Virtua Tennis World Tour - 8/10
Overview
SEGA has brought its famous and fun tennis title to the Sony PSP in this almost-direct-port of its classic Sega Dreamcast Game, Virtua Tennis. But, does the handheld version live up to its expectations? Does it succeed its Arcade and Dreamcast twins and move beyond expectations? Today calabreseboy gives us his review of the hotly anticipated title, coming to the US this October.
Published by SEGA and developed by Sumo Digital Ltd., Virtua Tennis World Tour is an automatic success on the PSP. Its pure graphics and smooth game play incorporated with developed AI have boosted this popular tennis title to the top of the heap of PSP games. Not to say there is not a better game out there for the system, but Virtua Tennis delivers everything and more than what was expected.
Controls - 8.0/10
Virtua Tennis uses the traditional and common setup of controls that are simple, easy to use and easy on your hands. Using X twice for serve and once for topspin, square for lob and circle for slice, one most likely won’t need to refer to any guide to get the hang of controlling their tennis star. If you’ve hooked up with a computer player for a game of doubles, just tap the L or R button to instruct them.
For once, it seems as though a game really shines through the use of the analogue nub. Of course, the option to use the D-pad is available, but it reduces your player’s ability to move around the court and dash to that hard ball on the other side. However, I found that, even when using the analogue nub, it felt at times that I was restricted because of the ‘stubbornness’ of the nub. It’s restrictions that are noticeable in other games are just-as in Virtua Tennis, but it’s not bad enough to lose you a game, and I still strongly recommend the use of the nub. It works wonders most of the time.
Graphics and Display - 8.0/10
Virtua Tennis World Tour looks just as sleek, cool and ‘arcady’ as the Dreamcast version. Player animation looks fantastic and the crowd fantastically adds a wonderful tennis-like atmosphere to the arena. However, the game does have its downfalls and the problems associated can be annoying and ruin your gaming experience (depending on how much patience you have). The load times between menus are minimal but constant, and this adds a stop-start issue to the World Tour option. During gameplay, a slight pause will occur just before the umpire announces the score, and when you finish a game, an occasional black line runs across the screen while your player is waving to the crowd. These issues really put a dent into an otherwise great title, and do alter the gaming experience. Much like FIFA 2005 for PSP, the slight pause during game play is constant; almost after every point, and this can get frustrating after a while.
Overall, the game looks great and the graphics are on par. Being a true perfectionist (guilty as charged), the above problems really get to me particularly when they are in a game you have anticipated for months. Though many of you might find them to be minimal problems, they are extremely noticeable.
Difficulty - 9.0/10
One of the best aspects of the original Virtua Tennis was the amazing AI and difficulty. Noticeably, the game would get harder as you improved, and you were always put up to the test against the worlds great. Nothing has changed in the handheld department. Playing in Tournament, where you choose your favorite star to compete against the best, your opponent gets better and harder as you progress. Even on Easy, this game can get extremely difficult if you get to the latter stages of Tournament Mode. Through World Tour Mode, much like Tournament, difficulty increases as you progress, though you don’t have an option to play on any particular difficulty. It seems as though the AI studies your game play, and I noticed at times your computer opponent really takes advantage of your star’s weaknesses (Federer’s backhand, William’s speed etc.). Overall, this game is totally playable for beginners, and is addictive enough for you to adjust to the increasing difficulty.
Features - 8.0/10
Virtua Tennis World Tour includes many fun features that further enhance your tennis playing experience. The inclusion of World Tour is a great feature that allows you to manage both a female and a male tennis player (you create both) and guide them both to a #1 Ranking. Choose your home base, train all over the world, and enter tournaments to increase your World Ranking. You can also shop for new racquets, apparel and even sign a doubles partner to a playing contract.
Or, if you want to get away from the competitive side, play some ball games such as Blockbuster, Balloon Smash and Blocker. Each is incredibly entertaining and you may find yourself trying to knock out blocks for hours on end without even noticing. Unfortunately, no game sharing or infrastructure mode have been included, though you can compete with up to 4 people through ad-hoc mode (doubles with some friends rock!)
Overall - 8.0/10
SEGA has done it again with their Virtua Tennis franchise. They have adopted a famous, popular and great game to the PSP well, making it one of the best sports titles on the handheld. Though it does have its minor presentation/loading issues, if you look beyond that, you have a title on the PSP that has finally lived up to its console counterpart. Handling is smooth, graphics are nice and last-ability is high. However, the minor pauses in game play and occasional glitches in graphics have stopped this game from getting a perfect score. Though, I still highly recommend it for any Virtua Tennis fan, and for anyone who wants a decent, fun sports title for their PSP.
Submitted by calabreseboy
04/10/2005
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