrading certain stats as you go along. These could have been used in muliplayer. Imagine you playing with your super powerful Yoshi against your friends Wario volley expert, something that I feel would be ultimately more rewarding than just unlocking the odd character and court here and there.
The third mode is a little bit different than your more standard tennis games. This mode lets you play special tennis inspired mini-games (think Virtua Tennis crossed with Mario Party and you'll be close) which can be played alone or with a friend. There are a large selection of mini games available straight away with success unlocking even further crazy game modes. These special games do carry the theme of tennis but differ vastly in gameplay. 'Artist on the court' has you returning blobs of paint onto a picture on the wall. Each ball represents a colour and you must hit the right ball of paint onto the right part of the picture. Colour in the picture correctly and it's onto the next trickier picture. Other games have you playing noughts and crosses with muddy Shines, returning shots to the giant Octopus from Mario Sunshine and even hitting bombs with your racquet at a giant mechanical Bowser. The only problem I had with these games was that they go on for a little too long and just don't sustain interest in the same way Virtua Tennis's short & sweet mini games had you retrying over and over to get a better score.
But of course it's the Multiplayer which is by far the strongest area of the game. Singles or doubles matches can be set up with relative ease with the CPU on had to fill any empty slots you need filling. All of the party games, gimmick courts and special modes like Ring Mode (earn points by shooting through rings) and Battle Mode (basically Mario Kart battle mode on a Tennis court) can also be played in multiplayer mode as well. And of course, the 'power shots' can be turned off for a more serious game giving you a huge amount of different modes and ways in which to play.
That's unfair, surely?!
Graphically the game retains the style of Mario Tennis 64, yet uses the power of the Gamecube well. The models are superb and the characters are their usual colorful selves. The game runs beautifully and not once is there any slow down, even during the graphically heavy special shots. Player and shot animation can't be faulted either. The arena and court side graphics spoil things somewhat with the crowd in particular disappointingly containing only a couple of 2D models that are repeated over and over, but luckily the only time you see the court is in the opening and closing animations. Graphically speaking, Mario Power Tennis has the solid colorful graphics we've come to expect from Camelot games, and bar the lack of a widescreen option, I can't really fault it. The audio is of an equal standard too with decent tunes filled with all the kind of tunes Mario is famous for. Each character has a fair few soundbytes, all crystal clear and occasionally humourous. It can all be played in DPLII surround sound too which adds an extra layer of involvement to proceedings.
Mario Power Tennis is such a hard game to review as the core gameplay is so much fun, but many things are holding back from achieving greatness. The 'power shots', while a good addition, should never have been made compulsory for Tournament play. As an option they would certainly been a positive component to the game, but watching the same drawn-out animations over and over again becomes tiresome very quickly and just the thought of having to see them all over again when you play through with another character is off-putting. Then there's the AI which severely lacks any degree of challenge. But this is a Tennis game afterall, and like all good Tennis game it's in multiplayer where this game shines. With a wide selection of courts and characters combined with the many different modes and mini games means you can play the game exactly how you want. So if you're after a good multiplayer game, there are few better than Mario Power Tennis. If you're thinking of buying it for the single player you may want to wait for a price drop before your purchase.
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