Hot Shots Tennis

"An unforced error of a game that is mercifully- and shockingly- short."

If Hot Shots Tennis (HST) were a person, it would most definitely be Danny DeVito: short, a few debatably positive qualities, kind of cute in a gremlin/munchkin sort of way, and overall not really all that terrific in any substantial ways. And while HST certainly can't measure up to Throw Momma From the Train or Romancing the Stone, you could conceivably watch both of those two movies in less time than it takes to play through this game in its entirety.

Hot Shots Tennis is, to put it politely, length-challenged. Instead of the more user-friendly Hot Shots Golf approach where you work your way up through multiple tournament settings against numerous opponents, using money and experience you earn along the way to buy new equipment or costumes or other power-ups, you are instead treated to a linear jaunt through singles and doubles matches, beating incrementally harder opponents until you eventually beat the game some 4-6 hours later. When you beat a new opponent or win on a new course, you get to keep them for use later on... but that's it. No upgradable tennis rackets. No tennis shoes to purchase to make you run quicker or jump higher. Not even a ball color selection option-- even Super Tennis for the SNES had that! A dozen or so playable characters, and you're done. A dozen or so playable courts, and you're done. Singles tennis & doubles tennis, and you're done. This game is so lacking and devoid of bonuses that it becomes glaringly and frustratingly obvious Sony and Clap Hanz (the game's designers) merely threw HST out there as a start to a new sports franchise to be expanded upon with the PS3 in years to come. The cheapness and lack of intent on the part of these parties is shameful, and every bit of that shame shines through during every second of gameplay.

And that gameplay is another problem we've got here. Where most tennis games make the gamer rely on specific button pressing combinations or positioning the player character in just the right spot near the ball (i.e. quality game design), HST instead forces the gamer's thumbs into pressing X or circle or triangle with such exact and precise timing, a master Swiss clockmaker would find it too fine tuned to be even remotely enjoyable. If you're even a 100th of a second off on your button press, your swing goes from a hard hitting dead-on lock to a whimpy little dud, killing any chance to win at the higher levels of the game. The irony is that when you don't have to have such pinpoint precise button-hitting skillz, the game is quite fun. But later on you're required to hit such ridiculous shots that the practice you'll need to perfect them will make you wonder if you couldn't learn how to play real tennis in a similar amount of time.

This lack of gameplay and control is further compounded when you compare it to the graphics and sound, the sole good portion of Hot Shots Tennis. In true Camelot/Clap Hanz fashion, HST has that semi-adorable/semi-anime looking motif that straddles the line between faux kiddy game and true sports realism. You won't confuse this for any kind of tennis sim, not by a long shot, but the backgrounds are lovely- crisp grass blowing in the breeze as autumn-colored trees dance in the sun behind the courts- and the music does a good job of staying cute and upbeat without making you notice its there; always a difficult task for a music composer in a sports title. The audio/visual won't let you down in HST, even when everything else seemingly does.

Honestly, I'm beginning to think that any positive output Clap Hanz has made in the past is only due to Camelot's influence on them. The Hot Shots Golf series has steadily declined in quality ever since the Hanz crew took over, and HST is further proof of my issues with their work. Even at $30, this title really should be a rental for even the most seasoned tennis fans among us. 6 hours or so of gaming is just inexcusable for any video game, and the lack of unlockables and bonus items leaves a really nasty taste in my mouth. Instead of Clapping my Hanz, I think I'll just use them to purchase a better game next time-- from a developer that actually puts some effort into its products.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/07