Even sports hatas will love it
And I wasn't let down!
There are 4 main modes in Mario Tennis: Power Tour. Other than the Story Mode there is Exhibition - where you can choose who you want to play and on what court etc, Multiplayer - which enables you to link to another GBA to play matches and finally the Mini-games which can provide hours of entertainment.
However all modes are based around the main one - The Power Tour of course!
Imagine this; you are a wannabe tennis champ and are about to start your first term at The Academy - a huge tennis school. You start off your life at your new home as a low ranked junior player, you are just one of dozens of hopefuls but its up to you to live up to your dream of working up the ranks from Junior to Senior and finally to Varsity in either singles or doubles then competing in the Island Open (A big tennis tournament like 'Wimbledon'). As you make that journey you must work out in the Training Center which involves taking part in over 10 fun filled mini-games, from wall practice to walking on the treadmill, and balancing on a tightrope to playing rock, paper, scissors. Engaging in these games will increase your skills in the court and earn you special power shots, which are more than useful on the way to stardom.
The RPG mode in this is fantastic for those who love a good insightful story to make the game more interesting. If you played the GBC version you will even meet some of your old student friends who are now working at the school as coaches. If you get bored playing tennis then you can always walk around The Academy and chat to your student buddies about tennis, power shots and chocolate cake. The higher up you are in The Academy's ranks the different things people will say to you and the more they will respect you.
There is just so much to this game that I still haven't talked about the actual tennis-play. Think colour, think excitement, think sitting on the edge of your seat rallying with a fierce opponent! Being the sports game hater that I am the tennis in this game had me hooked. The graphics are superb and your opponents will be easy, normal or hard depending on the setting you choose. The game is of course based around the 'power shots’, which can be obtained from the mini-games as I mentioned earlier. There is a large selection of power shots that can be equipped to use in games ranging from a ball of fire to a hand that will save shots from a far distance. These additions really brighten up tennis-play in which can sometimes become a little tiresome.
The game overall will give you a good 10 - 15 hours of gameplay with the story mode being the main feature, and as I have said all through this review it is well worth your time. This game almost has something for everyone, add a few guns and grenades and I can guarantee no one would go away disappointed.
The only downsides I can say of is the facts that the game is quite short and fairly repetitive; if you want to continue playing the story mode after winning both Island Open Championships you will be in for a bit of a surprise as the only way to continue with your tennis is to take part in Princess Peach's Championship which unlocks Mario characters but is... how can I say it... bor-ing. If you are not one for an RPG like experience and just want to get straight into the action with a skilled player then unfortunately this is not the game for you, in order to unlock characters and courts for Exhibition you must play the story mode but I promise you will not want to put it down!
Soo, that about sums it up. Even if the game can be a little repetitive in parts there is one thing for sure; Life as a tennis player really is bliss in Mario Tennis: Power Tour!