The "General Games Chat" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Virtua Tennis is most probably the most famous Dreamcast sports title and rightly so. It’s also the best Dreamcast game available form the Sega Sports team – nothing compares to it graphically or in terms of gameplay, you simply should have played this game – if you haven’t, do bother reading the rest of this review – go out now and play it! You will not be disappointed. With many sports games I always find it difficult to learn all the of controls and moves, football and basketball games are a prime example, but with Virtua Tennis it’s different. Nothing is so simple to play, and nothing can beat this multiplayer, and single player Sega classic experience. Born and bred in the arcades, VT is another success for in house team Hit Maker, and Virtua Tennis certainly was a hit, serving up an ace to land the top spot for the all format chart back in the autumn last year on it’s release.
Watched the tennis recently? Of course you have, and so I am gathering that you are fairly disappointed that our semi finalist hope did not shrug off the wild card and now champion Goran Ivanisevic, but never fear as you can always take Tim to the final in virtual reality! Whether you win it or not will naturally depend on your skill level, but he has a far better chance of winning major championships (World Circuit on Virtua Tennis or the Arcade mode of course) in polygon rather than atom form. But respect to Henman, he played his best, just wasn’t good enough. Virtua Tennis is true to the game, including 8 real life players, soon to be either replaced, or added to by the new wave of stars (including females!!) in the sequel, due out in the autumn.
The superbly intuitive control system makes, rather than breaks, the way the game plays. You need only the A and B button, as well as the directional or analogue stick, to control your graphical recreation of a tennis star. A performs the main shot, B is a lob -simple and easy to get to grips with, you’ll be performing backhand smashes in no time at all. Serving is also a well executed affair, proving that everyone can be good at serving, and you won’t even have to fork out for an expensive racquet. Aces are hard to achieve, but it’s realistic, very realistic indeed. Which brings me round to the graphics. Never before have I seen such a visually stunning sports title – nothing even comes close to the slickness, the speed and solidity of everything on the screen, although you really should play in 60hz mode, so get a decent television if you haven’t already! Superb animation of players, great courts and crowds and a wonderfully uncomplicated menu select screen. Virtua Tennis is everything you ever wanted in a tennis game, and more!
Choose from Tim Henman, Thomas Johansson, Carlos Moya, Tommy Haas, Cedric Pioline, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Jim Courier and Mark Philippoussis out of the real life stars and take them on a world circuit tour in order to become number one. Play through mini games of all sorts including a fantastic bowling style box – it’s like the Crazy Taxi box mode, but integrated into the single player experience tour. It’s addictive because every time you complete a target or win a match another becomes unlocked – new costumes are achievable (some really funny ones too! Have you ever felt like playing tennis with an oversized sunflower? No? Well just in case you did, you can!) The world circuit mode will last a good ten hours, but in my view it’s not the best aspect of Virtua Tennis.
“Multiplayer heaven” a highly appropriate phrase for the title, as nothing else, other than golden eye perhaps, comes close to Virtua Tennis for 4player addiction! Doubles matches are incredibly entertaining in the Exhibition mode, where you are the players and the audience. It’s great! “Ah” and “Ooh” will be your most used words as you look upon some truly amazingly executed points, played by your very self. Forget Anna Kournakova tennis on the PlayStation – get the definitive Tennis, and indeed greatest sports game ever created.
Only gripe I have with the game is that the music is so annoying that you’ll have to play in silence – turn the music off, and listen to a less than enthusiastic crowd. Thus, for VT2, should it be named this (knowing Sega, they’ll stick to their new name “Sega Sports Tennis 2K2” title), there should be a more active crowd – with people screaming out “Go on Tim” and mobile phones ringing now and then so that the umpire can say “quiet please” and the whole audience cheer like deranged puppets. Of course, Sega could include some decent music – dare I say Cliff Richard should be a secret character? The game is fun, believe me, but it could get a whole lot funnier. You won’t see the likes of Agassi in the sequel, but don’t worry as we’re getting women players – and you know what that means! Yep, more boring games due to their less capable array of shots. Unless of course Miss V Williams and Miss S Williams are there ;-)
Virtua Tennis is a fabulous game, for 1, 2, 3 or 4 players, making full use of the Dreamcast 4 control ports. You won’t be disappointed, and I’ve never met anyone that has been. I’d recommend it to everyone, especially at this time of year when the Tennis has just come on again. Full marks in graphics, gameplay, control, sound and longevity. You’ll be returning time and time again to Sega’s gem of a sports game. Thank you Sega!!
I appreciate your reading of it, sorry if you don't want to read - you don't have to. If you could tell me what you think of both review and game then we could turn this into a discussion.
Sulzeer
Virtua Tennis is most probably the most famous Dreamcast sports title and rightly so. It’s also the best Dreamcast game available form the Sega Sports team – nothing compares to it graphically or in terms of gameplay, you simply should have played this game – if you haven’t, do bother reading the rest of this review – go out now and play it! You will not be disappointed. With many sports games I always find it difficult to learn all the of controls and moves, football and basketball games are a prime example, but with Virtua Tennis it’s different. Nothing is so simple to play, and nothing can beat this multiplayer, and single player Sega classic experience. Born and bred in the arcades, VT is another success for in house team Hit Maker, and Virtua Tennis certainly was a hit, serving up an ace to land the top spot for the all format chart back in the autumn last year on it’s release.
Watched the tennis recently? Of course you have, and so I am gathering that you are fairly disappointed that our semi finalist hope did not shrug off the wild card and now champion Goran Ivanisevic, but never fear as you can always take Tim to the final in virtual reality! Whether you win it or not will naturally depend on your skill level, but he has a far better chance of winning major championships (World Circuit on Virtua Tennis or the Arcade mode of course) in polygon rather than atom form. But respect to Henman, he played his best, just wasn’t good enough. Virtua Tennis is true to the game, including 8 real life players, soon to be either replaced, or added to by the new wave of stars (including females!!) in the sequel, due out in the autumn.
The superbly intuitive control system makes, rather than breaks, the way the game plays. You need only the A and B button, as well as the directional or analogue stick, to control your graphical recreation of a tennis star. A performs the main shot, B is a lob -simple and easy to get to grips with, you’ll be performing backhand smashes in no time at all. Serving is also a well executed affair, proving that everyone can be good at serving, and you won’t even have to fork out for an expensive racquet. Aces are hard to achieve, but it’s realistic, very realistic indeed. Which brings me round to the graphics. Never before have I seen such a visually stunning sports title – nothing even comes close to the slickness, the speed and solidity of everything on the screen, although you really should play in 60hz mode, so get a decent television if you haven’t already! Superb animation of players, great courts and crowds and a wonderfully uncomplicated menu select screen. Virtua Tennis is everything you ever wanted in a tennis game, and more!
Choose from Tim Henman, Thomas Johansson, Carlos Moya, Tommy Haas, Cedric Pioline, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Jim Courier and Mark Philippoussis out of the real life stars and take them on a world circuit tour in order to become number one. Play through mini games of all sorts including a fantastic bowling style box – it’s like the Crazy Taxi box mode, but integrated into the single player experience tour. It’s addictive because every time you complete a target or win a match another becomes unlocked – new costumes are achievable (some really funny ones too! Have you ever felt like playing tennis with an oversized sunflower? No? Well just in case you did, you can!) The world circuit mode will last a good ten hours, but in my view it’s not the best aspect of Virtua Tennis.
“Multiplayer heaven” a highly appropriate phrase for the title, as nothing else, other than golden eye perhaps, comes close to Virtua Tennis for 4player addiction! Doubles matches are incredibly entertaining in the Exhibition mode, where you are the players and the audience. It’s great! “Ah” and “Ooh” will be your most used words as you look upon some truly amazingly executed points, played by your very self. Forget Anna Kournakova tennis on the PlayStation – get the definitive Tennis, and indeed greatest sports game ever created.
Only gripe I have with the game is that the music is so annoying that you’ll have to play in silence – turn the music off, and listen to a less than enthusiastic crowd. Thus, for VT2, should it be named this (knowing Sega, they’ll stick to their new name “Sega Sports Tennis 2K2” title), there should be a more active crowd – with people screaming out “Go on Tim” and mobile phones ringing now and then so that the umpire can say “quiet please” and the whole audience cheer like deranged puppets. Of course, Sega could include some decent music – dare I say Cliff Richard should be a secret character? The game is fun, believe me, but it could get a whole lot funnier. You won’t see the likes of Agassi in the sequel, but don’t worry as we’re getting women players – and you know what that means! Yep, more boring games due to their less capable array of shots. Unless of course Miss V Williams and Miss S Williams are there ;-)
Virtua Tennis is a fabulous game, for 1, 2, 3 or 4 players, making full use of the Dreamcast 4 control ports. You won’t be disappointed, and I’ve never met anyone that has been. I’d recommend it to everyone, especially at this time of year when the Tennis has just come on again. Full marks in graphics, gameplay, control, sound and longevity. You’ll be returning time and time again to Sega’s gem of a sports game. Thank you Sega!!
I appreciate your reading of it, sorry if you don't want to read - you don't have to. If you could tell me what you think of both review and game then we could turn this into a discussion.
Sulzeer
I have also enjoyed Virtual Tennis and found it to be a heavily overlooked game, luckily when Virtual Tennis 2 arrives on the GameCube everything will be great.
Hi, you don't know me, my name is Dan. I will keep this email brief and short. Please could you release a copy of Virtual Tennis on the GameBoy Advance.
Thank You
Dan.
>>>>>Two Days Later>>>>>
Dear Dan,
No.
Thanks
Sega HQ
Wimbledon, you would make millions! Link up 4 player play!
Thanks
Dan
Response:
Dear Dan,
Thank you for your comments which have been stored on our
database. We thank you for your continued support for SEGA products.
Regards,
Umberto Vanni
Customer Service Agent
Internet help line 09066 544 544 (premium rate)
All other enquiries 08456 090 090 (local call rate)
"Dear Daniel,
It must be pointed put that Sega was not involved in publishing Half Life
for Dreamcast. Valve software stated that they had cancelled this game due
to 'changing market conditions'. To you and me that means that they didn't
think they were going to sell enough copied to justify marketing the game.
Obviously, this is very disappointing but does the absence of a rather long
in the tooth PC conversion really make all that much difference to the
quality of the Dreamcast games library ?
In any case, Sega has publicly stated it's support and commitment to the
Dreamcast for the time being and no matter what other publishers do, we will
continue making great games for Dreamcast. If FPS is your thing, then look
out for Out Trigger, possibly one of the most frenzied games of the genre
and many other delights by the end of the year.
Best Regards,
Frank Cameron"