Mario Tennis Aces Switch Review

  I got this game on release day and usually, I am all about getting my thoughts out as soon as I can but with Mario Tennis Aces by Camelot Software Planning it wasn't so simple.  As I have stated many times before I am very much a very a Nintendo fanboy and on the other hand I was getting extremely frustrated with some aspects of the game.  Since I don't have a real deadline I decided to take a step back, play some other games, then jump in to see where my mind was at.

The Good Parts

  Mario Tennis is pretty sharp as far as mechanics are concerned.  The character control is clean, there are plenty of visual indicators on the court to help you out, and once you get the timing returning makes sense.  The four basic hits offer a good variety of measure/countermeasure gameplay as you try to make your opponent zig while you zag.  It feels like a tennis and fighting game hybrid that charged hits and ultimate attacks can make or break any situation.  On top of the move, each character has their strengths and weaknesses. 

  Right now there are a few game modes provided.  There is a short adventure mode, tournament play, and free play where you can go head to head with a people or NPCs.  There is also a swing mode where you can return the ball using the joy con.  Your player moves automatically but you can also move them with the joy con.  This mode is all about timing, which I was absolutely terrible at when I first started trying it out.  I started to catch on and became a bit more fun.  (I still suck but only mildly.

The Bad Parts

  The game as a whole feels half finished.  The adventure mode was a sparse 4 hours trip through a few repeated puzzles.  A few of them were pretty obnoxious, especially when you get to a court with a pole in the middle of it that the ball can bounce off of.  This would be an interesting mechanic if you weren't at such an awkward angle toward it you can't predict if it's going to bounce off.   The boss fight mechanics were kind of interesting but there were so few that it isn't much to speak about. It really feels like the adventure mode was an afterthought.

   Online play is also an issue.  The tournament play is what we got with the demo.  While the bracket itself isn't a problem the issue with disconnects and lag persists.  There are slowdowns at random times and if you drop connection both sides just win the match.  It feels a bit empty when you win like that.  It really doesn't feel like you are working for much more than your score.  There isn't some great reward for your time besides points, no costumes to unlock, posses, anything that wouldn't require that much time but would add to the game.  It's like they worked hard on the tennis mechanic but forgot to build a game around it.

  The game isn't bad it just isn't what Nintendo has been dropping recently.  The adventure mode was disappointing and the online play hasn't improved.  The lack of achievements or objectives besides numbers makes me already see the end of my time with this game.  There isn't anything to compel me to move forward.  For now, it will be a game I played a little and will break out when friends are over but it's far from a go to. 

TL;DR:

    Mario Tennis Aces while tight in controls and gameplay just feels half finished and an empty.