Virtua Tennis World Tour Reviews

• Fun, but some slight issues

  
  By AQU2FAI5VKE91 on 2005-11-15
  I purchased this game because I enjoy tennis and figured I would probably enjoy a tennis game. The World Tour portion of the game is probably the most fun part of owning the game.
  
  The World Tour - The Meat and Potatos of Single Player
  Creating a player for the World Tour isn't as indepth as I would've liked, but it does a good enough job. You create both a male and a female character and can switch between the two to raise their stats. To raise your stats you must play mini games that increase your skills in serving, volleying, footwork, etc. You gain experience for the minigames and, depending on what skills you used more over the course of the game, your skills go up. Completed challenges give multipliers to the experience so it behooves you to win.
  
  To raise money, you can play in tournaments. You start ranked last at 300 and then slowly make your way up as you win tournaments. Tournaments are much quicker than real life tournaments (thankfully). Most usually consist of a few "best 2 out of 3" matches. Doubles tournaments require you to spend your winnings on contracts and pairing up with some of the top tennis players. The computer controlled players actually did way better than me... which was kind of disconcerting.
  The game was very entertaining from a tennis fan's point of view though there were two issues that I had with the game that keep it from getting that last star.
  
  General Gameplay Issues
  The first issue I had was the overall sluggishness of the interface. There was constant loading in every part of the game. Starting from the create a player interface to the world map where you choose what to do. And it just slowed down the process. It would've been nice if failed attempts at minigames would give you a prompt to see if you wanted to try it again instead of reloading the world map and having to reload the levels again. Though the fact that i would play the same minigame over 10 times in a row should show how addictive it can become. The slowness may be attributed to the firmware version 1.52 that i had installed (ver. 2.00+ is out), and I don't have another PSP to try the game out on.
  
  The second minor issue I had was with the minigames. True, they're fun and addictive, but they don't really change much as the game continues. The levels remain the same. They just add a few more objectives and keep the time limits the same. Some just seemed extremely difficult given the lack of control you have in the beginning.. but they were still keeping me coming back for more so I suppose the issue isn't as big a deal. But the difficulty coupled with the loading times were an annoyance worth mentioning.
  
  Conclusion
  I recommend the purchase to anybody wanting a decent tennis game to play on the go (The tiny ball on the screen sometimes gets hard to track). Otherwise you'd probably be better off buying a console version of Top Spin (better graphics and faster loading).
  
  

• Great...for the tennis fan

  
  By A1JFYUBZJ8XGA3 on 2006-02-20
  This is a great game. Me, being a huge tennis fan and player myself, really enjoyed the real life players you don't get from games such as mario tennis. This game is one of the reasons I decided to switch to sony myself. Here are some pro's and cons with this game.
  
  Pro's:
  -Graphics: They are great for a portable. The game is bright and vibrant, and just looks fantastic.
  -Gameplay: It's just great. There are some flaws (see cons) but overall, it's great. I love the three buttons for lob, slice, and topspin. I also love how every players actual shots are in this. Like how Roger Federer has that biting slice backhand, this is in this also. Also, Roddick has the best serve, Hewitt's the fastest, and so on. It's just great.
  -Replay Value: It's always so much fun to just start a short tournament with your favorite pro. It only takes about 10 minutes for an entire tournament, and that's great for the casual gamer like me.
  
  Con's:
  Sound: Yeah, sound isn't that important but there is only like one song in the whole soundtrack. It just gets a little boring. Also, Sharapova and Williams don't do their signature grunts, I didn't expect it, but it would've been awesome.
  Gameplay: A couple times, the game just stopped on me, like a computer freezes. I had to reboot the whole system, it was really annoying.
  Lack of modes: World tour mode is good...sort of. Until you get to the really good part, the match play, its very boring. The mini games are so repetative, and are just so boring. I would've liked to have seen easier tournaments against worse players in the beginning ending with a big 3 setter against #1 Roger Federer. Yup, that'd rule.
  Multiplayer: I like ad-hoc mode, but besides that, there's nothing. I would've enjoyed the online one, because a lot of times, your friends don't own the same games as you.
  
  Overall, it's a really fun game. It's great for the tennis fan, but even the casual gamer would like it. If you can get through the mini games on world tour mode, it's a great addition to this game. Great game!
  
  

• Must Have for PSP!!!

  
  By A114TMHW9GRMPB on 2005-10-09
  Besides some minor framerate issues on the main menu, this game is perfect for the PSP platform. With short mini-games as well as deep RPG elements in the World Tour mode, this game has lasting appeal for hours on end. A must-buy for the PSP!!!
  
  

• Wow! This game is a blast!

  
  By A1K31NF81TS0CO on 2006-01-25
  I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into my local Videogames store and saw this on sale for $19.99! This game is surely one of the current and best value priced and fun games on the PSP now! In a time when most other games are staying in the $40 to $50 range for up to 10+ months, I guess dropping the price on this one was due to lacklustre sales? Don't know why, because every videogame fan knows what a blast this series is, and this newest Sega outing is no exception.
  
  The first thing I noticed, when firing up the game, was its true to form comparison to the previous releases on the DC and the Playstation 2. The music is still there, as well as the fantastic gameplay. All of the minigames, are there as well. While I couldn't find any additons or changes, I'm certain they exist due to the extra extention on the name for the PSP version.
  
  I give this game SUPER high ratings, and look forward to playing as Venus Williams or Maria S (don't try to get me to spell her last name.) Two very enthusiastic gamer thumbs up.
  
  

• Virtua Tennis PSP

  
  By A2EPQ4U2NMTU5C on 2006-02-24
  Overall the game plays well with very nice graphics and sound. Being a tennis player, I appreciate the variety of shots you can make, though making a certain shot can be 'hit or miss' at times.
  
  There are several modes including quick game, exhibition, tournament or world tour. There are also a number of different surfaces including carpet, hard court, clay and grass and venues, including Tokyo, Melbourne, London and the USA.
  
  One downside for me though is, even though I've created a custom player in World Tour mode, I still haven't been able to build up enough skill to actually play in any of the tournaments - the mini games to improve your skill seem quite difficult. You need to improve your skill so that your custom player can take part in the world tour mode.
  
  Overall it's a pretty nice game and it's fun to play, but don't expect to be able to just pick it up and get to the final of wimbledon in one sitting!
  
  
• best tennis game
  By A98R6XW8J28S6 on 2005-12-14
  I love tennis. I bought this game because I was looking for a good realistic tennis game. And when I got the psp the first thing I bought was this game. I was relieved by how good the graphics are. I also loved all the real players like Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Tim Henman. The World Tour mode is great. A must buy.
  
  
• Most undervalued PSP game. MUST BUY.
  By A228P510TGJP2E on 2006-03-01
  I own Lumines, Grand Theft Auto, Tiger Woods 06 and Winning Eleven 9. Some of the best games on the PSP but, let me tell you that the best game on my collection is Virtua Tennis. This game is amazing!. It fits better on the PSP than on other consoles. It's really fun and for just $19.99l, this is an undervalued game. Even if you are not a tennis fan, buy it. You won't be dissapointed.
  
  
• Keeps you playing...
  By A349MGZV85SZPH on 2006-04-06
  This game is great fun, and that is what counts. It feels like playing tennis. The presentation of the game is very well done.
  
  Some of it can be difficult. Especially some of the training mini-games are tough. But this doesn't seem to get in the way of overall gameplay too much. Also, for some reason I really seem to have a problem aiming with one of my characters, but not with the other, despite the fact that the problematic character seems to have better (or at least equal) stats.
  
  Nevertheless, this is a good game. I can recommend it. I have probably played this game more than any other PSP game.
  
  
• Great Sports Game Among PSP's Lame Lineup of Games
  By A3B33BT16TPTPE on 2005-10-17
  This game is fun. But it is what it is -- pretty much the same as the dreamcast version. the world tour mode leaves a little to be desired. it's obviously not as in depth in personalization of created players. But in a looooong list of psp flops, this is definitely a game to pick up if you are a tennis fan.
  
  
• must buy
  By on 2006-01-11
  This is the best game.. there is soo much stuff to do like ball games and try to be number 1 in the world. different diffficulties and this game has the best graphics out off all my psp games.
  
  
• Fun, but very difficult
  By ANT1JN1R58RVR on 2006-03-07
  If you're not a person who likes stat-building, this game isn't for you. You need to practice practice practice to win the World Tour events, but when you do, you feel like you really accomplished something.
  
  Great graphics and sound, however the inter-menu load times are annoying. Virtua Tennis will test your patience but is ultimately rewarding.
  
  
• It feels like real
  By A22MZDI0I3TKFS on 2006-07-21
  This is a great game. I have to admit that at the beginning it is difficult and I thought it is boring. But when you find out on what moment to hit the ball it is like real Tennis. The world Tour is great. I am on ranking 8 now. Ok, it takes a while to get so far but it is my favourite game. Create your own player and have fun.
  
  
• Buy It Even If You Are Not A Tennis Fan!!!
  By on 2005-12-24
  My friend has this game, so when I played it, it shocked me by surprise! I'm not a tennis fan, acually, I HATE tennis. But surprisenly, it's fun! A must geet for any mad psp fan!!!
  
  
• Great Game
  By A3OGM4S8HCNJ84 on 2005-12-26
  This game is great. It has good graphics and a nice interface. A little long on the loading time but I can handle it. Loved the amount of pros there were.
  If you want to buy a console game buy TopSpin.
  Twenty times better, just not as many current tennis players.
  
  
• "Good Game"
  By AEQ34P6BGHEN9 on 2006-01-28
  This is a great game for the PSP. It is better than Top Spin. It has Federer, Roddick, Sharapova, Williams, Vaidasova, Davenport, Mauresmo, my favorite David Nalbandion, Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman, Juan Carlos Ferraro, Tommy Haas, Sebastion Grosean, and Daniella Hantucova. This game has a great Pro Tour and the graphics are supurb. Buy it.
  
  
• One of the most entertaining PSP games!
  By ARJSDSST6LLCP on 2006-02-12
  I recently purchased this game and cannot put it down! I had and loved the original when it first came out on the Dreamcast, and this version is extrememly similar. The graphics, sound, and ever the playablity (which always concerns me with the PSP controller) all were intact with this port.
  
  What's great about the Virtua Tennis series is that you don't have to be a hardcore tennis fan or huge sports nut to get into it. It's simple enough for anyone to learn and loads of fun once you get into it.
  
  This is a great game that you can pick up and play for a quick few minutes, or focus on for longer periods of time. It's very addicting! The graphics are very clean with great animations and vibrant colors. The sounds work efficiently for a tennis game. And even the control is solid on both pads of the PSP. There is a little loading time in between games, but it's acceptable.
  
  I totally recommend this game!
  
  
• Fun tennis game for a week
  By AA460WUKL3BC6 on 2006-04-19
  Nice graphics and use of real life players. A lot of pretty well designed mini games. Career mode is fun but could be a lot better. I do like the ability to improve your player to the top level.
  
  The game control is okay, but it feels kind of fake and limiting.
  
  Overall, I enjoyed this game for a week or two, but after that it just seemed like the same game over and over. I had fun with the game for a little bit so gave it a 3 rating for fun...but only a 2 overall rating because I expect to enjoy a game for more than a week or two. Other games (like golf) are similar where I take a break with them but I always come back to play them because of the skill and fun. This game however, I traded in for credit for other games as I never had the need to play it again.
  
  Buy discounted or used if you want to just try it out...but I would recommend renting or not purchasing at all.
  
  
• NEVER give five stars but Best handheld tennis game
  By AT9TMNPJ44WEF on 2006-11-28
  I played tennis in high school and college. I own every handheld system tennis game there is. This is the best. Here's why.
  
  Incredible ball control. For me, it's about making the shots. A drop when your opponent is on the baseline. hammering it deep to the right corner over and over and then whipping it to the far left. serve and volley. amazing angles. I can do it all on this psp game.
  
  Graphics, graphics, graphics. Must be seen. BY FAR the best on a handheld system. Plus 2 player views. Overhead and on-court.
  
  opponent skill and AI. level your player to the max, set the computer opponent to very hard and have a ball. In all the months of play, I have only served 2 aces!
  
  Easy to save at any point. If I have to turn off in the middle of a point, the system usually comes on to that point. Great on the plane.
  
  Strong minigames.
  
  If you are a big fan of tennis and especially if you are a former competitive player - Buy this game.
  
  
• Steep Learning Curve
  By A304GUEPCPYM3Z on 2006-12-04
  The learning curve for this game is rather steep. Learning how to serve the ball and get it in play is a challenge in itself. This is a game that's probably best experienced on a home console. It's not ideal for those random moments that you sometimes have to play a game. You wouldn't want to take this game along on your briefcase so that you can play during your lunch break. It demands more concentration and dedication than that.
  
  As always, I try to keep my focus and my perspective in their proper places whenever I'm evaluating a video game. Is the game of good quality, meaning the graphics, controls, mechanics, and game engine? I would have to say yes and give this game 3 stars. On the more subjective question of fun, I give this game a 2. Again, this latter being more subjective than the former. In my humble opinion, this game is not much fun on a portable console.
  
  From my perspective, a portable game should be designed for a different use than a home console game. A PSP game should lean more towards casual gaming, with a not-too-steep learning curve. This is one of those games that would be more enjoyable on the PS2.
  
  
  
• Great game
  By A2RUN8WYXRUR12 on 2007-01-10
  This game is more than mere button pressing, but it takes strategy (much like real tennis). I love this game.
  
  

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