It�s tough to find fault in anything Camelot does. I mean, I tried to make a list, but...the
only thing I could think of is that ugly font they use in their Mario sports games. It�s
like Comic Sans� pale Scandinavian cousin, Comic Hans. Boom! Take that, Camelot. I�m
coming for you.
So there I was, playing Mario Tennis: Power Tour for the first time, expecting another
typically great Mario sports game from Camelot. Expecting to have nothing to complain about.
But...that�s not what I got. Now, don�t get me wrong. Mario Tennis: Power Tour is
a perfectly good tennis game, but...well, let�s just say its shot�s a lot different
than you might expect.
So Mario Tennis: Power Tour came about a year after Mario Power Tennis for the GameCube.
Back then, Mario sports games were among the best multiplayer games Nintendo had to offer.
Fast-paced, accessible...and Power Tennis was no exception. But when the time came for
this GBA follow-up, Camelot tried something different.
They tried to make a single-player Mario tennis game.
And I would argue...that�s just inherently less appealing.
See, rather than just throwing you into tournaments and having the gameplay right up front, like
most Mario sports games, Power Tour tries something different. It�s actually a tennis
RPG, in a way. You play as a student at this tennis school, and if you want to be the top-ranked
player on campus, well...you have to level up.
And walk around.
And talk to people.
So much for fast-paced and accessible.
I guess it�s all a matter of tastes and expectations, but...personally, the single-player
mode bored the hell out of me. There�s just so much down-time between your tennis matches.
So much wandering around and reading dialogue. And that would be fine, were this some kind
of interesting adventure game or something.
But it�s not. It�s a tennis game. And I just want to play tennis.
But again, if you�re into a slower, more RPG-like approach to a tennis game, you�re
probably going to love this. But I do appreciate Camelot�s effort. Rather than just make
a portable Power Tennis, they did something completely different. And that�s awesome.
Fortunately, you can just jump into the tennis through exhibition play. There�s also multiplayer
support, if you have those ridiculous link cables. I mean, Power Tour is a really nice
package on the GBA. My only problem is...its approach bored me, and its roster is, like,
mostly generic characters from the story. I mean, when I play Mario Tennis, I want to
play as Mario. Not freaking...Mason.
Camelot�s Mario sports games were tremendous on the GameCube. That�s partially because
they didn�t over-think things. I appreciate them trying something new on the GBA, but
in this case, they did over-think things.
That makes Mario Tennis: Power Tour a good game, but not a great one.
Big thanks to our pal Sean from Wisconsin for sending it in.