Mario sure has a knack for making any game seem crazy and fun.
The Bad: Power shots can become bothersome; You can't skip power shot animations (the animations are good, it just gets tiring watching them over and over again)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the name "Mario"? If you're a gamer, you probably would think of a crazy plumber and a mega-crazy world. Well, ofcourse you would think that if you're a gamer! Mario is a plumber/doctor/super-hero in a world where mushrooms give him super-powers, stars, make him invincible, and a large turtle keeps on stealing the princess of a kingdom where human-mushrooms populate the lands. Now, if that's regular life for him, then just imagine the sports they play. Yes, this kind of craziness does carry into regular sports in our world. Have you ever played a tennis match where somebody suddenly pulls out a gargantuan hammer and blasts the ball right past you? I don't think so. Unless if you've played this game, Mario Power Tennis.
Mario already infected tennis with his infamous Mushroom-Kingdom-psychomaniac-making-itus disease on the N64. Though now tht the GC is [or was] out, the capabilities are higher. That can only mean one thing for a Mario sports game. Make the game even crazier. The very first difference you'll notice from the N64 version is a thing called "Power Shots." There are two kinds: Offensive and defensive. With offensive power shots, you can blast that ball right through the opponent (with a hammer or something, depends on the character you use). If the opponent does return the ball, he/she/it will certainly feel it's crushing effects. You can only perform an offensive power shot if the ball is right in your path. Though then comes a situation in the match where the opponent makes and excellent strike and blasts the ball far out of your reach. It's the opponent's point then, right? Well, yes... Unless if you've got a power shot charged up. This is where you would use a defensive power shot. No matter who you use, a defensive power shot will return any shot, and you will not feel the effects of an offensive power shot if the opponent uses one (though I have experienced a few times where the defensive power shot screwed up). However, it's obviously nowhere near as powerful as an offensive power shot, and the opponent would have to be really out of position to not be able to return it. This power shot system really does add a new twist to the game and makes it feel real interesting. In order to master this game, you do need to master the power shots. This is a good thing, because it just makes the game of tennis feel like... A new game that's just similar to tennis. It gives you a whole new experience. However, it can also be a bad thing. It can get tiring worrying about power shots, especially if you just want to play the simple game of tennis. Fortunately, you are able to switch off the power shots in exhibiton mode. Unfortunately, if you're in the middle of a tournament and you're starting to get annoyed by those power shots, then you're pretty much stuck for the moment. Though I would overall give the power shots a thumbs up.
As for the game of tennis itself inside of this game, it's one of the best tennis games out there, and certainly the best on the Cube. The basic game is here, and all the regular rules. So if you turn off the power shots, you do have the basic game of tennis, just with Mario characters. The game plays very well, and is simple to learn. If you disinclude the power shots, you have three basic shots. There is the top spin shot, which you press the A button to perform. Then there is the slice shot, which you perform by pressing the B button. Then there is the smash shot, which you need to press both A and B at the same time. It's the most difficult shot to perform, unless if you're inside of a "smash star." There are also two more complicated shots, but I'll leave you to learn them (if you haven't played this game yet). As for the characters, there are several different styles (ex. power, speed, defence, technique). It does add some strategic elements. Overall, the gameplay is just excellent in this game. If you like tennis but not Mario, you'll still like this game. If you like Mario but not tennis, you'll still like this game.
Okay, so the gameplay is really good, but how of is is there in this game? Well, quite a bit actually. There is obviously exhibition mode, though you may want to play this mode quite a bit for a challenge. There are several difficulty levels (a few need to be unlocked), and the high ones are actually difficult. Plus there's the multiplayer factor, which is always a great thing in Mario games. Then there is the tournament mode. There are three modes. World Open, Gimmick Masters, and Star Tournament. The World Open is your standard tournament. The reward for going through the three cups in this tournament with every character is that they will all become star characters, meaning that all their stats will go up. It is optional to make them star characters before a match or tournament (once you've give them the option to be star characters), just in case if you want to make a little challenge. Then there is the Gimmick Masters. There are two cups here. You don't need to beat this with every character, unless if you want to just for completion sakes. In these tournaments, you have to play in "gimmick courts." These are courts with your standard Mario stuff going on in them. That adds another nice crazy twist to the game. By beating both cups with on both singles and doubles, you can unlock these gimmick courts to use in exhibition mode, just in case if you want to make the tennis game even crazier (I forgot to mention this, but you can also do item matches and ring matches, which also makes this game crazy on exhibition mode). Finally there is the Star Tournament. It's basically like the World Open, except that all your opponents are star characters. This tournament needs to be unlocked. Also, don't forget. You can do all of these tournaments in single and doubles, meaning that there is even more replay value. Then this is one more mode called the "Special Games." No, it's not that kind of special. It's the kind of special where you need to perform certain tasks (like painting pictures or saving balloons), except that they require tennis skills. There is much to do in this game. Characters, courses, star status, and just good old completion sakes to unlock.
The visuals are solid in this game. Everything is nice and colorful. Everything is also well detailed. The animation is good. As for the sounds, it's also very good. The characters, though sometimes annoying, do sound like themselves. The music isn't that notable, but it's good just as well. Everything just seems to run so smoothly in this game.
Do you want a Mario-crazy game? Look no further. Do you want the simple game of tennis? Look no further. This game has both, and both sides are equal in terms of gameplay greatness. There is much to do in this game. The single player aspect is actually satisfying in this game. As for the multiplayer aspect... Well, do I really need to say anything about that? This game has much to unlock. This game has many characters. This game has many courses. This game has many options. This game has fun special games. This game has it's challenges. This game has excellent mechanics. There is just so much in this game, and it all works very well. It's hard to find any real faults in this game. The power shots might be a fault, but they're also a good thing. There's also the fact that you can't skip power shot animations... If that's the closest thing you can find to a true fault, then why should anybody not try this game out? It's really a great game, and just about anybody can enjoy it.