Mario Tennis Fever

Even though some of the peripheral bits were less polished, the core gameplay in Fever is red hot. Actually playing a match of Tennis in this game is downright excellent. The regular matches are excellent, the tournaments are intense, and the special matches are all awesome. If you’re looking to change things up, the Trial Towers and the score challenges add a stack of fascinating twists to the standard tennis systems. Although I didn’t really vibe with the campaign mode, I still recognize its usefulness. I also wish those motion controls could be used in every other part of the game. If you w...

Fever shots as a whole can make the game extremely hectic, but also add a lot of personality. It's especially fun in doubles matches, where you can temporarily eliminate an opponent with a well-timed lob like an arcade game. Yep, that's right: Characters now have HP (health points) as well. If you happen to get hit by a Fever Shot or collide with an obstacle in an applicable mode (typically the adventure storyline or side modes), you'll lose HP. If you lose it all, you'll move slowly for a while in singles matches, or get stunned temporarily in doubles matches.

Given the sheer range of activities that Nintendo’s moustachioed icon undertakes, it’s a surprise he bothered to complete his plumbing training at all. If he’s not battling Bowser’s army of Goombas or driving carelessly in his Kart, he’s competing in a dizzying amount of sporting endeavours. One of the most enduring of these sports is tennis, with Mario and his friends (and foes) making a racket since the earliest days of Nintendo consoles. Previous entries in the series have met with a mixed reception, from highlights such as the Gameboy Advance and N64 versions being offset by the disappoint...

Whether you’re hitting topspins past Baby Wario or dodging Bowser’s flames, Mario Tennis Fever is a blast. Across its many challenges and chaotic party modes, it’s the most fun sports game in years.

Mario Tennis Fever doesn’t reinvent the formula from its predecessors, but it tweaks just enough to make for a fun game. Whether you’re playing through the quirky adventure solo or sitting with your buddies talking trash in multiplayer, the game is filled with enjoyment.

Mario Tennis Fever kicks off the Switch 2 era of Mario sports games with a fresh take on the long-running series. This time, Fever Rackets are the hot new feature, spicing up gameplay with unique effects that can be dealt to either side of the court. Beneath all that, though, is a competent tennis game with plenty of variation and a high skill ceiling.

In the two-and-a-half decades since its debut, the Mario Tennis franchise has introduced countless gamers to the sport of tennis. In that same stretch, the series has enjoyed its fair share of highs and lows. Mario Tennis Fever continues the momentum of 2018’s Aces by introducing a fun, balanced gimmick and a feature-rich suite of modes in which to compete.

Nintendo serves up an immediately accessible and hilariously chaotic multiplayer experience, but a duff single-player campaign and hodgepodge assortment of other modes leaves you feeling that Mario Tennis Fever hasn't quite aced the complete package.

Mario Tennis Fever builds on its predecessor's solid presentation and arcade tennis action with more content than before and a new mechanic that's a recipe for Mario Kart-style courtside mayhem. Although the underwhelming Adventure mode doesn't last long, it doesn't mean you won't have fun during a match.

Mario Tennis has become one of Nintendo's most predictable franchises, showing up relatively early in the lifespan of all of the company's recent platforms, and sure enough, Mario Tennis Fever is being served up within the Nintendo Switch 2's first year on the market. Promising more characters and modes than ever before, as well as a wide array of new gameplay-altering "Fever Rackets," this may well be the most feature-rich Mario Tennis to date.

Camelot gets Mario well positioned on the court, but can't deliver a Grand Slam.

Mario returns to the court in Mario Tennis Fever after his deluge of Aces almost eight years ago, following a similar game plan. The single-player content remains light and fixates on a series of basic mini-games designed to teach newcomers the mechanics, while its greatest strength is reaffirming that a notoriously solo sport is best played with friends in the Mushroom Kingdom.