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The Last Great Dreamcast Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 38 / 38
Date: October 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Ah, Virtua Tennis. It provided so many hours of fun - and easy-to-learn, hard-to-master pick-up-and-play classic, with amazing graphics and a masterful 4-player mode. And here is the sequel, Tennis 2K2, which takes the basic formula of the first game and expands upon it, and the result is not only an improvement, but an altogether better game.

Sega added the game to its already excellent Sega Sports line, and as a result, the gameplay is more of a simulation than the arcadey Virtua Tennis. In addition, there are now sixteen licensed players, from Patrick Rafter to Jelena Dokic. The players look unbelievably realistic, down to the smallest detail. Monica Seles makes her trademark grunts, Tim Henman hitches his shoulders while he serves, Lindsay Davenport has her familiar racket windup, etc etc. It's almost eerie how true to life the players are - a vast improvement over the rather grotesque characters from the first game. There are now 28 courts, a HUGE addition over Virtua Tennis, and some of them are just gorgeous. The Rio court at dusk is particularly wonderous, giving the court and players a glow that's magnificent to behold.

The gameplay, while similar to VT, has undergone a few changes, making the game much more challenging. You now have three types of shots: topspin, slice, and lob. There is also much more attention paid to how powerful the shots are in relation to how close the player is to the ball, i.e. if the ball is close to you when you swing, you're not going to hit it very hard. Positioning your player in order to get maximum shot power and control is vital, adding a whole layer of strategy to the game. Thankfully, the too-often diving of the first game has been practically eliminated, as players lunge for balls just out of reach. If you should dive, however, you jump back to your feet in no time - a much-welcome improvement. You can also return serves with much more power, if you're in the right place. This makes the game more balanced, as the server was usually victorious in Virtua Tennis. The players have much more range now, which results in longer, more strategic matches. You cannot jump into Tennis 2K2 and expect victory right away if you've mastered VT - it's necessary to learn the subtle details all over again. Despite these new complexities, the game still retains the same charm and playability of the original. Credit Sega for not just re-releasing Virtua Tennis with new graphics - T2K2 is a much different, but no less enjoyable game. The best thing about the improved gameplay is it gives you more control over your player and his/her shots.

Tournament (arcade) and Exhibition modes are, in fact, set up the same as VT: pick a player (or players) and hit the courts. There is a mixed doubles option, as you cannot play two males against two females. However, the World Circuit Mode has seen some pretty drastic changes. You create a male and female player using rather limited options, and start training in your quest to become #1 in the world (you start ranked at 300th). You follow a 12-month calendar, on which different singles and doubles matches are displayed for you to enter. In between matches, you train your players using different trials, much like the first game, but instead of winning money, you improve your player's statistics in various categories (forehand power, foot speed, serve control, etc.). These training matches have the same unusual charm as VT's: you'll try to knock items off a conveyer belt to improve your serve, try to catch flags while avoiding being hit by balls fired from tennis machines, and even play a strange tennis version of Othello. These quirky minigames are just as wonderful and addictive as before, and Bulls' Eye and Pin Crasher make repeat appearances. It's very necessary to train, as your players begin basically at zero and will lose matches immediately unless you train. When you think you're ready, you can enter a match. If you win, you get money, which you can then spend in the various shops for doubles partners, additional outfits, racket upgrades, and more arenas for Exhibition Mode. You also improve your rank, imperative as you must have a certain rank in order to enter higher tournaments. These changes are, again, intended to make the game more of a simulation than an arcade experience, but it's set up in such an intuitive and compelling way that it's more enjoyable. You'll get attached to your created players quickly, and you can even use them in the game's other modes.

Tennis 2K2 is a gorgeous-to-look-at masterpiece that has even deeper gameplay than the original, and is unmatched as a multiplayer party game and as a single-player experience. It is a must-own classic that is the final hurrah for the dying Dreamcast, and is one of the system's top three games. Enthusiastically recommended!

A worthy sequel to Virtua Tennis

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: October 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you loved "Virtua Tennis", picking up "Tennis 2K2" is a no-brainer. This sequel is simply more of what made "Virtua Tennis" a surprise hit. If you have not played the original and are not a tennis enthusiast, consider buying the original....

Reasons why this game does not deserve five stars:
1) The most popular players (Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis, Anna Kournikova) are still not here and most likely will be appearing in a rival tennis game for PS2 in the future.
2) If you played the original "Virtua Tennis", you already know this game -- you will not be getting a substantially different game here.

Reasons why this game deserves better than three stars:
1) Women are here! A not-too-shabby list of women players includes the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, and Monica Seles.
2) Sega still sports the best blend of realism and approachability in a tennis game. Tennis enthusiasts and casual gamers will all enjoy this game.
3) The new create-a-player mode adds a unique RPG element to the game. And if your favorite player is not among the included 16, you can create him or her from scratch.
4) Minor improvements over the original game can be seen throughout this sequel. For example, the graphics are noticeably cleaner (with nice touches such as scuff marks on the court surfaces) and game control now includes slicing.

preview

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 15
Date: September 02, 2001
Author: Amazon User

this game has to be the bomb the first one rocked at first i thought it would be another bad boring tennis game but boy was i wrong i was hooked instantly and i still play sometimes. The new game features women players and uses the same engine as the first one with some minor tweaks so you cant go wrong.

Huge Improvement over Virtua Tennis

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: April 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Virtua Tennis is so mcuh fun until you realize that it has only 2-3 good players and the graphics are smudgy. Tennis 2K2 takes the game engine of Virtua Tennis and kept the good parts and changed the parts that were bad. This game has not only 8 men but also has 8 women players. The players iclude Patrick Rafter, Tevgeny Kafelnikov, Tommy Haas, Venus WIlliams, Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles.

The gameplay is amazing. There are 3 buttons you use. One is for a lob shot, one is for a smash shot and the other is just a regular old shot. Just like in Virtua Tennis you really only need to use two buttons (the joystick and the A button).

The graphics are way better than 2000's Virtua Tennis and are even better than most of the other 2K2 games. Each player resembles it's real-life counterpart very well and any tennis fan can pcik them out. The graphcis are so realistic that their clothes and shoes look exactly liek what they do in real-life. The courts are also more realistic and their are more than a dozen more different courts than in Cvirtua Tennis.

There are 3 modes: World Tour, Exhibition and Tournament. In World Tour you pick a player and participate in a variety of singles and doubles matches as well as many fun bonus games like in Virtua Tennis. You earn money when you win or do good in the bonuses to use to buy more equipment or courts. In Exhibition you just pick two players and serve away in just one match. In tournament mode you pick one player and face off against the rest of the men or women and player in a series of games until you either win the championship or lose.

Some mroe cool things are that you can actually understand the PA announcer and when you hit a ball into the net the ball boys run out and retreive the balls unlike in Virtua Tennis. Also when you hit a ball out of the court near the wall the people standing there will avoid the balls by moving out of the way instead of standing like statues.

Also the players are evry detailed. Monica Seles grunts when she hits the ball and after you win your player has a big smile and afetr you lose they look very mad and disappointedand are ready to throw their rackets.

The only things missing are some of the players like Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Martina Hingis and Jennifer Capriti.

Gameplay: 5/5
Graphics 5/5
Controls: 4/5
Overall: 5/5

I'm Hooked

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 21, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I had the Virtua Tennis and played it until my thumb cramped and the tour was comleted. Now I get to see Venus and Serina. The addition of women was a plus. Agassi and Sampras would've been a nice addition but Tommy Haas holds his own on this version as well as the last. Gameplay is great on any level. I play only on the top level and seem to have no problem winning. I do lose more than I win, but it increases your skill and causes you to make better shots......hint: work the angles and keep the other guy guessing your shot.

oNe

Finally seqil of Virtua Tennis

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game is a lot better than virtua tennis you can be men or women and create a player

The sisters are in it...what more can I say?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is the best tennis game I have ever played...wait its the only tennis game i've played! Why? Because I don't like tennis but TENNIS 2K2 is SO GOOD it drew me in! This game has KILLER GRAPHICS, SMOOTH ANIMATION and LOTS OF REPLAY VALUE! If you own a Dreamcast (best system that never made it) then do yourself a favor and get this, its THAT GOOD. Its easy to pick up and play and is fun with friends...get it now!

Pretty Good

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: November 05, 2001
Author: Amazon User

After purchasing dreamcast, the first game i got was virtua tennis. I thought it was the best game ever! I couldn't wait to play the sequel.

When i heard that tennis 2k2 was coming out i bought it. Its even better than the first one. It includes players such as Patrick Rafter, Greg Norman, and others. Tim Henman, Tommy Haas, Carlos Moya, and others return. In Tennis 2k2 you can play with woman such as Venus and Serena Williams, Monica Seles, Lindsay Davenport, and a lot others.

The graphics are much better. They are more realistic than the cartoonish virtua tennis graphics. The gampeplay is much better also. Instead of having two buttons for the lob you have one for topspin, slice, and lob. The swings are much more realistic. All the serves are the same as real life.

This is a winner

Top of the line

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Sega definitely has a grand slam with Tennis 2K2. I was never a big video game tennis fan, mainly because the play was unrealistic. But Sega has made me a believer. I've spent hours just playing dream matchups, like the Williams sisters vs. each other or in doubles against Lindsay Davenport and Monica Seles. The only drawback, for me, is that my thumbs get sore from getting into the game. It took me a few hours just to get accustomed to the game and finally win a match. Now, whenever I lose, I have to keep playing until I win again. It's fun. Check it out.

Great sequel, but original still best

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I loved Virtua Tennis, so I was a little disappointed at first of 2k2. Once I got into this game, however, I started to really enjoy it. Play is faster than the original, and you can do some wicked cool (nasty to your opponents) net play that you couldn't do before. The create-a-character mode is a nice option, and you have to work to build up your player through the training in the world tour mode, which I thought was neat. The world tour is also an excellent upgrade from the first and more challenging, but on the downside you can only play your created character and not one of the pros. It's nice to see the women were added as well. 2k2 doesn't get a 5 because it doesn't have the arcade friendly play of the original, but this game is still very addicting.

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