Developer: Camelot Publisher: Nintendo
Released: July 21, 2000 8/10 Rated: E
Before going into detail about the flavor of the Mario branding and the success Camelot continues to have in handling the IP, I feel it’s important to highlight the foundation of Mario Tennis and its tremendous quality and replayability. Even for aficionados of pure tennis gameplay, Mario Tennis is an all star of a sports title. Perhaps one of the best tennis titles ever made up to that point, bested perhaps only by Sega’s incredible Virtua Tennis on the Dreamcast, and likely somewhat influenced by it, Mario Tennis just feels great to play, and like Mario Golf before it, doesn’t solely rely on gimmicks to draw you in.
Though it doesn’t boast the same cast of unfamiliar also-rans like its golf-based predecessor or its GameBoy Color counterpart (and, yes, it’s compatible with the Transfer Pak), Mario Tennis achieves the rare feat of utilizing the principal Mario cast in ways befitting their abilities and personalities, without being a completely off-the-rails, power-up laden, rainbow-colored explosion of video game sensibilities. Bowser doesn’t breathe fire, Boo doesn’t disappear and reappear halfway across the court, and Donkey Kong doesn’t fling banana peels around as hazards, at least not in standard tennis gameplay modes, but their individuality shines through nonetheless in their feel, play styles, and personality in the heat of a volley or after picking up a tough point. This all comes together to prove as effective as any gameplay mechanic or balancing choice in a professionally licensed title to highlight the quality of the straightforward but intense gameplay, and even without a depth of tournament, challenge, and other modes, would prove addicting simply for the fun of matching different players up against each other, or in doubles pairs to find the most entertaining combos.
Even with only a handful of modes on offer, including regular tournaments for singles and doubles, ring challenge modes, and a piranha plant volley mode, the variety is still excellent with several options of courts both realistic and eccentric, and the satisfying movement and different shot types that drive the gameplay are a blast to fine tune your own skill set with, even if you perceive tennis as an inherently repetitive game. Coming in right at the tail end of the N64s life span, but with a simple concept that can entertain even a full party of players for at least a night, Mario Tennis is just shy of a must-play release on the console for the same reason as Golf — there’s a decent chance you might not please everyone with a sports title, even with Mario set dressing, but there’s just as much of a chance the Mario branding is the only way to convince some folks to grab a racket, and for good reason.
Continuing Legacy
Well, first of all: Waluigi. The iconic cast member debuted here with a deceptively brilliant naming convention to flesh out the roster with a proper doubles partner for Wario. Similarly, Daisy emerges from obscurity to become another beloved staple cast member. And while it’s technically not the first Mario Tennis title, the success of this N64 release certainly laid the groundwork for a series that, while less consistent than Mario Golf, still has some soaring high points including Mario Power Tennis on the GameCube and Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the GameBoy Advance.
Additional Information
Saves: Cartridge
Compatible With: Rumble Pak, Transfer Pak
Players: 1-4
Print Guides: Prima
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 90.54%, based on 14 reviews
Other Releases: JP, July 21, 2000
EU, November 3, 2000
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