Mario Power Tennis

Mario Power Tennis, known as Mario Tennis GC (マリオテニス﻿ＧＣ Mario Tenisu GC) in Japan, is a sports game for the Nintendo GameCube and a re-release for the Wii (via the New Play Control! series). It is the fourth installment in the Mario Tennis series, and the follow-up to Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64. This game features other four European announcer voices. In this game, Mario and his various friends and enemies meet up to play tennis. Like previous Mario sports titles, all the playable characters have incredibly powerful Power Shots. Additionally, there are courts in the game that have special effects and events during the game. There are also special games for each court to play with.

The game's opening
The game's opening begins with Mario and Luigi playing a match against Wario and Waluigi. The Mario Bros. win the match and celebrate as Wario and Waluigi complain about their loss. The next day, Wario & Waluigi see a picture of the Mario/Luigi team on the "Peach Dome Tournament" board and are furious to see that their opponents have knocked them out of the running. Wario & Waluigi vandalize the Mario/Luigi team picture, but the Buckethead police catch them in the act and pursue a chase to arrest them. Wario & Waluigi attempt to run for cover and try to hide in what they think is a janitor's closet, but the closet has no floor, and the two fall into a training room. As Wario wonders, "What's this dump?", Bowser approaches them and offers an alliance to get revenge against the Mario Bros.. After hours of training and seeing others playing their tennis matches, they carry out their plot to crash the "finals tournament" later that evening at the Peach Dome.

As Mario and Luigi are about to play the final match of the tournament against Yoshi and Donkey Kong during that time, Bowser manages to rig the tournament so that Wario and Waluigi can have their rematch with the Mario Bros.. Peach, Toadsworth, and all the attendees boo at Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser for invading the Peach Dome to crash the tournament without warning. But Wario and Waluigi wasted no time catapulting Bob-ombs at the Mario Bros. However, Mario & Luigi reflect the same Bob-ombs back at them with their tennis rackets. Bowser launches a Bullet Bill from his airship at them, and Mario knocks it back with his racket, causing a giant explosion. This revealed that the airship had an enormous amount of Bob-ombs, and everyone couldn't believe the painful result to come - especially Peach who noticed the "massive Bob-omb explosion threat" firsthand.

Bowser's airship starts to descend out of control, and unfortunately has Wario and Waluigi in its crosshairs. Wario and Waluigi try to get out of the way, but to no avail. The airship crashes down and creates the massive explosion with Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi being the "victims", as a result of their Peach Dome invasion attempt completely foiled.

Gameplay
Players participate in a tennis game, just as its precedents in the Mario Tennis series. To win, the player must score points by hitting the ball into the other side of the court and not making the opponent rebound the ball, just as the traditional way of playing 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.

Menu screen controls

 * The players can use the Analog Stick to scroll through menu items.
 * The players can select menu items
 * The players can cancel any action they took
 * The players can return to game they were playing
 * Pressing the button once makes a selected character left-handed. Pressing it again makes the character right-handed.
 * Pressing the button once makes a star for the character. Pressing it again removes the star. Stars are only obtained by beating the Star Cup.

Game controls
The controls here are assumed the normal control style. The control options are changed in the options menu and before the start of a match.
 * The players can move around and also aim direction of ball they just hit.
 * The players execute a topspin shot (if the players hit the button twice, they will execute a strong shot). Topspin shots are faster with a higher trajectory than slice shots and the ball's trail is colored red when a topspin shot has been taken.
 * when ball is on the other side of the court: The player will taunt at the opponent. If the animation finishes, the glow around the opponent's racket grows smaller.
 * The players execute a slice shot (if the players hit the button twice, they will execute a strong shot). Slices are slower with a lower trajectory than topspin shots and the ball's trail is colored blue when a slice shot has been taken.
 * then : The player can lob, which can send the ball flying up in the air. It can fly over the opponents' heads.
 * then : The player can perform a drop shot which is a very weak shot that goes barely past the net. It is performed to deter players who like to go far away from the net.
 * and : The player can perform a flat shot. When the ball is lobbed, a smash point appears and the player can perform a smash shot instead of a flat shot. Flat shots' trails are colored green while smash shots' trails are colored purple.
 * and either or : The player performs a powerful Offensive Power Shot if power shots are turned on and if the player's racket glows to a certain amount of intensity. The power shot depends on the character. The players also must be in a certain distance or they will perform a defensive power shot instead. Note that any offensive power shots that occur before this still has an effect on the player who will use the power shot.
 * and either or : The player performs a Defensive Power Shot, which can cover the ball to great distances if power shots are turned on and if the players' racket glows to a certain intensity. This power shot also depends on the characters, but not as much as offensive power shots. Any offensive power shot that has been execute before this will not have any effect on the players if they use the defensive power shot.
 * The players can cancel charge shots.
 * and either or : The players can jump towards the ball.
 * The players can change the camera view. The options are stationary, player, and dynamic.

Exhibition
Up to four players can participate in this versus mode. The players can choose their characters, a court, and what type of game that they can play. The player can also adjust rules in versus match, such as turning power shots on and off, setting the numbers of games and sets, and choose which character to pair with when playing in doubles. Computer levels can also be set by the player, and they range from easiest to hardest: novice, intermediate, expert, pro, and the unlockable ace difficulty. There are three types of games that the player can play.


 * Standard Court: The player and the opponent participates in a chosen course with no gimmicks of any kind. The only gimmicks present are the bounce intensity, speed of the ball, and the power shots, if turned on. Standard Courts for any court that is not Peach Dome must be unlocked first by completing the Gimmick Masters tournaments.
 * Gimmick Court: The player participates in the same game as in the court, but with gimmicks that can help or hinder the player, unique to each court. The Peach Dome is the only court that cannot have gimmicks of any sort whatsoever.
 * Item Battle: The player can use special items to help them win against the opponent. To do so, the player must hit an Item Box with the ball and receive a random item, very much like in the Mario Kart series, except that the item received isn't dependent if the player is losing or not.
 * Green Koopa Shell: 3 shells zoom out in straight lines. If the player gets hit by one, they will stumble and lose time, possibly going as far as help the opponent gain a point.
 * Red Koopa Shell: One Red Shell comes out and chases after the opponent. The effect is similar to that of a green shell if contact has been initiated.
 * Mushroom: The Mushroom increases the player's movements for a brief moment of time. It also grows the player back into normal size quicker if they had been shrunk by Lightning.
 * Banana: A stationary banana gets shot out. If it hits the ground, the banana remains there. Slipping in a banana peel also has the same effect as shells.
 * Star: The Star increases the player's abilities and it makes the player invulnerable for a short period of time. It also grows the player back to normal size quicker, if the player was shrunk by Lightning.
 * Lightning: The Lightning strikes the opponents of the court and shrinks them to a tiny size. The opponents speed, stature, and power will also decrease.

The content and number of the item boxes depends on the court being played on.


 * Peach Dome Courts: None
 * Luigi's Mansion: 10% higher chance of lightning bolts.
 * Delfino Plaza Court: 10% higher chance of mushrooms.
 * Wario Factory: Twice as many item boxes.
 * Gooper Blooper Court: 10% higher chance of red and green shells.
 * Donkey Kong Jungle Court: 10% higher chance of bananas.
 * Bowser Castle Court: Same as Bowser Castle Gimmick Court.
 * Mario Classic Court: 10% higher chance of stars.


 * Ring Shot: The player scores points by hitting rings to win the game. The player earns the points in the rings by winning the point in the game, which depends on how many rings the player has shot. The losing player will give half of their points to the winning player in charge amount. The amount of ring points needed to win the game ranges from 100, 200, and 500.

Tournament
The player pits against simultaneous matches against computer opponents to win the trophy in a cup. The higher the cup level, the harder the computers will get. Once a character has completed Star Cup, the character receives a star ranking, strengthening hitting the ball. This rank also allows the character to participate in the Star Tournament, where the opponents also have the star ranking and are generally more difficult. The player can also participate in a Gimmick Tournament, which, as the name implies, enables the player to participate in Gimmick matches in courts against the computer. Although a Doubles Tournament is available, only one player can participate, forcing the player to be paired with an AI-controlled partner. Additionally, completing the World Open in Doubles does not grant the character a star ranking, so players must complete the Singles tournaments first to participate in Doubles Star Tournament.

World Open

 * Mushroom Cup
 * Flower Cup
 * Star Cup

Gimmick Masters

 * Fire Cup
 * Thunder Cup

Star Tournament

 * Rainbow Cup
 * Moonlight Cup
 * Planet Cup

Special Games
Players have the option to play special games besides going in tournament or exhibition mode. Up to 4 players can participate in the special games except for Gooper Blooper Volley and Mecha-Bowser Mayhem, which are only one player. All courts have specific special games that are unique from one another.


 * Artist On the Court: Players must color a design using paint balls on a wall in order to complete the minigame. In order to progress and achieve harder levels, the player must complete the designs within the time limit. Designs include from easiest to hardest: Mario, Luigi, Diddy Kong, Bowser and Bowser Jr., and a rainbow of Yoshis.
 * Balloon Panic: Players must prevent Klaptraps from puncturing their balloon by hitting balls at panels to make them change direction. The game ends when a Klaptrap punctures a balloon.
 * Chain-Chomp Challenge: Players must feed a hungry Chain Chomp with balls. Bob-ombs make the Chain Chomp turn red and get two points for every ball, but hitting it with another Bob-omb will let the Chain Chomp out and wastes the player's time by having to activate a switch. Water balls place angry Chain Chomps back into their normal position, but put normal Chain Chomps to sleep. The player can wake the Chain Chomp by smacking a Bob-omb into it. Players can also tamper with another player's progress.
 * Gooper Blooper Volley: Players must rebound hits from a Gooper Blooper in a regular tennis game. However, the player also must avoid rebounding their ball into the gray zone that changes constantly throughout the game. Messing up ends the game.
 * Mecha-Bowser Mayhem: Players must face off against a Mecha Bowser, using beams of light produced by swinging the tennis racket to defeat it. Mecha Bowser can attack the player by breathing fire and shooting Bullet Bills. The game ends when either the player or Mecha Bowser is defeated.
 * Terror Tennis: The player must prevent ghosts from coming out of the painting and attacking them. They have to earn a certain amount of points before the time runs out in order to proceed to more difficult levels. The player gets more points if they hit the ghost that is just about to come out of the painting.
 * Tic-Tac-Glow: The player must get three Shine Sprites in a row in order to earn points. They can do this by hitting balls in the other side of the court, while hitting the FLUDD icons, in order to spray goop away from the site.
 * Coin Collectors: The player must earn coins that come along the court while avoiding fireballs. They can only move left and right, but they can hit tennis balls to hit the POW block for more coins or the destruction of the fireballs. The player with the most coins wins the game.

Other modes

 * Continue: When the players select this option, they can resume a previously saved game. Players can save a game during the middle of a match or before a tournament is started. However, any midgame points gained will reset to 0-0. The game can hold up to three continue files.
 * Records: Players can view records on all types of game modes played. If the records are on Exhibition, they can view what character they played and won against. Note that this only applies to beaten computer players by the player shown in a table. The shape of the win depends on the difficulty of the computer (a triangle means novice, a circle means intermediate, a circle with a dot in the middle means expert, a moon means pro, and a star means ace. Plus, a small star icon on the top right corner indicates that the computer was beaten when starred). If the records are on Tournament, the players can view the trophies won in a singles or doubles match with the character the player chosen. In Special Games, the players can view how long and/or how many points they achieved and the difficulty played on.
 * Options: The players can adjust in game settings, such as setting the sound system to mono, stereo, or surround, turning music on and off, turning rumble on and off, and setting control options. Control options can be set to easy, normal, and technical, which differs the controls the players must use. The players can also choose to delete save data, but once it is deleted, it cannot be restored.

Characters
A total of 18 characters are playable in Mario Power Tennis, of which 14 are default and the other 4 need to be unlocked before they can be played as. Characters are divided into 6 different play styles, listed below.


 * All Around: A character that is above average in all categories.
 * Speedy: A character that can get to the ball in time, but lacks raw strength.
 * Power: A character that can hit the ball with great force, but lacks speed.
 * Technique: A character that can place the ball on the corners of the net.
 * Tricky: A character that can curve the ball, which can confuse the opponent on where it's going.
 * Defense: A character that can easily hit the ball from any position.

Although their stats are not visible, each character has slightly different attributes from each other. For instance, Bowser has more power and reach compared to Wario, but Wario has better control, movement, and volleying.

"New Play Control!" series
For the Wii version of Mario Power Tennis (via the New Play Control! lineup), the controls are not like the Nintendo GameCube version, since the game makes use of the Wii's motion controls instead of the Nintendo GameCube controller (which this specified version cannot be played using the latter). This version includes a tutorial movie to demonstrate how to use the Wii Remote in this game. It is also possible to play this game in 16:9 widescreen mode. Players can choose to play with the Wii Remote only, or with the Wii Remote/Nunchuk combination for advanced control of playable character participants.

Pre-release and unused content
In the intro of the game where Wario and Waluigi are drawing on the scorechart, the player can see Toad and Toadette's heads on the left. It is unknown if they were intended to be playable or if it is a simple cameo.

Also during production, the game was called Mario Tennis.

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong: The title screen music is played when Donkey Kong wins a trophy.
 * Mario Bros.: A stage titled the Mario Classic Court is unlockable. It features Shellcreepers and Sidesteppers on the sidelines and the gimmick court feaures a POW Block and a Freezie. The Game Over theme can be heard in Coin Collectors.
 * Donkey Kong Country: In DK Jungle Court, the theme of this game is played. Also, Klaptraps serve as hazards and Kritters stand along the outer edge of the field.
 * Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars: Bowser's Castle from this game can be seen during the opening cutscene of the Bowser's Castle Court.
 * Yoshi's Story: The music from the first level of this game is played when Yoshi wins a trophy.
 * Wario Land 3: The overworld theme from this game, particularly from the level Out of the Woods, is played when Wario wins a trophy.
 * Mario Tennis: Bowser owns another court, and aspects, such as the stage shaking due to weight and items, return in the court. Also, some of Mario and Luigi's voice samples, most notably their serves, are reused.
 * Luigi's Mansion: The stage Luigi's Mansion Court is from this game. It features ghosts who slow down players in the Gimmick Court. Luigi's Defensive Power Shot makes him use his Poltergust 3000, which originated from this game.
 * Super Mario Sunshine: Two stages, the Delfino Plaza Court and the Gooper Blooper Court, are taken from levels in this game. Also, the icons from the Main Menu are Shine Sprites. Gooper Blooper also appears in one of the Special Games. Petey Piranha is an unlockable character.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The item boxes are identical to the ones in this game, plus the sound effects from item boxes and items are the same to those in this game. Toadette makes a cameo appearance during the game's opening cutscene.
 * WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!: The Wario Factory Court and the visuals therein are based entirely on this game.

References in other games

 * Mario Tennis Open: Aside from being the game's follow-up, the several voices and sound effects are reused, including the announcers in multiple languages.
 * Mario Golf: World Tour: Several voice clips are reused in this game.
 * Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash: The announcer's voice clips are reused.

Bloopers
This is the only Mario game so far that has blooper-reels in the credits. If the player wins the Star Cup or Thunder Cup, the player will see a blooper reel of the first half of the Opening Movie. These bloopers are as follows:
 * When returning the ball, Mario accidentally hits it against Luigi's face, to which Mario apologizes. Although Luigi complains about the injury on his nose, he is shown with a black eye.
 * Wario and Waluigi trips and fall when entering the outer skirts of Peach Dome.
 * While vandalizing the Mario Bros. poster, Waluigi hits the camera with his marker, taking it down. He then apologizes to the cameraman.
 * One of the Buckethead officers falls while giving chase to Wario and Waluigi.
 * Wario and Waluigi find the door in which they will hide from the Bucketheads, but it slams shut before they can enter, making them smash face-first against it.
 * In the same scene, they manage to enter through the door; however, Waluigi's leg gets stuck as the door closes. One of the Bucketheads, then, points out the leg, and calls Waluigi "Stupid!".
 * When Bowser activates his ball-serving machine, a malfunction sends the balls hurtling against him from somewhere else off-camera. He runs off, frightened, slamming against the cameraman, as Wario and Waluigi, offscreen, laugh.

If the player wins the Planet Cup, a second set of bloopers will continue where the last set left off. These bloopers are as follows:
 * When Bowser turns on a switch, it breaks off in his hand. He laughs.
 * In the same scene, the switch electrocutes Bowser, and he faints. Waluigi rushes to aid him, but not before warning Bowser, "Don't expect mouth-to-mouth!"
 * Wario is weightlifting, and seems to make a huge effort with the massive weights. Suddenly, his cell phone rings and he picks it up with his left hand, without dropping the barbell in his right hand. It is seen that he was just pretending his effort, as he talks nonchalantly at the phone. Waluigi, displeased, calls the cut by placing his hand on the camera lens. Wario seems to be talking to his mother in this segment, for he says "Hello? Ma! I told you not to call me! I'm making a movie..."
 * Wario's and Waluigi's Bob-omb launcher device gets jammed by a stuck Bob-omb. Waluigi then calls for the Prop Guy.
 * Bowser's Bullet Bill Cannon explodes in his face when he fires, causing him to hold his jaws open in shock.
 * The Bullet Bill falls just ahead of Mario before he can return it at Bowser's Airship. Mario shrugs at the camera, laughing.
 * When Wario and Waluigi jump down to the court to escape the damaged launcher device, Wario falls head-first into the ground, getting stuck in a hole, prompting Waluigi to laugh (even though Wario's falling body nearly hit him).
 * When Bowser, Wario, and Waluigi appear on the big screen behind Mario and Luigi after the three's defeat, a Paratroopa goes across the screen and they all start laughing.

Snapshot gallery

 * Mario: Mario holds his trophy, celebrating his victory. Peach, also pleased, holds Mario in place and crouches to kiss Mario's cheek. Mario, in love, drops the trophy and then jumps to do a cheer.
 * Luigi: Luigi is doing a victory dance when Mario arrives on stage applauding. He (intentionally) hit the back of his younger brother and step on your foot, out of jealousy.
 * Peach: Peach celebrates with Mario, Luigi, Wario and Waluigi to watching. She throws a kiss to the Mario Brothers, making them float passion. At that time, Wario and Waluigi try to steal the trophy, but Wario slips into a tennis ball and the trophy is going to air. Fortunately, she manages to grab it before it hit the ground.
 * Yoshi: Yoshi is waiting for his prize, when your belly rumbles. He is saddened by having nothing to eat at the moment, until Luigi arrives on stage with the trophy. He sees the object as a big and juicy pineapple. Yoshi tries to eat, but ends up swallowing Luigi. He is surprised by the disappearance of his friend.
 * Bowser: Bowser is cheering and laughing, with Peach at his side. He asks for a kiss on the cheek and closes his eyes. Peach asks a red Birdo to kiss him. Bowser sees and runs desperate.
 * Bowser Jr.: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Yellow Toad are waiting for Bowser Jr. to reward them. Suddenly we hear a chuckle and the trophy is gone. Bowser Jr. appears and makes poses.
 * Daisy: Luigi waits Daisy to give her the prize, until she enter skating in high speed, which makes Luigi spin. Daisy back to the entrance and makes him throw the trophy up. In slow motion, Daisy takes the trophy back.
 * Donkey Kong: DK is on stage. Toad arrives with a trophy and Donkey get fast, not seeing the little friend is still holding the trophy. Rocks the object several times, until Toad fall, making the monkey confused.
 * Diddy: Luigi and Peach are in the area with Donkey Kong, who is playing a bongo. Diddy arrives jumping, turns around Luigi and picks up the trophy with his tail. So, the monkey throws the prize up, jumps on bongos and manages to grab the trophy. Diddy then jumps on the shoulder of his uncle and strikes a pose with he.
 * Wario: Wario walks and jumps through the place until it falls off the step with the trophy. Wario, then pour over the object, and when gets up, sees that it is flat, making he sad.
 * Waluigi: Waluigi holds the trophy and Wario is on your side. Doing a dance, Wario pushes Waluigi, who falls. When it starts to rise from the ground, the trophy fell on his head.
 * Boo: Mario Brothers wait Boo when the trophy begins to levitate. Mario and Luigi are frightened, until they saw that was Boo invisible. Mario and Luigi start to float, and several other Boos appear.
 * Koopa Troopa: Diddy is eating lots of bananas and throws a banana peel on the floor, which is next to Mario, Luigi and Peach. Koopa Troopa comes in and slips on the peel. Mario and Luigi to dodge, but Koopa back and hits the face of Luigi, who throw the trophy. While Mario aid Luigi, Koopa Troopa gets the prize.
 * Paratroopa: Waluigi is the reward, Paratroopa comes and tries to grab the trophy, only to see that Wario arrested him on a fishing rod and pulls him to not touch the object. Toad appears and, with a large scissors, cut the line. That makes Wario to fall and Paratroopa get the prize.
 * Shy Guy: Luigi waits in place. Shy Guy arrives, looking happy. When going up on the top step, he falls and drops his mask. Luigi gets very scared seeing his true face, but Shy Guy quickly put the mask in place and takes the prize.
 * Fly Guy: Wario and Waluigi are the center with the trophy and next to Peach. Fly Guy tries to get the reward, but Waluigi showing a big toe, which he uses to catch him. Fly Guy starts to spin, which confuses the two.
 * Wiggler: Luigi and Diddy Kong give Wiggler the trophy, but Diddy Kong accidentally rolls the tennis ball, causing Wiggler to lose its footing and drop its trophy. Luigi and Diddy Kong, nervous, watch Wiggler get angry, but it calms when it sees is trophy. Diddy Kong, however, loses his footing, bumps into Luigi and both land on Wiggler and knock the trophy away. The Wiggler gets angry and then chases Diddy Kong and Luigi.

Mario or Luigi rebounding an Offensive Power Shot with their Offensive Power Shot may not push them back or reverse their controls. However, Mario or Luigi still slow down from Offensive Power Shots such as Petey Piranha's Sludge Racket.

Occasionally, when a player-controlled Wario uses his Offensive Power Shot, Wario will begin saying his Defensive Power Shot Audio instead of his Offensive Power Shot Audio. This has only been heard on the Wii Version.

If a player or team earns the required amount of rings during a ring match before the opponent or the opponent's team does, but misses the ball or hits it out, it triggers their losing animation as though the player or team lost the match, while the opponent player acts as if the match is won. In the results screen, however, the animation and results are correct, netting the player an actual win.

Trivia

 * This is the last video game where Wario wears his original long sleeved shirt.
 * This is the first game where Shy Guy receives a voice by Nate Bihldorff, who regularly voices Shy Guy in later Mario installments.
 * This is also the first game where Takashi Nagasako provides his voice for Donkey Kong and later regularly reprises this role in later installments.