Mario Tennis Aces Ad Pits Plumber Against Rafael Nadal

Following this weekend’s popular open beta, Mario Tennis Aces is building up at a fever pitch [...]

Following this weekend's popular open beta, Mario Tennis Aces is building up at a fever pitch for its release later this month. And to keep the hype going for the Switch release, Nintendo has debuted a new ad that pits its hero against a real tennis superstar.

The ad, which can be seen above, is dubbed the "match of the century," with pro Rafael Nadal going up against Mario in a competition of trick shots and fast-paced returns.

It begins with Nadal delivering a powerful serve to his opponent, who remains unseen for several seconds. We then see that it's Mario, who delivers right back. The two return shots to one another until Mario attempts to finish the match with a precision shot.

However, Nadal returns it by going into the "zone" at a faster speed, which then forces Mario to deliver a potential trick shot. He ends up hitting it out but then joins Nadal on the sidelines to challenge the shot. (That's apparently a feature that's included in the game for those of you who just want to be absolutely sure.)

After challenging (and losing) to the judge, Mario sulks in the locker room while Nadal claims victory. We then get a look at some of Aces' gameplay, featuring various characters from the Mario universe.

The game logo follows and then we return to the court, where Nadal plays casually with a fan on the Nintendo Switch utilizing Aces' motion controls. It looks pretty accurate, though this isn't the only option available. Players can use traditional controls if they aren't in a mood to swing a racket around. You can read more about this in our detailed hands-on report. Here's a snippet:

"Though we didn't get to see every component that the game consists of, Mario Tennis Aces has a lot of appeal going for it. The controls are perfect; the new additions fit in just about perfectly; and the presentation can't be beat. Now if Nintendo can just iron out trick shots a little bit and get those online servers up to speed, we'll be in for a sports game that's all about nothing but Love."

However you choose to play, Mario Tennis Aces is going to be a lot of fun for Nintendo Switch fans. You can check it out when it releases on June 22. Do yourself a favor and bring some friends, because this game is a blast in multiplayer.

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