Editing Mario's Tennis

{{italic title}}
{{distinguish|Mario Tennis}}
{{game infobox
|image=[[File:Marios tennis english cover.jpg|250px]]<br>North American game cover.
|developer=[[Nintendo Research & Development 1|Nintendo R&D1]], [[TOSE Software Co.|TOSE]]
|publisher=[[Nintendo]]
|release={{flag list|Japan|July 21, 1995<ref>{{cite|url=www.nintendo.co.jp/n09/vue/p_vmtj/index.html|title=マリオズテニス|publisher=Nintendo Co., Ltd.|language=ja|accessdate=January 13, 2025}}</ref>|USA|August 14, 1995}}
|languages={{languages|en_us=y}}
|genre=[[Mario Tennis (series)|Tennis]]
|modes=Single-player
|ratings={{ratings|esrb=K-A}}
|platforms=[[Virtual Boy]]
|input={{input|vb=1}}
|format={{format|vb=1}}
|serials={{flag list|Japan|VUE-VMTJ-JPN}}
}}
'''''Mario's Tennis''''' is a game that was released as a launch title for the [[Virtual Boy]] in 1995. It is the first tennis-related ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' game, and would later be followed by the ''[[Mario Tennis (series)|Mario Tennis]]'' series. All playable characters that appeared in ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'' for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] (with the exception of [[Bowser]]) are also playable in ''Mario's Tennis''. The cable that would have been used to connect two Virtual Boy systems together was never released due to the Virtual Boy's poor sales.
==Basics==
===Serving===
A serve begins each point in tennis. A single player serves each game, and players alternate serving throughout the course of the match. If the player wishes to serve, they must press either the {{button|nes|A}} button or the {{button|nes|B}} button, {{button|nes|A}} for regular shots and {{button|nes|B}} for long-distance shots.

===Top-Spin===
The basic shot in ''Mario's Tennis'', this shot has a higher arch to it, and can be used by pressing the {{button|nes|A}} button. The shot is mainly used for regular, run-of-the-mill shot.

===Lob===
The Lob Shot is the second method of hitting a ball in ''Mario's Tennis''. The Lob Shot is a powerful shot that can be used to shoot high, powerful shots whenever the {{button|nes|B}} button is pressed. However, the Lob can be a disadvantage if the character hitting the ball is in the front of the court.

===Doubles===
Doubles is the second method of play in ''Mario's Tennis''. Doubles are very different than singles, and can be a great advantage for beginner players. In Doubles, the player can choose a partner to help them play tennis, while the player serves in the back the computer partner covers the net, and vice-versa.

==Playable characters==
The descriptions are taken from the game's instruction manual.
{|border=1 style="text-align:center;border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;max-width:1258px"
|-
!style="background:black;color:red"|Characters
|-valign=top
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-MarioIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Mario}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:MTM.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''He is an average player whose court speed and leg strength are solid. His racquet contact area is average, and he relies on his skillful groundstrokes, though he will approach the net occasionally.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-LuigiIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Luigi}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:Luigi's Tennis.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''His skill level and court strategy are similar to Mario's. He has better court coverage, though, due to being faster than Mario.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-PrincessIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Princess Peach|Princess}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:Peachtennis.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''The princess is slow, but her racquet contact area is large. She doesn't like to approach the net, preferring to instead rally from the baseline.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px" width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-YoshiIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Yoshi}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:Mario'sT Yoshi.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''He is the fastest of all the players, but his racquet contact area is small. He plays an aggressive type of game by rushing the net at every opportunity.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-ToadIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Toad}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:Mario'sT Toad.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''Toad is quite quick on the court, but his racquet contact area is not very large. Like Yoshi, he tries to approach the net often. Though he is not strong, he has great court coverage because he can lunge at tough shots.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-KoopaIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Koopa Troopa|Koopa}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:KoopaMariosTennis.png|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''Being a turtle, basically, his court speed suffers. He has a large racquet contact area, though. He likes to rally from the baseline, and he also can lunge at tough shots like Toad.''"
|}
|style="display:inline-block;background:white;max-width:306px"width=100%|
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=4 margin=0 padding=0 style="border:1px solid black;border-collapse:collapse;height:100%"width=100%
|-
!style="height:64px;background:black"align="center"|[[File:MariosTennis-DonkeyJrIcon.png]]<br><big>{{color link|red|Donkey Kong Jr.|Donkey Jr.}}</big>
|-
|style="height:250px;background:white"align="center"|[[File:Mario'sT DonkeyKongJr.jpg|296x250px]]
|-
|style="height:128px;background:white"align="center"|"''He is slower than all the other players, and also has a smaller racquet contact area. He is, however, understandably the most powerful of all the players. His strong groundstrokes allow him to win many points from the baseline.''"
|}
|}

==Pre-release and unused content==
===Early title===
[[File:Mario's Dream Tennis Beta Logo.png|thumb|200px|Early logo]]
The game was initially known as '''''Mario's Dream Tennis''''' during development, as unveiled in Volume 73 of ''[[Nintendo Power]]''.<ref>{{cite|date=June 1995|title=''Nintendo Power'' Volume 73|page=[[Media:Nintendo Power - June 95.jpg|72]]}}</ref>
{{br}}

===Birdo's scrapped playable character===
[[File:MT-Cassarin.PNG|frame|Evidence of the scrapped character "Cassarin", through a game rip.]]
The character list in this game's ROM features the name "CASSARIN", which is notable for, unlike the other characters, not having any sprites. "Cassarin" is an alternate romanization for "Catherine", which is [[Birdo]]'s Japanese name; it can therefore be assumed that Birdo was initially planned for playability in ''Mario's Tennis''.
{{br}}

==Staff==
{{main|List of Mario's Tennis staff}}

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
''Mario's Tennis'' received generally mixed reviews from critics. A common complaint cited by reviewers was the fact that it was a tennis/sports game that lacked a multiplayer mode. 1UP.com praised the game's 3D effects, but criticized the game's lack of a multiplayer mode, or much to actually accomplish in the single player mode. Nintendo Life gave the game a 7 out of 10, calling it a "solid, if simple, tennis game" that processed "Good music and graphics combined with...excellent 3D effect", though they too felt the game was held back by a lack of multiplayer mode, and a lack of characters, which lead to the tournaments being too short. IGN's Patrick Kolan compared the game to ''Wii Sports'', another one of Nintendo's pack-in games for one of its consoles, the [[Wii]], in that it showed off the system's unique strengths, but suffered in regards to non-impressive graphics and a lack of long term game content. Games Radar echoed these sentiments, stating "Gameplay was rudimentary, and lacked all the flash and silliness that came to define the Mario Sports series, but as a 3D showpiece it worked fairly well". Famicom Tsūshin scored the game a 26 out of 40. The Rome News-Tribune referred to ''Mario's Tennis'' as "the only decent stab of tennis" prior to the release of Sega's 2000 Dreamcast game ''{{wp|Virtua Tennis (video game)|Virtua Tennis}}''.

==Gallery==
{{main-gallery}}
<gallery>
MariosTennisCoverArt.png|Cover artwork
MTM.jpg|[[Mario]]
MariosTennis-YoshiCharacterSelect.png|[[Yoshi]]
</gallery>

==References in other games==
*''[[Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins]]'': Mario's character selection sprite is an edited version of his sprite from this game. Luigi's sprite in the character selection also looks noticeably similar.

==Notes==
*Cameos from other ''[[Super Mario (franchise)|Super Mario]]'' games can be seen slowly flying across the top of the background on rare occasions. These include [[airship]]s, [[Albatoss]]es, pairs of [[Boo|Boo Buddies]], and pairs of [[Para-Beetle]]s.

==Names in other languages==
{{foreign names
|Jpn=マリオズテニス
|JpnR=Mariozu Tenisu
|JpnM=Mario's Tennis
}}

==References==
{{NIWA|StrategyWiki=1}}
<references/>

{{Mario's Tennis}}
{{Super Mario games}}
{{VB}}
[[de:Mario's Tennis]]
[[it:Mario's Tennis]]
[[Category:Mario's Tennis|*]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Virtual Boy games]]
[[Category:Games unreleased in the PAL region]]
[[Category:Sports games]]
[[Category:1995 games]]