Sega Sports Tennis

"Even your gran would like it"

Virtua Tennis is one of the many tennis games on the market. Is this the one that serves up a powerful ace or has it as much as chance of making it into your PS2 as Tim Henman has of making it into the Wimbledon Final?

Gameplay
Virtua Tennis is one of the few games around that can be loved by EVERYONE. If your heart is with Tiger Tim during Wimbledon season than your bound to enjoy a spot of Virtua Tennis 2. Your Gran could have a good (enough) knockabout with the cute 3 year old from next door such is the simplistic nature of the gameplay. But the gameplay also has enough depth for two PS2 experts to go toe to toe every day for a long, long time.
At first glance, all the game is is the analogue stick to run and X to hit. Simple for even the most cack handed of PS2 players, but as you begin to gain more experience on the court, you will learn how to put more power and angle onto your shots and start hitting winners. Of course just like real tennis you couldn't blast a 100mph+ serve straight back past your opponent. And Virtua Tennis emulates this by adding power and angle to the shot depending on how early you press the X button meaning a winner can only really be hit if you're given a slow return. This happens quite often though as if you're struggling to get into position the player will stretch or dive resulting in a slow high shot which can easily be smashed.
There's nothing difficult about smashing. The power of volleys depend on the height of the ball played. Sometimes, though, this can lead to frustratingly crap vollies that would be more powerfully returned if they hit you in the face. Good volleying does take practice. It's all about positioning. Smashes are about as returnable as real life with most attempts flying out into the crowd. Just like Wimbledon, a match between 2 accomplished players will be about who can get the most smashes in at the net. Very rarely are there long, tedious rallies. Very rarely is an arcade sports game so realistic.
There are a few minor niggles. I've never hit the net and I've never seen the computer hit a fault but overall the gameplay with enough simplicity, realism and depth to please EVERYONE receives an 8/10.

Graphics:
Virtua Tennis has 8 males and 8 female players. It is sadly without big names such as Agassi, Sampras, Roddick, Hingis and Kournikova but the stars that made it in like Henman, Rafter, Davenport and the Williams Sisters are all recreated well. Shame there aren't any alternate attires to unlock for them. The arenas such as Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows all include moving umpires, ballboys, linejudges and a crowd of tennis lovers. There are no real complaints with the graphics. Some players have their own service motion and the selection of shots available all look real enough. It's bright, It's colourful and it receives another 8/10

Sound:
Solid Enough. I was gutted not to hear the classic Venus Williams shriek but the crowd's moans, groans and cheers accompany generic umpire voices, ball hits and player grunts. The music is fine also. All the sound is good enough to live with and therefore receives a 7/10.

Lifespan:
The World Tour Mode does more than enough to keep the arcade action fresh. Create a male and female player to take into the world of professional tennis. Travel around the world entering tournaments and training sessions with the goal of taking your players to World No.1. Winning tournaments earns you money and builds your rank but no tournament is winable unless you train your players up. This is done with a variety of mini games that build up your stats depending on how well you perform in them. It'll take a VERY long time to train both players to the standard of a world champion but the mini games are fun enough for you to enjoy watching your players slowly blossom.
Each minigame builds a certain attribute and the difficulty increases as each attribute rises. Aim serves at a set of bowling pins to increase its power and accuracy. Avoid cannon balls while collecting flags scattered around the court to improve your speed. Volley the balls that fly at you back into a small target and you'll be soon smashing them past some of the greatest on the tour. Each attribute has a couple of games in which its different areas, such as forehand and backhand volleying, can be boosted. Money earned can be spent to buy new clothes, rackets, new arenas or a doubles partner for two months which all help to keep the tour fresh until you reach the coveted No.1 spot. Once you've got there though, it would take some persuading to start over with a fresh pair of pathetic amateurs. Still the lifespan receives a 7/10.

I've played a few good arcade tennis games and I've played a few good sims of the sport as well but Virtua Tennis mixes the two so well that it is by far the best tennis game I've played. If you love tennis, buy it! If your having a few friends over, rent it! Take my word for it. Like a Greg Rusedski serve, you'll find Virtua Tennis 2 unreturnable*

*unless you get really good

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/03