Wii Mario Power Tennis dated

By Robert Purchese Published 20 January, 2009

GameCube remakes with motion-sensing.

Nintendo plans to release Mario Power Tennis for Wii on 6th March, a month after the already-announced Pikmin Wiimake.

Both are old GameCube games, but return to life under the New Play Control! brand, which means Wii motion-sensing controls in addition to other nips and tucks.

The new Pikmin Wiimote controls should make it easier to boss Captain Olimar around, and there's an updated save system so you can restart from any day in the game's cycle. That's freedom on a Braveheart scale.

Mario Power Tennis picks up Wii Sports-style arm flailing, as well as extra replay camera options and split-screen play for one human plus friend.

Retailers put both as full-price titles (RRP GBP 39.99). Nintendo claims the games will sell for GBP 29.99, but it's not clear if this is the actual recommended retail price.

Pikmin 2 and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat will join later this year, and Nintendo plans to convert many more, which should keep the core audience happy. Snort.

Look up our original Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin reviews to see what we thought.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (38) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DFawkes #1 3 years ago

    Please release Mario Sunshine in these re-releases, I missed it first time around and I really don't want to buy a 'Cube cintroller just for that.

  • Malek86 #2 3 years ago

    Give me Wind Waker with 16:9 and 480p. I don't care about the rest. Oh, and also give me the option to keep GC controls.

  • Eraysor #3 3 years ago

    It was looking great until the full-price part. It seems Ninty are taking the Animal Crossing approach with everything now - change one or two things on an ancient game and rerelease endlessly.

  • jonsaan #4 3 years ago

    Can you play both with the original control schemes if you want to?

  • Cadence #5 3 years ago

    Full price?! Fuck you Nintendo.

  • BM #6 3 years ago

    Mario Power Tennis = goooooood

  • CallousB #7 3 years ago

    I might buy at £19.95..but no chance at full price. Little Kings Story seems far more worthwhile if I want a Pikmin style game..and buying a tennis game now seems pointless with Wii Motion+ just around the corner.

  • DonnieDarko333 #8 3 years ago

    Nice idea...but i agree full-price is a absolute disgrace...£19.99 RRP is much more sensible i think.

  • JayScott #9 3 years ago

    Full price is an issue, but whinging about Gamecube releases being re-released to take advantage of the exponentially wider audience the Wii offers is retarded. It makes great business sense, and is also excellent for the new consumers. So you've already played them. Get over it.

    The choices they are making seem pretty good too. Pikmin and Mario Tennis will fit the Wiimote well, I think (though I wish they'd remake the N64 Mario Tennis rather than the vastly inferior Gamecube version).

    Oh, and EG, the Pikmin link in this article is empty.

  • Pro_Gamer #10 3 years ago

    Surely anybody who is educated enough about games (hint: reads eurogamer) would be foolish enough to buy these things?

  • bigbadbeasty #11 3 years ago

    Even as a Nintendo fan, my head drops when I see 'full price'. It is very irksome.

    The interesting thing is that even though we moan about the obvious re-makes of older games, it is at least something Nintendo are doing openly. There has been a lot of similar 're-makes' in this generation that have been almost as blatant.

  • JayScott #12 3 years ago

    You don't get it, do you? They aren't being released for you people who've already played them to play. It's really not that difficult a concept. The Wii audience is massive compared to the Gamecube audience. That's who they're aimed at.

  • BadBoyBonner #13 3 years ago

    Surely anybody who is educated enough about games (hint: reads eurogamer) would be foolish enough to buy these things?

    Surely NObody who is educated enough about games (hint: reads eurogamer) would be foolish enough to buy these things?

    or

    Surely anybody who is educated enough about games (hint: reads eurogamer) would NOT be foolish enough to buy these things?

    FIXED

  • bdgr #14 3 years ago

    i don't remember this type of fuss about RE4...

  • playgen #15 3 years ago

    Its a Mario Tennis game, it was inevitible the Wii would get one, so why not a brand new one? Sure the majority of Wii owners wont have played this one, but that doesn't hide the fact its still an old game, will it have online play for example, I'm guessing not. The Wii has been out long enough for Nintendo to develop new games in these staple series, and they sure have the money to develop them. Its just pure greed releasing these games at full price, Nintendo have such a success on their hands with the Wii, why risk screwing it up and getting a bad reputation to save a bit on development costs.

  • viper_h #16 3 years ago

    Where's the Prime remakes? They're not mentioned.

  • Physically_Insane #17 3 years ago

    Give me some new games please.

  • Cid #18 3 years ago

    I'm pretty cynical about this "play it on Wii" thing. On one hand it's good that these games are being released to a wider audience, but on the other I can't help but think this is just a quick and easy way of getting a Mario Tennis game onto the Wii. There's virtually zero incentive for those of us who own the original, but this could well be the only Mario Tennis game the Wii gets.

    If they'd added online support it might've been worth it.
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 12:55

  • dahsif #19 3 years ago

    So, this is what Miyamoto talked about at E3 when he said "We're making PIKMIN"

    OOOOOOOKKKKKKKKKKKKKAAAAAAAYYYYY.

  • JayScott #20 3 years ago

    No it was not. They are working on Pikmin 3.

    Not that I think referencing Wiki is the most reliable thing in the world but it's a start.

    [link url=http://en.wikipe dia.org/wiki/Pikmin_(series)
    ]http://en.wikipe dia.org/wiki/Pikmin_(ser...[/link]

  • Dermoth #21 3 years ago

    It's very simple - if they get the motion controls right on WMPT, I'm buying it. I love the original, and will be pissing pure joy for a week if the Wiimake turns out to be GOOD.

    I don't care if it's reasonably priced and packed with innovations if the game turns out to be shit. I'd much rather it was expensive and lazy and *fun to play*. If they can get the controls to work, they'll have my money.

  • doctorgonzo #22 3 years ago

    An old GC title, eh? So when you say "Wii Mario Power Tennis dated" you mean it quite literally, I take it?

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #23 3 years ago

    Jesus, some people here are acting as if there's a gun to their heads and they are being forced to buy these. It's just like the comments in the Shooters 2009 preview where idiots where banging on about Halo: ODST as if stolen their lunch money.

    Look on the brightside - it's an easy way for Nintendo to build an audience and test the waters for a new title.

    "Wiimote waggling in Pikmin... "

    That's lazy pandering to the fanboy hordes EG. If any game could be improved massively by using the Wiimote then Pikmin is it. Waggling implies it's a tacked on afterthought.
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 13:46

  • Eraysor #24 3 years ago

    I must admit if Metroid Prime 1 and 2 were remade for the Wii I'd probably buy both.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #25 3 years ago

    They are!

  • Machiavellian #26 3 years ago

    The problem with what Nintendo is doing is that they are Charging you full price for old games retro fitted with Wii controls. This is the type of business tactics people would expect from Sony or MS and the same Nintendo apologist would be condemming them as the creations of Satan.

    It's very plain and simple this is a quick money grab that Nintendo knows will bring in tons of money. Solid remakes from the Gamecube are fun titles. Because the games are Nintendo and has a Nintendo mascot will definitely increase sales. This definitely a smart move by Nintendo but it sure doesn't do any diehard Nintendo fans any service. More like a slap in the face that they are no longer the target market.

  • Santino #27 3 years ago

    full price is a fucking joke (but i'll still buy the metroid titles i love the controls and the games too much), are these not budget in america and japan? i know that online they will still be £30 but i would much prefer a £19.99 price tag.

  • sneetch #28 3 years ago

    @JayScott
    Full price is an issue, but whinging about Gamecube releases being re-released to take advantage of the exponentially wider audience the Wii offers is retarded.

    Perhaps I'm crazy, or have ignored far more people than I thought, but no-one was complaining about them re-releasing the games here.

  • kinky_mong #29 3 years ago

    i don't remember this type of fuss about RE4...

    Because it included the extra Ada stuff that wasn't in the Gamecube version and was released at a cheaper price.

  • trip1ex #30 3 years ago

    Why not release Wiimakes?

    The 3rd parties are providing little competition with all their crap shovelware and the Gamecube tanked so most people haven't seen Nintendo's GC lineup. When opportunity knocks.....

    And no one bitches about Parker Bros pumping out Monopoly or Risk year after year at full price. I don't see much difference with videogames.

  • FenderMaster #31 3 years ago

    snort indeed...

    i eagerly await Wind Waker Wii-make, i sold my GC before it came out...

  • sneetch #32 3 years ago

    @Pac-man ate my wife
    That's lazy pandering to the fanboy hordes EG. If any game could be improved massively by using the Wiimote then Pikmin is it. Waggling implies it's a tacked on afterthought.

    Unless it's how they actually feel about it.

    As for whether or not it could be improved massively by the wii-mote, well, that's a matter of opinion: the original cube controls were fantastic, they were accurate and fast and only time will tell if the wii-mote handles as well (there is a degree of shakiness with the wii-mote that isn't there with the original controller so you'll have more "missed" pikmin throws with the wii-mote).

    @bdgr
    i don't remember this type of fuss about RE4...

    Charging full price for RE4 was ridiculous (it was €45 over here) and it's ridiculous to charge it for this. Regardless of whether or not you remember a fuss it's the reason why I never bought RE4 on Wii despite being tempted several times, just can't justify spending full price on a version of a game I've already bought.

  • sneetch #33 3 years ago

    @trip1ex
    And no one bitches about Parker Bros pumping out Monopoly or Risk year after year at full price. I don't see much difference with videogames.

    The difference is that the physical manufacturing costs of a game DVD, case and manual are much smaller than the physical manufacturing costs of a board game like Monopoly or Risk. They're cheaper to transport and store as well.

    In both cases the design and development work has been paid for, granted Nintendo are rewriting the control code, but does that change justify charging full price for an 8 year old game? I don't think so.

    If you think about it most of the cost of a videogame is in design and development rather than manufacturing of playing pieces. In the case of old games like Pikmin those costs have already been accounted for (either recouped from sales on the cube or written-off as a loss in 2001/2002, I believe Pikmin made a profit), that means that these reissues are almost pure profit, relatively little dev costs, relatively low risk.

    Oh and I think Monopoly is now cheaper than it ever was. It's only €17 in my local toy store, I remember it costing over £25 when I were a lad.
    Edited by 2 at 20/01/09 @ 17:34

  • Burkey123 #34 3 years ago

    I actually can't wait for the Prime remakes.
    Metroid Prime 1 + Wii controls = Perfection
    Edited by 1 at 20/01/09 @ 17:29

  • canIdoyabombsforya #35 3 years ago

    farticusmaximus
    "This is fucking disgraceful.
    Why not just release NES games with useless waggle controls bolted on too? At full price, to really put the boot in.
    Surely Wii owners are not so gullible as to fall for this pathetic recycling?..... oh wait. "

    Will the 10 million Wii owners who didn't buy a Gamecube agree with you?
    Edited by 2 at 20/01/09 @ 20:45

  • shotgun44 #36 3 years ago

    Its good that these games are being released for a wider audience but i remember 3 years ago when I bought a gamecube with Metroid and Windwaker (maybe not, but a GC Zelda) game for £26 off ebay...

  • monkeylite #37 3 years ago

    RE4: Wii wasn't full price.

    Plus it had the PS2 bonus content as well.

  • Lawlost #38 3 years ago

    Wow. Vent that anger. Ok for all those who were unhappy about the price how does £17.99 grab you? By the throat hopefully. If anyone is still reading the thread here is the link http://ww w.shopto.net/page.php?page=dett...