I hate tennis so why do I love this?!! (Virtua Tennis (DC))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Virtua Tennis (DC)
Date:	18/12/00 (119 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, visually stunning, will last you a long time.

Disadvantages: It's still tennis.

Virtua Tennis. Sounds about as interesting as....well.....something very dull.
This is a game which has been rated highly in all online and offline magazines but why?
IT’S TENNIS!!! Boring, long-winded do I need to go on?

Actually, no I don’t.
As someone who can’t stand the real game of Tennis I honestly thought that there is no way on earth that I would ever have ANYTHING to do with the awful sport but then I actually opened my eyes and gave this game a try.

Blimey charlie!

Have you seen the featured players?
Tim Henman looks exactly like the real thing. Courier, Haas, Kafelnikov (and plenty more) are all here and they look unbelievably life like. Sadly (or perhaps not) there are no female players present - also there is no Agassi, Sampras or Rusedski.

As for the courts – well, they’re even better.
The umpire watches the ball as it passes from one side to the other, the audience claps, the scoreboard can be seen to change as you win (or lose) points.......

The depth of this game is nothing short of a complete re-creation of the real thing.

So why don’t I hate it?
I have absolutely no idea.

One thing’s for sure, it’s fun.

You can compete in the Arcade mode (alone or with/against a friend), create a custom match with the Exhibition mode or take on the whole shebang in the World Circuit mode.
All of these modes have their own merits but the one that is essentially the guts of the whole game is the World Circuit mode.

Here you can move around a 3D map of the planet and click on specific locations to play matches, carry out training and buy items from shops.

The matches are singles or doubles although to play in the doubles games you’ll need to get to one of the shops and sign up a partner. To do this though you’ll need to raise some cash and this is done by winning games – starting to
make sense now eh?
The more you do and the further you advance, the more money you make.
This enables you to go into the various shops and buy new players, new tennis kit, strings, recovery drinks, and additional match venues. Very clever indeed.

The training points are a brilliant feature.
No, you don’t just have practice games, here you have to knock over ten pin bowling pins, hit giant balls out of the tennis court, lob balls into oil drums and several other rather odd ones which very cleverly get you controlling the ball much better.

Playability is also quite astounding.
If you’re a bit of a pro then you’ll be placing shots all over the place but if you’re not it doesn’t really matter as you’ll get better quite quickly.
The players move around very realistically and if you overdo a move your player may end up in a heap on the floor (and if you have a rumble pack you’ll feel it too – ouch!).
If you win a shot your player will celebrate, if you make a complete hash of it he will get angry with himself (with matching facial movements too).

Graphically the game is really stunning, more than I can possibly describe.
The players are the most amazing part – the likeness to the real equivalents is truly scary. This game really shows off the power of the Dreamcast and is a real joy to watch.

Sound is also very good. If you play in england the umpire voice is english if you play in france it’s french. A simple but real touch.
Players grunt if the shot is difficult, crowds cheer and if your ball strays out of the court you will hear the cry of ‘out’.

Lastability, well, I’ve had this for a couple of weeks now and I’ve done a fair chunk of the World Circuit although I haven’t managed to win some of the secret raquet’s and shirts (which can be won by completing the training sections under special guideline
s).
STOP PRESS! I have managed to earn one of the extra outfits. (I know it doesn't sound like a big deal but it took some time!). The outfit is a rather fetching stripey number with a 'tambourine' raquet. OK. Sorry about that.

One game will be different to the next too so you’ll probably find yourself picking this game up again and again. It isn’t a game that you ‘complete’ as such so this should keep you going for quite a while, especially if you have a friend to play with/against.

I’m converted into not hating this sport quite so much.
Very odd and I don’t really understand why this game should be any different to the real thing when it’s actually so accurate – but yes, it is serious fun believe me!

If you have only a few games or can’t afford a new one very often then you can buy this one with confidence – this is what gaming is all about.

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