Virtua Tennis 2009

Tennis and video games have gone hand-in-hand since Atari helped jumpstart the games industry with Pong back in 1972.

Pong was the first in a long history of classic tennis simulators, from Tennis on the NES, to Namco’s Smash Court Tennis, 2K’s Top Spin, Nintendo’s Mario Tennis, and of course the endlessly popular Wii Sports tennis.
Yet one of the most acclaimed tennis franchises is Sega’s Virtua Tennis series, which first appeared in the arcades in 1999 with a Dreamcast edition arriving a year later.

The game was a massive critical and commercial success, and spawned several sequels. The most-recent title, Virtua Tennis 3, continued the tradition of critical admiration and big sales when it landed on Xbox 360, PS3, PSP and PC back in 2007.

And now Sega is set to unleash its most promising Virtua Tennis game yet: Virtua Tennis 2009, which is under development at Sumo Digital, the talented team behind last year’s hit Sega Superstars Tennis and 2007’s Virtua Tennis 3.

“Virtua Tennis is the number one tennis franchise in video games, both critically and through sales,” explains product manager Ben Payne.

“We expect our unrivalled fanbase and heritage to drive strong sales across the four different SKUs that we will be releasing in May. It is the must have tennis title for home console owners, and we’re confident it’ll do well.”

The 2009 edition boasts a plethora of gameplay refinements and additions that are certain to excite gamers. The title contains all the new players, licences and courts a tennis enthusiast could dream of, with an updated match engine, allowing for improved volleying, service and net action.

Players set to star in Sega’s much-anticipated sequel includes Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Maria Shaparova. And they will be joined by  licensed content, such as the ability to play in the Davis Cup.

Virtua Tennis 2009 also features a full online mode, with web rankings and online career mode, 23 well-known players, an impressive player creation system, as well as 12 mini-games for either single or multiplayer action. And the Wii version is also enjoying plenty of hype, as the product is set to be the first to make use of the Wii MotionPlus.

“The all-new over the shoulder camera angle brings a totally new direction to the tennis gameplay experience,” adds Payne.

“And that’s as well as a full online gaming experience, Wii MotionPlus support and an extensive player roster. It is the only complete tennis gaming experience out there.”

VISUAL ACE
Virtua Tennis 2009 is also an attractive game, with realistic visuals, 3D crowds, and a crisp and clear presentation. And although the Wii can’t quite handle the graphics of its Xbox 360 and PS3 counterparts, it’s still a pretty looking title, and best of all the Wii version features all the content, modes and options that 360 and PS3 fans will come to enjoy on release, making it one of the most comprehensive Wii tennis games on the market.

When you consider the game’s massive production values, its incredible heritage and its timing to coincide with the summer (and indeed Wimbledon), then retailers can expect Virtua Tennis 2009 to be one of the first big video game releases of the summer.

Payne concludes: “With Virtua Tennis 2009, retailers can expect both casual and hardcore gamers to relinquish cold hard cash in exchange for a superb, value for money sports sim.”