bit-tech Shopping: Nintendo Mario Power Tennis (GBA)

Rating: 8

Time with product: 8 Months

Strengths: Controls, Graphics, Single Player Mode

Weaknesses: Nothing I Can Think of

Summary: Much like they did with Mario Golf on the GameBoy Advance Camelot was able to take Mario Tennis to the GameBoy Advance and do a great job of doing so. The Single player mode has an RPG like way of progressing though the game in which you can power up your character along with a computer controlled doubles partner. The game also has multiplayer in which you can play with up to 4 players total but doesn't have any connectivity with the GameCube version. Each character also has special power shot that are unique to them just like the GameCube version of Mario Tennis. I would highly recommend Mario Tennis Power Tour for anyone looking for a portable version of Tennis for on the go as you won't find a better tennis game on the GameBoy Advance.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Great tennis gameplay, nice RPG trapping.

Weaknesses: Power shots. Too much dialogue at times.

Summary: Mario Tennis: Power Tower is an excellent tennis RPG from the developers of Golden Sun and Mario Power Tennis. It's a neat hybrid, with excellent fundamental gameplay, character stat development, and lots of minigames and training modes. My only quibbles are that there is sometimes too much talking and not enough tennis, and that power shots destroy some of the balance of the tennis game.

Rating: 6

Time with product: 6 Months

Strengths: Plenty of characters and game modes; special moves

Weaknesses: Tour mode requires too much time and seems unnecessary

Summary: Mario Tennis Power Tour is a fun and memorable game for the GBA that includes Mario and the usual cast of characters. The great thing about this game is that you have plenty of game modes to choose from. You also get special moves like power shots that add an interesting spin to this game. Unfortunately, there is a world tour mode that is required and is very time-consuming. It would've been nicer if all of this was unlocked from the very beginning in order to make it more accessible to the casual gamer. If you're willing to play through this required mode, then this game is worth trying. Otherwise, it might not be worth your time.