Smiles For Mario Power Tennis

Just reading our preview of the import version of Mario Power Tennis had me smiling. I mean, tush-chomping alligators? Dizzying ghosts intent on distracting you from your volley? How can you beat that?

It's precisely these kind of wacky gameplay wrinkles, at once imaginative, humorous, and charming, that make Nintendo's relatively rare forays into sports gaming so welcome. Sure, no one will ever mistake Mario Power Tennis for a simulation (or even Virtua Tennis, for that matter) but, with its variety of difficulty levels and its creative courts and control features, it sure looks to be an ace in the making.