NINTENDO 64
Reviewed by Dale Weir of Gamecritics

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First Impressions:

Graphics:

As with Nintendo's other Multiplayer "party-games" such as Super Smash Brothers, Mario Party and Mario Golf, the three-dimensional characters are rendered with a low polygon count. This both serves to maintain a cartoonish look that Nintendo so desires but also prevents slowdown from showing its ugly face during frenzied four-player action. Everything in that game looks like it was transplanted from the Mario universe and as such, the backgrounds received similar treatment leaving them somewhat simplistic. But as a whole, the graphics are crisp and full of vibrant colors -- thus maintaining a consistent, cartoony appearance sure to endear it to fans of the Mario universe.

Sound/Music:

The sounds in Mario Tennis are quite good though not especially mind-blowing. The music is ripped right out of Mario universe and provides nice background noise while playing. But it's the sound effects, mascot vocalizations and announcer that steal the show. The announcer in particular was a welcome change. Sure he was a bit loud and prone to repeat himself, but he did so with great energy and what's more, there was never a time when he wasn't on target with calls. Everything seems to come together wonderfully to sell the fact that you were in a heated tennis tournament with Mario and his friends.

Gameplay:

As per usual, the controls are simple, but deceptively so. The analog stick controls character movement with the A-button handling normal returns or serves and the B-button assigned to slices. Knowing these simple commands is enough to allow even the most inexperienced player some success in the game, but those who want to master the game will need to branch out a bit more and learn the complexities hidden beneath the surface. After some time, it is clear that the direction and velocity a ball travels is influenced by the direction my character was facing and the type of swing I put behind the ball. To take things further, consider that by tapping the A- then B-button in sequence results in a soft shot that falls just in front of the net on the opposition's side whereas hitting the B- then A- button will result in a high volley towards the back of the court. Better still, holding down the swing buttons results in a charged swing. This usually packs such a wallop that it even makes a Venus Williams overhand look weak by comparison. Unlike Venus's potent shot, the charged swing leaves my character vulnerable while charging. If a crafty computer opponent or buddy decides to shoot a slice to the opposite end of the court, there isn't much I could do but cancel the charge with the Z-button and give him a hand for besting me. Such a selection of shots is just astonishing considering the actions are limited to two buttons.

Nintendo is rather fortunate that its mascots possess such overly competitive natures or it wouldn't have half the games in its gaming library. As first seen in Super Mario Kart, Nintendo mascots often spring to life, bringing his, her or its own peculiarities to a playing field vying for mascot supremacy -- but when they do, it only benefits the player. Each character comes with unique and varying skills and attributes that -- quite coincidentally -- fit the playing preference of every conceivable gamer. Short players like Baby Luigi for example, are susceptible to the lob shot, but are fleet of foot making it hard to get regular shots past them; tall players like Waluigi (Luigi's new nemesis) use their height to guard the net -- keeping players on their heels, but are susceptible to the powerful attacks of behemoths like Bowser, Wario or Donkey Kong Jr. The relative ease with which these characters move about the screen, combined with the shot selection, winds up making each character interchangeable. By that I mean that the players are so well-balanced that you can make play through the game with Bowser -- making use of his strengths -- with success and then begin again with the more demure Daisy enjoying equal success. Not since the aforementioned Super Mario Kart have I had so much fun going through the same levels repeatedly only using different characters each time. That's a testament to the excellent gameplay.

There was a lot of personality crammed into the game as well. Players celebrate or sulk after winning or losing matches by doing amusing little dances or shouting for glee. When they screw up it is equally funny to hear them display their displeasure. It never gets old as far as I'm concerned and adds some life and (excuse the pun) character to the characters. Camera angles are thrown in generously to augment the playful arcade feel of the game. Replays are "replayed" to dramatic effect by playing the same winning shot again and again, but from different angles or give a dramatic view of the ball sailing just out of the reach of a diving opponent. These little touches add greatly to overall air of fun that permeates the competition while not diminishing the intense action in the least.

Enjoyment:

Mario Tennis is great fun because it was such an approachable game. Nintendo and Camelot clearly worked hard to develop a game that even the newest of newbies could sit down with and have a handle on within minutes. It also has a great deal of technique hidden beneath to keep the older players coming back for more. It the perfect game for anyone looking for a single- or multi-player gaming fix.

Multiplayer:

Mario Tennis comes with a wealth of other gaming modes for those who will tire of the standard tennis matches. In addition to the single-player tournament and exhibition modes, there are also doubles matches for as many as four players to compete in. Ring modes are available for those gamers content to hit balls through rings for points -- not that I didn't enjoy myself while doing it. The Bowser Courts are reminiscent of Mario Kart 64, where blocks are situated over the net so that hitting one yields a power-up to be used at anytime during the match. Naturally this includes the usual power-ups such as bananas and lightning bolts, but dodging these hazards and still landing a well-placed shot is made all the more difficult since the court itself is rocked back and forth on a pulley system. The final mode is the Piranha Challenge. It is a solo tennis-practice with a twist. Here three piranha shoot balls at you from the other side of the net and your goal is to send them back past a computer controlled opponent. The more balls get by it, the more points you score. These modes lack lasting appeal, but do offer a mild diversion from the action -- in my case I was content to stick to the standard modes for my amusement.

Overall Impression:

Every review I do of a Nintendo game is a battle. I have to consciously resist writing phrases like "deceptively simple gameplay at its finest," "fun for the whole family" and other terms taken right off a Peter Main press release. The sad part is that it can't be helped because they are the perfect descriptions of a game like Mario Tennis. Camelot and Nintendo combined to create an engaging game that will reach out from the most rank amateur to the tennis pro, and offer them both something to sink their teeth into. A larger selection of characters and longer tournaments would have added greatly to the experience, but as is, Mario Tennis is a keeper.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

As with all of Nintendo's mascot games, this s a purely ambiguous release. There is no sexist content in the game and it is aimed squarely at the families that play games together. Mario Tennis is safe and not intimidating what so ever so anyone can approach it and pick it up within minutes.

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