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Mario Power Tennis GameCube Nintendo  Everyone's favourite moustachioed plumber is back with all his Nintendo buddies for some GameCube tennis action. Sporting everything from standard singles tennis to various gimmick courts and play-modes, 'Mario Power Tennis' offers something to suit most tastes, as well as a variety of tennis-flavoured mini-games. The basic play dynamic of 'Mario Power Tennis' works well. You can get by with just some simple button mashing to begin with, but you'll need to master all manner of tennis shots (lobs, slices, drop-shots etc.) as well as great ball-control to beat the harder difficulty settings. The thought put into the controls shines through, with placement and shot selection soon becoming second nature. Many of the mini-games require specific shots and techniques to conquer, turning a brief distraction into something that further improves your play in the Tournament Mode. Each celebrity Nintendo character (of which there are many) has a fairly distinct play-style as well as signature offensive and defensive "Power Shots". These can be used to smash the ball back to an opponent, or recover an otherwise unsalvageable point. Involving everything from giant hammers to love-hearts, these "Power Shots", while initially amusing, ultimately detract from the solid tennis that lies beneath. The more difficult tournaments can become frustrating as your perfect tennis can be countered with a cheap Power Shot from the other side of the court, leaving you feeling robbed. Losing the fifth set tie-breaker in a championship match this way will most likely result in a burst of expletives that Princess Peach certainly wouldn't approve of. It only takes a few hours of play to unlock the additional modes and characters, but obtaining every Tournament trophy for every character, as well as completing the various other challenges will take some time. If you see yourself as some kind of masochistic tennis-loving Rain Man you can even attempt to beat every character with every character, in every mode on the "Ace" difficult setting. A solid single-player game, there is also some good multi-player fun to be had. Most modes are accessible for up-to 4 players, with the adjustable-difficulty CPU filling in if you are short a player or two. Sadly, there is no multi-player Tournament Mode, so any extended multi-player sessions will see you re-selecting your characters and settings repeatedly; A minor oversight, albeit an odd one considering the detail put into the other aspects of the multi-player game. At least you can turn off the Power Shots to prevent any "accidental" triggering. There is plenty to like about 'Mario Power Tennis', even if you don't usually like tennis games (or Mario). Whilst some of the game is difficult, there is always another mode or another character you can tackle instead. Gamers looking for a casual experience will find it, while the hard-core who don't mind wearing out a controller or two can battle for every last trophy. This is typical Nintendo: instantly accessible and easily played, but difficult to master.  |
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