MARIO'S TENNIS
for the Nintendo Virtual Boy
Walkthrough/FAQ
Version: 1.1
by brak2000
Last Updated: July 12, 2001
Status: Complete (for now)
-------------------
Table of Contents
-------------------
1. Introduction
2. Version
3. Adjusting the Virtual Boy
a. IPD Adjustment
b. Focus Adjustment
c. Automatic Pause Function
4. Game Overview
5. Controls
a. Basic Controls
b. Moving Your Character
c. Serving
d. Advanced Shots
e. Shot Placement
f. Other Controls
6. Results Display
7. Modes
a. Singles
b. Doubles
c. Difficulty Chart
8. Characters
a. Mario
b. Luigi
c. Princess Toadstool
d. Yoshi
e. Toad
f. Koopa
g. Donkey Kong Jr.
9. Strategies
a. Singles
b. Doubles
10. Cheats
11. Frequently Asked Questions
12. Contact Me
13. Legal Stuff
-----------------
1. INTRODUCTION
-----------------
I'm writing this FAQ for many reasons. First of all, I love Virtual Boy and
I'm not afraid to say it. Secondly, I'm writing this out of lack of Virtual
Boy FAQs at any site online. I'm guessing this is because of the popularity
with Virtual Boy which never did exist. Overall, this is my 5th FAQ ever made
while this is my first Virtual Boy FAQ and I am planning many more to come. I
hope by the end of 2001 to have a FAQ made for every Virtual Boy game I own.
I hope you enjoy it!
-------------
2. VERSIONS
-------------
7/12/01 V1.1 - FAQ is complete for now, first submission made to GameFAQs
7/09/01 V1.0 - The beginning of this FAQ. Not bad of a start at all.
------------------------------
3. ADJUSTING THE VIRTUAL BOY
------------------------------
I can never stress enough that proper Virtual Boy adjustments need to be made
to truly enjoy any game. That is why I am including this in all my Virtual
Boy FAQs. This is from the Mario's Tennis Instruction Book slightly edited
to remove any references to pictures:
When using the Virtual Boy, several adjustments must be made before starting
the game. For your health and safety, be certain to perform these adjustments
each time you play. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, be sure to wear
them while using the Virtual Boy.
Insert the Game Pak into the Virtual Boy, then turn the POWER switch located on
the front of the conroller to the ON position. When the first screen appears,
continue with the IPD and FOCUS adjustments. Press the START button to display
the "IPD and FOCUS adjustments screen." Both adjustments are made using this
screen.
A. IPD Adjustment -
This adjustment sets Virual Boy to the distance between your eyes (the Inter
Pupil Distance). While looking at the adjustment screen, turn the IPD dial
located on top of the Virtual Boy until you can see a mark in all four corners
of the screen. The best adjustment may allow you to see only three of the four
marks. When you have completed the IPD adjustment, proceed with the FOCUS
adjustment.
B. Focus Adjustment -
This adjustment makes sure that you see the game image in the Virtual Boy
display clearly. Move the FOCUS slider to the CENTER POSITION as on the
housing. For most people, the center position should give you the clearest
image. If the image is still fuzzy, then adjust the FOCUS slider right or left
until the image is sharp and clear.
C. Automatic Pause Function -
All Virtual Boy Game Paks contain an automatic pause function. After
completing the IPD and FOCUS adjustments, press the START button and the screen
pictured at right will appear. The automatic pause is preset to the ON
position. Nintendo recommends that you ALWAYS set the automatic pause to ON.
To override the setting, use Left or Right on the L + Control Pad, then press
the START button to begin the game.
------------------
4. GAME OVERVIEW
------------------
The Nintendo Virtal Boy - one of the greatest disasters of our time. I never
did understand why Nintendo made a system that hurt your eyes and introduced
the color red to the gaming world, but man did I love it! Topping the Virtual
Boy charts would have to be Mario's Tennis, which was basically packed in with
most newly bought systems. Even though I believe Wario Land was the greatest
Virtual Boy game ever made, Mario's Tennis introduced some groundbreaking 3D
effects. If not directly related, a Nintendo 64 version of Mario's Tennis was
released without the 3D. It was a big hit and a much better game, but the 3D
graphics of the Virtual Boy version made the replay so much higher in my honest
opinion.
-------------
5. CONTROLS
-------------
A. Basic Controls
------------------
Here are some basic controls for Mario's Tennis.
Left button (back) - None, see cheat section for a use
Right button (back) - None, see cheat section for a use
Left Control Pad - The left control pad moves your character while
allowing you to control your shot placement. Also used
in manuevering through game menus.
Right Control Pad - None
Select - Hit this while the game is paused to bring up the IPD
and Focus adjustment screen
Start - Pauses and resumes the game after auto-pause feature.
A button - Hits a solid hit, throws the ball up when serving,
registers/advances the menus when navigating, and allows
you to move to next point.
B button - Hits a soft shot or a lob shot, also throws the ball up
when serving.
B. Moving your character
-------------------------
During gameplay, moving your character is extremely basic. Up on the control
pad is moving forward, left is moving to the left, right is moving to the
right, and back moves you backwards. The diagonal directions will move you in
a diagonal direction. Simple enough.
C. Serving
-----------
When you have the ball to serve, first you will need to move left and right on
the serving line. Once your character is positioned, hit A or B to throw the
ball in to the air. After it is at the distance/height you want, hit A or B
again to hit the ball. If you time the serve right, you will get a good
serve. Make sure the serve has enough height, or you will get a foul. Get
two fouls and the other team gets a point.
D. Advanced Shots
------------------
The first advanced shot is the overhead smash. If the ball is over your head,
hit A to automatically smash the ball at the other team. This is one of the
best ways to catch your opponents off guard and score easy points.
Another advanced shot is the volley shot. If the ball is coming at you when
you are standing at the net, hit A and you should volley it to the other side.
If your opponent is standing near the back, this should guarantee you 15
points if done right.
The diving shot is really only avaliable with the small speedy characters.
If a ball seems impossible to hit, run sideways at it and swing anyways. This
will usually allow you to dive sideways at the ball and may allow you to get a
quick and easy save and keep you in the game.
E. Shot Placement
-----------------
Placing shots where you want is easier than it may seem. When hitting the
ball, use the left control pad to help you place your shot. Press the
following direction(s) at the same time as your swing.
+-----------+------------------+
| DIRECTION | COURT LOCATION |
+-----------+------------------+
| Up | Long Backcourt |
+-----------+------------------+
| Left | Left Sideline |
+-----------+------------------+
| Right | Right Sideline |
+-----------+------------------+
| Down | Short Frontcourt |
+-----------+------------------+
F. Other Controls
------------------
Here are some basic controls that dont really effect the gameplay itself.
- To speed up the animations between points, press and hold the A button while
the animation goes to speed it up and get in more gameplay. If the A button
is hit, point information will NOT be displayed. Only do this if you are
looking for more gameplay and less statistics.
- To pause the game, press START at any time. When the game is paused, you can
adjust the IPD and Focus displays by pressing SELECT when the game has been
paused. To resume the game, press START to go back to the game.
- To reset the system without switching the power on and off, press START,
SELECT, A, B, L, R buttons simultaneously. Remember that reseting the game
means you lose any progress made since you switched on the system.
--------------------
6. RESULTS DISPLAY
--------------------
Here is a chart that should help explain what each statistic means.
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| STATISTIC | EXPLANATION |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Total Pts. | Total of points won |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Baseline Pts. | Points won from the backcourt |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Net Pts. | Points won at the net |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Errors | Total of unforced errors |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Service Ace | Total aces served |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| 1st Serve % | Percentage of good first serves |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
| Double Fault | Number of double faults |
+---------------+---------------------------------+
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7. MODES
----------
A. Singles
----------
Singles is a 1-on-1 competition to see who truly is the best. You can set
around the options for a single match or you can enter a tournament. If you
do not enter options, the default will be you as Mario against Donkey Kong, Jr.
The tournament is a bracket type tourney where you see who truly is the
greatest tennis player! Beat your opponents and become champion to win this
mode.
B. Doubles
----------
Doubles is a 2-on-2 competition to see who truly is the best. You can set
around the options just like in singles mode to be a single match or a
tournament once again. If you do not enter options, the default will be you
as Mario with your partner Yoshi against Donkey Kong Jr. and Toad.
C. Difficulty Chart
-------------------
When playing these modes, the difficulty will determine what happens. Here is
a table that was in the instruction manual that most of you will probably make
use of.
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| | Easy | Normal | Hard |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| Ball Speed | Slow | Slow | Standard |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| Racquet contact area | Large | Large | Strong |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| Opponent power | Weak | Strong | Strong |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| Player's body can obscure ball | No | No | Yes |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
| Player speed | Slow | Slow | Fast |
+--------------------------------+-------+--------+----------+
---------------
8. CHARACTERS
---------------
(Character descriptions are taken directly from the instruction manual)
A. Mario
--------
He is an average player whose court speed and leg strength are solid. His
racquet contact area is average, and he relies on his skillful groundstrokes,
though he will approach the net occasionally.
B. Luigi
--------
His skill level and court strategy are similar to Mario's. He has better court
coverage, though, due to being faster than Mario.
C. Princess Toadstool
---------------------
The princess is slow, but her racquet contact area is large. She doesn't like
to approach the net, preferring to instead rally from the baseline.
D. Yoshi
--------
He is the fastest of all the players, but his racquet contact area is small.
He plays an aggresive type of game by rushing the net at every opportunity.
E. Toad
-------
Toad is quite quick on the court, but his racquet contact area is not very
large. Like Yoshi, he tries to approach the net often. Though he is strong,
he has great court coverage because he can lunge at tough shots.
F. Koopa
--------
Being a turtle, basically, his court speed suffers. He has a large racquet
contact area, though. He likes to rally from the baseline, and he also can
lunge at tough shots like Toad.
G. Donkey Kong Jr.
------------------
He is sower than all the other players, and also has a smaller racquet contact
area. He is, however, understandably the most powerful of all the players. His
strong groundstrokes allow him to win many points from the baseline.
---------------
9. STRATEGIES
---------------
A. Singles
----------
- Make sure to cover your whole court! Stay in the middle of the court and
you should be able to run all directions to hit the ball. If you stay on the
left side and your opponent hits it to the right side, you'll never make it
over there on time (unless you are Koopa or Toad..then its possible) This
strategy also works vice versa in that you can use this against your
opponent to fake them out.
- When serving, take a look at your opponents location. If your opponent is
sort of walking around on the back line and being careless, drop it near the
front. Also works vice versa.
- Practice slamming the ball down at your opponents. This is one of the most
useful moves in the game if you hit the ball *AWAY* from your opponents.
- Never ever hit the ball directly to your opponent! This may allow them to
slam it down on you and make your life a lot harder.
- Play carefully when you are on a Deuce. You need to win 2 in a row remember
to win the deuce!
B. Doubles
----------
- If your partner is covering the front, you cover the back. If your partner
is covering the left, you cover the right. Never be on the same sides as
your partner or your opponents will most likely beat you.
- Follow the Singles strategies, but remember that your partner is there to
help.
- Drop the ball wherever an opening is. Its better than hitting the ball
directly to your opponents.
------------
10. CHEATS
------------
Extra Hard Mode - To get this cheat, beat the game and you'll see it after the
end credits. Of course, you don't NEED to beat the game to
enter it. When you are on the screen where you select
between doubles and singles, hit L, L, R, L, R, Select.
Now, the L/R are the back buttons on the controller.
--------------------------------
11. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
--------------------------------
Got a good question? Submit it to
-------------------------
12. CONTRIBUTORS/THANKS
-------------------------
Right now, I don't have any contributors. But still I would like to thank
Nintendo for making this game.
I also thank Nintendo for ending the system so they could work more on the
Nintendo 64. Even though I loved the system, I loved the "real" systems
better.
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13. CONTACT ME
----------------
I'm online a lot and theres plenty ways to contact me!
Website - www.brak2000.com
Email - brak2000@hotmail.com
MSN - brak2000@hotmail.com
AIM - braktheman
Yahoo - brak_2k
ICQ - 52483244
When It Comes To EMAILING me I will Accept/Ignore the following
I WILL Accept:
Questions not covered in the FAQ
Suggestions
Email Saying my FAQ sucks/rocks (yes, I do also enjoy critique)
Emails with good grammar and spelling (I accept crappy ones if I can read it)
Emails asking to post my FAQ on their site
I WILL NOT Accept:
Questions covered in the FAQ
Hate Mail
Spam Mail
Emails saying to respond if I would not like my FAQ on their site. That's
just rude and an insult to anyone who writes FAQs!
-----------------
14. LEGAL STUFF
-----------------
You know the deal. Please do not use this FAQ without my permission! If you
email me with a request, I will usually say yes so PLEASE email me before
posting this on your site or problems will occur! You may not sell this FAQ.
It may be distributed as long as nothing is changed and it is not being sold
in any shape, way, or form. I am in no way affiliated with Sonic Team or Sega.
They get complete credit for making this wonderful game.