Playing a video game based on the sport of tennis can be a fairly enjoyable experience. In the past I’ve enjoyed Grand Slam Tennis on the original Wii, the tennis mini-game on GTA V and Virtua Tennis 4 on the PS Vita. With Mario Tennis games though, you expect the see something different and be a lot of fun at the same time. Players can choose from 16 playable characters to take part in singles or doubles matches. During matches, the moments when players can collect power ups dropped on the court, which will provide special abilities for characters to use during the match. Unfortunately, Ultra Smash doesn’t make use of motion controls, maybe because the developers wanted to distance the game from last generation’s popular Wii remote controller. In my opinion this is a missed opportunity as young gamers will find the motion controls much easier than button bashing on the Wii U gamepad.
– Mega Battle provides the ability to use the Mega Mushroom power up during matches, which gives players more power in their shots and better range.
– Knockback Challenge is a gauntlet of matches against computer controlled challengers.
– Classic Tennis isn’t what it says on the tin, players can alter the number of chance shots, jump shots and power ups.
– Online Mode, which allows you to team up with another player online, but doesn’t allow for a friend based matchmaking system.
The game also supports amiibo connectivity, so you can play against other players using your highly skilled amiibo characters.
The game is available from most game retailers at a price of about £30.00, but can also be downloaded straight from the Nintendo eShop. The game has been rated PEGI 3.