Mario Tennis

Not to be confused with Mario's Tennis.

Mario Tennis
North American box art
Developer(s)	Camelot Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Haruki Kodera Shugo Takahashi
Producer(s)	Shinji Hatano Hiroyuki Takahashi Shugo Takahashi
Artist(s)	Yusuke Nakano
Composer(s)	Motoi Sakuraba
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, Virtual Console
Release date(s)	Nintendo 64 JP July 21, 2000 NA August 28, 2000 PAL November 3, 2000 Game Boy Color JP November 1, 2000 NA January 16, 2001 PAL February 2, 2001 Virtual Console JP August 31, 2010 NA June 28, 2010 PAL June 18, 2010
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ACB: G ELSPA: 3+ ESRB: E PEGI: 3+

Mario Tennis, known in Japan as Mario Tennis 64 (マリオテニス64, Mario Tenisu Rokujūyon^?), is a sports video game developed by Camelot and Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. The game was released in North America and Japan in the summer of 2000, and released in Europe later in November. It is the first tennis-based game starring Mario since Mario's Tennis, and the second game developed by Camelot on a Nintendo system. The game is known for being the introduction of Waluigi.

The success of Mario Tennis led to a sequel, Mario Power Tennis in 2004. It was also re-released on the Virtual Console in the PAL region on June 18, 2010, in North America on June 28, 2010 and in Japan on August 31, 2010.

The Mario Tennis series continues with the upcoming Mario Tennis 3DS.

Characters and Transfer Pak features

Main article: Sports games in the Mario series#Mario Tennis

Marking the sixth Mario game for the Nintendo 64, Mario Tennis brings eleven new characters to the Mario Tennis franchise, including Waluigi, Princess Daisy, Wario, Shy Guy, Donkey Kong and Birdo.

Through the use of an N64 Transfer Pak, players are able to import his or her characters from the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis to the N64 game, as well as the characters' stats. After connecting Mario Tennis for the Game Boy Color with Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64, various options become available; Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi and Bowser can all be sent to the Game Boy Color Version, and GBC characters Alex, Harry, Nina and Kate can be transferred to the Nintendo 64 version. Using the latter four characters, experience points may be earned to transfer back to the GBC version. As the characters go up in levels, one may send his or her improved characters to the N64 version to level up again.

A variety of tennis courts can become available to unlock in the Nintendo 64 version after linking with the Game Boy Color Version.

On the Virtual Console version, the Ring Tournament mode in Special Games and the ability to unlock extra characters and courts through the Transfer Pak has been removed.

Gameplay

The game uses a control system that differs from most other video tennis games on the market. Shots are performed by pressing one, or both, of the two main buttons (A or B), which make the ball spin in different ways. Pressing a button twice strikes the tennis shot with more power and spin. Additionally, pressing the two buttons in a different order can result in a different type of shot altogether, such as a lob or drop shot. all 4 buttons can be pressed at the same time to hit a very powerful smash shot. The longer a button is pressed before contact is made with the ball, the stronger the shot will be. The control system allows players of all levels to become familiar with the mechanics of the game within a very short time, whilst also encouraging advanced players to take advantage of the variety of shots on offer to come up with different strategies for winning points. A total of seven types of shot are possible using only the one main button of the controller.

These gameplay mechanics were later brought to the other games of the Mario Tennis series in Mario Tennis GBC, Mario Tennis: Power Tour and Mario Power Tennis.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	88%[1]
Metacritic	91 of 100[2]
Review scores
Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	9 of 10v= 7.75 of 10
GameSpot	8.2 of 10[3]
IGN	9 of 10[4]
Nintendo Power	9.1 of 10
Awards 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards Console Family Award[5]

Mario Tennis has received very favourable reviews overall, with critics citing the accessibility and depth of the controls as being very impressive. The game physics and amount of content have also been praised.^[3][4] Dutch magazine Power Unlimited gave the game a score of 9.1 out of 10, calling it very addictive, especially with four players.^[6]

Mario Tennis sold over 200,000 copies within two weeks of its release.^[7]

Handheld version

A Game Boy Color version also developed by Camelot and Nintendo was published under the same title in Western regions and as Mario Tennis GB in Japan. The game was released on November 1, 2000 in Japan; January 16, 2001 in North America; and February 2, 2001 in Europe.^[8][9] It features a wide variety of human and Mario characters for the player to use. The game also features mini-games such as a tennis version of a shooting gallery where, as Donkey Kong, the player must hit the banana targets on the wall to earn points in a set amount of time.

An RPG mode appears on the Game Boy Color version, which is not in the N64 version. In this mode, players begin as a rookie tennis player at the Royal Tennis Academy, who must build up his/her skill (by leveling-up) through training and practice matches before entering various tournaments. The aim of this mode is to be crowned champion at the academy, although a surprise awaits those who attain this goal. The RPG is playable in singles and doubles (separately), effectively doubling the game's longevity. There are training facilities that can help the player progress.

References

1. ^ "Mario Tennis Reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/258820.asp. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
2. ^ "Mario Tennis 64 (n64: 2000): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/n64/mariotennis64?q=Mario%20Tennis. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Mario Tennis for Nintendo 64 Review - Nintendo 64 Mario Tennis Review". Gamespot.com. 2000-08-30. http://www.gamespot.com/n64/sports/mariotennis/review.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "IGN: Mario Tennis Review". IGN.com. 2000-08-18. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/164/164400p1.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
5. ^ "The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences:: Awards". Interactive Achievement Awards. http://www.interactive.org/awards.php?winners&year=2001&cat=200121#200121. Retrieved 2008-03-31. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ Ven, Boris van de (November 2000), "Mario Tennis", Power Unlimited 8 (11): 68–69 
7. ^ "IGN: Mario Tennis Takes Japan". IGN. 2000-08-03. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/083/083071p1.html. Retrieved 2008-03-31. 
8. ^ "IGN: Mario Tennis". IGN. http://gameboy.ign.com/objects/014/014380.html. Retrieved 2008-04-10. 
9. ^ "Mario Tennis for Game Boy Color - Mario Tennis Game Boy Color Game - Mario Tennis Game Boy Color Video Game". Gamespot. http://www.gamespot.com/gbc/sports/mariotennis/similar.html?mode=versions. Retrieved 2008-04-10. 

External links

• Official Nintendo Japan Mario Tennis 64 site
• Official Nintendo Japan Mario Tennis Game Boy Color site
• Mario Tennis at the Internet Movie Database
• Mario Tennis at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
• Mario Tennis strategy guide at IGN.com
• Mario Tennis on the Super Mario Wiki