Mario Tennis Aces | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Camelot Software Planning Nintendo EPD |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Director(s) |
|
Producer(s) |
|
Designer(s) |
|
Programmer(s) |
|
Artist(s) |
|
Composer(s) | Motoi Sakuraba |
Series | Mario Tennis |
Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
Release | June 22, 2018 |
Genre(s) | Sports (Tennis) |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario Tennis Aces [a] is a 2018 sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The game is part of the Mario Tennis series and sold over 4.50 million copies by December 31, 2022, making it one of the best-selling games on the Switch. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics.
The gameplay of Mario Tennis Aces consists of playing matches of tennis with various characters from the Super Mario series. Players can pick from 16 characters: Mario, Luigi, Wario, Peach, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Toad, Toadette, Chain Chomp, Bowser Jr., Boo, and Spike. [2] [3] New characters were added by participating in monthly tournaments, or were added to the roster the following month if the player did not participate. Numerous characters have been added in the game such as; Koopa Troopa in July 2018, Blooper in August 2018, Diddy Kong in September 2018, Birdo in October 2018, Koopa Paratroopa in November 2018, Petey Piranha and Shy Guy in December 2018, Luma in January 2019, Boom Boom in February 2019, Pauline in March 2019, Kamek in April 2019, Dry Bones in May 2019, Fire Piranha Plant in June 2019, and Dry Bowser in July 2019. [4] [5]
Similar in fashion to previous installments of the series, Aces incorporates many techniques, such as "topspins", where the ball travels parallel to the direction hit, "slices", where the ball curves to one side when hit, and "lobs", where the ball travels upwards. [6]
Aces adds several new mechanics to the Mario Tennis series. Using the motion controls of the Joy-Con, the player is able to initiate a "zone shot", where the player can aim directly where the ball will go while the game enters a paused state. [7] If the opponent counters the zone shot, their racket will take damage. [8] When a racket is hit with a zone shot three times, it will break, forcing the player to forfeit the match if it is their last one. Players have multiple rackets to use each match. [9] However, players are able to counter a zone shot without taking damage using a "block", which can be performed by hitting the ball with perfect timing.
Another new addition in Aces is "zone speed". When a player activates zone speed, the match goes into slow-motion, but their character moves at normal speed, making it so faraway shots are easier to reach. [6] The zone shot and zone speed moves use up part of the players' energy gauge, which is filled and depleted throughout the match. To refill the gauge, the player must keep a rally going with the opponent or use the trick shot ability. [10] [11]
The trick shot ability enables the player to quickly travel to where the ball will land. [12] If the trick shot succeeds, then the player's energy gauge will increase dramatically. However, it is easy to misjudge the timing and therefore is a risky move to make. Another ability available to players at the cost of their energy gauge is the special shot. To activate it, the player must have a full energy gauge. The ability unleashes an extremely powerful shot that has the power to break the opponent's racket regardless of its current damage. However, the special shot can be blocked similarly to the zone shot.
Aces also has a "Simple rules" mode, equivalent to the Classic Tennis mode introduced in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash , where only simple shots are allowed and zone shots, zone speed, trick shots, special shots and the energy gauge are not present. [2]
The game also features an online multiplayer mode, where tournaments can be set up, as well as singular matches. [13] Players can unlock additional outfits and characters by participating in special online Tournaments held by Nintendo. Another gameplay mode is "swing mode", where players are able to swing the Joy-Con controllers to simulate hitting the ball with a tennis racket, similar in fashion to Wii Sports and the New Play Control! version of Mario Power Tennis . [14] In addition to regular tennis matches, the game offers a story mode similar in fashion to Mario Tennis: Power Tour . [15]
Wario and Waluigi are mining at the Temple of Bask when they discover a treasure chest containing Lucien, a magical racket said to be legendary to those who would possess it. The duo perceive themselves as displaying pride at matches using Lucien, and open up the treasure chest to unveil it. Just as they obtain Lucien, the racket unveils its power and shocks the duo.
The duo soon emerge at Marina Stadium, immediately following a championship match in which Mario and Peach won against Bowser and Bowser Jr. The duo attempt to offer Lucien to Mario, but Luigi snatches it up, after which it begins to take possession of him, Wario, and Waluigi, through use of its grip tape. Mario and Toad then embark on a journey to destroy Lucien and save Wario, Luigi and Waluigi, on Daisy's plea that Luigi will be brought back safely.
Mario and Toad soon arrive at the Bask Ruins, where they meet Aster, guardian of King Bask and watcher over Lucien. Aster tells the backstory of Lucien and how many years ago, King Bask stripped Lucien's power and divided it among five Power Stones hidden on the island, and years later the room fell to ruin, breaking the seal and allowing the racket to fall into new hands. Aster requests that Mario find the Power Stones to end Lucien, once and for all.
Mario obtains the first three Power Stones by defeating Petey Piranha in Piranha Plant Forest, The Mirror Queen in Mirage Mansion, and the Snow Ogre at the summit of Snowfall Mountain respectively. Mario tries to claim the Power Stones in the Savage Sea and Inferno Island, but they are claimed by Wario, Waluigi, and Luigi. Wario and Waluigi decide to settle the score at Marina Stadium; whoever wins receives all five Power Stones.
The Princesses take on Wario and Waluigi while Mario takes on Luigi, with slight power given to the Princesses and Mario by Aster, respectively. They win, allowing them to receive the Power Stones, but Bowser gets ahold of Lucien before this can happen, and makes off to the Temple of Bask with it. Mario confronts him inside the Temple and not only defeats him, but breaks Lucien causing the entire Temple to collapse. With the spirit of King Bask now able to rest in peace, Aster thanks Mario for his heroism throughout the quest.
Back outside, everyone celebrates Mario's victory in banishing Lucien and saving Luigi, Wario and Waluigi, although the latter two are shamed by Daisy for attempting to use Lucien to be the best tennis players. The gang agrees that getting stronger is better than trying to control others.
The game was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation in January 2018. [11] A free online tournament using a demo version of the game was held from June 1–3, 2018. [16] [17]
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 75/100 [18] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Game Informer | 8/10 [19] |
GameRevolution | [20] |
GameSpot | 7/10 [21] |
GamesRadar+ | [22] |
IGN | 7.5/10 [23] |
Nintendo Life | [24] |
VideoGamer.com | 7/10 [25] |
Digital Trends | 7/10 [26] |
Mario Tennis Aces has an aggregate score of 75/100 on Metacritic. [18]
IGN felt that Mario Tennis Aces was "an extremely fun arcade tennis experience, colourful and dazzling to look at and smartly balanced in its back-and-forth play." Although praise went to its new mechanics for making the game "far more fun, well balanced and less gimmicky brand of superpowered tennis than that of its disappointing Wii U predecessor, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash ," Aces' adventure mode was criticized for feeling underdeveloped and not having enough replay value (such as harder versions of challenges after completing it) or unlocks, and that the main multiplayer modes lacked court selection and local tournament functions. [23] GameSpot felt that Mario Tennis Aces "does what this series has done best, and improves what it's rarely gotten right prior", and arguing that the adventure mode was a good way for existing players to learn the new mechanics of Aces, but that the Swing Mode had imprecise motion detection, and that the game's multiplayer modes were lacking in options, and did not display stats for opponents. [21]
Mario Tennis Aces sold 247,161 physical copies within its first month on sale in Japan. [27] By March 2019, total sales had reached over 2.64 million copies, making it the best-selling Mario Tennis game. [28] As of March 2019, it has sold 550,000 copies in Japan. [29] The 2022 CESA Games White Papers revealed that Mario Tennis Aces had sold 4.28 million units, as of December 31, 2021. [30] By December 31 2022, this figure had risen to 4.50 million units. [31]
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref(s). |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Game Critics Awards | Best Sports Game | Nominated | [32] |
Best Family/Social Game | Nominated | |||
Golden Joystick Awards | Best Competitive Game | Nominated | [33] [34] | |
Nintendo Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
The Game Awards 2018 | Best Family Game | Nominated | [35] [36] | |
Best Sports/Racing | Nominated | |||
Gamers' Choice Awards | Fan Favorite Family-Friendly Multiplayer Game | Nominated | [37] | |
Australian Games Awards | Sports, Racing or Fighting Title of the Year | Nominated | [38] | |
2019 | New York Game Awards | Raging Bull Award for Best Fighting Game | Nominated | [39] |
22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Sports Game of the Year | Won | [40] | |
National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards | Game, Franchise Sports | Nominated | [41] | |
Italian Video Game Awards | People's Choice | Nominated | [42] | |
Best Family Game | Nominated | |||
Best Sport Game | Nominated |
Mario Kart is a series of kart racing games based on the Mario franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses mostly from the Mario series as well as other gaming franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, Excitebike, and Splatoon.
Dr. Mario is a 1990 puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. It was produced by Gunpei Yokoi and designed by Takahiro Harada. The soundtrack was composed by Hirokazu Tanaka.
Luigi is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Part of Nintendo's Mario franchise, he is a kind-hearted, cowardly Italian plumber, and the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario. Like his brother, Luigi's distinctive characteristics include his large nose and mustache, overalls, green hat, and high-pitched, exaggerated Italian accent.
Princess Peach is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise. She was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and introduced in the 1985 original Super Mario Bros. game as Princess Toadstool. She is the princess regnant and head of state of the Mushroom Kingdom, where she resides in her castle along with Toads. Since her debut, she has appeared in the majority of Mario video games as the main female character and the romantic interest of Mario. She has been voiced by Samantha Kelly since 2007.
Mario Tennis is a 2000 sports video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 (N64). Following Mario's Tennis, it is the second game in the Mario Tennis series. The game is known for being the introduction of Luigi's arch-rival, Waluigi, and the re-introduction of Princess Daisy and Birdo.
Waluigi is a character in the Mario franchise. He plays the role of Luigi's arch-rival and accompanies Wario in spin-offs from the main Mario series, often for the sake of causing mischief. He was created by Camelot employee Fumihide Aoki and was voiced from 2000 to 2022 by Charles Martinet, who described Waluigi as someone with a lot of self-pity. Waluigi's design is characterised by his tall stature, thin and lanky frame, and his purple and black outfit with purple hat, which displays an inverted yellow "L".
Wario is a character in Nintendo's Mario franchise that was designed as an archnemesis to Mario. Wario first appeared as the main antagonist and final boss in the 1992 Game Boy game Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. His name is a portmanteau of the name Mario and the Japanese word warui, meaning "bad". He is usually portrayed as a greedy treasure hunter who routinely loses the treasure or artifacts he ultimately finds. Since his debut, he has appeared in the majority of Mario video games. Hiroji Kiyotake designed Wario, and Charles Martinet voiced the character from 1993 to 2023.
Mario Party 4 is a 2002 party video game developed by Hudson Soft and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game is the fourth installment in the Mario Party series and is the first game in the series to be released for the GameCube. Like the previous games in the series, it features eight playable characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, Princess Daisy, and Waluigi from the Mario franchise, who can be directed as characters on six themed game boards. The objective is to earn as many stars as possible, which are obtained by purchase from a single predefined space on the game board. Each character's movement is determined by a roll of a die, with a roll from each player forming a single turn. Each turn is followed by a minigame in which characters compete for coins they can use to purchase items and stars.
Mario Party is a party video game series featuring characters from the Mario franchise in which up to four local players or computer-controlled characters compete in a board game interspersed with minigames. Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, and directed by Kenji Kikuchi, the games are currently developed by Nintendo Cube and published by Nintendo, being previously developed by Hudson Soft. The series is known for its party game elements, including the often unpredictable multiplayer game modes that allow play with up to four, and sometimes eight, human players or CPUs.
Super Mario 64 DS is a 2004 platform game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch game for the Nintendo DS. Super Mario 64 DS is a remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64 game Super Mario 64, with new graphics, characters, collectibles, a multiplayer mode, and several extra minigames. As with the original, the plot centers on rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser. Unlike the original, Yoshi is the first playable character, with Mario, Luigi, and Wario being unlockable characters in early phases of the game.
Mario Superstar Baseball is a 2005 sports game developed by Namco and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. The game was created in the vein of other Mario sports games such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis. A sequel, Mario Super Sluggers, was released for the Wii in 2008.
Mario Tennis: Power Tour, known as Mario Power Tennis in Europe, is a 2005 role-playing sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It is the sequel to the Game Boy Color version of Mario Tennis. While it is the handheld companion to Mario Power Tennis, released on GameCube, with the European release sharing its title, Power Tour lacks connectivity with Power Tennis, unlike how its predecessor features connectivity with its console counterpart on Nintendo 64. Power Tour was re-released on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014.
Super Mario is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. However, there have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms. There are more than 20 games in the series.
Mario Strikers Charged is a 2007 sports video game developed by Next Level Games and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sequel to Super Mario Strikers for the GameCube.
Mario Party 9 is a 2012 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The ninth main installment in the Mario Party series, it was announced at E3 2011 and released in Europe, North America, and Australia in March 2012, followed by Japan a month later. It was the first game in the series not to be developed by Hudson Soft, which was acquired and dissolved by Konami on March 1, 2012, the day before the game's European release. Instead, development was taken over by Nintendo studio NDCube. This was also the final Mario game to be released on the Wii.
Mario is a multimedia franchise created by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for the Japanese video game company Nintendo, which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film, and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros. even though Mario made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.
Super Mario Party is a 2018 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the eleventh main installment in the Mario Party series, and the first for the Nintendo Switch. The game was described as a "complete refresh" of the franchise, bringing back and revitalizing gameplay elements from older titles while also introducing new ones to go along with them. The game was released worldwide on 5 October 2018, and sold 1.5 million copies by the end of the month.
Super Mario Party Jamboree is a 2024 party video game developed by Nintendo Cube and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the thirteenth home console installment in the Mario Party series, the third on the Nintendo Switch, and a sequel to Super Mario Party, albeit with many similarities to Mario Party Superstars.
Camelot / Game Design Lead: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shugo Takahashi / Director: Shugo Takahashi / Art Director: Satoshi Tamai [...] Programming Lead: Haruki Kodera, Yutaka Yamamoto [...] Music: Motoi Sakuraba / Nintendo / Director: Tomohiro Yamamura / Art Director: Tomoyoshi Yamane [...] Producers: Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shugo Takahashi, Toshiharu Izuno, Toyokazu Nonaka, Keisuke Terasaki