Pros: Tennis game with a Mario twist, good one player game, addictive in multiplayer mode.
Cons: More thought should've went into the Special Games mode. More tennis courts would've been nice.
The bottom line: Very good one player game. Excellent 2-4 player game. Tennis with a Mario twist. Set and match!
Today I'll be reviewing Mario Power Tennis for Gamecube. If you enjoyed any of the Mario Kart, Mario Party, or previous Mario Tennis game, chances are you are going to love this one!

I brought Mario Power Tennis in November 2004 from Gamestop in the local mall. Price was 49.99 plus sales tax. Standard for just released games.

The reason I brought this game was because I really enjoyed the Mario Party, Mario Kart, Golf and Melee games and I took a chance that this would be a gem too.

There are three game modes: Exhibition, Tournament and Special games.

Exhibition mode allows up to four people to play. It's basically the pick up and play option. In this mode you can play on the courts available and the ones you unlocked in tournament and special games modes. You can play on "Standard Courts"( Regular life-like courts), "Gimmick Courts"( courts that have special Mario quirks like attacking ghosts and mini-alligators) and "Item Battle" matches in which you use items that come out of item blocks to use during the match such as red koopa shells, mushrooms or stars for example.

Tournament mode allows you to compete for trophies and during playthrough you unlock more courts and characters. This mode allows you to save your data.

Special games mode lets you play tennis themed mini-games such as "artist on the court" where you hit paint balls against a mural on a brick wall and "terror tennis" where you slam ghosts with tennis balls to seal them back in their respective portraits among others. You can unlock courts, characters and other special games in this mode too.

The one player game is fine and enjoyable, no complaints, however the game really shines in 2-4 player doubles matches. This should be the main reason to buy this game. The fun factor increases sharply when playing with friends and family.

The controls are ultra tight. Mario Power Tennis is one of those games that's easy to learn the controls but takes time and patience to truly master. The control stick moves you up, down, left and right. You basically use the "A" and "B" buttons to hit the ball. You'll use different combinations of the two to create various types of shots e.g. lobs, smashes. The direction of the shot can be controlled using the control stick. The "R" shoulder button used in conjunction with the "A" or "B" buttons enables you to do a power shot while the "L" shoulder cancels power shots. The "A" or "B" buttons also are used to serve the ball. Controls can be configured which is a positive option for any video game.

You start out with 14 characters but can unlock more. All your favorites are here like Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Toad, and Diddy Kong among others. Each character has one special offensive power move and one defensive power move each unique to each other although they all have the same end result.

There aren't too many negatives with this game. The "Special Games" mode is ok but the fun wears away too quickly. Some added depth and more diversity in games would've helped. After playing over 100 times a few more tennis courts would have been beneficial.

Graphics on the Gamecube never cease to amaze me. This game is no different. The cut-scenes are incredible! Large, convincing representations of the Nintendo characters steals the show. I was thinking this could pass for a next generation game. In game the characters are beautiful, realistic and move fluidly. Although the characters look rather small during actual gameplay, you get used to it. The camera angle can be changed in one player mode however. The tennis courts are varied in their look; grass courts have lush, crisp looking grass, Donkey Kong's court has a bright, colorful floor, life-like trees, Luigi's mansion court has eerie fog, transparent ghosts and a stunning old mansion in the background. The tennis ball is awfully small and you really must pay attention to see where it's going to go. At times this is almost impossible during fast paced doubles matches. At least the tennis ball physics are true to the real life game(example: the tennis ball bounces on the ground as it would in a real tennis game).

Music is a plus. Your standard Mario type stuff. Some heroic sounding music in some courts, some tunes you would regularly find in a comedy cartoon show in others. There's also Luigi's Mansion court that has a spooky themed melody that I found especially catching. Each character has one taunt. For example at the press of a button you can make Mario say "C'mon!" or Princess Peach utter "Over Here!" I thought that was a nice touch. When the players hit the ball it sounds just like a real racket hitting a tennis ball. When a character misses a shot they will shout a comment expressing their displeasure. I really believe the these voice-overs add life to the game. Wish there were more.

Overall in my opinion this is one of the better games on the Gamecube system. For those planning a small party of close friends this would make a great choice for a time killer. For the parents you are reading this review most children will like the game even if they don't appreciate tennis. There isn't a gory violent game. Although my little sister didn't like the way the ghosts were attacking poor ole Yoshi in the Luigi's Mansion tennis court...

In short this is a game both tennis people and non-tennis people can find solace in. Good one player game, great 2-4 player game. 5 stars from me!