The Mario Tennis and Mario Golf games have always stood just that little bit taller than many other Mario-branded Nintendo party games, and that's largely because the developer of those games, Camelot Software Planning, has a fantastic pedigree in the JRPG space, a pedigree they've successfully translated to Nintendo's two key sporting franchises. And Mario Tennis Aces continues this tradition.

Here's a snippet from our review:

Okay, cross-franchise jokes aside, the sports-RPG hybrid design I mentioned above is out in full-force with Aces. It’s not specifically in-depth, but playing the game in certain ways and with a mindset to grow Mario’s skills and racket arsenal is rewarding for those of us willing to put in the time on the court. It can also be super-challenging, but there are various ways to progress yourself through impediments or enemies, while certain challenging side ‘practise’ challenges don’t actually have to be partaken in. But if you want to get the most out of the game, I suggest you suck it up and keep trying -- eye of the tiger and all that.

The unique angle that presents itself in Aces is in collecting more powerful and durable rackets, with durability here being key. And this is because your racket can actually break during play, and if you run out of rackets then you -- or your opponent if they broke all theirs -- is KO’d and out of the match. You can also switch the order of your rackets for tactical play but, in all honesty, I finished the Adventure mode without ever having to change them up, but that the option is there is still a bonus, and might be reflective of your playstyle.

Click here for our full Mario Tennis Aces review.