"Not quite a double fault... but definitely a second serve."

I played Virtua Tennis for the Dreamcast for like five minutes one day. As a real life tennis player, this one was about as realistic as it could get at the time (that was before I played Top Spin). Then when I found out that Sega was going to release a GBA version of the game, I was totally all over that. I seemed to forget, however, that GBA games were not quite as quality as DC games. Silly me. Oh well, here's my review.

PRESENTATION:
Virtua Tennis's only saving grace in its presentation is the Williams sisters. Those two are the only professional tennis players in the entire game that I had ever heard of, really. And I do in fact know of a good deal of pros… but who are the rest of these people? I have no idea. Other than that, the game has a simple interface and is easy to just pick up and play. But it's on the GBA, so this is nothing special.
PRESENTATION: 5/10

GRAPHICS:
Tennis courts aren't the most vividly detailed environments in the sports world. This is a very good thing for videogame creators. A few lines here and there, a net, maybe three colors at most? Sounds good to me. But Virtua Tennis's player models? I guess they're as close to being realistic as possible… but the GBA kind of muddles everything up. The players are more like multicolored amoebas holding a tennis racket. Luckily, this doesn't make the game harder to keep up with, but I would take simpler, more cartoony characters over this mess.
GRAPHICS: 6/10

SOUNDS:
Oh my God, the music in VT is awful. I mean, unless you're all about that good ol' fashioned elevator music that drones on and on and on… The sound effects bring this score up, though. For the GBA, they are relatively realistic with all that ball-swatting and -smacking and -bouncing.
SOUNDS: 6.5/10

GAMEPLAY:
The GBA limits the possibilities when playing this game. You can put slice or spin on the ball, or lob/drop shot/overhead it. Still, like real tennis, the possibilities for each point are endless. My problem, however, is that my dear, dear left thumb began burning from all that friction caused when I constantly slide it back, forth, up, and down on control pad. It didn't hurt or anything, but it really started to irritate me after awhile. Not to mention that the controls are slightly sluggish, much more so than any of console tennis games you've played. You'll get used to it after awhile, but that doesn't change the fact that this game doesn't recognize the fast-paced action of the beautiful sport it's based on. Lastly, VT suffers the same problem I find with every other tennis game I play. Why does the ball NEVER go out or into the net? In real life, hitting a ball out or into the net happens in at least a third of the points that are played. Not saying that I enjoy unforced errors… it's just that a game trying so hard to be realistic doesn't get even close when unforced errors are nearly impossible.

There are several different methods of playing VT. You can do the quick exhibition matches, where you play as Serena, Venus or someone else (honestly, I'm sure Sega could've raised the funds to include a couple more popular pros). The main chunk of your playtime will be in the Career Mode, however, where you make your own character (with very limited possibilities in creation) and follow him/her as he/she gets better and better. Here, you must play matches (both singles and doubles) and mini-games to build your skill and wallet. The matches are kind of fun at first, but by the time you're finished with the Career Mode you'll be pretty tired of them (no thanks to the sluggish controls). Not to mention the doubles matches, where your partner would usually be better off as a ballboy or ballgirl (the AI is terrible). And then there are the mini-games, which are dreadful to say the least. Whether it's running on a conveyor belt, target practice, these mini-games are relentless. If the game had tighter controls it wouldn't be so bad, but they are VERY frustrating and damn near impossible.

When you perform well in these [boring] matches and [maddening] mini-games, you get cash and skillz. Improve your game by spending your won points on control, stamina and speed, and spend money on better equipment and cute shoes! Well hey, that wonderful feeling of accomplishment never gets old no matter when a game is released.

I won't lie, I actually loved VT for a long time. But it eventually gets so mundane and trying that you'll just want to pull a big fat McEnroe and throw the damn thing.
GAMEPLAY: 5/10

LASTING APPEAL:
If you're like me, you'll play this game a long time because of the Career Mode. And who knows? Maybe you'll even want to play through as both your male and female (or vice-versa). But most likely you won't. Believe it or not, they both end up the exact same—as in, they get way too good against the rest of the world. Oh well, it was a great run, old champ. VT also provide multiplayer, which is a nice little treat if you've got the GBAs and multiple cartridges.
LASTING APPEAL: 8/10

OVERALL:
VT is kind of like being drunk. You love it at first, but once you reach that point where you're right where you want to be, it all goes downhill. VT starts off fun, and you will get really into it for a while, but it'll sooner or later become a huge headache.
…Okay so that analogy is awful, but you catch my drift, don't you? Good.
OVERALL: 5.7/10

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/08

Game Release: Virtua Tennis (US, 10/08/02)