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Rating: Awesome As a person who has never been a big fan of tennis, I took it with a grain of salt when I heard all the hype surrounding the release of Virtua Tennis. Surprisingly, Virtua Tennis lives up to the hype and then some. Next to Resident Evil: Code Veronica, Virtua Tennis is the best Dreamcast game yet. Like most great sports games, Virtua Tennis is both stunningly realistic and incredibly fun, and neither quality ever seems to conflict with the other. The developers of the game hit the complex physics engine of tennis dead-on. Momentum also plays a key role in the game, just as it does in real tennis. The graphics are impressive and make the game seem all the more realistic, with great-looking player models, ten unique courts, and polygonal crowds. And you've gotta love the animation of a player diving for a ball and flopping on his butt, which is hilarious and realistic at the same time. The control is simple as can be, with one button for a regular shot and another that lets you try and lob the ball over your opponent's head. You can use either the digital pad or the analog joystick for the game (I personally prefer the digital pad in this game's case). You can control the direction of your shots by simply pressing in the direction you want the shot to go. You can also decide the speed and power of every shot you make, with a power shot being one where you let the ball bounce once as you wind up a powerful shot, and a speed shot being one that you quickly tap back to your opponent in the hopes that they won't react quickly enough. The game looks deceptively simple at first glance, but it's actually very strategic. If you want to be the absolute best you can be, you'll have to constantly juggle all of the advantages of moving closer towards the net with the task of making sure you're not vulnerable to lobs. Likewise, if your opponent takes the offensive and moves close to the net, there's a risk-reward element to lobbing the ball. If your opponent isn't prepared for the lob, the ball will go right over his or her head, giving you an easy point. If your opponent is prepared for the lob, he or she will be in prime position to perform an overhead "smash shot." There are ten real tennis players in the game, all of whom are blessed and cursed with their real-life strengths and weaknesses. This adds another layer of realism for fans of professional tennis, but thankfully, the differences in player skill levels aren't enough to create any balance problems. Speaking of balance, the four difficulty levels in Virtua Tennis are skillfully balanced, making the game accessible to casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike. You can also adjust the length of each match to your liking. You can't play more than one set at a time, but one full set is long enough in my book. The only complaints I have about the gameplay itself are fairly minor gripes. For one, I would have been happier if the game placed a greater emphasis on serving. It's usually very easy to return serves successfully, even if the serve goes all the way to "max" on the power meter. In real tennis, returning serves can be extremely difficult against certain players, and it's definitely not a formality like it is in Virtua Tennis. There should also be a button for "light tap" shots that barely make it to the other side of the net, forcing your opponent to scramble towards the net to return the shot. Like I said, though, these are minor concerns that don't detract from the gameplay much at all. Like the game as a whole, the Arcade Mode is deceptively simple on the surface. It appears to be a simple progression up a ladder of five different opponents, and in a way, it is. Somehow, I still find myself addicted to playing it on a frequent basis because it gets harder and harder throughout the five matches, and because you never face the same five opponents twice. You're also awarded prize money after every win in the Arcade Mode based on whether you dominate your opponent or barely squeak by, and it's addictive to try and beat your previous record of total prize money. The World Circuit Mode would be a lot better if it was more like a real tennis player's career, with major tournaments equivalent to the US Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and so on. Still, the World Circuit Mode's training mini-games are a nice diversion, and the mode as a whole adds a lot of replay value to an already deep game. Online gameplay against human opponents would have also given the game even more replay value, but given how good Virtua Tennis is as an off-line game, I'm willing to wait for the sequel for online play. Virtua Tennis is the very definition of a game that's easy to learn, but hard to master. Whether you're a hardcore gamer, casual gamer, tennis fan, or non-tennis fan, Virtua Tennis is a must-own game for any fan of great game design. Send your thoughts on this review to ivan@mastergamer.com
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