Lack of Regulation Courts
Tell me when you notice something awry here: in Mario Tennis Aces, you can play on a hard court, a grass court, a clay court, or a pirate ship. A court on a pirate ship? How does that work? Well, it’s much the same as any of the other courts, but if your ball ricochets off the mast in the middle of the court, it’s considered a point for the other player. Punishment for poor ergonomics – what a travesty that is!
In the Adventure Mode, this is simply par for the course, as Mario journeys across the land (a place where all of life’s issues are conveniently solved with tennis) and faces off against opponents in decidedly one-sided contests.
Eventually, he enters a haunted mansion, and challenges Boo on his spooky home turf, where a pair of mirrors swirl maliciously over the net. Should Boo hit a shot into one of these mirrors, it will be spewed out of the other one, sending Mario reeling. If Mario attempts this himself, it will teleport across, but still somehow comes right back at him like a boomerang.
Not only is this blatantly unfair, but it’s also an existential nightmare that would leave Jack Kerouac in tears. It’s worth noting, however, that all of these opponents still end up using Mario Tennis Aces branded balls, so it’s not all bad for the enterprising plumber.
