Mario Tennis Ultra Smash(Wii U)

[Milo]

Has the Nintendo World Report preview been posted here? Because....it's pretty painful to read. Here are a few segments, full preview in the link.

I love the Mario sports games. They have flair, a wide variety of modes and tons of fan service that makes them really stand out. Vivid memories of Mario Golf: World Tour are still burned into my memory as it is one of my favorite Nintendo 3DS games to date. This is why, somewhere, I was excited to give Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash a go. I wanted the game to be a good for those short playing sessions and get deep into the modes it had on offer. Quickly after booting the game though, I just felt an immense amount of sadness. I am here to tell the tale about why Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is not a good game.

...

The big mode that they are promoting here are the Mega Battles. These are the matches that I played during E3 and Gamescom. It follows the same gameplay set-up as Mario Tennis Open with the added bonus of Mega Mushrooms being thrown on the court. When touched by a character, he/she will grow to gigantic proportions for a limited time. It will make balls easier to hit and attacks will charge way faster than without them. The problem is that they aren't a fantastic addition to the gameplay. It just forces the other player to defend a bit harder and wait until his chance comes. This situation feels more annoying in doubles as the players without the Mega Mushrooms feel a bit useless throughout.

...

The moment I opened up that online tab, my jaw dropped to the floor. The game has no support for lobbies or communities, which pretty much means that you can't play with friends. The only options on entering are Singles and Doubles. By selecting one of these, there are some limited stuff available before entering a match. There are Relaxed and Serious options, with the latter allowing you to play some ranked battles and grow your standing in the world. You are free to choose any of the standard modes, but unlike local multiplayer, you don't have any control about the length of the match. You can choose for a tiebreaker or a two-game, one-set match. In Doubles, you can play together with a local friend or an Amiibo of your choosing, but that is only freedom you are going to get.

...

The more controversial thing is that there is just one stadium with nine different courts. While this one stadium is nicely detailed, it drains the energy out of you so quickly that I couldn't care less about what I was doing. There are some interesting courts there like Mushroom, Carpet and Ice, but ultimately just all felt sort of there.

...

The music isn't anything to shout about either. It doesn't really have that Mario charm to it and feels like music of any given sports game. It is good background music, but that doesn't mean that it fits the formula.

...

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash feels like a disappointment in every given way. With one stadium and limited online options, you already see how this game is shaping up. Then you also take into account the slight changes to the formula and how little everything in the game seems to matter. The game feels like a gap filler and not a great one. It fills the niche for a Mario sports title on Wii U, but it also feels like a fall from grace at the same time. Even when compared to Mario Tennis Open, Camelot wasn't inventive or creative with this one. That makes the situation so darn depressing.

There is also a Gamexplain preview too. That one wasn't too jolly either.

EDIT: Quote system screwed up, fixed it so hopefully the formatting is better now.

Edited October 31, 2015 by Gabe

[Salamander]

So... it was rushed forward to fill the holiday season line-up, I take it?  Or just another example of Nintendo taking one step forward and two steps back?

[Mando-Whirl-Wind]

I would say a big part was the rush, the other part was this being Camelot's first HD game, something they said they couldn't do on their own without going broke(which has happened to a few companies, HD conversion is not an easy thing)

[Your Vest Friend]

Bowser Jr using tools (especially as he moves up to more intricate machines) also fits the bios that describe him as being more intelligent than Bowser, and as he grows up it'd make sense that he'd make more use of them. 

[JezMM]

Ugh I become more and more conflicted on whether to get this with every bit of new impression on it.  I feel I'd spend a budget price on it, like £20, but no more.

[Dantemustdie00]

This makes me wonder if a new Sluggers or Strikers game will turn out just as dull.......I hope not.

[AshGreninJovan]

The game's file size is very low!? Are you serious?

http://nintendoeverything.com/mario-tennis-ultra-smash-file-size/

[JaidynReiman]

The game's file size is very low!? Are you serious?

http://nintendoeverything.com/mario-tennis-ultra-smash-file-size/

With the "Are you serious?" comment are you saying you don't think the size they mentioned is low, or you're just complaining that it is that low? I'm trying to figure out if you actually think its that low, because I'm not really sure.

 

Hyrule Warriors, notably, is 7.8 GB. Yoshi's Woolly World is 7.2 GB. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, a budget game ($40), is 1.9 GB. Pushmo World, a download only game, is 500 MB. Splatoon out of the box is 1.8 GB.

900 MB for Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash seems a bit high for what I thought would be required, but at the same time, when you think about it, its very low for a retail title. Its half the size of Captain Toad, and Captain Toad is $10 cheaper. Unless they plan to add free content after the game launches (here's hoping), Ultra Smash shouldn't be $50 tbh.

 

EDIT: Though on that note, personally, I think they probably planned it for a December launch, but it got pulled back a month, so they couldn't finish everything they had intended. They might work instead on releasing that additional content they planned gradually. The main thing it needs are game modes, though. Stadiums are nice and all, but they don't change the gameplay at all. The court changes here aren't just a reskin, they do change the gameplay around.

This game really needs more game modes before anything else (something that Amiibo Festival has actually resolved nicely and unfortunately Ultra Smash currently is facing major problems with).

Edited November 1, 2015 by JaidynReiman

[AshGreninJovan]

With the "Are you serious?" comment are you saying you don't think the size they mentioned is low, or you're just complaining that it is that low? I'm trying to figure out if you actually think its that low, because I'm not really sure.

 

900 MB for Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash seems a bit high for what I thought would be required, but at the same time, when you think about it, its very low for a retail title. Its half the size of Captain Toad, and Captain Toad is $10 cheaper. Unless they plan to add free content after the game launches (here's hoping), Ultra Smash shouldn't be $50 tbh.

Yeah, I agree. It's too expensive for a small game on a home console. I hope it will cost either $30 or $40.

[JezMM]

A lot of people sort of said this about Splatoon and it's low content at launch, but Mario Tennis isn't even a brand new fresh idea like Splatoon was.  I don't really want to invest in a game that MIGHT get content updates with stuff they didn't have time to finish.

And even if we did get that, the lack of announcement means there's nothing to go on as to whether it'd be paid DLC or not (which would be incredibly shitty).

 

Breaks my heart to skip a game with such good Daisy representation but... think I'll cancel my pre-order for this for now.

[JaidynReiman]

A lot of people sort of said this about Splatoon and it's low content at launch, but Mario Tennis isn't even a brand new fresh idea like Splatoon was.  I don't really want to invest in a game that MIGHT get content updates with stuff they didn't have time to finish.

And even if we did get that, the lack of announcement means there's nothing to go on as to whether it'd be paid DLC or not (which would be incredibly shitty).

 

Breaks my heart to skip a game with such good Daisy representation but... think I'll cancel my pre-order for this for now.

I've said it before, but I think Camelot was asked to develop this game last minute. When Zelda U got delayed, they were asked to make another game for this year's Holiday season so there'd be something else here. It probably took them a few months to get the basic stadium ready, the core gameplay, and a couple of characters. We heard nothing else until now because they've been spending the rest of that time adding a few additional game modes and filling out the character roster, but they didn't have time for much else.

MAYBE they planned additional content, but it was a December launch and then it got pulled back, so that content got delayed. Either way, I do think this was a product of Nintendo delaying their biggest games, and this game wasn't even intended to be made, let alone be a major Holiday title.

 

As for new content, they'd need to announce it ASAP. Currently the game is severely lacking from the previews we're getting.

 

Granted, although Nintendo isn't one to rush, I do think they've been rushing a lot of games lately. The fact is, they're trying to produce a lot more games than they are capable of doing, because they don't have any third-party support. Mario Kart 8 fared a lot better, but its still severely lacking in certain areas. For one thing, no CG opening, just like this game. For two, Battle Mode is crap.

Splatoon's tight launch is probably also a victim of this as well.

 

You actually preordered it? Yeah, though, without Nintendo announcing additional content this game doesn't seem to be all that worth it. I really feel bad for Camelot, I'm sure they didn't intend on this game to turn out so bad.

 

Yeah, I agree. It's too expensive for a small game on a home console. I hope it will cost either $30 or $40.

As far as I can tell, its $50. In Europe, however, you can get Mario Tennis 64 for free if you buy this game (or at least preorder it), so its a much better deal.

Either this game better only be $40 (it wouldn't be lower), or it better have new content announced that will be added in future updates (FOR FREE, not paid), or this game is dead in the water.

 

The best advantage this game had going for it is its a rare Wii U sports title, and its got online. The online is what will make this game stand out above Mario Tennis 64, but even then the online options are severely lacking, so it probably won't help it at all.

 

Right now, honestly, I'd really like to see Twilight Princess HD get announced for the 20th and this game gets delayed to December. But TP HD will probably be a December release (yeah, I do think its this year).

[Salamander]

It sounds like the best-case scenario for this is that either there's somehow lots more content than advertised which we don't know about... or it's going to get a long-term drip-feed of new and free content like Splatoon.  When's this coming out?  Three weeks?  Add that to the list of "things which should probably be in the upcoming Nintendo Direct whenever that may be."

Granted, although Nintendo isn't one to rush, I do think they've been rushing a lot of games lately. The fact is, they're trying to produce a lot more games than they are capable of doing, because they don't have any third-party support. Mario Kart 8 fared a lot better, but its still severely lacking in certain areas. For one thing, no CG opening, just like this game. For two, Battle Mode is crap.

And this is why I hope the NX really is a single platform replacing both the Wii U and the 3DS: So developers are no longer split between consoles and more people can be assigned to each game.

[JaidynReiman]

It sounds like the best-case scenario for this is that either there's somehow lots more content than advertised which we don't know about... or it's going to get a long-term drip-feed of new and free content like Splatoon.  When's this coming out?  Three weeks?  Add that to the list of "things which should probably be in the upcoming Nintendo Direct whenever that may be."

And this is why I hope the NX really is a single platform replacing both the Wii U and the 3DS: So developers are no longer split between consoles and more people can be assigned to each game.

I don't think its a single platform, I think its two platforms. However, the two platforms will be close enough to one another (and use the exact same software) so that games can easily be split between the two with little effort. Only slightly more difficult than making the games work with the GamePad, pretty much. That's how I think its going to play out. Obviously the handheld won't be as powerful as the home console portion, but it'll be designed in a way to make that much easier than in the past.

 

The game is coming out in three weeks, yes. Although, I doubt this game will have a "slow drip" of content. If anything, it'd have content updates in December and maybe January so they can finish the rest of the content they planned, then its done.

[AshGreninJovan]

Here's Toadette:

Source:

http://nintendoeverything.com/mario-tennis-ultra-smash-screens-show-off-toadette/

[JaidynReiman]

Damn they're revealing everything so quickly. I don't want to get my hopes up or anything, but it does feel weird. I'd think they'd take things a bit more slower if the only content in the game is exactly what we know about already. I'm still betting on that, but maybe they do plan on more content to be added (preferably for free considering how lacking this game is).

[Doctor MK]

Toadette reveal trailer:

All we need now is Sprixie and we'll have footage of every character in the game!

[JaidynReiman]

I'm still wondering why they revealed everything so quickly. It took a week to get Dry Bowser/Bowser Jr., why not wait until the end of the week for Toadette? And why not spread the characters out more, revealing two a week until launch?


They're just being very random with how they reveal info about this game.

[AshGreninJovan]

I'm still wondering why they revealed everything so quickly. It took a week to get Dry Bowser/Bowser Jr., why not wait until the end of the week for Toadette? And why not spread the characters out more, revealing two a week until launch?


They're just being very random with how they reveal info about this game.

That's what I really want to know. This is the same case when Nintendo revealed secret characters in Smash 4 before the release of the WiiU version.

[JaidynReiman]

That's what I really want to know. This is the same case when Nintendo revealed secret characters in Smash 4 before the release of the WiiU version.

No its not actually. The 3DS version was already out, and they waited a while to release them, releasing them more gradually. Everyone already knew who all the characters were anyway.

 

This is closer to MK8, where admittedly, they revealed all the characters a month in advance. Most of Nintendo's recent games reveal all the unlockable characters before the game is released. Smash is actually quite surprising in that not only did they not reveal the characters until after the 3DS version released, they also had a "spoiler" tag on the website.

[Salamander]

I would also draw a comparison to the way all the Mega Evolutions in Pokemon ORAS were revealed by quite a little while before the release date.  For many games, marketing has become a lot more spoiler-centric, which I would suggest to be because the concealment of "secret" content disguises the true size of a game - and this one needs all the help it can get.

[JaidynReiman]

So... final character revealed? Unless there's a surprise at some point?

 

http://nintendoeverything.com/screenshots-of-another-secret-character-in-mario-tennis-ultra-smash/

Yeah, we've got screenshots now of

Sprixie Princess

 

I don't know if I should spoiler tag it or not. The character has been officially revealed, after all.

 

EDIT:

Final trailer of in-game content we know about:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwEaqIolWBA

Edited November 4, 2015 by JaidynReiman

[Dipsy]

I am very much looking forward to playing as Rosalina and Sprixie Princess, it comes out right after my birthday so maybe I can convince the future hubby to buy it for me. (✿˘艸˘✿)

[JaidynReiman]

I'm still not sure if there's enough for me to justify it tbh. Maybe if they announce a deal in NA like the European one; get Mario Tennis 64 for free with it, then I might consider it. Or if they announce new content to come in future updates I'm interested in. But I've never played any of the Mario Tennis or Golf games as is, and this one is severely lacking.

[Stritix]

How come I'm only just hearing about this?

Looks great. I'll pick it up.

[JaidynReiman]

How come I'm only just hearing about this?

Looks great. I'll pick it up.

Well until the past couple weeks we knew almost nothing about it, it hadn't been mentioned at all since E3.