Mario sport games have always had a certain charm that’s kept them fun, even if you don’t care for the sport being played. However, Mario Tennis Open falls flat on delivering a fun and whimsical take on tennis. Unlike its predecessors on consoles, this version lacks all of the thrills the previous games enjoyed.Special shots no longer feel impactful, and the familiar roster of characters seems static. You’re hitting a ball back and forth; like boring, normal tennis. The feature set is lacking, there’s no real campaign, just exhibition matches. The online is tacked on with one on one matches that get tiring very quickly. Mario Tennis Open is simply missing the magic we’ve come to expect from Nintendo sports titles.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2012.