Virtua Tennis

"A smashing treatment of the sport."

Virtua Tennis, what can I say? I can say that it's a kick ass game. You put excellent gameplay, and then a 4-player mode, and you've got enough replay to last well into next year. Just make sure you pick up some extra controllers with it.

Graphics: 10
Fluid animation, excellent character design, realistic tennis ball movements, a responsive crowd, you've got everything that your eyes want. There is no slowdown what-so-ever, even when you have four people running in different directions.

Sound: 7
The game isn't much for music, and some sound effects are a bit lame, but they are realistic, and you've got some good voice overs in the game. Although the game can get pretty fast and intense at times, so you probably won't be paying a whole lot of attention to the background music and sound.

Control: 10
Simple movements. You just move around and use two buttons. The A button is a regular hit, the B and X buttons are both lobs, so you can use whatever is most comfortable. It has never been as simple, even in Mario Tennis for the N64, and that's saying quite a lot.

Gameplay: 10
It's a smash! Sorry, but that is the only way to describe Virtua Tennis's gameplay. You get four modes, Arcade, Training, Exhibition, and the World Tour. In the Arcade mode, you just play against five opponents and try to get to the top. Training is the obvious, so I won't go into it. You really don't need to go into that mode as easy as the game is to learn. Exhibition is just a simple match against an opponent. The World Tour is a ton of fun. You play against other people in competitions around the world, unlock new training grounds and competitions, and you can buy new stuff at the store. There is the four player mode, which is a lot of fun, if I had more controllers. This should last you into next year.

Overall: 9
This is a game you shouldn't miss out on. It only costs twenty bucks now, so pick it up if you are looking for a great one or four player game. It makes a worthy addition to any Dreamcast game library. If you have to make a descion on what tennis game to get, Mario Tennis or Virtua Tennis, it would be a pretty tough call. Both have lightning paced gameplay, excellent, responsive control, and a multiplayer mode, but the difference is thirty dollars, so if you are on a budget, get this, but if you are rich, get both(I'm only going on this because I have to get to four hundred words, cut me some slack).

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/01, Updated 11/10/01