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MARIO POWER TENNIS
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Character Guides, Special Moves
Tournament and Court Information
Special Unlockables
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Copyright 2004 Chris Durel
Version 1.0
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Ia. Introduction
I. Character Introductions
a. Character Listing
b. Power Shots
c. Secret Characters
II. Courts
a. Standard Court
b. Gimmick Courts
c. Unlockable Courts
III. Contorls
IV. Tournaments
a. Normal Cup
b. Gimmick Cup
c. Special Cup
V. Modes of Play
a. Standard Match
b. Ring Shot
c. Item Battle
VI. Special Modes
a) Minigames
b) Event Mode
VII. Tips, Tricks, Strategies
a. Character specific ablities
b. Gameplay strategy
VIII. Special Thanks
I've been waiting for a sequel to the original super-fun Mario Tennis for N64
for a while now, and was disapointed the past year when I heard very little
news or any previews on the new game. Then all the sudden, at the end of
September 2004, the game was announced to be released on the 8th of November,
in the month where every major video game sequel would primere. This title
lives up to the original on a basis of pure tennis fun while including the zany
antics of the mario world. Filled with personality, and sheer excitement,
this is the perfect game to play with your friends, or simply alone honing your
skills. As far as depth is concerned, you really can get extrodinarily good at
this game, and I won't be surprised if it pops up in some multiplayer
based tournaments along with Double Dash and SSBM. Heres a guide to help
you with your Power Tennis game, as well as all the unlockable features and
characters MPT has to offer.
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Character Introductions
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[OS=Offensive Power Shot]
[DS=Defensive Power Shot]
a) Character Listing
Mario [All Around]
The star brother is back with his own set of power moves. A decent all-around
character, perfect for beginners as well as experts.
Luigi [All Around]
The lesser of the two brothers, only popularity-wise. I happen to prefer him
over his more famous sibling. As with mario, great for any type of player.
Peach [Technical]
The princess is for Intermediate-Advanced players, with an insanely good
OS,and the most annoying-looking DS in the game.
Daisy [Technical]
Almost identical to Peach, except that her OS is a little worse,
and in her defensive she goes towards the ball instead of making it come
toward her.
Shy Guy [Technical]
I'd say he's more expert oriented, as he's not as fast as normal characters.
He's a little hard to control, but can be used very well. Very good offensive
special, shocking the opponent.
Bowser [Power]
The large, but slow arch-foe of Mario has an insane amount of power.
His OS is very much like Mario's, but a tad faster.
DK type [Power]
Just like Bowser in the same sense of Power over speed, except that he does
not move toward the ball for his DS.
Wario [Power]
In my opinion, the best of all the power characters. He has an insanely
fast OS that shocks the opponent if he returns it.
Koopa [Speed]
My personal favorite out of all the speed characters. Has a very fast "dive"
for the ball. An excellent OS, as it's a slow ball that is
quite hard to hit if your opponents are in the back.
Yoshi [Speed]
The slowest of the speed characters. But his OS can be
hit as a volley from the air, instead of having to wait till it hits the
ground.
Diddy Kong [Speed]
This is character is tied for speed with Koopa, but he makes up for it
by having a curving OS that is tricky to predict.
Waluigi [Defensive]
By far the best "at the net" character in the game, with long arms and
a great saving special. Also, his OS makes the opponent spin.
Bowser Jr. [Tricky]
The fastest Tricky character, Bowser Jr. has a decent dive, and surprisingly
a decent smash. An OS that confuses human players pretty well, and also
is quite fast.
Boo [Tricky]
An unpredictable character, that hits "curveballs". Best used in the back,
with a powerful OS and a tricky DS. Also, has a great smash hit [AB] move.
Fly-Guy [Tricky]
A Tricky version of Shy Guy, that can fly around. Relativly faster than Shy
Guy, and has trickier shots like Boo, and Bowser Jr.
Paratrooper [Technique]
A flying-version of Koopa Trooper, that specializes in technique shots such as
lobs and drop shots. The fastest, non-speed character, with the best "dive"
in the game.
Wiggler [Defense]
A giant catepillar, that is a tad slow, but a good defensive net player. Has
alright specials, and a above-average lob.
Petey Pirhana [Power]
A giant Venus Fly trap that hits the ball extremelly hard. A great net player,
that can fling balls past opponents very quickly. Has a decent OS as well.
b) Power Shots
Mario
[Offensive] Smashes the ball with a hammer. Very fast fireball, pushes blows
opponents back if retrieved.
[Defensive] Spins toward the ball to hit it. Is not always successfull though,
usually if the ball has crosed the line.
Luigi
[Offensive] Takes out a rainbow hammer to smash the ball. Not as fast as
Mario's but is more confusing to where it is going, as it's very colorful.
[Defensive] Throws his racket at the ball and uses a vacuum to suck it back in
This special ALWAYS works, and he doesn't have to run to the ball either.
Peach
[Offensive] A heart spins around Peach, goes onto her racket and she hits the
ball. It usually curves around whoever it was hit to. Tricky to hit, one of
the best offensive specials.
[Defensive] Blows a kiss, and has the ball come to her, then hits it. Always
works, and usually automatically lobs the ball.
Daisy
[Offensive] Turns her racket into a flower, and hits the ball. A little worse
than Peache's.
[Defensive] Flies on a flower bed towards the ball to return it. Also works on
volleys, as the ball does not have to hit the ground.
Yoshi
[Offensive] Floats upward and smashes the ball to the opponent with a rainbow
trail. Can be hit as a volley, as well, as Yoshi jumps up in the air.
[Defensive] Rolls around in an egg towards the ball. Fast, and directional
special. Similar to Bowser and Koopas.
Boo
[Offensive] Hits the ball with a giant Boo ghost. A tricky shot that isn't
easily predicted, and quite fast as well.
[Defensive] Turns himself into a giant group of Boo's all with tennis
rackets. They all pretend to hit the ball in different directions. Another
unexpected shot, and hard to predict.
Koopa Tropper
[Offensive] Winds up while gathering water to spin around and hit the ball
slowly the other side of the field. Drops very quickly, and moves forward
slowly. This shot is VERY hard to return. Use when opponent is far away.
[Defensive] Goes into his shell to run for the ball, and hits it. Can be
directed very easily.
Shy Guy
[Offensive] Lobs an electricuted ball to the back of the field. Easy to return,
but the opponent is shocked which slows them down and makes it harder for them
to control for a couple seconds.
[Defensive] Uses his spear to hit the ball back. May not move towards the bal
if he's close enough, but may move if the ball is over the line.
DK
[Offensive] Hops in a cannon and launches himsef at the ball. Similar to
Mario's in speed and power. While playing doubles, it's good to launch it right
down the middle of the court.
[Defensive] Turns his racket into a banana and throws it at the ball. I've
never seen this miss, either.
Diddy Kong
[Offensive] Does some action poses and then swings at the ball making it fly
in a "crecent moon" formation. Quite useful as a curveball.
[Defensive] Puts on a jetback and flys to the ball. A quick hit equal to the
button press "B".
Bowser
[Offensive] Breaths fire at the ball, then hits it laucnhing a fireball
at the opponent. Same as Mario and DK's OS.
[Defensive] Gets in his shell and slides to the ball. Can easily manipulate
the direction of the ball as well.
Bowser Jr.
[Offensive] Uses a paintbrush to wack three identical looking paintballs
at his opponent in three different directions. A confusing shot, which
is also very fast. Very good aimed to the extreme side of the opponent.
[Defensive] Leaps at the ball hitting it with a paintbrush. Can be directed
quite eaily, and sometimes is confusing to the opponent with all the colors.
Wario
[Offensive] Becomes electricuted, then hits the ball at a blazing fast speed
in a curving line towards the opponent. If hit, the opponent is shocked
for a couple seconds, making him slower and harder to move. Very good special.
[Defensive] Pulls out an extentable arm to hit the ball. Wario does not move
in this special at all, which can be a good and bad thing.
Waluigi
[Offensive] Spins around quickly sending the ball curved towards the
opponent. If received, the opponent is spun around, making it easier to score
for Waluigi.
[Defensive] Makes a pool where he swims towards the ball. Never fails.
Fly-Guy
[Offensive] Spins around upside down, forming a tornado. Then hits tha ball
very fast towards the opponent, wuich curves around quickly. The opponent is
spun around if he returns it.
[Defensive] Forms a tornado to go retrieve the ball, which flys back to him,
and he hits it. He does not move at all during this.
Paratrooper
[Offensive] Projects himself like a missle into the ball, sending it
high into the air and to the back of the court. Very hard to return, as it's
a long lob and the ball bounces very high after hitting the ground. Spins the
opponent around if returned. My personal favorite OS.
[Defensive] Flys up into the air then swoops quickly down into the ball,
hitting it back. Can be easily directed.
Wiggler
[Offensive] Turns red and hits the ball hard. The opponent spins around
if the ball is returned.
[Offensive] Turns into a butterfly and returns the ball. Always works.
Petey Pirhana
[Offensive] Swallows the racket, then spits it back out, and hits it quite
hard. Slows down the opponent if hit.
[Offensive] Coughs up some sludge that grows into a plant and sends the ball
back. Does not always work, especially if the ball is in the air.
c) Secret Characters
Fly-Guy [Tricky]
To unlock, beat all Normal Cups in singles mode.
Paratrooper [Technique]
To unlock, beat all three Normal Cups in doubles. Watch out for the
Daisy and Peach doubles round at the end, it's by far the hardest.
Wiggler [Defense]
To unlock, beat the Fire and Lightning cups in singles, in the Gimmick
tournaments. These can get kind of tricky, as the courts can mess up your
play.
Pete Pirhana [Power]
To unlock, beat the Fire and Lightning cups in doubles, in the Gimmick
tournaments. By far, the hardest challenge yet. You must play Daisy and Peach
(the hardest doubles players) together on the Mario Classic court, the most
annyoing court ever. Use your best character, and a good supporting partner
that can save your shots often.
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Courts
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a) Standar Courts
Peach Dome Court
The standard blue court.
Ball Speed: Normal
Bounce: Strong
Peach Dome Clay
A clay version of the standard court.
Ball Speed: Slow
Bounce: Weak
Peach Dome Grass
A grass version of the standard court.
Ball Speed: Fast
Bounce: Weak
**Note: Playing each round of the Fire and Thunder Cup in the Gimmick Masters
unlocks each Gimmick Court to be played in standard, without any
"enviromental hazards", or gimmicks.
b) Gimmick Courts
Luigi's Mansion
Ghost interfere with your game, to stop them from being on your side of the
field, hit the light on your opponents side.
Ball Speed: Fast
Bounce: Normal
Delfino Plaza
The pirhana plants cough up slime at the places the balls hit. To clean up
the sludge, stand on the circles.
Ball Speed: Normal
Bounce: Weak
Glooper Blooper
When the ball hits some squares, the panels slide back and forth, revealing
the ocean. The ball cannot be hit there or it's considered out.
Ball Speed: Fastest
Bounce: Normal
Wario's Factory
The net has arrorw on it, and when the ball hits them, certain conveyor
belts start to move in the direction the arrow was pointing.
Ball Speed: Fast
Bounce: Strongest
DK Jungle
The klaptraps move across the net. Hit them to send them to your opponent's
side so they can interfere with is game.
Ball Speed: Slow
Bounce:Normal
c) Unlockable Courts (Gimmick Courts)
Bowser Court
This court tips left and right, sliding your character around.
Ball Speed: Fast
Bounce: Strong
Mario Bros. Classic
Koopas, crabs and bugs walk across the court, messing with your game. To get
rid of them, hit the POW box with the ball, which stuns the enemies and flips
them over, then walk over them to kill them. Crabs have to be POWed twice
though, as once makes them angry.
Ball Speed: Slow
Bounce: Strongest
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Controls
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[A] Hit the ball with a topspin. Hold to charge.
[B] Hit the ball with a curve, or a slice during the serve. Hold to charge.
[X] N/A
[Y] N/A
[Z] Change camera angles
[Control Stick] Move your character, direct your shots, scroll through menu
items.
[L] Cancel Charge Shots.
[R] Hold and press A or B to hit a power shot. R+A is the offensive power shot,
while R+B is the defensive power shot.
[A+B] Lob shot. Goes high into the air, to the back of the court.
[B+A] Drop shot. Slow moving forward, falls quickly to the front of the court.
**Note: To perform a Lob shot or a drop shot, charge with A or B then press the
other button when the ball reaches the racket.
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Tournaments
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a) Normal Cup
Singles
Mushroom Cup
The mushroom cup is quite easy. The computers' level is about at intermediate.
Most of the computer opponents tend to guard the middle, so it's easy
to score on them by aiming for the coreners. Also, it's very easy to
trick computers with shots like the lob and dropshot. So, use the lob when
they migrate towards the net for an easy score. Other than that, try to
use only offensive Power Shots, as you won't need defensive power shots
to save the ball too much.
1st and 2nd Match - 1 Set
Championship Match - 3 Sets
Flower Cup
Like the Mushroom Cup, but the computers are a tad smarter. You can still
easily use lobs and dropshots to score on them, but they know use their
Defensive Power Shots to retrieve the ball after it being hit to the side.
Computers will use their Offensive Power Shot often, which is actually a
good thing for you. When they used up their Power Shot for Offensive purposes,
you can easily aim to the opposite side and score on them since they have
no way to return it. Remember to always "try" to retrieve the ball, as
sometimes you'll surprise yourself and hit it back. It's not smart to use
a Defensive Power Shot when you could've saved it by yourself.
1st and 2nd Match - 1 Set
Championship Match - 3 Sets
Star Cup
The Star cup is a little tougher challenge compared to the Mushroom and
Flower Cups. But as you've already beaten those, you've probably already
got used to the controls, and your character. Use all methods listed for
the above two Cups to win your way through the Star Cup. Make use of your
Offensive Power Shot often, directing it where the opponent is not. Even
if they return your offensive power shot, most of the time the opponent
is stunned so you can easily score by hitting it to the opposite side. Use
your Defensive Power Shot only when neccessary, and remember to use lobs and
dropshots for the tactical advantage.
1st Match - 1 Set
2nd Match - 3 Sets
Championship Match - 5 Sets
With this Cup won, you'll unlock the Star Cup, Fly Guy (Tricky), and the star
version of the character you beat all three cups at.
b) Gimmick Masters
Fire Cup
Singles
1st Match - Luigi's Mansion
1 Set
This is a pretty easy match, no matter who you play. The ghosts don't
play a big part in the match, since you can easily extinguish them by hitting
the lightbulb. Just use the same technique you did with the previous cups
and you'll be fine.
2nd Match - Glooper Blooper
1 Set
A little more difficult. The computer is on the same level as before, but
the panels on the floor move creating an out of bounds section. Remember to
aim the ball in the middle normally, or at panels to move them back in place.
Lob shots work nicely against opponents here, since they normally migrate
to the front of the net.
Championship Match - DK Jungle
3 Sets
The court is less difficult than Glooper Blooper, but the computer opponent is
slightly harder. Klaptraps will appear on your side of the court if your
opponent hits one on the net, so be sure you hit a Klaptrap first. If one
appears on your side of the court and grabs your leg, rid him by hitting
the lightning panel on your opponents side of the court.
With this victory, you gain standard, ring, and item play on all courts
you won at, plus you unlock the Thunder Cup.
Thunder Cup
Singles
1st Match - Delfino Plaza
1 Set
The opponent is slightly less difficult than the last one you played at
DK Jungle. This court gets a little tricky, as when you or your opponet hit
one of the panels the pirhanas will cough up slime onto your court.
Walking over this slime greatly slows you down and makes you slip, making it
more difficult to retrive the ball. To clean up your side of the court, step
on the water panels to wash the slime away. Try to sludge your opponent as well
and then hit a ball to the side of him or dropshot one so he cannot return it.
2nd Match - Bowser's Court
3 Sets
The trick to this court is that it's always swaying left to right, which
makes it a little difficult to serve or return the ball successfully. Stay
where you normally would in a normal game by "leaning" the control stick
so that you don't move as much. This way, you'll stand still easier so that
you can succesfully return the ball. Use the court to your advantage when
hitting the ball, as it'll be easier to score on one side if your opponent
is swayed to the opposite side.
Championship Match - Wario's Factory
5 Sets
This level is kind of confusing, as your constantly moving on conveyor belts.
Theres colored arrows on top of the net which influence the direction of each
conveyor belt. Don't pay too much attention to the arrows, as they only
affect your opponent's conveyors. Use the same technique as you did on the last
court to "stabalize" yourself in one position, without moving. Try to predict
where the ball is going so that you don't have to move there when it's hit
because sometimes the conveyor will be turning in the opposite direction
making it alot harder to move. Just make sure you balance yourself out, and
don't let your character slide too much. Usually extreme left or right shots
work well, as your opponent tends to stay in the middle of the court.
For winning this Cup you'll unlock standard, ring, and item play on all the
courts in this cup. You also unlock a new character, Wiggler, a defensive
worm.
Doubles Type and Star Tournament coming soon.
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Modes Of Play
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a) Standard
A standard match is a simple Tennis match, nothing special. Standard can be
played on any Standard (or Gimmick Court with Standard unlocked) Court. It's
played for 1, 3 or 5 Sets with 2 or 6 games per set. In order to win a game,
you must win the majority of a set. In order to win a set, you just win the
majority of the games. For instance, if I played a 3 Set, 2 Game Match, I'd
have to win 2 games to win one set, and 2 sets to win the match.
b) Ring Shot
Hit the ball through a set of rings to collect ring points, and then score
a point to add those points to your total. The player who earns the most ring
points wins the game. Note, though, that hitting tha ball through rings doesn't
earn your ring points, it only collects them. To earn the rings point
you collected, you must score a point.
c)Iteam Battle
Normal Tennis, but with a Mario twist. Item boxes are on top of the net as you
begin. When you hit an item box with the ball you receive the item randomly
contained in the item box. When hitting your next shot, you automatically
use the item on your opponent. There are a variety of items from turtle shells
to lightning bolts, each with it's own special affect. As turtles shells hit
your opponent back and knock them down, the lightning bolt shrinks them
and makes them loose some of their hitting power. Also, some items make you
faster, or invulnerable to shells. The banana peel when used, hits the ground
wherever the ball first lands, but only if the ball lands. When walked over
the banana peel makes players slip, and loose their footing for a short period
of time. Item battle is a fun twist to normal tennis, a fun addition to play
with your friends, in a mario kart-esque kind of way.
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Special Modes
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a) Minigames
Theres all sorts of minigames in Mario Power Tennis. From Artist on the Court
to Chain-Chop Challenge. All with their unique twist on tennis. Minigames
are Tennis based, but have nothing to do with the game. Their small multiplayer
games in which you and some friends can play wild tennis scenarios just for
plain fun. I've listed some mini-games below:
Artist on the Court
Hit paint balls to the giant un-colored picture. It can be played in teams,
and is a race against the clock to finish the picture with the correct colors.
Terror Tennis
Hit the ghosts to seal them in their portraits. Earn points for every ghost you
hit. But watch out, because if they aren't hit, they'll come after you.
Tic-Tac-Glow
Pretty self-explanitory. Hit balls into the other court to line them up and
earn point. Played against your opponent, for points.
Glooper Blooper Bolley
Volley the balls with the octupus thing. Just make sure you don't let the balls
land in the illegal panels marked with an "x".
Chain-Chomp Challenge
One of my personal favorites. Hit the chain chomp with normal tennis balls to
earn points. Hit them with bombs to turn them red which will double the point
value of tennis balls. But make sure you don't hit a red chain chomp with a
bomb, because they'll come after you, and you'll have to run away with the
"A" button. Cool them off with balls of water, turning them black again. A
multiplayer game in which you can anger your opponent's chain chomp. Quite
entertaining.
Baloon Panic
A fun game with friends, mostly. Hit the panels with the ball to re-arrange the
vines so that the Klaptraps climb a different path. Don't let them get to your
balloon, but direct them to your opponent instead.
Coin Collectors
You and three other players randomly start on different panels. Hit the ball
at the pow to switch panels with the person in front of you, so you move up.
Collect the coins that are thrown at you, while avoiding the fireballs and
other obstacles. Try to get in the front, as it's easiest to collect coins
there.
b) Event Mode
Event mode is a hidden mode that can be accessed by pressing Z and the Start
button at the start screen. Event mode is simply a game with 2 or more human
players playing in similar to a "tiebreak" round. Instead of scoring points
of 15 each, you each play to 7.
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Tips, Tricks and Strategies
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a) Character Specific Abilities
Different characters have different abilities and skills, so making your
selection on which character you "normally" use is a little difficult. It
depends upon which type of game you like to play.
Volleying/Close Net
Waluigi is probably my personal favorite for close-to-the-net characters. He
has long arms and can move relativly fast so he's very good at being close to
the net in most games. Also, his special always returns the ball in case he
ever misses it. A very good doubles character, as he can be paired with a fast
character with a good "dive".
Speed
Yoshi, Diddy, and Koopa Trooper are among the fastest characters in the game.
This is what they have over everyone else, so they can easily play any side of
the court and can make saves better than most characters. Another noteworthy
character that isn't classified as speed is Paratrooper, whos the fastest of
all the non-speed characters and has the quickest "dive" in the game making it
very easy to save the ball.
Defense/Back Court
Anyone whose fast will do good here. As listed above, most of those speed
characters can play anywhere on the court, like Koopa Trooper for example.
Paratrooper has the fastest "dive" in the game and he's also relativly fast
making him an excellent character for defense or back court, easily paired
with someone playing close net.
Technique
Any characters with technique have the most useful lob shots, dropshots, or
"slices". They're used to confuse the opponent or get the tactical edge in a
game. Technique characters are good alone or while playing doubles and they
include Shy Guy, Daisy, Peach, and Paratrooper. Notable is Shy Guy, who has
probably the best technique in the game.
All Around
Any speed character can be interchangable to play all around. Notably Koopa
Trooper who is fast enough to play all sides of the court. Luigi and Mario
excell in all aspects, making them a good choice for doubles play, or if you've
improved your skills enough to play singles. All Around characters are the
most balanced and are good for beginners and experts alike, also having usefull
Power Shots.
Power
If raw power is something you desire, you should be careful not to make stupid
mistakes. As power players have a fast shot, they lack the speed necessary to
move around quickly and efficiently. So, you could say, it's difficult to be
very good with a power player in singles, as you'll need to predict your
opponents shots more often. As for doubles, a power player balanced out with
a speed or defense character would make a great combination.
b)Gameplay Strategy
Coming Soon!
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Special Thanks
++++++++++++++++++
To Paranoia for being the best doubes partner ever.
To Nintendo for making the Mario franchise so awsome.
To Camelot for making such a fun Tennis game.
To GameFaqs for hosting my FAQ.
