Virtua Tennis

"Solid portable tennis."

Virtua Tennis for the Dreamcast was an enjoyable hybrid of arcade sensibility and simulation realism. The game used a simple but amazingly responsive control scheme, beautiful graphics, and realistic gameplay. One of the only downsides to the game was the length of the matches, which were much too short for hardcore simulation tennis fans. The overall arcade feel of the game left those diehards out in the cold, but the majority of people who played the game could not deny it got just about everything else right.

The sequel, also released on the Dreamcast, improved on several aspects, including a deeper career mode and more players to choose from (this time including females). It is this second game that Virtua Tennis for the GBA most resembles. It implements the career mode from that game and the mix of male and female players. I wasn't sure what to expect from Virtua Tennis on the GBA since most console games I enjoy have been translated into horrible handheld games. While Virtua Tennis isn't as good as the console versions it is still one of the best handheld tennis games ever; if not the best (excluding some Japanese tennis games I still haven't made up my mind about yet).

Virtua Tennis contains a simple and short tournament mode that is good for pick-up and play gaming sessions. For those who want a little more depth there is the career mode which is an amalgamation of tennis and mini-games you wouldn't expect to find in a tennis game.

In the career mode the player create two athletes; one male and one female. Certain physical characteristics can be adjusted but there's not a lot to choose from. The goal is to play through tournaments all over the world to attain the number one ranking for both of your players. Along the way are a variety of mini-games to play to level up your players' skills.

Some of these mini-games have appeared in the other Virtua Tennis games, but others are new to the series. They all are designed to improve play in certain areas of the game: serve, volley, stroke, and footwork. Pin crasher, a take on bowling, was one of my favorites from the other games, but it isn't in this game. Replacing it is the less appealing egg crashing game where the goal is to crack open eggs inside of a barn with a serve. Also new to this game is the fruit conveyor and the burger chef. Alien force, tank attack, and disc shooter make returns. There are others, but hopefully you get the point by now.

There are three types of tournaments in career mode: singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Mixed doubles do not happen very often and it uses both of your created characters on your team. To play doubles you have to go to the shop and sign a contract with another player. These tournaments vary in length; most are 2 rounds and 2 games or 3 rounds and 3 games. The big matches in the game usually last a full set. The career mode will take a lot of time to beat; even longer if you max out all the skill levels of both characters.

The shop also contains items to buy to increase stamina during the game and new racquets to improve gameplay. You earn money from the tournaments to buy these things. The racquets are somewhat expensive but both players can equip the same racquet at the same time. You can also purchase other courts to use in exhibition mode.

The graphics is obviously watered down from the Dreamcast but they are still pretty good. The players themselves look fairly realistic; at least they do not suffer from chubby head syndrome. The goofy reaction shots and boring replays don't exist in this game, but that can be expected and I'm actually glad they aren't there. The music is very rock-flavored, similar to both DC games. It's not good, but it's not that bad either I guess.

Virtua Tennis for the GBA is solid, portable tennis action. It has a few negatives, but nothing that can't be easily overlooked.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/03, Updated 01/04/03