Mario Tennis: Open releases May 20th, 2012 for 3DS. Great artwork huh!
(scroll to the very end to see screenshots of most of the game’s characters, avoid scrolling completely to the bottom of this article if you don’t want to see them).
Mario Tennis Open follows previous Mario Tennis games including the original Mario Tennis (N64, 2000) and Mario’s Tennis (Virtual Boy, 1995), Mario Tennis GB (Game Boy Color, 2001), Mario Power Tennis (GameCube, 2004), Mario Tennis: Power Tour (Game Boy Advance, 2005) and the Wii re-release of the GameCube game, called “Mario Power Tennis: New Play Control!”, released in 2009; A version that added gesture controls to the game, making it feel similar to Wii Sports. Additionally, the original Mario Tennis was re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2010.
So Mario Tennis Open for 3DS is effectively the 5th installment in this hit sports game series. If you’ve ever played a Mario Tennis game, then you’ll know exactly what to expect in Mario Tennis: Open, as the game seems to play essentially exactly the same as before.
Here’s some old footage of Mario Tennis: Open from when the game was first announced.
A new camera has been added to give you better depth perception since you’ll be playing the game in Stereoscopic, Glasses-Free 3D on the handheld, and the game also feature touchscreen controls (that allow you to select what type of shot you want to make… Lob, Topspin, Simple Shot, Flat Shot, Drop Shot, or Slice by tapping the screen) and support for the gyro sensor in the 3DS meaning you can tilt the system to do things in the game.
In this screenshot you can clearly see how the Touchscreen really enhances the game and will make it MUCH easier for newbies to play the game. Previously, in past Mario Tennis titles, you’d need to perform different button presses to pull of different types of shots. So for example you might press A then B in quick succession to lob the ball high into the air… you can still do that by pressing the facebuttons on the 3DS, but now you could do it much easier by simply tapping the screen. Does this give other players an unfair advantage verses those that use only buttons? Possibly so… it’s also doubtful you’ll be able to customize whether your real-life opponent uses the touchscreen or not…
Simply tap the screen to execute a certain move. Simple!
