By Aaron N
For some reason my favorite sports games have always been tennis games. Sure I like Madden, NFL Blitz, baseball, and basketball games, but tennis games have always been the most fun to me. At my first job we had "Virtual Tennis" in the game room and we would play it on our breaks. I remember playing the first "Mario Tennis" on the virtual boy, it was my favorite game on the system. So I knew I had to get the new one for the Nintendo 3DS. They have made plenty of Mario Tennis games since the virtual boy so I knew they had to bring some new aspects to this game. With sports games it is hard to make one stand out and seem memorable, so this was a tough task to put on this installment.
Graphics:
I am still amazed at how powerful the 3DS is. Granted I hardly used the 3D aspect, but the graphics still amazed me. The fluidity of the motion of the characters was astounding and they were on par with the Wii. When I did use the 3D it was a welcomed addition. I was worried that it would make the ball hard to see and get lost in the characters and the atmosphere but it didn't. The same goes for the last stage. The last stage is set in space and a lot of the court is see-through. But the graphics were so crisp that I had no problem seeing the ball. The graphics were really well-done and I feel that the 3DS has better graphics than the wii. They utilize the capabilities to the fullest and "Mario Tennis Open" showcases this.
Story:
There really isn't a story to "Mario Tennis Open." All you do is play through tournaments as either a singles competitor or a doubles one. After you win a tournament you get an invitation to the next tournament. There are eight tournaments and each one increases in difficulty as you progress. The increase in difficulty is extreme when you reach the final tournament though. It was frustrating at first, but then when you learn all the special hits, which I will get into more in the gameplay section, it actually becomes quite easy. This is actually more of a storyline than usual sports games have, but with Mario sports games you always get just a little bit extra.
Gameplay:
Like in actual tennis it basically is the first to four points to win a game and you have to win by two. It takes two games to win a set, but unlike actual tennis you have to win by at least two sets. In the earlier tournaments and rounds it is the first to win a set, but sometimes in later rounds and harder tournaments you have to win best of three sets or best of five sets in the final rounds. They have a few special strikes that I mentioned earlier. A special circle will show up at a certain spot on the court. The five special strikes are a slam, fire strike, curve strike, short strike, and lob strike. It is imperative that you have to learn how to utilize these strikes to win in the final tournament. I dominated the first seven tournaments without knowing how to use these. They took a simplistic formula that all tennis games have and added to it and made it incredibly fun and entertaining.
Sound:
Each character makes unique sounds and noises as the play. Also each strike sounds different. These are the little things that make the sound memorable for "Mario Tennis Open." But the part I liked the best is the music. The music is the generally the same for each round. The final round has a unique song to it that adds to the excitement and importance to the match. When you have a game point the music changes and gets more intense. It creates a great atmosphere that makes it go from a care-free game to an intense one in a matter of seconds, which is astounding.
Overall:
"Mario Tennis Open" is one of the more fun sports games I have played in recent time. It brings an overall product that makes me go back to play more for the sheer gameplay. It does what other games can't do with a lack of storyline and just on gameplay. I had a lot of fun playing this and I will continue to do so for quite some time.
Mario Tennis Open gets an 8.5/10
Your place for video games reviews and more!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Review: Super Mario 3D Land (2011)
By Aaron N
When the Nintendo 3DS came out, the one thing it seemed like it was missing was a must have game. Usually, when it comes to a Nintendo system, that game is a Mario game. So when "Super Mario 3D Land" came out it seemed like it finally had its game that was needed to help the system sell more. It was one of the first games I had for the 3DS and it was my introduction into a whole new world. But was it the introduction I was hoping for, or would this fall short of the hype?
Graphics:
You are never going to get a realistic looking Mario game, it's just not what the franchise needs. The cartoony graphics are exactly what works for this franchise and it will continue to work for years to come. It is amazing what detail and movement Nintendo can get out of this type of graphics. Now as I said before this was the first 3DS game that I played so the introduction to 3D was astounding. It gave depth into the graphics which opened up even more detail than previous games. Also, as with normal Mario games, the graphics gave it a fun feeling. The thing I like about cartoony graphics as opposed to more realistic graphics is that it is somewhat reminiscent of older games where graphics had to be that way. Realistic graphics definitely have their place in games, but it is for more modern and mature games. I'm not saying that Super Mario games are not mature, but they are definitely for a different audience than the Call of Duty series. I don't think the graphics could be any better than what they gave us, and it is definitely a great way to show us what the Nintendo 3DS is capable of.
Story:
The story of "Super Mario 3D Land" is a different spin on the usual Mario storyline. Yes, Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser as usual and you must save her. But this story is combined with the addition of another plot involving tree leaves. The game begins with a tree's leaves being blown off by a storm leaving none left in the Mushroom Kingdom. The leaves will be immediately recognized as that which gives Mario the ability to use the Tanooki suit. Now you must search out for the missing leaves and at the same time chase after Bowser. The two storylines converge at the end but it still is good to have a different twist to the usual redundant, albeit great, plot. After beating the game you unlock both Luigi and special stages. The special stages are basically the same levels only altered.
Gameplay:
The gameplay for "Super Mario 3D Land" is in the same vein as the recent "Super Mario Galaxy 2." You can move between levels on an overworld screen but when you get into the levels themselves they are very much 3D versions of classic mario games. The level gameplay is more like the original games where you jump on a flag at the end instead of collecting stars throughout the levels. There are secrets in every level in order to collect all the coins and special coins. The power-ups are the mushroom, the fire flower, and the tanooki suit. The tanooki suit is very similar to the one from "Super Mario Bros 3." Although you can't fly using it, the suit helps you float for a prolonged period. That is the main difference in the suit. Nintendo did a great job making all the levels have a unique feel to them. There is even one level where you play on giant sprites from the original game. You cannot expect anything other than a fun experience from the Mario franchise, and this one doesn't disappoint.
Sound:
The sound is always similar in every Mario game that comes out. You have the usual Mario voice and the attack sounds. But with every new game they create new music. The music has to feel like it belongs in a Mario game. Recently, they have altered the music slightly for the handheld games in comparison to the console versions. The consle versions have had an orchestral feel to it, while the handhelds had a more childlike feel to it. "Super Mario 3D Land" fits in the handheld mold. But as usual they had a different style of music to fit each level style. This helped to get the mood and feel of the levels across to the player. Nobody does this better than Nintendo.
Overall:
"Super Mario 3D Land" was a great introduction to the 3D landscape for me and it is indeed the must have game so far for the Nintendo 3DS. They created a new Mario game that also harkened back to past games, especially "Super Mario Bros 3." I would recommend this game to anyone who loves Mario and would like to see a good mix between "Super Mario Bros 3" and "Mario 64," which are considered two of the best Mario games ever made.
Super Mario 3D Land gets a 9/10
When the Nintendo 3DS came out, the one thing it seemed like it was missing was a must have game. Usually, when it comes to a Nintendo system, that game is a Mario game. So when "Super Mario 3D Land" came out it seemed like it finally had its game that was needed to help the system sell more. It was one of the first games I had for the 3DS and it was my introduction into a whole new world. But was it the introduction I was hoping for, or would this fall short of the hype?
Graphics:
You are never going to get a realistic looking Mario game, it's just not what the franchise needs. The cartoony graphics are exactly what works for this franchise and it will continue to work for years to come. It is amazing what detail and movement Nintendo can get out of this type of graphics. Now as I said before this was the first 3DS game that I played so the introduction to 3D was astounding. It gave depth into the graphics which opened up even more detail than previous games. Also, as with normal Mario games, the graphics gave it a fun feeling. The thing I like about cartoony graphics as opposed to more realistic graphics is that it is somewhat reminiscent of older games where graphics had to be that way. Realistic graphics definitely have their place in games, but it is for more modern and mature games. I'm not saying that Super Mario games are not mature, but they are definitely for a different audience than the Call of Duty series. I don't think the graphics could be any better than what they gave us, and it is definitely a great way to show us what the Nintendo 3DS is capable of.
Story:
The story of "Super Mario 3D Land" is a different spin on the usual Mario storyline. Yes, Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser as usual and you must save her. But this story is combined with the addition of another plot involving tree leaves. The game begins with a tree's leaves being blown off by a storm leaving none left in the Mushroom Kingdom. The leaves will be immediately recognized as that which gives Mario the ability to use the Tanooki suit. Now you must search out for the missing leaves and at the same time chase after Bowser. The two storylines converge at the end but it still is good to have a different twist to the usual redundant, albeit great, plot. After beating the game you unlock both Luigi and special stages. The special stages are basically the same levels only altered.
Gameplay:
The gameplay for "Super Mario 3D Land" is in the same vein as the recent "Super Mario Galaxy 2." You can move between levels on an overworld screen but when you get into the levels themselves they are very much 3D versions of classic mario games. The level gameplay is more like the original games where you jump on a flag at the end instead of collecting stars throughout the levels. There are secrets in every level in order to collect all the coins and special coins. The power-ups are the mushroom, the fire flower, and the tanooki suit. The tanooki suit is very similar to the one from "Super Mario Bros 3." Although you can't fly using it, the suit helps you float for a prolonged period. That is the main difference in the suit. Nintendo did a great job making all the levels have a unique feel to them. There is even one level where you play on giant sprites from the original game. You cannot expect anything other than a fun experience from the Mario franchise, and this one doesn't disappoint.
Sound:
The sound is always similar in every Mario game that comes out. You have the usual Mario voice and the attack sounds. But with every new game they create new music. The music has to feel like it belongs in a Mario game. Recently, they have altered the music slightly for the handheld games in comparison to the console versions. The consle versions have had an orchestral feel to it, while the handhelds had a more childlike feel to it. "Super Mario 3D Land" fits in the handheld mold. But as usual they had a different style of music to fit each level style. This helped to get the mood and feel of the levels across to the player. Nobody does this better than Nintendo.
Overall:
"Super Mario 3D Land" was a great introduction to the 3D landscape for me and it is indeed the must have game so far for the Nintendo 3DS. They created a new Mario game that also harkened back to past games, especially "Super Mario Bros 3." I would recommend this game to anyone who loves Mario and would like to see a good mix between "Super Mario Bros 3" and "Mario 64," which are considered two of the best Mario games ever made.
Super Mario 3D Land gets a 9/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)