Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii) Review

[RaychelSnr]

For a franchise dedicated to such a niche sport, the Virtua Tennis series has an unusual history of making itself a showpiece for new gaming technology.

Unfortunately, what Virtua Tennis 2009 ends up "showing off" isn’t the brilliance of Nintendo’s new MotionPlus peripheral, but the general incompetence of the series' new lone developer, Sumo Digital.

-Review written by Jayson Young

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[SBartlett]

your a great writer man good piece

[The_Balm]

neat.

[TreyIM2]

Well, the PS3 version ain't so hot, neither, but for different reasons. I shoulda took it back. Lol.

[Tico Da Great]

i bought vt2009 twice i hated it i had it on the 360
the same game i liked 3 better any way
i exchanged mine for punch out and bought boxing gloves lol
grand slam rules

[jyoung]

Yep, I actually went back and played through all three of the VT games recently (still got the Dreamcast hooked up!), and somehow, the older games are just more fun to play than this newest version.

VT 3 is definitely the series' champion to date.

If you want a tennis game on the Wii, Grand Slam Tennis (flaws and all) is definitely the way to go so long as you have some buddies to play with (locally or online).

And if you want a great tennis sim, check out Top Spin 3 for the PS3/360.

[RaychelSnr]

It's no small feat that a game gets our lowest score since we revised the scoring methods about 2 years ago when I came on board. I can remember us reviewing truly terrible games, but none dipped below a 4, so for one of our reviewers to think this game was worthy of a 3, that says something IMHO.

It's a shame too, because I remember the old VT games on the dreamcast (like wEEman33 above me) and those games were just plain fun to play. Maybe it's the simple fact SEGA tried to reach into the same old bag of tricks one too many times and the gig is up? Then again, I'd still play a quality tennis game around the VT theme. Maybe instead it just has to do with just plain ol' incompetence.

[jyoung]

Yeah I don't think there's anything wrong with the classic VT formula (the old games definitely hold up well enough to support that thought), instead, it's the changes Sega's made in this version of VT (poorly implemented motion controls, horrible changes to the career mode, botched online mode, bad framerate) that really screw the game up and leave such a bitter taste behind after playing it.

[Pappy Knuckles]

Re: Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii) Review

I only played the 360 version. If that game was any indication a 3 is a fair score.

[goheat]

Quote: "Unlike EA’s Grand Slam Tennis, players using the MotionPlus add-on with Virtua Tennis 2009 will seldom miss shots because of calibration or detection issues."

From my experience, Grand Slam Tennis' "issues" are pretty much solved through experience in learning how to properly use MotionPlus in the game. The biggest 'flaw' with GST is the lack of a detailed manual or an in-game tutorial on the required nuances of how to properly hold the Remote (the side of the remote is the face of the racket). However, by browsing OperationSports' and EA's Message Boards, I was able to find details on proper control and have been very successful in GST.

[jwoodson15]

Re: Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii) Review

My main gripe is the slow progression through Career Mode. Five tourny wins is worth more than a small jump from #100-#94. I have yet to lose in singles. Doubles I just hate. I find the game fun at times but it just doesnt showcase the Motion Plus.

[jyoung]

Yep, after only a few tournaments of experience in the career mode it gets to the point where you rarely lose any points, much less an actual match.

And yet, for every dominating, unchallenged tournament win, you only move up a spot, or if you're lucky, two, in the stupid rankings.

That and the changes to the resting system pretty much kill the career mode for me.

[Dellzip]

Re: Virtua Tennis 2009 (Wii) Review

My main gripe is the slow progression through Career Mode. Five tourny wins is worth more than a small jump from #100-#94. I have yet to lose in singles. Doubles I just hate. I find the game fun at times but it just doesnt showcase the Motion Plus.

always a good one!