Mario Power Tennis on Nintendo Wii

Mario Power Tennis by Nintendo Wii, 2008
Rated for Everyone

Readers Annotation: A new play control makes this Mario version of tennis that much more fun.

Summary: This version of Mario tennis incorporates many different characters with many different types of game formats. It consists of 18 playable characters which are all derived from the Mario franchise. As for modes, there is exhibition and tournament mode. You can actually play up to four people on exhibition mode. But you can play either doubles or singles on both modes. There are also standard courts and gimmick courts, which incorporate past Mario themes or "special" Mario games that have a tennis theme. The standard game has the same rules of tennis but its just a bit more extreme with ball on fire when acing a serve, for example. You play this game using a Wii controller, which is different than most video game consoles. Instead of using buttons to control the game, you hold the Wii controller as if its your tennis racket and swing, serve, and volley just as you would if it were a real tennis match.

Critical Evaluation: Since I have not tried the old Wii control, I can not determine an improvement in the new Wii control. However, I did notice that it's almost impossible to miss the ball when it is coming your way. You'll definitely hit it; now if its in or out, that's another question. You can apply different spins, curves, and awesome serves just like in real tennis except that you don't need the practice. I'm not a fan of the special games or the special effects; I much rather play standard play. It feels like a tennis match for the most part except for some ridiculous taunts and grunts from the Mario characters. The interface is very basic and this game is definitely aimed for younger teens, if not tweens. The different difficulty levels are perfect for different age groups too. I like this because it is a video game that does keep you active and entertained at the same time; perhaps this will be a new tool for some of today's teenagers in getting them off the couch.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Video games
2) Activity
3) Tennis

Challenge Issues: There are none present on this game.

Why Included: I played this at my cousin's house the other day and rather liked it and reminded me that I could include this for my blog project.