Mario Tennis Open

Template:Infobox Mario Tennis Open is a sports game for the Nintendo 3DS and the sixth (fifth in PAL regions) installment of the Mario Tennis series (developed by Camelot Software Planning). The game features gyroscope support and online multiplayer (using the Nintendo Network procedures). This is the first handheld installment in the series to not include a Story Mode or RPG elements and the first handheld installment with a Tournament mode. This game is also the first Mario game to use QR (Quick Response) codes. In this case, it is used to unlock playable characters and the Yoshi costume.

Gameplay

The gameplay features the traditional basic elements from previous Mario Tennis games. To win, the player must score points by hitting the ball into the other side of the court and bounce twice, the basic objective of tennis. Players earn 15 points for every shot that is successful and can win the game by earning set, game, and match points by earning 60 points on each game. The amount of set and game points can be set by the player in exhibition mode but not in tournament mode.

This game uses the buttons of the 3DS during single or multiplayer matches, though players can perform various tennis shots by selecting the shot panels on the touch screen, which will light up to alert the player of the best shot to use in a given situation. By holding the 3DS vertically, players can make use of the aforementioned gyroscope support, disabling 3D functionality. This places the camera behind their character, whose movement becomes automatic, and allows players to control the direction of their shots based on the position of the console. The gyroscope support can be disabled either by holding the console horizontally or by disabling it in the Options menu. There are also Special Modes in the game, such as "Super Mario Tennis", where the player needs to hit enemies, blocks and coins with tennis balls in some levels of Super Mario Bros..

Menu controls

• / - Select
• - Confirm
• - Cancel
• - During a match, this button pauses the game and opens a menu that contains choices such as viewing game rules, setting gyroscope controls, choosing to re-do matches, and canceling matches.
• - Toggles between the character's dominant hand.
• - Toggles between the character's star rank. In multiplayer, this is based on the data of player who created the room. Therefore, the player who has created the room needs to have his or her characters starred if members of the room want to give their characters a star rank.

Game controls

• / - Moves the character.
• - Performs a topspin shot that is faster. It has a high trajectory with a forward spin.
• - Performs a slice shot that is slower. It has a low trajectory with a backward spin. During a replay, this button restarts the replay at another angle.
• - Performs a simple shot. This button automatically performs the appropriate shot. Chance Shots performed by this button are slightly weaker.
• - Performs a flat shot that is the fastest shot, but it has no spin. Also, this button can be used for Smash Shots. Note that Smash Shots and Purple Chance Shots are different shots.
• → - Performs a lob with a very high trajectory, which can land at the back of the court.
• → - Performs a drop shot, with very little bounce and trajectory. The ball can land at the front of the court.
• // (while the opponent is receiving or serving the ball) - The character performs a taunt that makes his or her next shot stronger.
• - If the player is charging the ball, this button cancels the charge. It lets the partner know that player is going to hit the ball by saying, "Got It!"
• - If any character is serving, the button cycles through the three shot panel configurations: 3-panel, inverted 3-panel, and 6-panel.

Chance Shots

Mario standing over a blue Chance Shot area.

Chance Shots can appear if the opponent performs a bad rebound. In that case, a small colored area with a symbol of a Mario enemy or item appears in the player's court. The color of the symbol matches the colors of the panels in the touch screen (if the touch screen is set to the 6-panel shot panel). To perform a chance shot, players have to perform a shot whose color corresponds to the colored area when they are in that spot, either by pressing the correct button or button combination or by touching the matching color on the touch screen. Otherwise, the shot is a normal one. However, players can perform a simple shot that automatically selects the appropriate shot, but this Chance Shot is slightly weaker.

Players on the receiving end of a Chance Shot experience special effects that can hinder them. However, they can lessen the effect by pressing the opposite shot. For instance, red Chance Shots may not make much of an impact if the player retaliates with a (blue) slice shot. The recommended counter button is lit up for the receiving player.

Here is a list of Chance Shots and their effects.

Color	Icon	Screenshot	Effect	Counter
Red	Fire Flower		Creates a flaming topspin similar to Mario's Iron Hammer and Bowser's Fire Breath. When opponents hit this Chance Shot, they can be be drastically pushed back.	Slice (blue)
Blue	Blooper		Creates a highly curving slice with a blue sparkling trail. Players who receive this shot spin out of control for a brief moment.	Topspin (red)
Purple	Star		Similar to a Smash Shot, but this Chance Shot is much stronger.	Flat (purple)
Yellow	Cheep-Cheep		Creates a curving extreme lob that bounces at the back edge of the court.	Slice (blue)
Gray	Bob-omb		Creates an even lower drop shot than a normal one.	Topspin (red)

Game modes

Tournament

All of the Trophies from all the Cups in the Records Screen.

Tournament mode is very similar to that in the previous Mario Tennis games. However, two more cups are added and are arranged differently. Players must have a star ranking to participate in the second set of cups. To do that, they must beat the Champions Cup. However, in the Doubles Tournament, only the character they control earns the star rank. Beating Champions Cup unlocks the Pro difficulty, which is more difficult than Expert, while Final Cup unlocks Ace, the most difficult COM level for Exhibition Mode.

Once the player has unlocked a cup, he or she can play it at any time, using any character. As a result, characters do not have to clear all three cups to beat the Champions Cup to earn the Star Rank, unlike in the previous titles.

• World Open
• Mushroom Cup
• Flower Cup
• Banana Cup
• Champions Cup
• Star Open
• 1-Up Mushroom Cup
• Ice Flower Cup
• Shell Cup
• Final Cup

Exhibition

The records for previous exhibition matches.

Similar to the preceding Mario Tennis games, exhibition mode is a basic versus mode. Players can choose a singles or doubles match. After that, they can choose their character and opponents and press the or to give characters a left handed dominance or a star rank, respectively, if they want. The opponent's CPU's difficulty can be chosen after that, ranking from lowest to highest: Novice, Intermediate, Expert, Pro, and Ace (Pro and Ace are unlockable). A blue triangle means Novice, a yellow circle means Intermediate, a green circle with a dot in the middle means Expert, a red diamond means Pro, and a rainbow star means Ace. After this, players can choose any court they currently have, and then they can determine the games and sets. After this, the match starts. Chance Shots cannot be turned off, unlike Power Shots from Mario Power Tennis.

Special Games

Another regular feature of the Mario Tennis series, the Special Games, is also present in Mario Tennis Open. These games, like the name says, have special rules and features that differ from normal gameplay. Some of these games bear a very strong resemblance to the Special Games in the previous Mario Tennis titles. However, unlike in the previous Mario Tennis games, Ring Shot is included within the Special Games rather than as another option for exhibition matches. Each Special Game has four difficulties, which are named according to the Special Game. Other than Super Mario Tennis, the last difficulty is a challenge that tests how much a player can do before running out of tries.

Players can unlock characters by clearing Level 3 of each Special Game. Players can unlock outfits for their Mii if they meet the requirements for unlocking them in level 4.

Name	Image	Description
Ring Shot		This game is similar to Ring Shot from Mario Tennis. The player must win by hitting the ball through rings that appear over the net. Multiple rings appear, each decreasing in point value as they get bigger. The game is over when time runs out or the goal is achieved.
Super Mario Tennis		In this game, the player must hit the ball onto a wall with Super Mario Bros. levels playing on it. Hitting items, enemies, blocks, and coins will extend the time. The game is over when the level is completed or when all lives are lost.
Galaxy Rally		The player must rally a ball with a Luma while not letting the ball drop into Black Hole. There are Shrinking Tiles which disappear after the ball bounces on them. The game is over when the three balls are lost or the goal is achieved.
Ink Showdown		This game plays similarly to Piranha Challenge from Mario Tennis. The player must return all balls that an Inky Piranha Plant spits at them, without letting the opponent return the balls.

Characters

Playable characters

There are a total of 25 playable characters in Mario Tennis Open. Four of these are unlocked during normal game play, but multicolored Yoshis and Metal Mario can be unlocked using QR codes. Additionally, each character will be in one of the six player classes available in the game, excluding the Miis as they can be customized. The four hidden characters can each be unlocked by completing level 3 in the respective Special Game.

Characters are split into six categories of types depending on their stats.

• All-Around characters do not have any major advantages or disadvantages.
• Technique characters have better ball control, often at the expense of power.
• Speed characters move quickly around the court, often at the expense of power.
• Power characters have faster, stronger strokes and serves, but are often not very agile characters.
• Defense characters are large or long characters with a better ball reach. They are not very agile characters.
• Tricky characters have highly curving shots, making it harder for the opponent to predict shots. They are not very powerful characters.

Starting characters

All-Around

Character	Description
Mario	Mario is a well-rounded character who does not have any major strengths nor disadvantages. He has slightly weaker volley power and reach than his brother, Luigi, but he has increased stroke power.
Luigi	Luigi plays similarly to Mario, but he has better reach and volley power at the expense of his stroke power.

Technique

Character	Description
File:MTOPeach2.jpg Princess Peach	Princess Peach has very high ball control, which compromises her stroke and agility.
File:MTODaisy.jpg Princess Daisy	Princess Daisy has less ball control than Peach, but she has more stroke power than her.

Speed

Character	Description
Yoshi	Yoshi is a well-rounded speed character. He has fewer disadvantages than other speed characters, but has fewer advantages over other speed characters as well, such as having middle-ground speed, power, and reach among the speed characters.
File:MTODiddyKong.jpg Diddy Kong	Diddy Kong has less stroke power than Yoshi, ranking among the lowest in the game, but he has better reach and ball control than Yoshi.

Power

Character	Description
File:MTODK.jpg Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong is a powerful character who has excellent reach. He has more ball control and agility than Bowser, but less stroke power than him.
File:MTOWario.jpg Wario	Wario is one of the weaker power characters and has less reach than them, but he has better ball control and agility than them. Out of all the power characters, Wario is the most well-rounded.
File:MTOBowser2.jpg Bowser	Bowser is the most powerful starter power character. His strokes and serves are very quick and powerful, and Bowser has above average reach. However, Bowser's agility and lunges are the lowest of the starter characters.

Defense

Character	Description
File:MTOWaluigi.jpg Waluigi	Waluigi is the only defense starter character. He has the best reach in the game, but he is not very powerful nor very agile. Out of the two defense characters, Waluigi has better ball control.

Tricky

Character	Description
File:MTOBoo.jpg Boo	Boo has the most highly curving shots in the game, though it is not a powerful character and it does not have a good reach. Its lunge is short-ranged, but very quick, a change over its slower, longer-ranged lunge from Mario Power Tennis.
File:MTOBJr.jpg Bowser Jr.	Bowser Jr. is the strongest Tricky character with a better reach than Boo. His shots curve the least out of all Tricky characters, however.

Mii

Character	Description
File:Mario-Tennis-Open-36.jpg Mii	Miis are custom characters whose stats are determined by the gear they are wearing. Without any gear, they are well-rounded characters who have no distinct advantages nor disadvantages. The only stat that cannot be altered for the Mii is its reach stat, as players cannot increase or decrease sizes of Miis in this game despite being able to do so in the Mii Maker functionality of the Nintendo 3DS.

Unlockable characters

Technique

Character	Description
Luma	Luma has the lowest reach and among the lowest power of all technique characters. It has the best ball control, volley power, and mobility out of them, however.

Speed

Character	Description
Baby Mario	Baby Mario is the fastest of all speed characters, has the longest lunge, and is the most powerful of speed characters. Due to his small size, his reach ranks among the worst in the game and his ball control is average.

Tricky

Character	Description
Baby Peach	Baby Peach's shots do not curve as much as Boo's, but she is quick and has strong volleys. Due to her small size, her reach ranks among the worst in the game alongside Baby Mario.

Defense

Character	Description
Dry Bowser	Dry Bowser is a powerful Defense character who is not as powerful as the power characters, but has better ball control over them. Dry Bowser also has better volley and slice than Bowser, but worse stroke and topspin.

Unlocking criteria

Unlocking criteria for these participants
Luma	Complete Level 3 of Galaxy Rally
Baby Mario	Complete Level 3 of Super Mario Tennis
Baby Peach	Complete Level 3 of Ring Shot
Dry Bowser	Complete Level 3 of Ink Showdown

QR downloadable characters

All-Around

Character	Description
Black Yoshi	The only Yoshi, and by extension, only QR downloadable character to have an All-Around play style. This makes Black Yoshi the most balanced of the Yoshis, and he has no significant advantages nor disadvantages.

Technique

Character	Description
Red Yoshi	Being a technique character, Red Yoshi has higher ball control but lower power than most other Yoshis.
Pink Yoshi	Being a technique character, Pink Yoshi has higher ball control but lower power than most other Yoshis.

Speed

Character	Description
Blue Yoshi	Being a Yoshi with a speed-oriented play style, Blue Yoshi plays very similarly to Yoshi.
Light Blue Yoshi	Being a Yoshi with a speed-oriented play style, Light Blue Yoshi plays very similarly to Yoshi.

Power

Character	Description
Yellow Yoshi	The most powerful of the Yoshis, Yellow Yoshi hits the ball so that it travels at a high speed, but he is not as agile as the other Yoshis.
Metal Mario	Metal Mario hits shots with great force, but his movement speed is quite slow. He is the only QR downloadable character in the game that is not a Yoshi.

Tricky

Character	Description
White Yoshi	The only Yoshi, and by extension, the only QR downloadable character with a Tricky play style. Compared to other Yoshis, his shots have a high curve, making them more unpredictable, but he also has lower power.

The Yoshi Hunt

In Europe, a Yoshi QR Chase was set up in 30 participating ASDA stores, and in participating EB Games and JB Hi-Fi stores in Australia and New Zealand. This special QR event allowed consumers to scan the code via the game to unlock certain Yoshis to play as. All countries where the game has been released have all QR codes in regards to the colored Yoshis.

Although not part of the Yoshi Hunt, a Yoshi costume (pictured right) can also be unlocked for the player's Mii by scanning a specific QR Code.

File:Mario-Tennis-Open-40.jpg

QR Codes

The QR Codes can be found here. In order for the player to scan a QR code, they must go the file select screen and press + . However a save file must be created first before they can scan a QR code.

Non-playable

• Toad
• Lakitu
• Toads
• Goombas
• Mechakoopas
• Penguins
• Shy Guys
• Koopa Troopas
• Inky Piranha Plants
• Piranha Plants
• Lumas (Blue, Red, Green, and Turquoise)
• Buzzy Beetles
• Koopa Paratroopas
• Blooper

Courts

Picture	Name	Type	Ball Speed	Bounce
	Mario Stadium	Grass Court	Fast	Weak
	Mario Stadium	Hard Court	Normal	Strong
	Mario Stadium	Clay Court	Slow	Weak
	Mushroom Valley	Mushroom Court	Slow	Strong
	Wario Dunes	Sand Court	Slow	Weak
	DK Jungle	Wood Court	Normal	Normal
	Peach's Palace	Carpet Court	Fastest	Normal
	Penguin Iceberg	Snow Court	Normal	Strongest
	Bowser's Castle	Stone Court	Fast	Strong
	Galaxy Arena	Crystal Court	Fastest	Strongest
	Galaxy Arena	Morph Court	???	???

Tennis gear

Main article: Mario Tennis Open Mii Gear

Gear may be bought for the players Mii with coins that that are earned by playing Special Games. They must be bought at the Clubhouse for a certain amount of coins each and alter the Mii's statistics. Costumes may also unlocked by clearing certain conditions, such as Staring a character.

Gallery

• 

  European Box

• 

  Mario

• 

  Princess Peach

• 

  Yoshi

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Group picture artwork used for the Mario Tennis Open box cover.

Reception

Critical reception

Mario Tennis Open received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with aggregate websites Metacritic and GameRankings giving the game a 69 based on 58 reviews and 69.26% based on 38 reviews. Critics often cite that while the title is considered a solid title, they lament that it plays and feels too similarly to previous titles in the series, with Chance Shots not greatly improving or changing the gameplay up to make the title stand out, and the game was overall a disappointment. Reception towards the Mii customization was mixed; the overall customization was praised, but the pie-chart system of viewing stats has a universal negative reaction. Some critics complain that Miis receive too much focus compared to the Mario series characters as well. Praise has been given to the Special Games, however, especially the Super Mario Tennis Special Game.

Eric L. Patterson of Electronic Gaming Monthly has felt that while the title is a solid one for any Mario Tennis fan, it is not a great Mario Tennis title, and gave the game a 7 out of 10. Richard George of IGN has concluded that the game is "Okay", acknowledging that, "Camelot’s decade of tennis experience means they understand how to make the sport engaging and addicting...Yet Mario Tennis Open struggles in just about every other regard.", where the score is a 6.5 out of 10. Griffin McElroy of Polygon has lambasted the Chance Shots system in his review, calling out the over-reliance on them and their random spawning. On a more positive note, Matt Helgeson from Game Informer has given the game an 8/10, appreciating how Mario Tennis Open goes back to the basics due to him disliking the Power Shots feature of Mario Power Tennis, and that the game introduces online to the series.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo 3DS	Richard George, IGN	6.5/10	"Stacked up, these deficiencies overwhelm what is, at its core, a great game. It’s a shame just about everything Mario Tennis Open attempts to add on top of that is remarkably unworthy of its lineage."
Nintendo 3DS	Eric L. Patterson, EGM	7/10	"For those looking for a well-crafted, enjoyable tennis game, Mario Tennis Open will leave you satisfied. For those looking for a great Mario tennis game, you’ll probably be left wanting more."
Nintendo 3DS	Neal Ronaghan, Nintendo World Report	7.5/10	"It might not hold a candle to the handheld Mario Tennis games in the Game Boy lineage, but Mario Tennis Open is a still great game that is sadly hampered by a small feature set and harebrained online."
Nintendo 3DS	Griffin McElroy, Polygon	6/10	"What little content is here doesn't reach the heights that it should. I can't remember the last time an otherwise superb game was betrayed so completely by a single mechanic. Instead of making the whole of Mario Tennis Open about strategically countering your opponent's volleys, a system which is fully and brilliantly implemented, Camelot has made it an afterthought. It's something you do to stay alive while you wait for the stars to align."
Nintendo 3DS	Matt Helgeson, Game Informer	8/10	"I enjoyed Power Tennis (both times), but the balance-breaking power shots were far too vital to winning. In response, Camelot has scaled back the wackiness with Open, which translates to a casual tennis game that plays it fairly straight."
Nintendo 3DS	GameTrailers	8.1/10	"Mario Tennis Open’s single player mode is fun for a few hours, but it will ultimately leave you wanting more. Thankfully, the multiplayer mode with its online functionality will keep you coming back well after you’ve plowed through the main course. Mushroom Kingdom tennis vets will miss the career mode, but anyone just looking for a solid competitive game that’s best enjoyed in short bursts will be well taken care of."
Nintendo 3DS	Adam Riley, Cubed3	6/10	"Mario Tennis Open impresses and disappoints, unfortunately, proving to not be the out-and-out champion many were expecting, yet still managing to offer enough familiar fun to engage fans of old and newcomers alike. Brace yourself for a brief single-player mode and remove all thoughts of serious tennis from your mind and it will not be too much of a let-down."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		69
GameRankings		69.26%

Sales

Mario Tennis Open is the 21st best selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, selling 1.11 million copies worldwide, as of March 31, 2013.

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Tennis Open staff

Camelot Software Planning, which has developed previous Mario Tennis and Mario Golf titles, also worked on this title. The director was Shugo Takahashi while the lead designers were Hiroyuki Takahashi and Shugo Takahashi, as with previous installments of the Mario Tennis series. Motoi Sakuraba composed the music. Mario Tennis Open has a different set of announcer voices for each version, a rare aspect in a Mario game. The executive producer was Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo while Shigeru Miyamoto was the supervisor.

References to other games

• Super Mario Bros.: The Special Game Super Mario Tennis is heavily based on this game. The overworld, underground, and castle themes from this game are featured, as several levels are replicated (albeit with minor revisions). The Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Super Star also appear in Super Mario Tennis.
• Super Mario Bros. 3: Tanooki Mario can be unlocked as a gear outfit.
• Super Mario 64: A cover of Peach's Castle's theme plays in Peach's Palace. Also, a cover version of Bowser's boss fight music plays in Bowser's Castle.
• Mario Tennis (Nintendo 64): The special game Ink Showdown is based off Piranha Challenge. Also, the game, set, and match point themes in the Special Tournaments are covers from this game. Baby Mario also returns as a playable character with the exact stats and some recycled voice clips from this game. The Toad and Birdo suits can also be earned (along with their rackets) which is a reference to how they used to be playable in the original Mario Tennis. The equipment also gives the player's Mii similar stats that they had in this game too. Also, the clips of Waluigi's eyes glowing when he wins were reused.
• Wario Land 3: The overworld theme from this game, particularly from the level Out of the Woods, is played in the Wario Dunes court.
• Mario Tennis (Game Boy Color): The theme music that plays during the Set or Match Point of the aforementioned game is a cover and sampled for the Star Open Set Point in this game.
• Wario Land 4: The pyramid featured in this game appears at the front of the Wario Dunes court.
• Super Mario Sunshine: A small bit of Bowser's battle theme from this game (which was used as the theme for Bowser's Castle in the previous game) is interpolated in the new Bowser's Castle theme.
• Mario Power Tennis: Galaxy Rally plays similarly to Gooper Blooper Volley. The Mario Stadiums in this game are also very similar to the Peach Dome Courts. Also, several voice clips are reused from this game.
• Super Mario Galaxy: The only unlockable court, Galaxy Arena, takes place in the Comet Observatory. Also, a cover version of the Comet Observatory's theme plays during an Exhibition match. In the Special Game Galaxy Rally, there is a Black Hole underneath the court, a Launch Star and its Star Chips, Star Bits. Differently-colored Lumas and the whole Comet Observatory can be seen in the background. Also, a planet from the Gateway Galaxy is seen. The Good Egg Galaxy music is played in this Special Game. Bee Mario gear is also available, with a racket and costume.
• Mario Kart Wii: Mushroom Valley takes place in Mushroom Gorge, as the track itself can be seen below the court. The court takes place on a Mushroom, which brings back the aspect of the red mushrooms being very bouncy. Also, several voice clips are reused from this game.
• Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story: Peach's Palace is heavily similar to the first room of Peach's Castle in this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii: The Propeller Suit is available to unlock as various gear, as well as a costume.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2: Cloud Mario is one of the gear that can be unlocked.
• Super Mario 3D Land: The splatter design from the Inky Piranha Plant is the same from this game.

Trivia

• Rosalina was intended to appear as a playable character, but was replaced by Luma due to the sheer amount of time it would take to model her character. She would later be included as a playable character in the next Mario Tennis instalment, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash.

External links

• Official American website
• Official Japanese website
• Official Australian website
• Official European website
• Official Chinese website