Mario Power Tennis, the latest Mario sports offering from the Nintendo/Camelot team that brought you Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, is a great translation of tennis into the vibrant colors and wackiness of the Mario genre. The gimmick courts are where this game really shines, adding new twists and excitement to tennis. If you’re in the mood for straight tennis, however, all the courts can be played without gimmicks. While you’ll either love or hate most of the gimmick courts, the power shots for each character, or rather the animations for the power shots, quickly become grating. Each character has both an offensive and defensive power shot, but there is only one animation for each… and there’s no way to skip it. The repetitive animations can really get in the way of a heated match, or distract you long enough to take your eyes off the ball. It would have been a simple option feature to disable the animations, but leave the power shot mechanic in place. Along with normal and gimmick tennis, Mario Power Tennis features a good amount of bonus games to help you hone your skills, and there are several unlockable characters that help add to the overall experience. There’s a lot of fun to be had here, and fans of both Mario and tennis will find a lot to enjoy. That said, the game wears a little thin after the initial thrills, since it’s still tennis. It’s definitely a blast if you’re in the mood for it, though. This is highly recommended for a rental, and if you’re still laughing and enjoying the game after a week with it, pick it up.
Pros: + challenging for skilled players and accessible for newcomers + all the charm of a Mario sport game is included + plenty of options for organizing matches + large roster of Mario characters with different play... Read Full Review
I was excited to get my hands on this game as i thought the N64 version of Mario Tennis was awesome. Firstly the exhibition mode, this is a great place to practice and hone your skills. The great thing is you are able t... Read Full Review
