Holiday Handbook: Video Games

"Mario Power Tennis" (Nintendo for GameCube, rated "Everyone," $49.99) The polite, soft-spoken world of tennis gets a Mario Makeover in "Mario Power Tennis," an update of the popular Mario Tennis title for the N64. This time around, Mario, Luigi and the gang are granted over-the-top power shots, which spice up the game play significantly. DK gets blown out of a cannon for a forearm smash, and Waluigi, somehow, turns the tennis court into a swimming pool in order to fetch a wayward ball. In other words, look elsewhere for tennis realism. For nothing but fun-fun-fun on the courts, look no further. "Mario Power Tennis" is the best thing to happen to the sport since Maria Sharapova.

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