“Super Mario Multiverse” – Mario Tennis (VB) by the Arcade Mage

It is one of those video gaming moments I can remember like it was yesterday. Well, maybe not YESTERDAY yesterday, but one of a few that I can recall vividly. It would have been in elementary school, probably when I was in 7th grade. My older brother was in high school at that point and was making new friends. However, it was also at the time before he could drive. So, the times when he went to friends’ houses, my mother would have to drop him off or pick him up. On occasion, I would be in-tow.

One time I was with my mother when she picked up my older brother and, while she was waiting for my older brother to get his things and socialize, I found myself with some free time at their house. My brother said his friend had a cool new video game system and wanted to show it to me. On his dining room table, center-stage for all to see, was the Nintendo Virtual Boy.

Honestly, I really do think that people treat the Virtual Boy quite unfairly. It is popular to hate on the console, and many do so to think they are clever and to get retweets or likes. Or make a youtube video for views while making cheap laughs. Most people don’t sit down and try and truly experience the Virtual Boy. I guess no one does because they always go blind playing it. Ha. Ha. Where is my ad revenue?

As much as you may dislike the hard facts, the Nintendo Virtual Boy was a technological feat. Additionally, it was created and developed by Gunpei Yokoi, the darling of many a Nintendo fanboy. He is a large part of why Nintendo is what it is today. He created the Game & Watch, Nintendo’s directional pad, the Gameboy, and helped produce and release the Metroid series (not to mention the philosophy that is still driving Nintendo’s innovation: “Lateral Thinking with Matured Technology”). Yokoi’s skills, philosophy, and business acumen all went into the Nintendo Virtual Boy. (Fun fact, because of the commercial failure of the Virtual Boy, Yokoi left Nintendo and went on to create the Wonderswan.)

I say this because to sit down at someone’s dining room table and be introduced to a whole new world of video gaming, a land rife with possibility, an entire dimension I dare say (ha) is a magical thing. Everyone has had, I hope, more than one moment where they are touched by the pure, undistilled magic that video gaming can be. The sheer possibility. The idea than any experience can be had if only a developer is inspired to create it. I felt this playing Mario Tennis.

It was as if I was looking into another world through the lenses of the Virtual Boy. Looking at the world Mario and his friends (and enemies) existed within. The game had scope, depth and, for me, felt alive. Not to mention the vastness of the landscapes that screenshots cannot begin to capture. The only word I can use describe the feeling this evokes within me is Hiraeth. It is a Welsh word that means the longing or homesickness for a land or place you cannot return to, no longer exists, or, perhaps, never existed at all…

Being able to play a game in virtual reality for the first time is a really cool experience. It can only happen once. Some would say, I am sure: “Wow. Sucks it happened with the Virtual Boy.” and I would respectfully disagree. I still feel the magic Virtual Reality can bring playing the Playstation VR. Astrobot is a truly amazing game and one of the best platformers I have played in the last 10 years. But, more than that, Mario Tennis is a really good sports game and a well-crafted VR game.

In Mario Tennis you can play singles or doubles and can participate in quick matches or tournaments. The bread and butter of most, if not all, Mario related sports games. The 3D effects are done quite well, the controls are tight, and it is easy to play a fast quick game of tennis. You have seven players you can pick from and multiple A.I. difficulties. While some series stumble out of the gate, Mario Tennis is a very solid start to a series that continues to this day with Mario Tennis: Aces being released on the Nintendo Switch in 2018.

Not to mention the soundtrack is excellent.

While I didn’t play Mario Tennis for a long time that night, the experience I had with it has stayed with me ever since. Throughout the years I have enjoyed many games, but there are only a few of them that have touched me with the true essence of video gaming. Many of those games are Super Mario games and has been, in part, why I have felt compelled to share my memories through the Super Mario Multiverse Collaboration. Mario Tennis is one of them. It was magical then, and still holds that magic now.

My initial enjoyment of the Virtual boy led to me not only purchasing one years later (and, perhaps being the last person to send one in for repair by Nintendo in 2008), but also attempting to collect the entire Virtual Boy library. In addition, I’ve also purchased homebrews and unreleased games that received a physical release in recent years. I talked about it in the recent Game Room World Tour Collaboration on TWRM.

While I am objective enough to understand the problems the Virtual Boy encountered upon launch and why it was a financial failure, nevertheless I do not think people give credit where credit is due. There are some bad games on the system, but there are just as many great games on the system as well. In fact, fellow mages have also lauded other Mario games on the Virtual Boy in the Super Mario Multiverse Collaboration: Wario Land and Mario Clash.

Do I recommend playing Mario Tennis? I answer with a resounding YES. Of course, I suppose some may cite me for wearing red-tinted glasses where the Virtual Boy is concerned, but I’ll take that citation gladly and keep on playing.

The Arcade Mage loves video games new and old, cutting his teeth on the Atari 2600 and enjoying his senescence (i.e. 30s) with the Playstation VR. When he isn’t playing video games, or hanging out with his cat Belle (A level 17 Meowirror of Light), he can be found at www.arcadecastle.com. The Arcade Mage has the largest collection of video game licensed board games on the planet, and his website is the nexus of research into these games. How do you transform a video game into a board game experience? Can it be done? With a podcast, youtube videos, reviews, and news on this subject, The Arcade Mage attempts to understand video game history through the lens of the tabletop.

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: