Virtua Tennis

"You know a sports game is good when you don't like the sport it's based on"

For some reason I was never attracted to Virtua Tennis before I eventually bought it. Despite all the rave reviews it was getting I didn't want to fork out 40 quid for a game based on a sport I didn't particularly like. However when I bought it for £8 on eBay, it turned out to be the best £8 I have ever spent!

Graphics 9/10
The graphics on Virtua Tennis are outstanding. The in-game graphics look superb and might even fool some people into thinking they're watching a game on TV! All of the players are beautifully recreated on the Dreamcast and look very similar to their real life counterparts. During replays and cut scenes it is even possible to see different facial expressions on the players as they hit the ball! Even the crowd look good and they will applaud you when you play a good shot or win a game/match. Such attention to detail shows the time Sega have injected into creating impressive visuals.

Sound 6/10
This isn't an area where Virtua Tennis excels. Or is it? Well sound is a bit of a double-edged sword here because whilst the music is shockingly bad, the sound effects are of quite a high standard. The music consists of dodgy rock music that would feel more at home in the 80's. Luckily you can turn this off from the options screen so you don't have to endure listening to it during matches. The sound effects sound very realistic. The crowd applauds when you play well, but they also will wolf-whistle if you play an embarrassing 'out' or 'net' shot and boo if the umpire makes a decision they don't like. You can also hear the players trainers squeak as they run on the indoor courts and the umpires voices are different depending on where you are playing (playing in France will mean you get a French umpire for example).

Controls 9/10
Simplicity is the name of the game here. Virtua Tennis uses just 2 of the Dreamcasts 6 main buttons - A is used to play a stroke/slice shot and B is used to play a lob shot. However don't get fooled into thinking the types of shots you can play are limited. With practice you will be able to hit the ball practically anywhere in the court which is vital if you are to beat the later levels. Moves like overhead smashes and dives are also simple to execute - simply press A when appropriate. The only gripe I would have with the controls is that you can't dive backwards or forwards which may not sound like a big thing but it does become annoying after a while when you're up against the harder players.

Gameplay 10/10
Virtua Tennis is split up into 3 modes; Arcade, Exhibition and World Circuit. Arcade is (surprisingly enough) the same as the arcade version where you pick a player and play 5 rounds against computer controlled opponents in doubles or singles to try and become the world champion/s. Exhibition allows you to set up a match in the way you want to and is a good way to initially get to grips with Virtua Tennis when you are first starting. You can also play multi player in this mode with up to 4 people! It's a really fun experience especially in doubles and the good thing is, is that even if your mates haven't played before they will be able to learn the basics in a matter of minutes. However, World Circuit is where the meat of the game is at and challenges you to play against opponents in progressively tougher matches. Although easy at first, it soon becomes anything but and you'll have to learn your opponents playing style inside out to be able to defeat them. To break up the normal matches in World Circuit, there are also a series of cool mini-games which can help you get some extra cash or unlock other levels. Mini-games range from trying to knock giant balls off the court to bowling except you use tennis balls instead of bowling balls to knock the pins down. All the modes are an extremely fun way to waste 5 minutes!

Rent or Buy?
Definitely buy! It has enough in it to make it a worthy single player purchase and the multi player option increases it's lastability significantly. Also since the sequels out, you will probably be able to find this for next to nothing in most stores.

Overall 9/10
The best sports game on the Dreamcast by a long way (although I haven't played the sequel yet) and possibly the best sports game on any platform.

Recap
Graphics 9/10
Sound 6/10
Controls 9/10
Gameplay 10/10
Overall 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/26/01, Updated 12/26/01