ANYONE FOR MONKEY TENNIS? (Sega Superstar Tennis (Xbox 360))

Member Name: stuleg

Product:	Sega Superstar Tennis (Xbox 360)
Date:	12/06/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, easy to pick up

Disadvantages: Perhaps not a game for tennis purists

Tennis; not a sport I particularly enjoy watching, and certainly not a sport I've ever considered donning my finest Fred Perry and participating in, so any console game based on the racket sport was always going to face an uphill task trying to engage me. Sega Superstar Tennis nearly didn't deliver; I first played it last year, but getting beaten twice in quick succession and not being bothered to read the instructions and learn the controls meant I tossed it aside after half an hour of random joypad jiggery. Luckily, somebody I know started to extol its virtues as a good, fun and engaging game - so I thought I'd better slip it back into the Xbox 360's disk drive for a second outing. And I have to say I'm glad I did; five minutes browsing the instruction booklet and familiarizing myself with the games controls and I was away, lobbing and volleying like a modern day McEnroe in graphic form.

So what's the game all about then?

In its purest sense this is a tennis game, no surprise there then. But to lump this game in with other sport simulations would be to do it a disservice. You see, there are myriad of mini games that move this from a pure sports game to a fun and entertaining party game for all the family, young and old. To start, you play on the Sonic the hedgehog themed court, playing games either singularly or doubles as well as completing mini games relevant to the theme. As you progress through the games you unlock further missions within the sonic section by scoring an A mark - doing exceptionally well in any one game gives you a triple A mark which unlocks music tracks all pertinent to the section in question. For example, in the Outrun section you get to unlock the music you may have enjoyed while driving your Ferrari at high speeds in some dingy arcade in the eighties. When you complete a mission you unlock another theme as well as the character from the section you have just completed so you can play as that character in other sections. The goal is to complete all sections and unlock all of the sixteen characters to play with.

Each character has its own strengths and weaknesses; some are better chosen for their speed while other are slower, but pack much more power into their tennis strokes. Part of the game it determining which characters are best suited to any particular mini game or tournament and using their strengths accordingly. Characters also have super powers in keeping with their original games, for example AiAi from the Super Monkey Ball series of games throws bananas at you and curves his shots, while Dr Eggman from the Sonic the Hedgehog games fires spiked balls at you to throw you off your game and generally cause mayhem. These superpowers are gained by charging your players power meter which is achieved by winning points and hitting shots well. When your power meter is charged a star beneath the character spins, meaning a simple tap on either trigger button released merry hell in super power form.

Graphics, Sound & Gameplay

Unsurprisingly the graphics are bright, bold and beautiful; rich colours all adding to the gaming experience with all textures and details well executed. The sound comprises of the various squeaks, warbles and cries of joy from the characters as well as music tracks which are unlocked by completing tournaments, single games of tennis, or non tennis minigames. I have to say the gameplay is pretty good too; there are no skill levels to select, so everyone that picks up the joypad will be playing on an even field, or rather court. The minigames offer a nice little diversion and break up the monotony of the tennis matches while the tennis tournaments themselves offer a great way of pitting your racket based wits against a number of Sega characters, past and present. As the game nears its conclusion there are a couple of harder opponents that spring up as their sections become unlocked, not least an annoying little character called Alex Kidd who has me running around the court like a virtual reality madman - he really is extremely hard to defeat! Controls are easy once you know what they are; those who wish to push their opponents to the limit can practice a myriad of button pushes to lob, chip and smash their opponents, while those happy to play long rallies can easily get by with one button press and the directional stick on the joypad.

The Minigames

What sets this game apart from any other run of the mill tennis game is the minigames. Again you unlock these by completing matches in various Sega game themed sections. The games are many and varied; from defeating the approaching zombies by hitting them with balls, to taking out miscreant's sniper style as your racket spouts crosshairs. My personal favourites take place in the Sonic the hedgehog sections where you run about the court hitting balls and collecting rings, that and the Space Harrier section where you have to avoid assorted rocks, fireballs and dragons for a pre determined length of time - far harder than it sounds, trust me!

Can I play it online, or with a friend perchance?

Yes and yes to those two questions. Friends and acquaintances can simple grab a spare joypad and lend a hand defeating the best the game can throw at you. As far as online play is concerned the game offers the ability for eight people to compete in tournaments as well as single and doubles games. If you don't have anyone handy to play with you either online or by your side the game simply assigns a random character to partner you in doubles matches or tournaments.

Is all this ball bashing child friendly?

It most certainly is; the good folk at the Entertainment Software Rating Board have pegged this cartoon mayhem as an E10, meaning it can be enjoyed by anyone aged ten or above. There is no blood thirsty mayhem to worry about, the worst that can happen is for racket throwing Zombies or a stray banana striking you and making you miss a shot. Language wise the game is safe as well, indeed the closest thing to a cuss word is when one of the stars of the Super Monkey Ball series of games - AiAi, makes a disgruntled squeak if you manage to beat him/her. All in all it's very child safe, with lots of little jokes and asides all harmless and friendly.

Conclusion

So all in all a very nice little game that grows on you as you play it and unlock the content. Personally I'd of liked a pure tennis mode without the power ups and gimmicks to extend the games playability and add a new dimension for tennis purists - or as pure a tennis mode as it can be when you're playing as a blue hedgehog or robot! Currently you can purchase this game new for under £10; at that price you really cannot go wrong. Four stars out of five from me.

http://www2.sega.com/gamesite/segasuperstarstenni s/us/index.html

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