“Virtua Tennis 4″ brings the best and worst parts of tennis video games to the table. It’s chock-full of big-name stars, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Venus Williams among the brightest. The game sports a fully fleshed-out career mode that requires you to manage both your character’s on- and off-court personas. On top of that, motion controls have been injected, and they make you feel completely immersed on the court.
On the other hand, “Virtua Tennis 4” takes it for granted that you have played the previous incarnations of the game, as there is little instruction on how to play. The early gameplay comes across as a bit too difficult — not being able to have a fair bit of success at the beginning of your career makes you feel less motivated to keep playing.
When pitted head to head with 2011’s other big tennis title, “Top Spin 4,” it’s hard to say which game comes out on top. “Virtua Tennis” clearly has the better graphics, while “Top Spin” has slightly better gameplay. “Virtua Tennis” turns its career mode into a role-playing game where you move along a map and decide which events to participate in as you climb the ladder to superstardom. This puts more of the focus on managing the career, where “Top Spin” put more focus in
| ‘Virtua Tennis 4’ |
| » Systems: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii |
| » Price: $49.99, $39.99 |
| » Rating: 3 out of 5 stars |
on-court play.
The only real flaw in “Virtua Tennis” is that the motion controls, at least for the Xbox 360, feel like they were thrown in as an afterthought. Kinect can’t be utilized in career mode, which is a bit of a letdown as the motion-control play is the best-looking part of the game. Playing in this mode puts you at eye- level on the court, and the camera bobs and weaves as your character charges around the court. The camera follows the ball just like your eyes would in real life.
“Virtua Tennis 4” adds its own spin to the tennis simulation genre. Whether this fits your style of play, you’ll just have to try it to find out.
