Mario Tennis: Power Tour
Encyclopedia
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, known as Mario Power Tennis in Europe and as in Japan, is a sports game
developed by Camelot Software Planning
and published by Nintendo
for the Game Boy Advance
in 2005. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color
version of Mario Tennis. However, unlike Mario Tennis, players cannot hook their game up with the respective Nintendo GameCube
version.
’s gameplay. Players play tennis with other characters, in both doubles and singles, and there are several mechanics such as topspin, slice, and "Power Shots". There are both Offensive Power Shots and Defensive Power Shots which are earned further into the game. Offensive Power Shots are very powerful attacks; they power-up the ball and when they make contact with another player, they put a side effect on him/her such as knocked back a little bit, running around dazed, etc. Defensive Power Shots can negate the secondary effects of Offensive Power Shots and they can reach balls which normally would be out of reach. There’s topspin and slice, and topspin has more power than slice, while slice spin exchanges a tiny bit of power for more curve in the character's shot. As well as this, there are also a variety of shots, such as lobs or smashes. Interestingly, like other Mario Tennis
video games, it is impossible for players to hit the ball out of bounds.
an version), a male power player; and Ace (Tina in the European version), a female technical player. The player can change the name of the character they choose to play as, and also choose the character's dominant hand for playing tennis (right or left); their partner's name (the character the player didn't choose) cannot be changed.
There's also the Mario gang with Mario
, Luigi
, Peach
, Donkey Kong, Bowser and Waluigi
; they won't appear until much later in the game. There's players returning from the previous game such as Alex (normally as coaches), and there's new faces such as Elroy, Tori, Whisker, and Paula.
After defeating the Junior and Senior classes, the player advances to the Varsity Level. Learning that only the two highest ranked doubles pairs can enter the tournament for sure, the main character defeats the entire Varsity class. The player, their partner, and two other players named Elroy (who is also the varsity captain) and Tori enter the Island Open.
After the winning the Island Open, the player has not yet discovered the identities of the masked players. However, the morning following their win, the two main characters are approached by Alex and led to a secret airport near the academy. Here, our hero meets Mario, who is implied to have been one of the masked players, and is taken to Peach's Kingdom to participate in the Peach Tournament against the other characters in the game. Winning the tournament ends the doubles game.
Afterwards, the main character becomes the singles champion of the school and wins the Island Open on his/her own, again traveling to the Mushroom Kingdom to play in the Peach Tournament. Winning this Tournament effectively ends the Story Mode's main plot line, and our hero presumedly goes home the hero of the academy.
gave the game a 9.0 out of 10, praising the RPG aspects of it and the leveling system to improve the characters. GameSpot
gave it a 8.5 out of 10, spotting the variety in the game.
Sports game
A sports game is a computer or video game that simulates the practice of traditional sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, athletics and extreme sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport , whilst others emphasize strategy and organization...
developed by Camelot Software Planning
Camelot Software Planning
is a Japanese video game developer established in 1990 under the name Sonic! Software Planning and to date is best known for partnering with Nintendo on many of Nintendo's spin-off franchise games such as Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, as well as the role-playing game series Golden Sun...
and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
in 2005. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
version of Mario Tennis. However, unlike Mario Tennis, players cannot hook their game up with the respective Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Mario Tennis: Power Tour is similar to Mario Power TennisMario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game in the Mario Tennis series...
’s gameplay. Players play tennis with other characters, in both doubles and singles, and there are several mechanics such as topspin, slice, and "Power Shots". There are both Offensive Power Shots and Defensive Power Shots which are earned further into the game. Offensive Power Shots are very powerful attacks; they power-up the ball and when they make contact with another player, they put a side effect on him/her such as knocked back a little bit, running around dazed, etc. Defensive Power Shots can negate the secondary effects of Offensive Power Shots and they can reach balls which normally would be out of reach. There’s topspin and slice, and topspin has more power than slice, while slice spin exchanges a tiny bit of power for more curve in the character's shot. As well as this, there are also a variety of shots, such as lobs or smashes. Interestingly, like other Mario Tennis
Mario Tennis
Mario Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports video game developed by Camelot and Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. The game was released in North America and Japan in the summer of 2000, and released in Europe later in November. It is the first tennis-based game starring Mario since...
video games, it is impossible for players to hit the ball out of bounds.
Characters
There are several characters in Mario Tennis: Power Tour. The two main characters to choose from are Clay (Max in the EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an version), a male power player; and Ace (Tina in the European version), a female technical player. The player can change the name of the character they choose to play as, and also choose the character's dominant hand for playing tennis (right or left); their partner's name (the character the player didn't choose) cannot be changed.
There's also the Mario gang with Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
, Luigi
Luigi
is a fictional character, featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by prominent game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the slightly younger fraternal twin brother of Nintendo's mascot Mario, and appears in many games throughout the Mario series,...
, Peach
Princess Peach
is a character in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. She is the Princess of the fictitious Mushroom Kingdom, and often plays the damsel in distress role within the adventure series. In 2007, Princess Peach landed on Forbes magazine's Wealthiest Fictional People list, with a fortune upwards of...
, Donkey Kong, Bowser and Waluigi
Waluigi
is a fictional character in the Mario series of video games. He accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, oftentimes for the sake of causing mischief...
; they won't appear until much later in the game. There's players returning from the previous game such as Alex (normally as coaches), and there's new faces such as Elroy, Tori, Whisker, and Paula.
Plot
The game starts as the main character wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings. His/her partner explains that the protagonist has enrolled at the Royal Tennis Academy, and he/she is the character’s doubles partner. Having passed out the previous day during the Welcome Workout, they decide to get some breakfast. When they arrive at the restaurant, it is deserted and he/she finds out that masked challengers have challenged the top academy students, including Alex, who is implied to be the top-ranked player at the academy. After hearing that the masked players defeated the school champions, he/she sets out to become the top ranked player, in order to enter the main tournament (The Island Open) and discover the masked players' true identities.After defeating the Junior and Senior classes, the player advances to the Varsity Level. Learning that only the two highest ranked doubles pairs can enter the tournament for sure, the main character defeats the entire Varsity class. The player, their partner, and two other players named Elroy (who is also the varsity captain) and Tori enter the Island Open.
After the winning the Island Open, the player has not yet discovered the identities of the masked players. However, the morning following their win, the two main characters are approached by Alex and led to a secret airport near the academy. Here, our hero meets Mario, who is implied to have been one of the masked players, and is taken to Peach's Kingdom to participate in the Peach Tournament against the other characters in the game. Winning the tournament ends the doubles game.
Afterwards, the main character becomes the singles champion of the school and wins the Island Open on his/her own, again traveling to the Mushroom Kingdom to play in the Peach Tournament. Winning this Tournament effectively ends the Story Mode's main plot line, and our hero presumedly goes home the hero of the academy.
Reception
Mario Tennis: Power Tour received very positive reviews. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the game a 9.0 out of 10, praising the RPG aspects of it and the leveling system to improve the characters. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it a 8.5 out of 10, spotting the variety in the game.