Mario Tennis Open

Seemingly average tennis arcade shows up as a perfectly playable and highly addictive, especially in multiplayer mode. [July 2012]

It's good at its core, but it could have been so much more. [Aug 2012, p.74]

There aren't many new things and the options in single or multiplayer are limited. Still, this is a competent title with quality and capable of providing some fun.

A great competitive mode for the return of Mario Tennis Open. A game for hardcore players, especially those who adore pure competition. Overall, although its new online options are great, it lacks some more single player content and we miss the excellent RPG mode the series had.

It's obvious that, when you're playing a sport game starring Mario, it's gonna be a fun. But there could have been meer content. Also the 3D effects aren't all that special. Don't forget to play the great mini game: Super Mario Tennis!

Mario Tennis Open is surprisingly entertaining and the tennis mechanics entail more depth than what is apparent at first glance. The first four cups are ridiculously easy, but open up the Pro-mode where AI opponents are much harder, but Mario Tennis Open should be played against human opponents to lure out the most fun in arcade tennis.

Camelot comes back after years with a new Mario Tennis, which is as fun as it used to be, and more realistic than the last one, but too oriented toward casual gaming. It's just too easy to strike the ball properly.

Another good and solid entry in the long-lasting Mario sporting series. Perfect if you want some more of it… but if you expect something new, you'd better look somewhere else.

While doing nothing really new and offering quite a few game modes, the new Mario Tennis from Nintendo is a game as addictive and charming as every other offer from the Japanese company.

One of those typical Nintendo games that won't be remembered for being innovative, but for using a proven formula where fun is the only priority.

The music was too cutesy and grating for my liking (a complaint I have with many Nintendo sports games), and I would have liked the option to be able to turn it off, but keep the sound effects of the match. Still, I would rate it as a good go-to game to pick up for short periods, like the bus ride to work. Just make sure your headphones are firmly plugged in first.

A summer game through and through; entertaining and enjoyable but it's longevity and difficulty could be improved.

There's no doubt that Mario Tennis Open is a strong and accessible entry in the beloved series, and a group of friends gathered round can lose themselves in it for a long time. Solo players can still have a good time perfecting their skills, and playing online is a nice way to keep things interesting, but the missing RPG mode leaves a pretty big hole that a lack of substantial single-player content struggles to really fill - and unless you're a part of a cabal of 3DS owners you'll miss out on the real heart of the game: punching your wily opponent in the arm after a hard-fought match.

It plays a great game of tennis, certainly the best on a Nintendo portable, but the feeble range of on and offline game modes sharply reduces its appeal.

Putting accessibility over its heritage, Mario Tennis Open is likely to win over more newcomers than returning players.

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.

What the game lacks in ambition and depth, though, it makes up for in the ageless pleasure and pain of a finely-balanced multiplayer battle. The ability to dip in and out for a quick, engaging match is a compelling proposition on a handheld. But after seven long years, it's a shame there aren't bigger ideas to rally around.

Mario Tennis Open is like Jessica Alba with a giant, puss-filled zit right on the tip of her nose. Its flaws are glaring and hard to overlook – a beginner-friendly control system that harms competitive online play for purists and, more crucially, a distinct lack of imagination.

They're gimmicks, sure, but good ones, rounding out another strong title for 3DS. [June 2012, p.126]

For better and for worse, Mario Tennis Open is clearly meant to be a very accessible console-style experience on a handheld. [May 2012, p.84]

The simplicity that Camelot instills to make the game that much more accessible seems to take away from the what has made Mario Sports games so good in the past.

Mario Tennis Open is, by definition, a regression of the series' splendid portable campaign. Lacking any sort of highly-acclaimed Career mode and bathed in an eventual sea of homogeny, it stales far too quickly for the good of its platform and price tag. This is Mario Tennis only in its most primitive and basic form.

Mario Tennis Open adds a few nice feautures, like a Super Mario Bros-minigame and online multiplayer, but in its core it doesn't utilize the chances it has. The game shines when playing with others though, because the artificial intelligence is too smart (or too stupid) to use the special strikes-system.

Lack of variety and options is the most evident flaw of a game which has very little to offer. The gameplay formula is quite entertaining, but in the long run fun fades easily.

The game never embraces its Mario heritage, never allowing itself to break out of a more typical tennis mold to be something unique.

It has all the modes you'd expect in a Mario sports game, but they're too trimmed down to make it a worthy purchase.

Mario Tennis Open is light, comfortable fun, yes. This much is a given. But, like many franchises that have run for seventeen years or more, it raises the question of what, exactly, it's doing to stay relevant. How is it trying to be something that commands players' attentions in a sea of works fighting for their money and time? How is it justifying its existence, the resources that went into creating it? In Open's case, it seems the answer to all these questions is 'by being on the 3DS'. And that's really not good enough.

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.

The mechanics of Mario Tennis Open are fine and should have been the base for another excellent handheld Mario Tennis spinoff. However, aside from a few bright spots, everything surrounding the tennis feels uninspired and in particular those looking for a solid single-player experience will quickly grow bored.

There will rightfully be criticism for the slender single-player modes here, but the true worth of Mario Tennis Open is in multiplayer, both as the game's biggest strength and a quiet indicator of Nintendo's online handheld revolution.

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.

Mario Tennis Open is a game best taken in small doses. Playing tournaments, exhibition games, and the special modes can be great fun for a few matches at a time.

A tennis game that seems unusually keen to hide its potential away behind superfluous control options and silly concessions. It's your best bet if you want a tennis game on the 3DS right now (better than Sports Island anyway), but not a patch on what you can find elsewhere.

Technically sound, and with a few friends, there's definitely some competitive fun to be found. If you're willing to deal with the lack of a true singleplayer experience (beyond competing against AI opponents for cups) you'll likely enjoy yourself, though the omission definitively feels like a tremendous missed opportunity.

While it's competent, it's also mundane, with little incentive for you to stick at it beyond the occasional bout of multiplayer with friends.

A somewhat simplified version of earlier games of the series. There are some fun mini games and unlockables, but overall there's distinct a lack of content. And where is is the challenge?

The biggest issue is that the single player experience just isn't all that deep.