Mario Tennis Open is a Mario sports game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was developed by Camelot, which has produced most of the previous Mario Tennis titles. The game was first released on May 20, 2012 in North America and in other regions the same month. It was later released as a downloadable title on the Nintendo eShop in late 2012. Like earlier Mario Tennis titles, Mario Tennis Open incorporates characters, settings, and scenarios from the Mario franchise. Players can engage in standard tennis matches but also play special variants with different rules and objectives. Seventeen distinct playable characters are available, each with special qualities that are used to the players' advantage. Mario Tennis Open is also the first Mario Tennis game to feature simultaneous online play. Mario Tennis Open received generally positive reviews, gaining aggregate scores of 69.54 percent on GameRankings and 70 on Metacritic. Mario Tennis Open features variants of tennis matches, played either in singles or doubles. Different shots (lobs, slices, and dropshots) can be executed with different button-combinations or by selecting them from the Nintendo 3DS touch screen. In addition, the player can use the 3DS gyroscope to turn the in-game camera by rotating the entire console during gameplay. Mario Tennis Open does not feature any RPG elements, unlike previous handheld games Mario Tennis and Mario Tennis: Power Tour. Mario Tennis Open features twenty-four playable Mario characters, with four being unlocked by accomplishing specific tasks, and eight more being unlocked by scanning certain QR codes. Each character possesses a pre-determined skill, such as advantages in speed, offense, or defense. Mii characters saved in the Nintendo 3DS Mii Maker are also selectable. Unlike the Mario characters, Mii characters' skills vary and are customizable, determined by the tennis gear the player equips. The gear options are purchased using coins that are awarded after playing each game mode. However, costumes are obtained by completing certain objectives. Mario Tennis Open supports both online and local wireless multiplayer, allowing up to four players to play simultaneously on separate Nintendo 3DS consoles. When a player's Nintendo 3DS console comes in contact with another via StreetPass, he will be able to play against a computer-controlled opponent whose play style mimics that of the other player, provided that the other console also contains Mario Tennis Open save data. Mario Tennis Open has received mixed reviews, with aggregate scores of 69.54 percent on GameRankings and 69 on Metacritic. Nintendo Power scored Mario Tennis Open 7.0 out of 10 in its May 2012 issue. Game Informer gave this game an 8 out of 10. Nintendo World Report gave this game a 7.5 out of 10. As of August 12, 2012, game has sold 280,000 copies in Japan. As of March 31, 2013, the game has worldwide sales of 1.11 million. Enjoy!

• published: 05 Dec 2013
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