Mario Spin-off Games #11--Mario's Tennis

On 02/15/2016 at 09:46 AM by The Last Ninja

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Platform: Virtual Boy

Released: 1995

Developer: Nintendo R&D1

Genre: Sports

You most likely have never played this one since it came out on Nintendo's failed Virtual Boy console. Nevertheless, it is one of the best games on the console, led by the legendary Gunpei Yokoi himself. It is also the first Mairo sports game (if we don't count Mario Kart). You can choose one of seven characters, including Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Koopa, and Donkey Kong Jr. Unlike later entries of the Mario Tennis games, this one doesn't have any special power-ups or shots. It focuses solely on the Tennis fundamentals.

The game has a behind-the-back perspective and uses the VB's stereoscopic 3D effects well. You can choose to play either a single game or three game tournament with either singles or doubles. You can also choose to play on Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulty. The game's biggest fault is the fact that there's no two-player mode. Today the Mario Tennis series is a regular Mario sports series, although developer Camelot took the reins after this first entry in the series. There has been a MT game on nearly every Nintendo console since. Most recently Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash was released for the Wii U. It all started with this mostly forgotten gem.

Homelessrook

02/15/2016 at 10:03 AM

This game gave me a headache 2 minutes in, when I played it. Little did I know it was the Virtual boy and all the games.

The Last Ninja

02/15/2016 at 08:30 PM

The Virtual Boy a.k.a. The Headache Giver. A truly failed console.

Cary Woodham

02/15/2016 at 11:52 AM

I never played any Virtual Boy games because I've been blind in my left eye since birth and I wouldn't be able to see the games very well. It's also why I'm a little bit apprehensive about all the new VR gaming technology coming out.

I guess it's the first sports game with Mario in the title, but don't forget that Mario was also in a couple of golf games and a racing game on the NES/Famicom.

I'm not a big Tennis game fan anyway. Most of the tennis games I played felt like just glorfied Pong clones. I first played a Mario Tennis game on the N64 at a friend's house, and it was kind of fun but not worth buying. I did get a Mario Tennis game on the Wii and didn't like it, so I'm not inclined to try the one on the Wii U either. I do like some of the other Mario sports games, though, like golf and baseball, etc.

02/15/2016 at 08:32 PM

Well, you wouldn't want to play the VB even if you had perfect version.

Correct, Mario did appear in some other sports games, but this was the first one to bear his name.

Mario Tennis on N64 was one of my favorite games when it came out. Mario Power Tennis on GCN is also really great. But I guess these games aren't for everyone.

Super Step Contributing Writer

02/15/2016 at 03:56 PM

I actually liked the Virtual Boy when we rented it from Blockbuster. Under-10 me thought the VR stuff in the 90s was great. I think I mostly played Star Fox or something VERY similar to Star Fox. I honestly wouldn't mind having a Virtual Boy now, at least just as a conversation starter.

02/15/2016 at 08:37 PM

I think the game you're thinking of is Red Alarm, which does resemble Star Fox. Unfortunately, from what I've heard, it's also very disorienting.

02/15/2016 at 09:32 PM

It was cool to me at the time. But yeah, that was it.

KnightDriver

02/18/2016 at 02:54 PM

Tennis is perfect for that 3D treatment. Why hasn't the Virtual Boy games been brought to 3DS? Seems a natural thing to do.

PixlBit