System: Nintendo GameCube
Memory Requirement: 5 blocks
Rating: E
Players: 1-4
Category: Sports

People waited in tents outside the store before the release of this game. They rushed in hastily and fought over each copy. Luckily, now that it's been out for a while, you won't run into that much trouble in the stores anymore. So go get your copy of Mario Power Tennis!!!

What's that? You're NOT convinced that you should buy Mario Power Tennis?! Well then, I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong!

I'm going to grade it on your standard 1-10 scale, just because that's what I'm used to.

Graphics: 9/10

Man, do the graphics rock on this game! The tennis courts and stadiums look real, the characters look all shiny, round, and 3D-ish without being too polygonal. Also, after every point is scored, you get to see an instant replay of it from a different angle, which is always cool. The gimmick courts have got some pretty cool-looking features, like the jungle background in DK's court or the funky ghosts in the Luigi's Mansion court. But the best graphics you'll see are during the players' power-shots. These range from raging fire to swarming bubbles to... giant hammers... It's awesome. The only reason I didn't give the graphics a perfect ten was because I know there are some other games that are better, like Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Sound: 10/10

The music is spectacular! It's the music that captures the entire feel of being in a tennis tournament; it really gets you excited and pumped up and ready to play some serious TENNIS! You gotta love the funky rendition of the Donkey Kong Country Theme in DK's court. Yes, you will have many of these tunes stuck in your head (I do right now, as a matter of fact), and you won't mind either! You'll be all like, "Keep playin 'em, man!"

Controls: 6/10

I'm sorry to say that even though the basic controls, joystick to move and A to hit, are easy to do, it's hard to remember all the buttons to push for all those different special shots. Even if you do remember them, it's hard to perform them quickly enough without missing the ball. Luckily, you hardly ever need those special shots except for in the special games. You can pretty much just use the joystick and A the whole time and you'll be fine.

Difficulty: 10/10

I think this game is perfect in difficulty. The rules and controls are so easy that a 2-year-old could probably pick it up and play it, no problem, but a 40-year old could do the same and still have as much fun. So it's great for all ages. I also like the shifting of difficulty during tournaments. Your first opponent is always the easiest, then it gets gradually harder as you go in a pleasant manner. Your very last opponent in the Star Cup can sometimes be a huge challenge, but not enough to frustrate you and make you angry (unless you're Wario, of course).

Humor: 10/10

Yes! Humor greatly applies to this game! Not only is there a hilarious little movie at the beginning that you'll want to watch almost every time you turn it on, but the characters say funny stuff! When Wario wins, he does a little dance and sings "I won I won!" and when Daisy misses a shot she goes "WhatEVER!" or "Oh sure!" and when Bowser Jr. loses, he goes "This stinks! THIS STINKS!" When each character wins a tournament, a little skit is shown. They're all funny, and each character has their own.

Characters: 5/10

Well, you know I had to deduct a couple (hundred) points for their being no Koopalings. And I think it was kinda weird that Shy Guy and Boo are playable from the start while you have to win the Star Cup to get Paratroopa. I also think that there should have been either Toad or Birdo or someone like that. But other than that, there's everybody's favorites. The characters you can get from the start are Mario, Bowser, Luigi, Peach, Wario, Daisy, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Yoshi, Koopa Troopa, Bowser Jr, Boo, and Shy Guy.

Replayability: 9/10

You will want to play this game all the time. If you don't, it'll be because you started and can't stop! Seriously. The only thing that can get me to stop playing is if I have to come up for dinner or do my homework or go to bed. Other than that, I'm pretty much glued to the screen. The only reason I gave it a 9 was because the last match in a tournament has six sets, which is pretty long, and sometimes I get tired of it.

Fun Factor!: I'm going to grade the Fun Factor of each play mode separately.

Exhibition: 10/10
This is probably the most fun out of the three modes because it's a quick little game with many variations available. You can play a standard match, or a match with extra points for ring-shots (ring-shots are the best!), or an item battle, which is super-fun because there's items flying all over the place. Or you could pick a gimmick court to practice mastering those shifting panels with Petey Piranhas spitting stuff at you!

Tournament: 8/10
Although it's playing these that unlock new characters and courts, they're not the most fun (particularly because there aren't any ring-shots... BOOOO!). It is fun, and very exciting, just not AS fun as exhibition.

Special Games: 9/10
The special games tend to be pretty hard, but they are fun if you don't care about losing, or if you've mastered them. The BEST one is the Chain Chomp challenge! It is so cool!

Customer Recommendation: 100000000000/10

If you don't have this game, you'd better get it. NOW! It's a best-seller, and it's easy to see why. So, if you haven't already done so, go buy a copy of Mario Power Tennis and help keep up its status as a best-seller!

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