In this article I’m going to provide a review but also, briefly address the wildly mixed reactions to this game, and put my foot down on the subject.

I was stoked when I heard that the Mario Tennis Gamecube title was being ported over to the Wii, outfitted with motion-controls. However when I finally got to bring a copy home, there was some suspense; why did its review scores vary so wildly? Did it mark a step forward from Wii Sports Tennis? Are there irreconcilable differences between longtime fans of the Gamecube version of MPT and those experiencing it for the first time on the Wii?  And most importantly here, will it stand up to the demands of adult gamers, somewhat choosy after 20 years of sports video games?

Before (and since) making up my own mind, I delved into what the internet forums had to say about the subject, and opinions about the game’s new control scheme appear to be pretty strong on both sides.

A contributor in the forums at Gamespot who goes by the handle of Clicketyclick writes: “Basic controls shouldn’t have to be mastered. If the controls are so flukey that there are tons of people who can’t get the basic controls to work right away… or ever… then that’s a problem with the game’s design. The control input is poorly calibrated.”  Another forum regular named blankshore sees things differently:

“I haven’t had a single problem with the Wii remote misreading a shot, and that can’t be said of many Wii games,” he writes. “Also, there have been some flat-out lies about the control set up.”

Now, I should mention off the top that, being a Wii Sports convert, I believe that I will never, ever tire of the tennis or golf sims built into the Wii’s launch title. They’re not much to look at but they’re just so much damned fun, and they’ve risen the bar for what I expect from sports games… not graphically, or even in terms of game options… but in terms of gameplay and fun factor. Wii Sports action is fast, hilarious, and contagious, and everything group gaming should be. But I don’t have to tell you this; if you’ve got a Wii, you own Wii Sports and know exactly what I’m talking about. Such is Wii.

I’ve often dreamt of a golf game (yes, I actually dream about video games sometimes. Is there a problem?) with tournament options and multiple 18-hole courses (creepy Tiger Woods marionette graphics not required) based on the engine used for golf in Wii Sports, which I think is a near-perfect balance—not too simulator-ish, still a video game, but still requiring thoughtful shot selection, compensation for the wind, etc. And unlike many ‘motion controlled’ games, that particular one even requires you to actually physically stand up (i’m looking at you, Wii Sports Baseball) to get your shot right.

Similarly (there is a point to this preamble), I’ve wished for a tennis game which behaved like the tennis in Wii Sports, but with more features and modes and a little more depth. New Play Control! Mario Power Tennis, discount-priced from launch ($27.99 at Amazon as of this writing) has granted my wish, and I finally got to spend some time with it. I concede that motion-controls, Mario and tennis are a combination which, for me, is an easy sell.

Note: I’m not going to do a side-by-side comparison of this title to the Gamecube version, because I am tired of such comparisons. Aren’t you? The Wii and the Gamecube have similarities, but the Wii is a different beast than the Gamecube in large part because of its controls, and as such, Mario Tennis for the Wii is a different beast than Mario Tennis for the Gamecube. Not better, not worse, just different. And, <obvious>If you already played the Gamecube version to death, you might still like the Wii version, given the new controls, but you not like the Wii version as much as if you hadn’t played the Gamecube version to death.</obvious>  But I am going to make some comparisons between Wii Sports: Tennis and this one, because I think that comparison is much more useful.

Regular tennis, or ridiculous tennis—your choice

The Game
I sum up Mario Power Tennis (with New Play Control!—exclamation mark not optional) as “Wii Sports Tennis but with more control options, more features, and Mario graphics.” And to my mind, this spells winner. Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and 15 other usual suspects, each with their own power, speed and ball control abilities, as well as their own signature moves and battle cries, are all playable characters in this one. Learning to control them on a tennis court is still very intuitive. Angled swings up or down result in top spin or back spin, a straight down swat is a smash, straight up is a lob—just like in WS:T. But in this one, the computer is a little pickier about your motions being “correct”.  For example, I frequently hit flat shots where I intended top spin shots, because my “low-to-high” motion wasn’t to the Wii’s liking. And I’m sad to report I’ve read multiple complaints about the responsiveness of the motion controls for this one, and also, I’ve heard that the occasional Mario Tennis ninja from the Gamecube days is frustrated by the new controls because they’re now unable to hit a perfect shot every time. However, they appear to be outnumbered by players who love the new controls, and I personally found I was able to smack the ball more or less where I wanted by the end of my first evening with the game (EDIT: It’s now 4 days later, I’ve gotten a few sessions in, beaten the game in single player tournament mode (including the Star Tournaments) and I still love every second).

Controversy (and bellyaching) aside, controls are slightly more complex than in Wii Sports: Tennis (WS:T) so it’s all relative, as well as a matter of taste. I just think they have the right balance here. Like in WS:T, you must control your racket swing, and your player will automatically run to the ball.  However, by using the directional D-pad on the Wiimote (or the nunchuk’s stick, if you choose to plug it in), you can override the automatic player movement and go to the net and attack, fake your opponent out, run to the baseline in anticipation of a lob, or shift from your backhand to your forehand to get in a better position to do a power shot (more on those in a minute). Suffice to say, I found that as I got comfortable, I took control of my character more and more frequently, beating skilled opponents requires a comfort level with the extended controls. However, like in WS:T, treating the whole experience casually and just waving the remote and hearing that satisfying tennis ball smacking sound is pleasurable all by itself.

Right. Let's see you return this one.

Then there are the power shots. Accompanied by hilarious character-specific animations, power-shots are ridiculously high-velocity superhuman shots you can use periodically (when a meter is charged) to try to end a rally with a bang. To balance things out, there are power-shot returns which allow you to defy physics to return some shots that probably should be out of reach. Saving your offensive and defensive power-shots for the right moments and reacting to your opponents’ power shot adds a strategic layer to game play.  It’s a fun feature… but in my opinion not integral to the Mario Tennis experience, and in Exhibition mode (where you’ll be most of the time when you’re playing with other people) you can turn it off if you like.

There’s also a lot of variety in play modes, and court surfaces. WS:T had one tennis court, and very few choices in game structure. This one allows you to play multi-set matches, specifying how many games to a set, or even play a tournament. You can also choose court surfaces: clay, hard court or grass, all of which react to the ball differently. And there’s the weird courts, with obstacles, power-ups, lava pits, and more entertaining animations. Playing on these can get chaotic—think Mario Kart, while trying to hit a ball in-bounds. And there are skill-building mini-games.

The analysis, the Verdict
There’s something base, something fundamentally satisfying about swinging a remote to simulate swinging a racket that seems to hold players spellbound, more so than playing sports games with a control pad. Such is Wii. Swing the virtual racket harder, hit a harder shot? Yes, it actually works! Playing this game, I might not feel like Roger Federer (or Donkey Kong) but I do feel like a participant, like I’m doing something, and too often when gaming I feel like an observer, a ‘viewer’, clicking through cut-scenes like an automaton playing video poker. Not the case for Nintendo Wii games that make good use of motion and IR controls. However, not all gamers are on board, some would still rather be holding a Gamecube controller… hence the mixed reactions. To skeptics I say, where’s your sense of ridiculousness?

This game is fun, plain and simple and it’s definitely worth 30 dollars. It isn’t perfect, but it’s perfectly good. It plays well, it has lots of options, has tons of replay potential and it’s packed with Nintendo fan service. I believe adults liked Wii Sports Tennis will love Mario Power Tennis, and there’s a good chance their friends and significant others will also love it. And if they have kids, they’ll probably love it, too. Next to Wii Sports Tennis, what this game lacks in motion-control precision, it makes up for with the extra control options and overall variety. You’ll get hours of entertainment out of this one all by yourself, but it is intended to be played with others; and when someone does come over, you’ll remember why you fell in love with video games 20 years ago. I was making excited grunting noises, involuntarily inching closer to the TV, and filling with dread and excitement when my opponent’s power shot animation sequences began… It a wonderful feeling to be whisked away to video-game land, where it doesn’t matter much how artificial or how trivial your accomplishments are, because the pleasure they cause are real. This is just one of those games.