Introduction
Mario Tennis..The addictive game we all know and love...ON GAME BOY COLOUR?

Pikachu1221 here, today reviewing Mario Tennis for Game Boy Colour. (Yes, I am Canadian!) Now, on to the review!

Mario Tennis has been shrink-wrapped and been transformed from a pure tennis game to an RPG-hybrid. Does this game measure up to its 64-bit counterpart? As Andy Larkin once said, “Let’s do it to it!”

I see the light...it burns!

Graphics 9/10
The graphics on Mario Tennis are very well done. Judging from some recent 64 to Game Boy conversions, (NFL Blitz comes to mind..) one might consider the graphics to be no more than moving circles/squares/rhombuses.

That person would be wrong. The animations for the tennis players are very good, and there are different poses your character takes when they hit the ball. You might see them diving to the side to return a stray ball, jumping and smashing the ball for a smash ace, or being surprised when the ball is driven straight into their noggin.

The overhead-view is also well done, the tennis courts and scenery are bright, colourful, and well detailed. Nintendo did a very good job with this.

I can see the music!

Music 7/10
The music is the game’s lowest point, though not by much. Although you will recognize some tunes, like the Peach’s Castle theme, the Donkey Kong theme, and the Mario Bros. Theme, most of the music has nothing to do with the Nintendo characters.

You might hear a few themes that stand out in your head, but none of the tunes (IMO) will have you humming them when you’re not playing. Not to say that the music is bad, it’s okay, it kind of fits the tennis mood well, but it’s nothing to write home about. If you’re looking for a game with riveting musical scores...keep looking.

Was it groin-grabbingly good?

Gameplay 10/10
By far the game’s best point. Rather than keep the same old “Tennis, tennis and more tennis” theme, they’ve added lots of variations on the game of tennis. First off, you can chose to be either Alex or Nina.(Default names, you can change them.)

Next, they’ve thrown the RPG concept into the works. Rather than keeping your same character stats for the entire game, you have to earn Experience Points in order to level up, so you can increase an attribute, like power, speed, or control. You earn EXP by winning tennis matches, by practicing at the Training Center, or by playing Exhibition mode. After you win a match, you have to choose who you want to allocate some or all of your EXP to.

You can either juice the EXP into your stats, or give some to your doubles partner, Kate or Harry. As you progress through the game, the opponents get harder, so it is imperative that you level up. If you need some practice on how to play the game, you go to the Training Court, where you can be taught certain skills and earn valuable EXP in the process. If you get bored of the main game, (which won’t be for a while)there are minigames that you can access from the main menu, which are just for fun. You can also use the Transfer Pak to bring your souped-up characters onto the N64, and have them participate in N64 tournaments to win lots of EXP.

Mario Tennis took a page from Mario Golf for GBC/N64 with this idea, and it’s a good one. You can transfer N64 characters onto the Game Boy version too and unlock hidden mini-games, as well. Finally, if you are extremely bored, the game includes a Tennis Dictionary, which has lots of useless tidbits on the game of tennis. You won’t put this game down for a while, that’s for sure.

In A.D. 2010, War was beginning..

Story N/A
There’s not really a story. Basically, you have been accepted into the Royal Tennis Academy, and you want to be the greatest tennis player in the world.

Do it again!

Replay Value 10/10
This game has TONS of replay value. You can either beat the game playing singles or doubles, then work your way back up playing the way you didn’t before. There are lots of lessons to pass, mini-games to beat, and tennis matches to play. There is also special equipment that you earn which raises/lowers your stats. After you’ve done just about everything, you can give Exhibition mode a try, where you can customize your perfect tennis match. Finally, you can link up with a friend and play tennis ‘til you drop. This is a game that you won’t find used as a couch prop-up. This game is a keeper.

So, there you have it, my 0.02 on Mario Tennis for Game Boy Colour. I recommend that if you’re looking for a good Game Boy Colour game to keep you occupied, Mario Tennis won’t disappoint. And now, the ever important question...

RENT OR BUY?
I would give this a definite “Buy” in my book. This game is a gem.