Pros: Excellent controls, a variety of options, and fantastic multiplayer action.
Cons: Lackluster Bowser stage; one-player mode is somewhat limited in lifespan and fun.
The Bottom Line: With an enormous variety of modes, an exquisite control system, and top multiplayer action, Mario Tennis is a gem among tennis games and sports games in general.
arada392's Full Review: Mario Tennis for Nintendo 64
Warning! Very long review ahead!
… Our previous RPG titles (Dragon Warrior, Shining Force series) have gained European users' favor even though most Japanese RPG games are not favorable in the U.S. and Europe. We hope you will enjoy playing our RPG games, even if they're released on a rival platform. Of course, we would like to challenge ourselves with different game categories as well.
- Camelot Software Planning President Hiroyuki Takahashi and Vice President Shugo Takahashi in an interview with Nintendo Power about Mario Golf.
One of the most welcome surprises of 2000 for the Nintendo 64 was the news that Camelot, who had developed the superb Mario Golf the year before, had been developing in secret another sports game featuring the Mario characters. This time, the focus was on tennis, and few gamers were prepared for what Camelot would present in the game.
Naturally, it was difficult to imagine how Camelot could better their previous effort, but soon after receiving the game it was obvious that they had spent a lot of time and effort into the game in order to do so. Now that they had learned more about the console, they decided to be more ambitious with the new game, Mario Tennis. In the end, they succeeded in making a truly innovative and, more importantly, fun tennis game.
However, Camelot also learned from their previous mistakes. This is more evident, perhaps, in the choice of characters: this time, Camelot wisely decided to leave out any non-Nintendo characters out of the roster. Instead, the cast now includes a host of famous characters from the Mario universe, both hugely popular –like Mario or Bowser– and really obscure, as is the case with Birdo or Daisy.
Each character is adept at one skill: power, speed, technique, or "trickiness" (being able to manipulate the ball with crafty shots), but it is interesting to see all the fascinating subtleties that make each one different. There are characters with a lot of speed and technique who can also hit the ball steadily, like Yoshi; big hitters like Wario who have also quick footwork, and jack-of-all-trades players Mario and Luigi.
Nevertheless, if Camelot have shown anything with their past sports games, it is that they can be relied upon to deliver a multitude of modes and minigames to keep everyone happy. Thankfully, in this respect, Mario Tennis does not disappoint: nearly all of the different options from which you can choose are superbly crafted and a lot of fun. However, it should be noted that they are best enjoyed, as with all tennis games, with two players or more.
Admittedly, Camelot have tried to make the solitary experience as entertaining as possible. The tournament mode, (only available, unfortunately, for one player, even in doubles) consists of three competitions on the three basic surfaces –concrete, grass, and clay– and is vital to get most of the secrets in the game. Although doing this is somewhat tedious, at least going through them is quick and enjoyable, thanks to the simple set-up of each match.
The ring mode is better. In this minigame, your aim is to hit the ball through a certain number of rings found near the net in a given amount of time, a limited amount of balls, or while playing a normal game. The idea is simple, but this lack of complexity translates into some very addictive gameplay. There are even more extras, like the Piranha Challenge, which is best used for practice; a great save feature, which allows you to save matches in progress; three camera modes; and an option to compete in the now-defunct on-line tournaments.
However, the game really excels in multiplayer, and in no other mode is this better showcased than in the Exhibition mode. Although there are five and seven point singles or doubles set-ups available for quick play for two or four players, they cannot beat the sheer amount of customization contained in Exhibition matches. You have at your disposal a choice of one to three sets with two or six games each on a dazzling amount of surfaces, most of which are hidden. Few games on the Nintendo 64 can compete with the level of fun that a four-player doubles match can.
Disappointingly, the only weak mini-game is the Bowser stage. It looks fun at first: you play a normal match on a wildly tilting platform using a variety of Mario Kart-like weapons to thwart your opponent’s tactics; but it is a bit too gimmicky to be enjoyable for more than two games. When playing, the game forces you to divide your attention between playing tennis and using your weapons and the swaying ground. It quickly becomes obvious that tennis does not need any additional items: with all these gimmicks, the game loses the subtlety and pure strategy that makes it so enjoyable. The Bowser stage just cannot compare to the authenticity of the Exhibition mode.
In terms of presentation, it comes as no surprise that, having been released one year later, Mario Tennis is superior to Mario Golf. The impressive introductory movie shows, except for a rather flat crowd, better-developed characters and wonderful animation in all areas in the game, especially the characters. Although the graphics are nothing truly spectacular, but they do their job very well, as does the sound. The music is pleasant, and changes accordingly to the importance of each point –mercifully, it never becomes overbearing. Having Mario as the (limited) commentator is also a nice touch.
The implementation of the Transfer Pak, to transmit data between the Game Boy and N64 versions of the game, has also been cleaned up and improved. Now using it is not so awkward as it was with Mario Golf, but very accessible and easier to use. More interestingly, this hints at how connectivity between the upcoming GameCube and the Game Boy Advance may evolve.
Nevertheless, if there is one factor in which Mario Tennis shines is gameplay, thanks in large part to a wonderful control system. To be honest, I was slightly worried when it was announced that you had to make all of the different kinds of shots using combinations of just two buttons, instead of assigning one type of shot to one button. However, once you accustom yourself to this system, it becomes incredibly fluid and quite comfortable. Not only does this simplicity tie in perfectly with the Game Boy version, but it also eases novices into learning the game and encourages a more tactical and faster approach to each match.
Even with all the cutesy characters, funny animations, and special effects, it is reassuring to know that the excellent control system has not been wasted on a substandard tennis engine; Camelot built a game with a comprehensive understanding of the physics of the sport. I was amazed at how net cords, the incidence of aces, the subtle playing differences in the various surfaces, and many other fine points have all been made so true-to-life. Camelot’s extensive knowledge of how the game is played is truly something spectacular, and the game is fantastically playable.
There are not many tennis games on the N64, and very few of them really rise above the mediocre. Indeed, if Mario Tennis had been half as good as it is, it still would have been the best game of its kind on the console. However, do not let the ambiguity of the previous statement fool you: Mario Tennis is, like Mario Golf, another jewel in a previously stagnating genre that stands out as one of the best tennis games on any console.
Note: When the game was first shown, a strange surprise was the inclusion of Waluigi, a completely new character meant as an "evil" version of Luigi. Previously, I had written that Waluigi’s name, like Wario, seemed to be an amalgam of the word warui, meaning "evil" or "bad," and Luigi. However, as reported by "The Mushroom Kingdom" (http://www.classicgaming.com/tmk/), this was incorrect: "Waluigi's name comes from a rearrangement of the word… ijiwaru, literally meaning ‘bad-spirited;’ it's usually translated as ‘mean.’"
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About This Review
This review was made for the "Great Re-write Write-off" organized by scmrak, which has a simple premise: you must delete one of your earliest reviews and submit a re-write of it. Please make sure you visit all of the other contributions by the fine writers involved in the write-off:
Fellow write-off member Eplovejoy has bravely volunteered to compile links to all the new opinions on his profile page to make reading through all the entries more convenient rather than going through all the profile pages of the writers above to see them. (Although I should note you are missing a lot of great writing in doing so.) If you are interested, please visit his profile page at:
This is the second time I have re-written my review for this game –that is probably because I have never been truly happy with how I managed to cover all of the game’s strengths. In my two previous pieces, I think I focused too much on the various modes and, in essence, just regurgitated the information found in the instruction booklet. I hope now I managed to convey much more information and reasoning as to why I believe the game is so great. Included after this piece is my previous effort; if you decide to read it after all, you are a brave person indeed.
Another Gold Medal Winner from Camelot
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Pros: Fantastic gameplay, tons of features.
Cons: Not so much fun in one-player mode.
Recommended: Yes
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Super Tennis (the best tennis game on the now ancient SNES) has remained one of my all-time favorite games. Although it had simple graphics and sound, the gameplay shone through, and managed to make playing tennis on a videogame console quite enjoyable. However, the only thing that it truly lacked was a four-player mode.
Cue in Mario Tennis, from now Nintendo-friendly Camelot. As a big fan of their previous game, Mario Golf, I snatched up the game immediately, and my trust was not misplaced: the game is now my favorite tennis game.
Much like Mario Golf, the game places no pretentious back-story behind the game: it is just the cast from the Mario world put into the tennis courts to play. Camelot’s choice of characters is very interesting. You get the standard Nintendo characters from Mario Golf, including Baby Mario, plus many other surprises. There is Birdo, (from Super Mario Bros. 2 on the NES) Paratroopa, Boo, and two "secret" characters to uncover: Shy Guy and Donkey Kong, Jr. –although the latter’s inclusion contradicts Rare’s story on the Kong family. Another big surprise came in the form of Daisy, whose only previous appearance was in the old Game Boy game, the original Super Mario Land.
The biggest addition to the cast, though, is the introduction of a new character: Luigi’s "evil twin", Waluigi. Other reviewers have dutifully noticed that the name is a pun on the Japanese word for "evil" or "terrible" and Luigi. Even though at first he seems like a cheap hack just for completing the cast, (looking remarkably like Dick Dastardly’s brother) the more you play, the more you notice that the developers have taken a lot of care in creating a believable personality for him, and he looks to be a keeper.
The characters fall into four main groups, according to their abilities: speed, technique, "trickiness", (manipulating the ball with crafty shots) and power. However, the lines blur a bit between all four groups: you have speedy characters who can also hit the ball steadily (like Yoshi), big hitters like Wario who can also move well around the court, and the all-rounders Mario and Luigi.
There are several modes of play in the game, many of them unique to one player. First, there is the tournament mode, in which you must win, either in singles or doubles, three different championships in three different surfaces –the standard hard, clay, and grass courts. Perhaps I have played tennis games for a long time (maybe even too much time), but the tournaments did not last very long. (The fact that you can replay any match you have lost as much as you want may have also been a factor.) Then again, Camelot might have done this on purpose –to accustom yourself to each character and their abilities fully. That is because, to find the hidden features, you will need to finish every tournament with every character. The shortness of the matches helps: each match consists of one set, with two games needed to win the set, except for the final, which is a two-game, three-set match. Nevertheless, although you do find more about the character as you play more with him/her, it becomes a bit tiring.
The game also features an exhibition mode, in which you can play from one to four players in an exhibition match. As an alternative when playing alone, it has some advantages over the tournament mode because of two factors: the computer players are much tougher (especially in the "Intense" mode) and there is a wider variety of courts. Not just the hard, clay, and grass courts, but also a composite court –which from what I can gather is more like carpet in real-world tennis- and other secret courts to unlock, each with their own unique characteristics. A good example is the Donkey Kong court, which is quite different from the "standard" ones, with a high bounce and very fast surface. (It also has a nice touch: they put the music from both the Donkey Kong Country game series and the 1982 original game for it.) The best part about the Exhibition mode, though, is the fact that you can play with up to four players. Although perhaps because of the sport’s nature it is not as wild as Mario Kart 64’s or Super Smash Bros.’s four-player modes, the matches are incredibly fun, and quite exciting at times.
Another outstanding mode in the game is the Bowser Stage. Each match is set in Bowser’s castle, where the playing field behaves wildly, swaying left and right according to where you are standing. (Apparently, you are playing on a platform in a lake of lava.) The most prominent feature here is that you can also use items, a la Mario Kart, in order to distract or hinder the opponent for that precious second to score the point. In one-player mode, the mode is a rather fruitless experience, but when playing with three other friends, it becomes quite good –very entertaining, in fact. While in the exhibition mode the team with the most expertise usually wins, in the Bowser stage victory is not so assured.
The other two modes are somewhat less exciting, but enjoyable nonetheless. First there is the Ring mode, which is a variation on Mario Golf’s own, only a little bit tougher. The aim is to hit the ball through a certain number of rings found near the net, moving through various stages against a variety of opponents of increasing difficulty. Furthermore, you have to do it in a given amount of time, a limited amount of balls, or while playing a normal game. This mode will last longer than the tournaments, but not by much. Still, when you finish each of the stages, there is a final stage in which the only goal is to better your score, which is definitely a plus for longevity.
The last of the main modes comes in the shape of the Piranha Challenge. The object is to hit back (successfully) all 50 balls that are thrown at you from the eponymous plants. Easier said than done, but ultimately, like F-Zero X’s Death Race, it is more rewarding as practice rather than true entertainment.
Following this deluge of features, the game manages to come up with even more, lesser ones, such as a "Star" mode for each character after you finish all three tournaments –which gives the character extra power. Additionally, there are 5- and 7-point matches (for two players and above –and it includes another special court), on-line tournaments, three camera modes, a helpful rules book, a great if imperfect replay feature, and even the ability to save a match in progress to return to it later.
The game is aesthetically more advanced than Mario Golf, and it is evident throughout - with a long introduction, a variety of special effects when striking the ball, and a myriad of animations for each character –all of which are well done and some of them quite amusing. A favorite of mine is Luigi’s, who after losing a point punches the air with his racket, and when he wins a point runs around with his arms outstretched, laughing.
The sound is less gifted, but enjoyable nonetheless. The music for each court has been done so that it is not intrusive, but still manages to inject some energy into the match, especially on important points. There are some very good sound effects as well, with realistic-sounding racket hits, Mario as the commentator, and about four different phrases for each character.
For all the special effects, cutesy characters, and funny animations, Camelot has built a very comprehensive game. The game does not concentrate on features found in real-world matches that slow down the matches, such as pauses between games or points, or arguing a call, which makes each match very quick. The physics are very well done and very life-like: net cords, the incidence of aces, the subtle playing differences between courts- all behave very much like they would in real life.
The control system, although it looks clumsy at first, is especially well done. You can make up to seven different kinds of shots plus three types of serves, with the ability to power up to make your shots stronger. However, Camelot has gone against the norm inasmuch as all the moves are done by combinations using only two buttons, A and B. This is not a problem, as the simpler control system makes for a much more fluid, fast-paced game. Once mastered, the shots roll off the thumb quite easily, and there is no chance of you hitting the wrong button at the wrong time, which can easily cost you the point. (Plus, it ties in brilliantly with the upcoming Game Boy version, which will link up via the Transfer Pack, just like Mario Golf.)
If Mario Tennis had been half as good as it is, it still would have been the best tennis game on the Nintendo 64. Although this statement is more about the status of tennis games on the console, nevertheless it speaks very well about Mario Tennis. With great graphics and sound, fantastic gameplay, and some very neat touches here and there, Camelot have created one of the best sports games on the platform. Highly recommended.
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