Mario Tennis Aces is a game of pressure. Relentless pressure, if you’re going to play against live competition. I figured this out about six matches into the demo tournament Nintendo staged this weekend — and I got throttled in all of them. I had a brutal introduction to the game’s multiplayer, sometimes perturbed by lag, and frequently determined by who built up their energy meter the fastest to unleash near-unstoppable attacks.
The game, launching June 22 on Nintendo Switch, does give players some defensive tools, such as a “trick shot” that is more about getting a player to the ball in a hurry, and the ability to slow time. But against a human player, once placed on the defensive, it is hard as hell to retake control — and in Mario Tennis Aces, even a modestly skilled receiver can take it away from the server on the first return.
This is, I suppose, a tribute to Mario Tennis Aces’ gameplay, because that’s how tennis is supposed to work in real life, right? Still the slice (Y on the controls) seemed a little too overpowered in its ability to move the opponent from sideline to sideline. I saw its blue trail a lot coming from my opponents and, to be fair, it was my go-to shot as well. A drop shot (down + X) is the silent killer of the arsenal, and it dies almost immediately. An opponent content to hang out on the baseline and direct traffic there can be frustrated with a carefully placed drop. It just depends a lot on surprise.
The game, launching June 22 on Nintendo Switch, does give players some defensive tools, such as a “trick shot” that is more about getting a player to the ball in a hurry, and the ability to slow time. But against a human player, once placed on the defensive, it is hard as hell to retake control — and in Mario Tennis Aces, even a modestly skilled receiver can take it away from the server on the first return.
This is, I suppose, a tribute to Mario Tennis Aces’ gameplay, because that’s how tennis is supposed to work in real life, right? Still the slice (Y on the controls) seemed a little too overpowered in its ability to move the opponent from sideline to sideline. I saw its blue trail a lot coming from my opponents and, to be fair, it was my go-to shot as well. A drop shot (down + X) is the silent killer of the arsenal, and it dies almost immediately. An opponent content to hang out on the baseline and direct traffic there can be frustrated with a carefully placed drop. It just depends a lot on surprise.
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