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An Unexpected Surprise

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 34 / 37
Date: August 07, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Not many tennis games keep me interested for long, but this isn't the case with the addictive play in VIRTUA TENNIS. The graphics are stunning as players look lifelike and the courts truly look as though you're playing at Wimbeldon or the French Open. The gameplay is simple, but also presents a challenge to master, especially in heated two-player matches. The two-player singles matches seem to always be competitive with several games coming to deuces. The world circuit mode isn't as difficult as some here have said, but it has kept me busy with the many levels and training modes that must be completed. I'm not sure why Sega chose not to include women, but it surely was a mistake. Actually, I think more people recognize Davenport, Hingis, Seles, and the Williams sisters than they do the men, besides of course Sampras and Aggasi who are absent in this game. A deeper world circuit mode, more options, and obviously more players would have helped make this game better, but overall there's not a better tennis game available. This game puts WORLD SERIES BASEBALL 2K1, which was released around the same time with more hype, to shame. I can't wait for the sequel to VIRTUA TENNIS

A Good Game, Despite It's Many "Faults."

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 32 / 35
Date: July 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Since being an avid tennis fan (and player) for over 11 years, I have always looked forward to a new tennis release regardless of which console it was for. When I first heard about Virtua Tennis coming to the Dreamcast, I could hardly wait to get my hands on it. When I did get it, my first impressions were nothing short of awe. The stadium renderings, player animations, and sound effects were mind blowing (similar to the effect that NFL 2K had on me).

The menu setups were easy to navigate and I was able to get started within 30 seconds. Load times are extremely fast with virtually no waiting time. The game menu is set up with exhibition matches (for 1-4 players) and a World-Circuit (1P) which features a training mode and tennis shop. Training matches help you to learn ball movement, shot power, shot selection, and other skills required to compete with top circuit pros. These training matches are conducted using simple yet inventive drills that you must complete within a certain time frame before moving on.

I was highly impressed with player movement where a player could not stop on a dime, turn and run the opposite way of their forward momentum, and still hit a good return. I also liked the way a player would lunge forward to hit a short ball which would cause him to stagger a bit before a complete recovery. I noticed that players tend to dive for just out of reach shots a bit too often, including on a hard court surface. Ouch!

Many little details can be found in this game which are great. For example: when on clay, temporary footprints are left and dust clouds are visible with each step. During instant replays, a player will fix his sleeve, chat with his doubles partner, grit his teeth, or pump his fist. While the player animations are cool, instant replays aren't all that spectacular due to the brevity of the cut scenes

The actual game play is very simple. While the simplicity is good for those who are casual tennis fans and is very easy to pick up (learning curve about 10-20 minutes), it can be somewhat annoying for those who want more simulation type game play. For instance, there is no distinction between a topspin offensive lob and a defensive lob. Two very different shots which you have no choice of selecting. There is no slice/chip shot (as a defensive recovery shot or a chip and charge) selection either. The A button hits the ball, the X button lobs the ball. That's it! There is no drop shot or drop volley as well.

The movement of the ball is easy - hold the stick or D-Pad to the left to hit it to the left, move the stick or D-Pad to the right for it to go to the right. A problem develops when you want to control the depth of your groundstroke. To do this, you must move the pad or stick "up" for greater depth into your opponent's court or "back" for a shallow shot. When you press up for a deep shot, your player tends to move forward as well - and if you hit several consecutive deep shots, you will find your player in "no man's land" right around the service line. So, you constantly have to adjust your player by bringing back to the baseline after every deep shot you hit (or, back up to the baseline if you were hitting short balls). As far as judging the ball from the recipient's standpoint, gauging the ball's trajectory is fairly simple.

Another problem I have is the serve. While it is easy to perform a serve, there is virtually no distinction between a Mark Phillopoussis service and say, a Jim Courier serve. Everyone looks to have the same speed serve depending on how high your service power meter is. You will never beat a player on a speedy serve (because they are all the same). Utilizing angles is the only way that you can ace an opponent.

One of the biggest drawbacks of Virtua Tennis is the lack of players to choose from. I can't comprehend how Sega can put in every MLB and NFL player in their respective Sega Sports titles but only include 8 real life male tennis pros (with a few non selectable fakes). And these guys aren't exactly players that have a huge fan base: Jim Courier (now retired), Mark Phillopoussis, Tim Henmen, Cedric Pioline, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, are probably the most popular of the 8. You can't tell me that Agassi is still under contract with Tekmagic or whoever made that horrendous Genesis title back in 1991(?). Where is Patrick Rafter? Pete Sampras? Jan-Michael Gambill, and the others? The option of creating a player would have been a great idea. That way, I could perhaps "create" an Agassi or Rafter. Sega has never been shy on spending cashola for a top name for their sports titles. What happened here?

Conclusion: The speed is just right and the player movements and sounds are pretty sharp. Despite it's drawbacks, it is a very fun and fast paced game to play. It does offer alot of replay value with the two-player mode but I fear the AI on CPU opponents will cause the single player mode to grow stale after a month or two (they aren't very bright). If you like tennis and are searching for a simple and realistic looking tennis title, then look no further. However, if you are searching for a tennis sim - like I was, you may want to rent Virtua Tennis first. But if you DO buy this game without having played it first, I am pretty confident you will still enjoy it quite a bit. It's a pretty good game despite its "faults." I guess I just had my expectations too high. I would give this game 3.75 stars.

Virtua Tennis is phenomenal........

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: November 12, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Virtua Tennis, quite simply, is awesome! If you are a big tennis fan (like myself), you will be amazed and blown away by this game! Even if you're not, you will be instantly hooked after playing this. It has so much to offer in terms of graphics, gameplay and replay value. The only faults with this game are exactly what everyone else says: that it doesn't include any female players and no Sampras or Agassi. Other than those ommissions, Virtua Tennis is pure tennis bliss!

At first when I bought this game, I was disappointed there were only two buttons to push to make your shots. I really wanted more buttons to execute different types of shots. But I realize now that it is perfect the way it is and that the gameplay is actually very deep. You use the analog stick to aim where and how deep and how short you want to hit the ball. Positioning is very important and you have to master your timing, in terms of knowing when to hit the ball exactly as it bounces up, which can result in some awesome groundstrokes! There's nothing like getting a weak return and just crushing it for a winner....that is a sweet feeling that you have to experience!

One of the things I like about this game is that whenever you play, you can always hit the ball in the court; it would have been really frustrating if a lot of balls went out of bounds and there were a lot of interruptions. The gameplay is non-stop back and forth. Also, there is no loading time at all; after you lose a match, you can continue playing it without having to wait and it starts right away! There is no waiting whatsoever and it's great to get right back in it! Gameplay is fantastic--the controls are extremely responsive and it is so easy to move your player around and control your shots that it's just like being on the court!

Virtua Tennis is one of the most impressive sports games ever created--the best tennis game ever--and another one of those "must-buy" games for Dreamcast.

Best Tennis Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: December 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This has got to be the best tennis game that i have ever played. The game is so easy to get into, the controls are nice and easy to get to grips with. The graphics are quite good on this game, and possibly thr best i have seen on a sports game for some time. The playability fot this game is great you wont be able to put it down especially when you play against your friends.

WOW, TENNIS ANYONE?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: July 15, 2000
Author: Amazon User

VIRTUA TENNIS is the first game for this sport on the DREAMCAST, and i can easily say this is the best sports game so far. In less than a year the dreamcast has totally blown away the competition(my sony playstation & nintendo 64 live peacefully in my attic,R.I.P.)and in that time the beauty of it`s game`s has been amazing(see SOUL CALIBUR,NFL2K & NBA2K,ETC.),but this game takes the cake! The game allows up to 4 players to play against eachother,the graphics are truely amazing,the game takes only about 1 minute to get the hang of, the computer A.I.(artificial intelligence) is great and last,but not least, this game is the most addictive and fun time that you can have standing on two feet! Now what else could you possibly ask for? GO BUY IT,IT`S AMAZING!

Virtua Tennis- Video Tennis Can Be Fun.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 13, 2000
Author: Amazon User

The problem plaguing past video tennis efforts has always been the same. They were repititious by nature. After a day of playing the AI would become predictable. Too easy or too hard. This problem has finally been adressed and adressed wonderfully in Sega Sport's Virtua Tennis. Instead of 3 set matches that can take hours, the early round sets in VT are shortened to two games. Every thing you do in the game rewards you with money. Even losing gets you a little!. And you will need that money for almost everything in the game needs to be unlocked. (Players , stadiums, mini-games.)Oh yes , the mini-games. These are the most fun mini-games I've ever played. And the mini-games have progressively difficult levels, making them worthy of a game in themselves. Real players are duplicated excellently as are the graphics in general and animation is superb. Although instant re-play is not a must in video tenns, the replay is not selectable and is very short dropping my score for Virtua Tennis to a 9.5 .

This is great GAME! QUIT YOUR WHINING!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: July 18, 2000
Author: Amazon User

Bottom line, Virtua Tennis is pound for pound one of the best sports games ever made. The graphics are jaw-dropping, the sound perfect, and the world mode quite involving. I refuse to listen to those out there who dislike this game (your're out there..it's true...it's true!) I remember reading one review where the critic said he would give it 0 stars if he could. The lesson to be learned is that there's always ONE person who has to be different and blast a great game. I will however say that the addtion of better players would have been nice, as well as a create a player mode. While some are griping that you really can't play a full tennis game with Virtua Tennis, the stamp on the top left of the game manual that says "Sega Sports Arcade" answers those. The game was made so a quarter could be put in and provide a short lived arcade experience. Period. Sega converted an arcade masterpiece and delivered. Every DC owner should own this game, and it is the greatest tennis game on any console. And oh yeah..I love the music..it's straight-up old school game music, like i'm playin some crazy early nineties game.

I'm speechless

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: August 20, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is a must have for Dreamcast. If you dont have virtua tennis and have Dreamcast you're NUTS! I'm not really of a tennis player, but once I played this i'm a fanatic. I start out playing one game and the next thing you know im playing 30! Its extremly fun to play with other people. Doubles are my favorite you could play that for hours...literally. Overall this is an excellent game and on a scale of 1-10 I give it an 11. Great job Dreamcast!

Fun, yet frustrating at times...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 28, 2000
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing tennis for years, and I can say without a doubt that Virtua Tennis is the best tennis game on any system, bar none. The gameplay is simple yet effective, the graphics are astounding and the control is (for the most part) spot on. You will have hours of fun playing this game. But prepare yourself, for this is one of those "easy-to-play-yet-incredibly-hard-to-master" games. On the World Circuit mode, for example, you'll breeze through all of the level one matches. However, the level two challenges will teach you a lesson in respect, believe me. You'll need to hone all of your skills to master this game. To that end, there are several training mini-games such as bowling (where you serve to knock over bowling pins) and cannon ball (where you hit balls from ball machines, trying to hit them). I found a few of these frustrating, as most of them are timed and the winning requirements are very strict. Plus, these games also level up as you beat them. However, stick with it, and you will prevail. There's a few bad points to the title. For example, be prepared to hear the same three sounds when your racquet hits the ball. Also, there's not much speech in the game. Announcers and grunts...that's about it. But, those are mainly just nits. My biggest gripe is with the animation. Visually, it's stunning. But, once your player begins an animation, he will follow that animation to completion, even as the ball zips by. This resulted in several missed shots for me. All in all, if you're a tennis player, fan or just a casual observer, you must buy this game. It's that good.

Addicting

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 16, 2000
Author: Amazon User

This game is pretty addicting, even with its flaws. You can find yourself stuck in front of it for hours before even realizing it. The graphics are A+. Usually, tennis games have the same player with the same moves (and different hair color). In this game, each player has their own signature move. Play as Kafelnikov or Courier, and you'll see the individual differences in each players strokes. Great detail.

OK, the "perfect topspin lob while diving on the court" move gets old after a while, but you adjust to it after a while. My other gripe is, while fun, it doesn't play like tennis. It's more like...Pong. You get a lot of weird rallies and shots that just don't happen in the sport of tennis. Still...I guess I was hoping for more of a sim than an arcade game. Because it isn't a sim, it has less replay value than, say, a basketball or football sim. Still, it has its charms.

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