Mario’s Tennis

******************************************************************************* Mario's Tennis for Nintendo Virtual Boy FAQ by BHodges Version 1.2 Created 06/12/03 Updated 08/29/15 This document Copyright © 2003-2004, 2015 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Adjusting the Virtual Boy III. Automatic Pause and Low Battery IV. Basic Gameplay A. Getting Started 1. Singles and Doubles 2. Mode 3. Difficulty Levels 4. Match 5. Character Select B. Playing 1. Basics 2. Serving 3. Other Stuff C. Scoring D. Tennis Terminology V. Strategies A. Singles B. Doubles VI. Characters A. Mario B. Luigi C. Princess Toadstool D. Yoshi E. Toad F. Koopa G. Donkey Kong Jr. VII. Codes VIII. Game Review IX. Version History X. Contact Information ******************************************************************************* I. Introduction This is a FAQ for the Virtual Boy game Mario's Tennis. It contains a list of controls, strategies, and a mini-review. Mario's Tennis was the pack-in game for the Virtual Boy and was also the very first game in the popular Mario Tennis series. It makes good use of the Virtual Boy's 3D capabilities to create an immersive tennis experience. ******************************************************************************* II. Adjusting the Virtual Boy After the Precaution Message the Adjustment Screen will be displayed. Taking the time to properly adjust the Virtual Boy will reduce eye strain and maximize the 3D effect. It is recommended you adjust the Virtual Boy before each play session. Adjustment procedure: 1.) Press your face firmly against the eyeshade. Please note that if you typically wear eyeglasses or contacts then you will need to wear them will playing the Virtual Boy. 2.) Rotate the IPD dial left/right until you can clearly see four VB boxes in the corners. 3.) Move the Focus slider to the center position then slide it left/right until the screen is in focus. 4.) Continue to tweak the IPD dial and the Focus slider until both the center image and the four VB boxes are in focus. 5.) Press start when you have finished. **IT IS VITAL THAT YOU PROPERLY ADJUST THE VIRTUAL BOY TO AVOID EYE STRAIN** ******************************************************************************* III. Automatic Pause and Low Battery Every Virtual Boy game has an Auto Pause feature. If Auto Pause is active, the game will automatically pause after about 15 minutes of gameplay and display a splash screen reminding you to take a short break to rest your eyes. The Auto Pause menu will be displayed immediately after the Adjustment Screen when you first power on the Virtual Boy. Auto Pause always defaults to ON and can be toggled ON or OFF by pressing left/right on the left control pad. Press start or A when you are done. **IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ALWAYS LEAVE THE AUTO PAUSE FEATURE ON** When the batteries get low, you will see a picture of a battery flashing in the corner of the screen. ******************************************************************************* IV. Basic Gameplay Here is the introduction from the instruction booklet: "On the Court There has never been a tennis game like Mario's Tennis. Mario, Yoshi and a whole cast of your favorite characters move freely around a completely three dimensional tennis court. If you move to the net, and your opponent lobs, the ball seems to actually fly over your head. There has never been a game that was able to so realistically create the feeling of depth on the court. You'll find yourself trying to turn around and check the line when your opponent slams a passing shot down the line. It's time to prove that you can serve, volley and rally with the best of them!" ............................................................................... A. Getting Started Note: You can press B while on the options screen to return to the title screen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Singles and Doubles On the title screen, press up or down on the left control pad to select either Singles or Doubles, then press A or Start. Singles is one-on-one play and Doubles is two-on-two. In Singles play, the two narrow rectangles on both sides of the court are out of bounds, in Doubles, they are in play. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Mode Choose either to play a single match or in a tournament. In Singles, there are at most three matches, in Doubles, there are two for the tournament. In Doubles, there will be one team of one shown in the brackets, this spot will be filled by the first CPU controlled character of the left most team eliminated in the first round. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Difficulty Levels Choose between Easy, Normal, or Hard difficulties. As you move up, the CPU controlled opponents become faster, stronger, and smarter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Match Choose either 1 Set or 3 Set. In 1 Set, the first player to win a set wins. In 3 Set, the first player to win 2 sets wins the match. There is no best of 5 in this game. To win a set, a player must have won at least six games and be winning by two or more games. If both players win six games, you will have to play a tie breaker game (more on this in the scoring section). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Character Select Press A to select your character and then either your partner or your opponents. If you are playing Singles 1P is your character and Com is your opponent. In Doubles, 1P is your character, Com1 is your partner and Com2 and Com3 are your opponents. Press B to cancel. Press Start when you are ready to play. If you press Start without choosing any characters, you will play as Mario vs. DK Jr. in Singles or as Mario and Yoshi vs. Toad and DK Jr. in Doubles. ............................................................................... B. Playing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Basics You move around with the left control pad. Press A to hit the ball with hard and straight or B to lob the ball into the air. Press Start to pause and press Select when the game is paused to bring up the adjustment screen. Press A when close to the net to lightly tap the ball. Hit A or B when the ball is over your head to smash the ball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Serving Serving Basics Press left and right to move left or right. Press A to toss the ball into the air and hit A for a hard serve or B for a soft one. The ball must land in the service area or it is a fault. Power Serve For a more powerful serve, toss the ball into the air with A. After the ball goes up, it will stop, then start to fall. Just after the ball starts to fall, press Up and A at the same time for a power serve. If you did it correctly, you will hear the same sound as you hit it that it makes when you do an overhead smash. This makes it more difficult for your opponents to get a good return and may even result in an Ace. You will have to practice this, but it is pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Other Stuff Press A during the post point animations to speed them up. Press A, B, Start, Select, L, and R simultaneously to reset the game. ............................................................................... C. Scoring Scoring goes like this, both players start with 0 points, the next point brings the score to 15, then to 30, then 40. The next score wins the match. If both players score 40 points, it is called Deuce. If player 1 scores on Deuce, he as advantage, represented by an A. If he scores again, he wins the game, but if player 2 scores, it goes back to Deuce. Remember, you have to win all games and sets by two. You score points the following ways: - You hit the ball on your opponent's side of the court and it bounces twice or more before he or she hits it. - Your opponent hits the ball into the net and it lands on his or her side or out of bounds. - Your opponent hits the ball and it lands out of bounds. - Your opponent double faults while serving. If both players win six games in a set, you go to a Tie Break. The score starts at 0 and goes up by 1. The first player to have at least 7 points and to be winning by two or more points wins. Players will alternate serves during a Tie Break. ............................................................................... D. Tennis Terminology Ace This is when a player serves the ball and the other player fails to return the ball, resulting in a score. Baseline The part of the court farthest from the net. Fault If the ball does not land within the rectangle in front of the player who is receiving a serve, it is a fault. Two faults in a row is a double fault and results in the player receiving the ball getting a score. Groundstrokes This is when a player hits the ball after it has hit the ground once. Let If the ball hits the net and falls in the service area during a serve, it is called a let, and the ball is served again without penalty. If the ball hits the net and lands outside the service area during a serve, it is a fault. Lob This is when the ball is hit in the air. Net The barrier decorated with hearts that separates the two sides of the court. If the ball hits the net and lands on your side of the court, you lose the point. Out If the ball lands off of the court or in the two narrow strips on the side of the court in singles play, the ball is out and the player who last hit the ball loses the point. Overhead smash When you hit the ball when it is above your head, resulting in a very powerful shot. Serve The server serves the ball to the other player from the baseline. The ball must bounce once in the service area before it can be returned. Service Area The rectangle in front of the player being served the ball. Volley This is when the ball is hit back and forth between the players. ******************************************************************************* V. Strategies ............................................................................... A. Singles - As a general rule, try to stay in the middle of the court, this will allow you to chase balls to both sides easier. - Try to hit the ball away from your opponent, this will make him or her move to reach the ball and keep them from getting a good return shot. - If you are playing on the baseline and your opponent rushes the net, be sure to move forward or you will leave yourself open to a tap shot. ............................................................................... B. Doubles - The most important thing to remember in doubles is to stay on your own side of the court. You should only move to your partner's side if a shot goes over his or her head. - Your opponents will usually keep one player near the net and the other on the baseline. They will be on opposite sides of the court. There are three ways to take advantage of this formation: - If you are playing up front and get a lob you can smash, hit it to the opponent near the net. He/She usually won't be able to act quickly enough to hit the ball and the other opponent won't be able to reach the ball if it is missed. - If you are playing near the front, try to hit the ball in the gap between the two opponents. - You can also try lobbing the ball over the front opponent's head, his/her partner may not be able to move fast enough to reach it. Be sure that you are close enough to the net to get it out of reach of the front guy/gal or the ball will be smashed. If you are too close to the net, you risk hitting the ball out of bounds. - Choose your character and partner wisely. I would recommend choosing either Toad or Koopa as your partner. That way you can play aggressively at the net and they will be able to dive at anything that goes over your head. This way you won't have to play against one in the tournament, the two of them together can be a real nightmare to play against. ******************************************************************************* VI. Characters For each character I have listed the description from the instruction book, tips on how to play as the character, and tips on how to play against the character. I have also listed each characters "home court" or the scenery shown in the background when you play against them. When playing doubles, you will always play on the court of the opponent listed. ............................................................................... A. Mario Home Court: Domes Description from instruction book: 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. Playing as: I would recommend staying in the center of the court. Try hitting the ball to opposite sides of the court after each return by your opponent, you will eventually be able to get one by. Playing against: While his speed isn't bad, you will still be able to get shots by him. I wouldn't recommend trying to lob the ball over his head, he is fast enough to back up and answer with an overhead smash. ............................................................................... B. Luigi Home Court: Pipes Description from instruction book: His skill level and court strategy are similar to Mario's. He has better court coverage, though, due to being faster than Mario. Playing as: You can use the same strategies for Mario, but are able to play a little closer to the baseline due to him extra speed. Playing against: He really loves to charge the net. When he does, get in close and lob the ball over his head. Make sure you get enough on it or he will back up and smash it back. ............................................................................... C. Princess Toadstool Home Court: Castle Description from instruction book: 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. Playing as: I like to play close to the net when using Princess Toadstool. She has the largest racquet contact area and is the tallest of the players, not many balls will get by you. Whenever your opponent tries to lob the ball over your head, you should be able to hit it with an overhead smash. Playing against: She is slow, so the best strategy is to hit the ball to one side of the court, then when she returns it, quickly hit it to the opposite side. If you hit it hard and far enough away, she won't have time to reach the ball. She is tall, I would recommend not trying to lob the ball over her head, she will more than likely answer with an overhead smash. ............................................................................... D. Yoshi Home Court: Rock Pillars? Description from instruction book: He is the fastest of all the players, but his racquet contact area is small. He plays an aggressive type of game by rushing the net at every opportunity. Playing as: I like to play close to the net with Yoshi. When your opponent tries to lob the ball over your head, back up and smash it back. Playing against: He is really fast, getting the ball by him is really difficult. He is also fast enough to back up and smash most balls lobbed over his head. Your best bet is to wait for him to lob the ball, then smash it away from him. ............................................................................... E. Toad Home Court: Hills Description from instruction book: 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 not strong, he has great court coverage because he can lunge at tough shots. Playing as: You can lunge at balls that are out of reach to your left or right. To lunge run in the direction of the ball and press A. You have to time it so that you reach the ball right at the end of the lunge, this takes a little practice. Playing against: Toad loves to charge the net, which makes him vulnerable to lobs over is head. ............................................................................... F. Koopa Home Court: Rocks Description from instruction book: 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. Playing as: You can lunge at balls that are out of reach to your left or right. To lunge run in the direction of the ball and press A. You have to time it so that you reach the ball right at the end of the lunge, this takes a little practice. Playing against: It is very difficult to get a ball by Koopa, he can lunge at shots that look like they are out of reach. He can only lunge directly left or right. His lack of speed and height makes him vulnerable to lobs when he charges the net. Unfortunately, he rarely approaches the net. Your best bet is to try to make him lunge for the ball, he will hit the ball high if he reaches it, then hit an overhead smash away from him. ............................................................................... G. Donkey Kong Jr. Home Court: Forest Description from instruction book: He is slower 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. Playing as: DK Jr. is a great player once you get the hang of him. His power serves will often result in an Ace, even on the hard difficulty level. I like to play slightly up from the baseline. Use your powerful groundstrokes to hit the ball to the side of your opponent with the most space, you will often get the ball by him or her. When your opponent charges the net, be sure to move up to guard against a light tap. If your opponent tries to lob the ball over your head, you can answer with a powerful overhead smash. Playing against: He is very slow, all you have to do is hit the ball far to his left or right and it should go right by him. Don't try to lob the ball over his head on the few occasions when he charges the net, he will back up and answer with a powerful overhead smash. ******************************************************************************* VII. Codes Special Mode On the title screen press L L R L R Select, you will hear a tone if you entered it correctly. Then choose either Singles or Doubles. You will see the word SPECIAL after the name of the mode you chose. Special mode adds three more difficulty levels to the game. Easy is now more difficult than Hard is normally, Normal and Hard are even more difficult. In Hard mode, the player's body will now obscure the ball. New Characters You may have heard that you can unlock additional players, such as Wario or Rush by beating the game several times in a row or by entering a code. As far as I know, none of these work, you will have to settle for the normal seven characters. ******************************************************************************* VIII. Game Review Mario's Tennis is a really great Virtual Boy game. If you bought your VB brand new, this should have been the pack-in game. If you bought your VB used and don't have this game, I would definitely recommend buying a copy. Pros + This is a very fun tennis game. + Excellent 3D effects, it really shows off the VB's capabilities. + Seven different characters to play as, each with his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Cons - No two player mode. ******************************************************************************* IX. Version History 1.2 08/29/15 Updated Header, Introduction, Adjusting the Virtual Boy, Automatic Pause, and Contact Information sections. Made some formatting changes. 1.1 11/28/04 Made some formatting changes. Fixed a typo. This will probably be the last update for this FAQ. 1.0 06/12/03 Created FAQ. ******************************************************************************* X. Contact Information You can contact me at bhodges080@aol.com Please leave constructive comments. I especially appreciate emails letting me know if I have made a mistake, missed anything, or if you have any ideas for improving this FAQ. ******************************************************************************* End