Mario’s Tennis

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Mario's Dream Tennis Walkthrough by James (koholint takeout) +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | "So I'm making a guide/FAQ thingey for Mario's Tennis for Virtual Boy." | | "I pity those who need it." | | "I do too." | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Table of Contents 1) Introduction / Copyright Information (sect.1) 2) Walkthrough History (sect.2) 3) Controls (sect.3) 4) The Basics (sect.4) A. Virtual Boy Stuff (sect.4.a) B. The Menu (sect.4.b) C. Basic Terms (sect.4.c) D. Tennis Scoring (sect.4.d) E. Serving (sect.4.e) F. Singles / Doubles (sect.4.f) 5) Characters (sect.5) A. Mario (sect.5.a) B. Luigi (sect.5.b) C. Princess Toadstool (sect.5.c) D. Yoshi (sect.5.d) E. Toad (sect.5.e) F. Koopa (sect.5.f) G. Donkey Kong Jr. (sect.5.g) 6) Strategies (sect.6) A. Singles (sect.6.a) B. Doubles (sect.6.b) 7) Codes (sect.7) 8) FAQ (sect. 8) 9) Comments (sect.9) 10) In Closing (sect.10) +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1) Introduction / Copyright Information (sect.1) The Virtual Boy was released in 1995 along with this game. I'm more than a little sure that this game was not originally packed with the Virtual Boy, I believe that this game was packed with the Virtual Boy some time after the initial release of the system. This game was the very first game to feature Mario and friends playing tennis, and it is the only tennis game for Virtual Boy. Now the game itself is fairly simple: its tennis, with Mario characters. Somewhat like the Mario Kart series, each character has different attributes that effect how you play, for example, Princess Toadstool runs faster than Donkey Kong Jr., but more on this later. The game features 7 characters: Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, Toad, Koopa and Donkey Kong Jr. You can play singles and doubles, play in a regular or tournment mode, and there is a stage for every character. I think this game is one of the best for the Virtual Boy, and its too bad so many people will never play this game-its fun, enjoyable, and one of the last games Gunpei Yokoi ever played a hand in (for those who don't know: Gunpei Yokoi was the smart guy who made the Game Boy, Virtual Boy, and a lot of other hardware, and he played a large part in the development of the first three Metroid games). So if you can, I demand you to play it. Then again, if you are reading this walkthrough, chances are you just got it. Or you are a psycho. But I'm guessing its the former, rather than the latter. This FAQ/Walkthrough belongs to me, James. I made it. You didn't. If you are some magazine or other publication or web site, ask me if you can use this FAQ/Walkthrough before you steal from it. Not like many places are going to take this thing anyway, I mean, let's face it-the Virtual Boy was dead when it was released, and it hasn't improved since. But this part just makes me feel good. So don't take it without my permission. Currently this FAQ/Walkthrough can only be found on: - GameFAQs (gamefaqs.com) - My own site (personal.bgsu.edu/~jmckinn) - Planet Virtual Boy (vr32.de / planetvb.com) Question/Complaint/Love Letter? Send to:jmckinn(at)bgnet(dot)bgsu(dot)edu +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 2) Walkthrough History (sect.2) 7/22/03 - Added Planet Virtual Boy to the sites that can use this FAQ. 7/18/03 - The first version of this walkthrough is up. Just about everything is up, and I can't think of anything I didn't include. This most likely won't be the last version, since I'm dumb and I probably forgot something. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 3) Controls (sect.3) +--- Menu ---+ Left Control Pad: Choose options Right Control Pad: Nothing A Button: Select an option B Button: De-select an option Start: Start game Select: Nothing Left Button: Nothing Right Button: Nothing +--- Game ---+ Left Control Pad: - Up: Move character forward - Down: Move character back - Right: Move character right - Left: Move chracter left Right Control Pad: Nothing A Button: Swings the racket for a medium-distance hit, throws ball up for serve B Button: Swings the racket for a long-distance hit Start: Pauses the game Select: When game is paused, use this to bring up Virtual Boy adjustment screen Left Button: Nothing Right Button: Nothing +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 4) The Basics (sect.4) A. Virtual Boy Stuff (sect.4.a) - Adjustment - When the Virtual Boy first comes on, you'll see a screen with the Virtual Boy logo in the middle, and four squares that say VB in each corner. You want to be able to see all four squares in the corners. This is done by turning the dial at the top of your Virtual Boy unit. To focus the Virtual Boy, push the sliding bar at the top of your Virtual Boy unit. If you want to re-adjust the Virtual Boy during gameplay, push Start, and then Select, and you'll see a screen identical to the one at the beginning. Push Select to go back to the pause screen. - Auto Pause - In the beginning, after the adjustment screen, you'll see an "auto-pause" option. This is simply just an option to give you a break in the game every 15 minutes or so, to make sure your eyes won't explode. - Low Battery - If you are playing Virtual Boy with batteries instead of the AC pack, and the batteries get low, a battery will begin flashing in a corner of the screen. B. The Menu The Menu is pretty easy to navigate. But because I love Email Effects, and because this might help someone out there, I have a ASCII replica of the menu below. +---------------------------------------------+ | | | MODE SINGLES/DOUBLES | | 1P vs. COM TOURNAMENT | | | | | | LEVEL | | EASY NORMAL HARD | | | | MATCH | | 1 SET 3 SETS | | | | | | CHARACTERS | +---------------------------------------------+ MODE: 1P vs. COM - You vs. the computer. Man vs. Machine. Dave vs. HAL9000. Or if you are playing doubles, You and computer vs. computer and computer. Kinda like Dave and Frank vs. HAL9000, except HAL was all by himself in trying to kill them. And if Frank wasn't dead. Or if I would stop making 2001 references. TOURNAMENT - If you are playing singles, you go up against 3 people for the title of "All supreme sweetguy of Mario's Tennis." If you are playing doubles, you and a computer partner go up against two other teams for the title of "All supreme sweetguy of Mario's Tennis and the computer partner." LEVEL The difficulty level. Easy means it isn't hard, and Hard means it isn't easy. Complicated, I know. Nintendo knew this was highly complicated, so in the game instruction booklet, they made this table: +--------------------+------+------+--------+ | |Easy |Normal|Hard | +--------------------+------+------+--------+ |Ball Speed |Slow |Slow |Fast | +--------------------+------+------+--------+ |Racquet contact area|Large |Large |Standard| +--------------------+------+------+--------+ |Opponent power |Weak |Strong|Strong | +--------------------+------+------+--------+ |Player's body can |No |No |Yes | |obscure ball | | | | +--------------------+------+------+--------+ |Player speed |Slow |Slow |Fast | +--------------------+------+------+--------+ **The ball won't hit the player character's body. MATCH 1 SET - One match (game) or best-of-three match (2 or 3 games, depending on who wins). CHARCTERS This is where you pick your character and the opponent's character, and in doubles, it is where you pick your character, your partner's character, and the two opponents. If I had any real skill in Email Effects, I would make pictures of the seven characters, but since I don't, I just put up CHARACTERS to show you where they are on the menu, because I know you'd probably miss out on the seven portirets at the bottom of the menu screen. If you want information on the characters, head on over to Section 5. C. Basic Terms (sect.4.c) Game/Match - In this guide I use these two terms interchangably. You play one or three games in one setting, depending on what you set the Sets to. Set - A set is at least 6 games. To win a set, you must win at least six games, and beat the opponent or the other team by two points. In this game you get the option to make the video game go through either 1 or 3 sets. Whoever wins 2 out of 3 sets in the 3 Sets mode wins. Tie Break - This is played when the score is 6-6. The first person or team to score seven points, and win by two points, takes the set. Out - If your ball lands outside the play area, you lose the point. Net - The thing you are supposed to hit the ball over. Fault - If your serve sucks and it hits outside the play area, you have "Fault"ed. If you do this twice in a row, it is called "Double Fault." You lose the point if you get a Double Fault. Let - If your serve hits the net and falls in the play area, you "let." Meaning, you get to try again and you don't have a fault counted against you. Serve - The server stands behind the baseline outside the court, tosses the nifty red ball in the air, and then is supposed to hit it so it goes across the court. A ball that has just been served must bounce once before being hit. Groundstroke - Hit the ball back to the opponent after it has bounced on the ground once. Overhead smash - Hit the ball as it flies overhead. This shot is very fast and powerful. Volley - While close to the net, hit hte ball before it bounces. Lob - Hit the ball over the head of the opponent who is at the net. Medium-distance hit - This is the stroke that occurs if you push A on the controller. Long-distance hit - This is the stroke that occurs if you push B on the controller. The long-distance hit has a different sound than the medium-distance hit. D. Tennis Scoring (sect.4.d) The crucial thing to understand in tennis is the concept of "in" and "out." No, this isn't about cliques or anything, it is about where the ball lands after it is hit by either you or your opponent. To help you out with this, I have created a delightful little ASCII replica of a tennis court. As you can see, the places that say OUT mean that if you hit the ball there and it bounces twice, you lose the point. The places that say IN mean if the ball is hit there and bounces twice, you get a point. OUT for Serves means that if you serve and hit the ball and it lands there, its out. The places that say OUT in Sing, IN in Doub mean those places are OUT for Singles matches (one-on-one), but they are considered IN for Doubles matches (team-on-team). The OUT in Sing, IN in Doub places are also places where you will get a Fault if you serve it and it hits there (in both Singles and Doubles). +----+------------------------+----+ | | | | | | | | | | OUT for | | | | Serves | | | | | | |OUT | IN |OUT | |in +-----------+------------+in | |Sing| | |Sing| | | | | | |IN | | |IN | |in | IN |in | |Doub| | |Doub| | | | | | +----+-----------+------------+----+ | | | | | | | | | | | | IN | | | | | | | | | | | | |OUT | | |OUT | |in +-----------+------------+in | |Sing| IN |Sing| | | | | |IN | |IN | |in | OUT for |in | |Doub| Serves |Doub| | | | | +----+------------------------+----+ To score in tennis, you can do the following things: 1) The opponent hits the ball out of bounds. 2) The opponent screws up serving twice in a row (double fault). 3) You hit the ball over to the other side, it lands in, and bounces twice. 4) The opponent hits the net and the ball stays on the opponent's side. Points: No score: 0/Love 1st score: 15 2nd score: 30 3rd score: 40 4th score: Win the Match If the game reaches 40-40, it is called a Deuce. The next point someone (or some team) scores is called the Advantage. If that player (or team) scores the next point after that, they win the Match. If that player (or team) doesn't score, it goes back to Deuce. This continues until someone scores after scoring the Advantage. E. Serving (sect.4.e) Serving is pretty simple once you get it down. You move left and right to position yourself, and push A to throw the ball up, and then to hit the ball, push A for a hard serve, B for a soft serve. Remember to get it in the "IN" area (check my ASCII map above if you are having problems). To Power Serve, push up and A right as the ball is starting to fall down. If you do it correctly, you'll hear the sound of an overhead smash, and your serve will be quite powerful and it is hard to return these serves (hence the name). This will take several tries, so don't break your VB if you don't get it the first time (not that you would-I mean, you want to have something to sell on eBay if you go broke, right?). F. Singles / Doubles (sect.5.f) In Singles mode, you will be playing alone against a computer controlled opponent. Who you pick as your opponent decides what stage you wind up in. Singles isn't as frantic as Doubles, but now both you and your opponent cover less ground, so it is easier to score. In Doubles mode, you will be playing with a computer partner against a team of two computer controlled opponents. Who you pick as your first opponent decides what stage you wind up in. Doubles is more frantic and even though you and your partner might be covering more ground than in Singles, there is more play area. Also, since your partner can't yell "yours" or "mine," you'll have to just guess when your partner will be getting the ball. Keep in mind, your partner will never be on the same side as you-if you move over to the left part of the court, he'll move to the right, and vice versa. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 5) Characters (sect.5) All 7 characters in Mario's Tennis have different attributes, and to help you pick the right character for you, I have created a dandy ASCII table. (Note: Racquet = Racquet contact area) +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Character |Speed |Racquet|Strength| +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Mario | 3 | 3 | 4 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Luigi | 4 | 3 | 3 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Princess Toadstool | 2 | 5 | 3 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Yoshi | 5 | 2 | 3 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Toad | 4 | 2 | 2 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Koopa Troopa | 2 | 5 | 3 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ |Donkey Kong Jr. | 1 | 1 | 5 | +-------------------+-------+-------+--------+ This should give you only a rough idea on all the character's attributes. None of the characters have a significant edge over the others that allows you to dominate the game. I suggest trying each of the characters and see which one you do the best with. A. Mario (sect.5.a) From the instruction booklet: He is an average player whose court speed and leg strength are solid. His racquet contact area is average, and he relies on hig skillful groundstrokes, though he will approach the net occasionally. My thoughts: Mario, like in all the other games, is the middle-of-the-road average guy who is good at everything, but excellent in nothing. Mario is a bit stronger than his brother, but Luigi is faster than Mario. I suggest playing as either Mario or Luigi when you first start playing the game to get the idea of what is considered average in this game. If you are playing against Mario, keep in mind he specializes in nothing, and is good at everything. For this reason, try to hit balls far away from him, since he isn't the fastest, but keep in mind he isn't the slowest. Mario will return nearly every ball hit in his direction, so the solution is to not hit them anywhere near him. B. Luigi (sect.5.b) From the instruction booklet: His skill level and court strategy are similar to Mario's. He has better court converage, though, due to being faster than Mario. My thoughts: Luigi is faster than Mario, but for my money, he just doesn't seem as strong. As I said earlier, take your pick between Mario and Luigi when you first start out, and then try other chracters. Playing against Luigi is a lot like playing against Mario. The difference is that Luigi is faster than Mario, so you can't use the strategy above. Instead, get him near the net, and then hit an overhead smash. It should go over his head, and he can't move fast enough to hit it back. C. Princess Toadstool (sect.5.c) From the instruction booklet: The princess is slow, but her racquet contact area is large. She doesn't like to approach the net, perferring to instead rally from the baseline. My thoughts: The instruction booklet is totally right when they talk about the princess. She is slow, but quick enough to run after a ball and rally. She does okay at the net, but I have done much better when I'm near the baseline. Playing against Princess Toadstool is pretty simple. Just use someone quick for maximum results. Hit, move, hit, move, and try to hit it away from where she is, because there is almost no chance of her moving all the way across the court before the ball bounces twice. D. Yoshi (sect.5.d) From the instruction booklet: 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. My thoughts: If you want to be fast and play the net like its your job, Yoshi is the guy for you. In my opininon, Yoshi's contact area doesn't seem to be that much of a problem to me, but then again, I'm weird. Since Yoshi is the fastest, playing against him is a big pain. Generally, just try your hardest to get balls behind him, either by hitting the ball with a strongstroke, or lobbing the ball in a good angle. E. Toad (sect.5.e) From the instruction booklet: 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. My thoughts: Toad is my favorite character to play as. I'm also the best with him, and so can you. You just need to be able to play at the net the whole time, which really isn't a problem. Toad (along with Koopa) has a skill that none of the other characters have, and that is the skill of lunging at shots, which makes up for Toad's lack of power (well, most of the time). Toad is fairly simple to beat. Since he's best up at the net, that is generally where the computer will send him. Since Toad is shorter than most of the other characters, it is a lot easier to get the ball over his head and behind him. F. Koopa (sect.5.f) From the instruction booklet: 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. My thoughts: I used to play as Koopa all the time, and the reason being is that he has enough power to play the baseline effectively. Koopa, like Toad, has the ability to lunge at balls. This skill more or less makes up for Koopa's poor speed, but lunging won't save the day all the time, so don't put too much confidence in that ability. While it may seem hard to beat Koopa, there is a pretty simple way. Try to get him to lunge at the ball, and once it comes back to you, smash it in another direction. This won't work every time, but Koopa is pretty slow, so you shouldn't have a hard time returning his shots. G. Donkey Kong Jr. (sect.5.g) From the instruction booklet: 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. My thoughts: Donkey Kong Jr. is a character you should play as only after playing this game for a while. Donkey Kong Jr. is pathetically slow, and his racquet contact area is horrible, but his strength can win you the game. If you can actually play as Donkey Kong Jr. Keep the ball away from Donkey Kong Jr., because he is incredibly strong. So basically, just hit the ball away from him. Most of the time, he won't be able to keep up. Of course, when he does, be ready to run after the ball. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 6) Strategies (sect.6) Mario's Tennis isn't a very complicated game, but it does require a good amount of skill to beat the computer on some of the higher settings. To help you out on this, I made this section. But this section isn't just for those who need help, it's to Maria Lawnhart of Sandpoint, Idaho. It's to John Harding of Prospect, Connecticut. It's to Brandon Ying of Bethesda, Maryland. And it's to Amy Tusta of Molokai, Hawaii. Just those four people. A. Singles (sect.6.a) + In most cases, try to mirrior what your opponent is doing. If he goes up to the net, move on up. If he plays the baseline, move on back. This is so you can prevent your opponent from hitting the ball over your head from the baseline, and to prevent tricky shots from the net. + Unless you have never seen tennis before, you already know it is a good idea to hit the ball in an area of the court where your opponent isn't in. To illustrate this fine point of mine, I have created yet another ASCII to not only help YOU, but to make this stupid FAQ even larger. +----+------------------------+----+ | | | | | | P | | P : Player | | | | | | | | | B : Ball | | | | | | | | | | C : Computer | +-+---------+------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +----+-+---------+------------+----+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | C | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+---------+------------+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |\|/ | | | | B | | | | | | +----+------------------------+----+ Basically you want to hit it exactly where the computer opponent is not. Meaning, if the opponent is in the front right hand square, hit it to the back left, etc. You can also do this by very weakly hitting it up right next to the net. You'll hear a different sound indicating you have hit it very weakly, and the ball will have very little bounce after hitting the court floor. Unless the computer is up there right by you, there is a pretty good chance you'll score. + Depending on the character you are playing with, it would be good to either stay in the middle of your side of the court, or to position yourself to where you think the ball is going to be hit to. Now for the latter case, this may not work so well, because the computer isn't totally predictable. However, this is a good strategy because it works most of the time, and you don't have to constantly move around and risk missing the ball. B. Doubles (sect.6.b) + Most of the time, you shouldn't move across the court, because then the computer will do the same. This isn't good, because as you and the computer are moving, a ball can be hit from your opponent and it could bounce twice through the gap you and the computer partner make as you move around. + The other team will almost always have one player play the baseline while the other plays the net (your computer partner wants it to be like this too). + If you are playing the net, try to hit an overhead smash, as this will more often than not lead to you scoring. The other team just doesn't move fast enough to hit the ball back over. + The computer will try to hit the ball away from both you and your partner. Mimic them and try to hit the ball in the gap between them. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, then take a look here: +----+------------------------+----+ | | | | | | P | | P : Player/Partner | | \ | | | | \ | | B : Ball | | \ | | | | \ | | C : Computer Players | +---\-------+------------+ | | | \ | | | | | \ | | | | | \ | P | | | | \ | / | | | | \ | / | | | | \ | / | | +----+-------\---+-/----------+----+ | | \ | / | | | | \ |/ | | | | \ / | | | | C \ / | | | | \/| | | | | \/| | | | +---------/\+------------+ | | | / \ | | | | / \ | | | | / \ | | | | / \ | | | | / \ C | | | | / \ | | +----+-----/--------\---------+----+ + When choosing a partner, try to pick someone that complements your character's abilities. For example, if your character plays the baseline better than the net, try picking someone that can play the net, etc. + If you always seem to have trouble beating a certain computer player, try picking him as your partner. This way, you'll never go against him. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 7) Codes (sect.7) The only code in the game... Hard Mode: Use the L and R buttons on the back of the VB, and this code is to be put in on the title screen. L, L, R, L, R, SELECT Game Genie / Game Shark Codes: Oh wait, the VB was a failure. Whoops. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 8) FAQ (sect.8) Remember way back when FAQ actually meant Frequently Asked Questions, in which it would be only a file full of Questions (that were Frequently Asked) and anwsers? I don't, but I thought that would make good filler. Question: How do I get this game and a Virtual Boy? Answer: Used game shops probably won't have them, though I'd look there first because there might be a chance that the people at the used game shops have no clue that the Virtual Boy is worth quite a lot online. After checking your local quality used game shop, try eBay.com Question: What does all that crap on the results screen mean? Answer: Thanks both to Email Effects and the Mario's Tennis instruction booklet, you can have a nice little table of what everything means. +-------------+--------------------------------+ |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. | +-------------+--------------------------------+ Question: In the Mario's Tennis instruction booklet, why do they say "Notice that the net is decorated with hearts." for part of the court description on page 16? Answer: I don't know. But I'm scared. Question: Who is the best character? Answer: Who knows. You can beat the computer on any setting with any of them with some practice. Question: I need help beating the computer! Answer: Well, read the guide. Or if the guide doesn't help you any, feel free to e-mail me about it. Question: What is with the ending of The Marriage of Maria Braun all about? Answer: I'm not really sure, but I can tell you that Konrad Adenauer is cool. And by cool, I mean totally sweet. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 9) Comments (sect.9) While the Virtual Boy was a total and complete failure, I'm glad it came out so I could enjoy this game. Mario's Tennis is probably the most underrated and ignored of every Mario game (that I've played, anyway). There is just something about this game that makes me like it so much. I'm not sure if it is the goofy instruction booklet, the tennis clothes all the characters wear, how Toad looks after he scores a point, the good music, or just the fact everything is red and black that makes me like it so much. Maybe it is a combination of all of it that makes this game so enjoyable and fun to play. Whatever the reason, it once against proves that Yokoi could take Miyamoto any day of the week. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ 10) In Closing (sect.10) Well there you have it, the end of this FAQ/Guide/Thingey. Thanks for reading. This FAQ was created in Araneae (araneae.com). The great ASCII art you have seen was created in Email Effects (http://www.sigsoftware.com/emaileffects). I'd like to take this space and thank: God, my parents, Araneae and Email Effects, Nintendo, Microsoft, Subway, Stanley Kubrick, Otto von Bismark, He Who Sits With Women And Eats Bacon, Gumpei Yokoi, R&D1 and TJive. +----------------------------------------------------------------------------+ *end of file*