Mario Tennis
Encyclopedia
Mario Tennis, known in Japan as , 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.
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.
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.
Dutch magazine Power Unlimited
gave the game a score of 9.1 out of 10, calling it very addictive, especially with four players.
Mario Tennis sold over 200,000 copies within two weeks of its release.
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. 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.
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
video game developed by Camelot
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. The game was released in North America and Japan in the summer of 2000, and released in Europe later in November
November 2000
November 2000: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-----November 3, 2000:* Widespread flooding throughout England and Wales after days of heavy rain-November 7, 2000:...
. It is the first tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
-based game starring Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
since Mario's Tennis
Mario's Tennis
is a sports game for Nintendo's Virtual Boy video game console. Also known by its working title Mario's Dream Tennis, it was the console's pack-in game in North America. The game features eight famous characters from the Mario series. Although a two-player function was announced, it was not...
, and the second game developed by Camelot
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
on a Nintendo system. The game is known for being the introduction of Waluigi
Waluigi
is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games. He accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief...
.
The success of Mario Tennis led to a sequel, Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game in the Mario Tennis series...
in 2004. It was also re-released on the Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
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
Marking the sixth MarioMario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
game for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, Mario Tennis brings eleven new characters to the Mario Tennis franchise, including Waluigi
Waluigi
is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games. He accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief...
, Princess Daisy, Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, Shy Guy, Donkey Kong and Birdo
Birdo
Birdo, known in Japan as , is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games, who first appeared in Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, which was localized for English audiences as Super Mario Bros. 2 and is an enemy to Mario...
.
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
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
with Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, various options become available; Yoshi
Yoshi
, is a fictional dragon-like character who appears in video games published by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick , and he later established his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Super...
, Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, Waluigi
Waluigi
is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games. He accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief...
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
Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, known as Mario Power Tennis in Europe and as in Japan, is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance in 2005. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis...
and Mario Power Tennis.
Reception
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.Dutch magazine Power Unlimited
Power Unlimited
Power Unlimited is a Dutch multi-format computer and video games magazine. It is the biggest gaming magazine in the Benelux. The first issue was released in June 1993.-History:...
gave the game a score of 9.1 out of 10, calling it very addictive, especially with four players.
Mario Tennis sold over 200,000 copies within two weeks of its release.
Handheld version
A Game Boy ColorGame Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version also developed by Camelot
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
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. It features a wide variety of human and Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
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
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
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.
External links
- Official Nintendo Japan Mario Tennis 64 site
- Official Nintendo Japan Mario Tennis Game Boy Color site
- Mario Tennis strategy guide at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
.com - Mario Tennis on the Super Mario Wiki