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> Results: Mario Tennis: Power Tour
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Mario sports titles are known for being easily accessible arcade-style events. Portable Mario sports games are also known for having heavy role-playing elements mixed in to the gameplay. Mario Tennis: Power Tour for Game Boy Advance keeps with both traditions.
Power Tour is the main mode of the game, and surprisingly, despite the game's title there are hardly any Mario antics in this mode of play. Choose from a boy or girl and follow their quest to become a great tennis player at a tennis academy camp. Some mysterious masked players show up unexpectedly and challenge the best players at the camp to a match and win. You have to practice hard and rise through the ranks if you want a chance to play against these secretive, yet somehow familiar masked players. In traditional role-playing format, you earn experience points to beef up your tennis stats like speed, power, and swing. Gain experience by playing tennis themed mini-games around the camp, and by challenging higher ranked players to singles and doubles matches. Your partner in doubles matches is the character you didn't pick at the start of the game, and you can dispense experience points to him or her as well. Talk to coaches to learn and practice basic tennis skills and rules, and gather clues around the campus in order to know where to go next. Later you compete in cup matches in other places, too.  You can also play a quick match of tennis in Exhibition Mode. Here you choose any Mario character or player you unlocked in the main game, and challenge the CPU or other players to singles or doubles matches. There's support the GBA Link Cable and the Wireless Adaptor for multiplayer matches. Like any Mario game, the graphics are bright and cheery. Play control is also solid and responsive. Use the A, B, L, and R buttons to serve, volley, and hit over-the-top offensive and defensive power shots with ease. Everything's all been done before, but if you are an on-the-go tennis fan, you'll still have a ball.  
At first glance, a tennis video game might look like a glorified version of Pong, but there's quite a bit of depth in this little game. It may have silly Mario characters and crazy power shots, but the game still follows the rules of tennis to a T. Younger players and people less familiar with the rules of tennis may be a little intimidated at all the rules and terms the game's coaches and players throw at you. Luckily there is an in-game glossary to explain all the terms and rules, but it can still be a little confusing to less experienced gamers.
Reading skill is definitely required to get anywhere in the Power Tour mode, but even younger players can enjoy a quick game in the Exhibition mode. Sports games like this one are great for teaching kids teamwork, sportsmanship, and the rules of the real game. Any young tennis fan and sports nut should enjoy Mario Tennis: Power Tour. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "mario tennis" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Mario Tennis: Power Tour |
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