Best tennis game out. (Virtua Tennis 2009 (PS3))

Member Name: hornetz

Product:	Virtua Tennis 2009 (PS3)
Date:	08/07/09 (173 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great tennis play

Disadvantages: Only three minigames unlocked at beginning

Virtua tennis 2009 is widely considered to be the best tennis game and, in my opinion, is fantastic. In this game you can either play an exhibition match with friends or play against random people online using network play. This, however, is only available if you have set up your internet connection up, though this only takes ten minutes. Obviously you are able to play against the ps3 as well. Unlike the previous game you are able to use a behind the shoulder view which lets you get into the heart of the action. Personally I find it annoying and hard to play with, but that could just be me and you can adjust it to normal anyway.

The main part of this game is the world tour part. In the world tour you become a new tennis player and have to try and become one of the best professional tennis players after starting out as an amateur. There are plenty of tournaments that you have to play which steadily get harder as you progress. In the tournaments you start at the quarter finals for singles, semi-finals for doubles and you start with the singles if you decide to play both. Don't be put off by the first few ridiculously easy tournaments as they eventually get harder. If you do well in the top eight tournament at the end of the year you might get an invitation to join the professional league.

Unfortunately, unlike the previous game, your player cannot get any higher stats after the start which makes the game very easy at the beginning as the player is amazing. This does cause it to be a bit boring as your stats don't change as you progress. Despite this, once you break into the top 50 amateurs, the game becomes more challenging. Unlike the previous game, however, there is a shop. This adds to the enjoyment of the game as prize winnings can be spent on the latest trainers or shirts, while you can also buy pirate outfits for the charity fancy dress tournament.

In my opinion this is a very good game and definitely worth a buy. This is certainly the best tennis game out and even if you're not into tennis very much it is still fun. My only problems are the fact your stats don't get any higher and the fact that all the minigames aren't unlocked at the beginning. Also, the multiplayer game is a bit dodgy as the player on the nearside nearly always wins. However, I would still recommend this game to all players. Like most ps3 games you are able to unlock trophies. In this game you need to unlock 50 trophies before receiving the platinum cup.

I am going to write all the mini games with a little description for you.

Alien Attack
Return the ball and attack incoming aliens before they reach the barricade. This exercise helps build powerful and accurate return ground strokes. It isn't unlocked at the beginning. It is mildly fun to play and tricky to direct all your shots carefully enough.

Avalanche
Catch the fruit, but keep out of the way of the giant cascading tennis balls. Fast and careful footwork is required to succeed in this game. It isn't unlocked at the beginning. This game is quite boring and hard as when two tennis balls come at you at the same time which happens at annoyingly frequent times you are usually trapped. When you get hit by a ball some of your fruit gets taken.

Block Buster
Hit blocks on the other side to eliminate them. The ball will bounce back so keep the volley alive to increase the score. Note that some blocks require multiple hits to be removed. It is unlocked at the beginning. This is one of my favourite games, but is frustratingly hard. The trick is to remain far back enough to keep the rally constantly alive but close enough for a quick return. If two blocks of the same colour are next to each other they combine to make a bigger block which is easier to hit and rewards bigger points. If you get 15 blocks in this manner in one shot you unlock a trophy.

Count Mania
Aim at the numbered areas in the correct order to complete the game. This is a great exercise to improve your returns by the net. It isn't unlocked at the beginning. This game is mainly about accuracy and isn't that hard.

Court Curling
Hit the curling stones into the target zones using a limited amount of shots in various stone arrangements. Note that the multiplayer game is turn based. This was in the old game and isn't unlocked at the beginning. This game like Pot Shot isn't as frantic as block buster, but more of a calm and skilled approach is needed.

Drum Topple
Topple the oil drums stacked on the other side to knock down the red oil drums to the ground. If you need to work on your power strokes, this is an excellent exercise to practice them. This isn't unlocked at the beginning. In the first few levels this is an easy game, but in the later levels one drum is usually left fallen on top of others which protects it from touching the ground.

Meat Defender
Tasty meat chops are on the court for the crocodiles at the far end. But you must stop them by returning your shots to the crocs to scare them off. This isn't unlocked at the beginning. This gets very hard in later levels and, once again, accuracy is vital.

Pin Crusher
Knock down the bowling pins on the other side of the court with your serve. The game will be played like regular bowling so try aiming the ball at a precise point to get a strike. Needless to say this game is not available at the beginning and is another old game.

Pirate Wars
Return the balls which are fired by the pirate ships to eliminate them. But watch out for the cannon balls they fire which could harm you. Accuracy in your volley will be tested in this exercise. This game IS unlocked at the beginning and is one of my favourites. It is also one of the easiest games as in the later levels, whenever you hit a ball at the beginning it hits something. If you sink three of the biggest ships in one game you receive a trophy.

Pot Shot
Try to pot the pool balls by serving the cue ball. First adjust the position of the player by moving left and right, then set the angle of your shot. This isn't unlocked at the beginning of the game. This game gives you unlimited time. Unfortunately, you have to hit the ball they choose even if another ball is right by the edge of a pocket. Otherwise you lose 150 points for a foul shot.

Shopping Dash
Grab all of the shopping bags that appear on the court while avoiding the giant tennis balls. This is a good game to improve your footwork on the court. This game is unlocked at the beginning. This game, like most of the other footwork games, is quite boring and this ends up being played the least by me.

Zoo feeder
Return the food that is served by the ball launcher to feed the animals on the other side of the court. Note that every food won't satisfy their tummy. This game isn't unlocked at the beginning. This is quite a hard game in the sense that it takes time to figure out where to hit the ball let alone try to. If you feed every animal you will get a trophy.

In my opinion the minigames are fun to play with my favourite being either Pot Shot or Pirate Wars. It is a bit annoying, however, as only Block Buster, Pirate Wars and Shopping Dash are available at the beginning and it takes quite a long time to unlock the others. It also makes these games a bit more pointless as when you fill your bar instead of going up a level you can change your game style which in my opinion is useless. These minigames are also able to be played against others on the internet. Unfortunately, some of the minigames take two weeks to play such as Meat Defender while Pirate Wars takes one week. This confusion has made me miss many an important tournament making me go down in the rankings.

I feel that this game is very enjoyable, even to someone who doesn't know much about tennis or doesn't enjoy tennis much, like myself. I bought this game for £20 from 'Game' so it's not that expensive. I hope you have found this review useful.

Summary: Worth a buy