Review: Virtua Tennis 2009

Ever since Wii Sports Tennis was unveiled it's been pretty clear that the Wii is going to be home to some quality tennis games, and although they have been a bit thin on the ground there has been good games. They have ranged from the realistic to the absurd, but now the grand daddy of all Tennis games is making its first appearance on the Wii in the face of some stiff competition, how does it fare against the competition though?

Showing its Age

Let's not beat around the bush, Virtua Tennis has been around a fair while, and although top of its game to begin with it is getting some serious competition now, across multiple platforms, and its top title is starting to look a bit shaky. Sega has been giving the Wii there best lately though, with House of the Dead Overkilll, Madworld, and the Conduit, and you've got to think if any version of Virtua Tennis 2009 is going to be the one worth getting it'll be the Wii version.

Well, first appearances may give you the opposite impression though, I don't want to be unkind, but the game seems to have taken a big step backwards graphically. Maybe I was spoilt by the high definition visuals of VT3, but this latest instalment is comparable to the original Dreamcast game, and not in a good way. These shortcomings are more apparent on the players than the tennis courts, which look pretty good, especially if you use a custom made player. It's not that the create a player mode is bad, I managed to make a passable facsimile of myself in it, it's just when they get out on the court some of the lighting can make them look like an extra from a zombie movie.

Same Old Game

But despite the graphical downgrade everything is there, just as you remember it from past incarnations, the world map, the mini games, the training sessions, it's the same as it's always been. Well, not quite the same, aside from the new control scheme, which I'll get to in due course, there has been some changes to the way the game plays. Advancing through the ranks is a much slower process than in previous games, the amount of places you can jump is limited to five if you can win an entire tournament, so it takes quite a lot of play to get yourself up to a top ranking position.

Couple that with the fact that it's a much more physically intensive game than other versions, so you probably won't want to play extensive sessions on the game, and it just accentuates the slow rise through the ranks. Another welcome addition to the now familiar globe of world tour mode is an on-line component, represented by a large radio tower set in the far east. The on-line tour mode lets you participate in on-line matches over a week in real time that add to your world tour scores, and you automatically get matched up against someone of a similar rank to ensure fairness in the matches.

Dodgy Doubles

Despite the new additions, and the enduring quality of the series, the game does still have the odd problem, that to be honest have always been a problem in my experience. It has to be said the games AI in doubles matches is incredibly inconsistent, it's always been a bit iffy, but here seems to be worse than ever. Half of the time your partner will just stand there and let you do all the work, not even taking shots that are coming straight at them, the other time it tries to take every shot. This invariably leaves one half of the court open for a return shot from your opponents, it can be incredibly frustrating,, losing matches through no fault of your own. It does have to be said though that when it does take shots it takes them well, now if only they could get it to keep to its own side of the court and stop it slacking off it would be perfect. It's a small niggle I know, and if you don't want to you don't have to play doubles matches in World Tour mode, but it's just annoying that after so many versions of the game they still haven't been able to nail decent AI for it.

A Real Workout

Now the bit you've all been waiting for, how well do the motion controls handle, well they've done a very good job. I've not played all the Tennis games available on the Wii, just Mario Power Tennis and Wii Sports Tennis, but this controls far better than both those. Swinging forwards or backwards determines forehand or backhand shots, but there's more to it than that, by angling the Wii remote you can make slice shots and holding the A button as you swing will perform a lob.

My description really doesn't do them justice though, it really does feel more like you are playing tennis than any other game I've played. You don't really need to perform such full and energetic swings to play the game, but it just feels so right to do so, so not only are you having fun with great game, but you can burn off some of those excess calories too. There is also the option to use Nintendo's new Motion Plus add on for even more precise controls. Sadly I wasn't able to test out how much of an improvement this makes as I don't yet have the peripheral, but the controls are fine without it, so I wouldn't call it an essential purchase to go with this game.

Centre Court

Well, Virtua Tennis looked to be losing its crown as king of tennis games lately, but this Wii version has ensured it remains at the top of the league. It's not the prettiest looking game, and it does have some minor issues, but the motion controls make all the difference, they do take a bit of getting used to, but once you get the hang of them it really makes it feel authentic. So, if you're a tennis fan, or just a fan of Virtua Tennis, go out and buy a Wii if you don't already have one so you can play the best tennis game around.