Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo Switch)

After the extremely disappointing Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, I was hesitant to purchase Aces. I’m glade I did though.Those of you new to the Mario Tennis series may be wondering what makes it special. Of course, there’s the inclusion of characters from throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course Mario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Peach make appearances, but the game excels in adding smaller characters to the mix as well. Baddies such as Chain Chomp, Spike, and Blooper are also featured in the game’s roster. Unlike in Mario Kart, where characters are split into weight classes and and all characters in the same class play the same, characters in Mario Tennis Aces are split into 6 playstyles, and each character has their own unique characteristics.New to the Mario ... MoreAfter the extremely disappointing Mario Tennis Ultra Smash, I was hesitant to purchase Aces. I’m glade I did though.Those of you new to the Mario Tennis series may be wondering what makes it special. Of course, there’s the inclusion of characters from throughout the Mushroom Kingdom. Of course Mario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Peach make appearances, but the game excels in adding smaller characters to the mix as well. Baddies such as Chain Chomp, Spike, and Blooper are also featured in the game’s roster. Unlike in Mario Kart, where characters are split into weight classes and and all characters in the same class play the same, characters in Mario Tennis Aces are split into 6 playstyles, and each character has their own unique characteristics.New to the Mario Tennis series is the introduction of an energy system. By charging up your shots, you can build up your energy gauge, which in turn can be used to activate special skills. Zone speed slows down everything except your character, giving you time to get to a far-away ball. Zone shots allow you to send powerful, accurate shots lasering into your opponent’s court. Trick shots can be used to quickly move across the court to return a powerful shot. If you’re able to fully charge your energy meter, you can unleash a special shot, which if not blocked with perfect timing, will shatter your opponent’s racket.For the first time since Mario Tenni: Power Tour on the GBA, Aces contains a single player story mode with light RPG elements. The story itself is mediocre at best, but it serves as a great way to hone your skills before jumping into the surprisingly competitive tournament mode.Tournament mode is by far the highlight of Mario Tennis Aces. It pits you against randomly selected online players, and builds a tournament based on single-match elimination. Because the game doesn’t create the entire tournament at once, and instead matches two player in round two together, etc., wait time in between matches is always short.

I was a big fan of the Mario Tennis games on N64 and GBC, especially the RPG elements of the latter. The single-player portion of this game really doesn't compare, functioning mostly as an extended tutorial with very minor RPG elements.That being said, multiplayer is great fun, especially if you're able to get some local doubles matches in. The online tournament modes will likely make or break enjoyment of this game for most people. Standard mode incorporates the energy gauge and trick shots. It wasn't very balanced for the first month after release, as Bowser Jr. could basically return anything at max charge and trick shots were easily spammable recovery moves, resulting in long drawn-out matches. I was ranked in the top 100 for most of this first month before ... MoreI was a big fan of the Mario Tennis games on N64 and GBC, especially the RPG elements of the latter. The single-player portion of this game really doesn't compare, functioning mostly as an extended tutorial with very minor RPG elements.That being said, multiplayer is great fun, especially if you're able to get some local doubles matches in. The online tournament modes will likely make or break enjoyment of this game for most people. Standard mode incorporates the energy gauge and trick shots. It wasn't very balanced for the first month after release, as Bowser Jr. could basically return anything at max charge and trick shots were easily spammable recovery moves, resulting in long drawn-out matches. I was ranked in the top 100 for most of this first month before dropping standard mode entirely as I grew tired of it. Nintendo patched the game last week to supposedly address both of the points mentioned above, so now may be the best time to try Standard tournaments.If you enjoy a simulation of regular tennis, Simple mode provides a more even experience (in my opinion at least). However, it is much easier to find a game in Standard, as I've had to wait several minutes before for matchmaking in Simple. Standard definitely has more of an arcade-y/fighting game feel to it, so I wouldn't recommend Simple mode if you don't enjoy tennis by itself.If you're able to try the game out and enjoy the gameplay mechanics for what they are, I think you'll find it worth your time. Nintendo seems to be willing to patch online multiplayer based on player feedback, which is a good sign. Hopefully this support continues after they've finished releasing all the characters.

I like to play all the Mario sports games (except Mario vs Sonic) so I picked this one up on sale. Very easy to use and even my 4 year old niece ended up getting good enough to consistently beat us adults. This is a quick play or party game, no story or real incentive to spend too much time on it. Buy ON SALE if you have kids that would enjoy a game they can play with the whole family or friends,