"Game, set and match Virtua Tennis"

Virtua Tennis World Tour is the first tennis game on the PSP and I picked it up when it first came out in Europe when I collected my PSP. I have not played any of the older Virtua Tennis games and so I cannot comment on how the game has improved from its past etc.

Story: N/A

The game itself has no story line but I suppose a sort of story is the World Tour mode were you take two players you created (Male and Female) and try to make them World Number 1. This is achieved by playing in tournaments that are unlocked as your rank grows. To improve your abilities you take part in mini games and you can also by new clothes and rackets for you characters to use.

Graphics 9/10

The games graphics are very impressive for the console. This game was the first I played on the PSP and I knew when I saw them that the console would not fail in that department. The players look lifelike and identifiable which in Maria Sharapovas case is a good thing :P. You really do feel you are watching a game as you play and the camera angles and highlights create a TV effect that I find very clever and effective. I do have some problems though. It might just be my version but occasional a black line appears and disappears very quickly during replays, which I do not find a major problem but it would be nice for it not to be there.

Music: 7/10

This in my opinion is the games weakest area. The menu music does its job but can get boring and repetitive after a lot of play and I feel a selection of songs would have been a better option. On the court the sounds is much better. You do feel like you are at a match with the ball bounces, umpires calls and the crowd in between points. A touch I like is that sometimes the crowd whistles when female players are playing!

Controls: 9/10

The controls are very good and work well. All the shots are easy to play and shot direction is responsive and effective. The shots are played of the symbol keys and then are combined with the dpad or analog to give you direction. The dpad is not very useful as the angles you may want to play are not as effective on it in comparison to the analog. On the other hand my one problem with controls is that at first using the analog can be a little annoying but I feel this is more the PSPs design then any game problems.

Gameplay: 10/10

In my opinion this game has tennis gameplay spot on. Although tennis die hards will not like the way the games are divided in to games as opposed to sets (The longest game you can play is one set with a tie break) but I like this method as It allows for faster paced arcade style games. The game is very easy to play but is difficult to master. There are a number of modes to play: Quick Match, Tournament, Mini games and the World Tour I mentioned earlier. All are very simply to set up and play and the World Tour is incredibly addictive. I just could not stop playing the mini games raising my characters levels as I tried to make them World Number 1. I always find its just one more game that becomes two or three. The mini games are great fun and you do see how they help your game in terms of positioning shots, volleys and serve power and accuracy.

Multiplayer: N/A

I feel I cannot mark this area, as I have not played this game as multiplayer. Unfortunately the game does not let you play over the Internet against players around the globe, which would have been a nice touch.

Lifespan: 9/10

This game has tremendous lifespan and I always want to come back for another game. The game has clearly been designed to utilize pick up and play and this is seen in the way games are quick and easy to get to and the simplicity of the controls. There are 14 players to play as and this gives variety as they all have strengths and weaknesses, which you have to utilize for victory. The world tour mode takes a very long time to complete but I cannot say it was boring. There is a lot to unlock from new rackets to two hidden players and trust me they the players are not easy to unlock. Your skills will be pt to the limit trying to get them!

Plus Points:

Lots of characters and variety
Good graphics
Effective responsive controls

Negative Points

Annoying menu music
No Internet multiplayer

In all I gave this game 9/10. It is let down by a few slight problems and a lack of Internet multiplayer but this is out weighed by plus points. The easy simply to play but difficult to master system will keep you coming back for more. I think the rent the game or borrow first purely in case you do not agree with me but this game has made me a fan of the series and I will be buying any sequels that may come. My last point is to thank you for reading this review and I hope you found it useful!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/06