Nintendo has announced new details for its upcoming 3DS game Mario Tennis Open, which will be released May 20.

Along with the classic singles and doubles modes, Special Games mode will give fans more fun ways to play tennis. One that I have my eye on is Super Mario Tennis, where classic Super Mario Bros. levels are projected on a wall and you must hit the tennis ball at Goombas, Koopas and question mark boxes to make your way to the flag pole.

A full cast Nintendo characters can be chosen, and Miis will come into play as well. You can boost your stats with gear like Bowser's racket, a Bullet Bill shirt and Peaches shoes.

The big and must-have addition is online mode, allowing players to show off their skills to the world. Up to four players can play in online doubles matches, and there will be leaderboard standings in Open Match. It's nice to see Nintendo giving online a more serious look than in the past. Mario Kart 7 is great online, and I have faith Mario Tennis Open will be a success as well.

What I find the most interesting is the use of the touchscreen. In one screenshot, you can use either the buttons to perform a certain shot or just tap the screen with the stylus. I'm not sure I would use the touchscreen for this, since it would require me to be constantly looking down.

There's a lot of Mario sports games I've played, but tennis was always my favorite. The addition of online is a huge selling point, and hopefully there's a bunch of gimmicky courts Mario Tennis games are known for.

Get even tinier random thoughts at www.twitter.com/JeffHoard921