This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Tennis - on TV it's about as much fun as watching paint dry,
but not when playing good console games like Virtua Tennis 2.
I don't know what it is about most tennis games that have appeared over the
years, but I've rarely had as much fun out of a tennis game in the home since
playing Match Point on the good ol' ZX Spectrum back in the early 80s.
(Incidentally, while playing VT2 on the Dreamcast, the wire-frame reproduction
of the match being shown on the VMU isn't a world away from the Speccy's
graphics at the time :)
You're not going to be able to make tennis a great deal different from the
way it plays in the real world, so the best thing to do is the way it's
been treated here - allow you to play as a world-ranking sports personality
or create your own player within a few boundaries, then compete in tournaments
around the world (although the option to position your home base was a bit
disconcerting when I was able to place it slap bang in the middle of the sea!),
create a tour calendar and then enjoy the mini-games.
The latter helps with your techniques and to get your skill levels up. Examples
of these sub-games are Danger Flags (avoid the red balls being shot at
you in order to capture the flags), Bull's Eye (shoot balls back into
a target to score points within a tight time limit) and Pin Crasher
(serve balls to knock down pins instead of doing the usually ten-pin bowling
equivalent). Success in some of these will result in hidden items being unlocked.
However, I did find it annoying the way a training level has to re-load itself back in once you've
failed it and want to have another crack at it, since the game has taken you
back to the world map first.
Graphically and sonically, it's difficult to find fault with VT2. Your player
moves effortless about the court with accurate shadows and lighting on display
and no clipping. A combination of realism and the perfect arcade feel is
undoubtedly on view. In terms of the sound, it's nothing that will test your
speakers a great deal, but you'll have to go a long way to match the atmosphere
created as you smack the ball back at your opponent and listen out for the
reaction from the crowd.
Playability is first-rate given that the physics of a tennis game are recreated
brilliantly. They were fine enough the first time round, but here refinements
have been made such as to force your lob and also slice the ball back. Also,
in a sub-game, I loved the way my player's shoes squeaked across an indoor
surface when making tight turns. Really brought back the feeling of playing
squash indoors, since that's more of an indoor activity than tennis.
You could say that November's an odd time to release a tennis game, because
Wimbledon is months away... so watch Eurosport, where you're bound to find a
tennis match most months of the year!
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.