Virtua Tennis (video game)

Virtua Tennis (Power Smash in Japan) is a 1999 tennis arcade game created by Sega-AM3. The player competes through tennis tournaments in an arcade mode. For the home console market the game was expanded with the introduction of the campaign mode. It was later ported to Dreamcast in 2000, and for Microsoft Windows in 2002. A Game Boy Advance version was also released in 2002.

Virtua Tennis
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Sega AM-3
Publisher(s)Sega
Composer(s)Chiho Kobayashi
SeriesVirtua Tennis
Platform(s)Arcade, Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Game Boy Advance, N-Gage
ReleaseArcade
November 1999
Dreamcast
June 8, 2000
Microsoft Windows
2002
Game Boy Advance
NA 2002
EU 2003
N-Gage
2003
Genre(s)Sports game
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer
Arcade systemSega NAOMI

A sequel, Virtua Tennis 2, was released in 2002 and was later updated and ported for the PlayStation Portable, under the name Virtua Tennis: World Tour. 2006 saw the release of Virtua Tennis 3 in the arcades (using the Sega Lindbergh hardware). Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PC versions were released in 2007. Virtua Tennis 2009, was released on June 9, 2009 on PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii platforms.[1][2] The latest addition to the franchise, Virtua Tennis 4, was released on May 10, 2011.

Game Modes

Arcade

The player must win 5 matches played on different surfaces and venues to win a tournament. If the player performs well enough, he is challenged by Master, one of the game's bosses.

Exhibition

This is a single match in which the options are customizable.

The match can be played as singles or doubles with up to 4 human players (2 for singles). The duration can be varied between one game and one set. Other options include the court that the match is played on and the skill of the opponent(s).

World Circuit

Users have to win matches and complete training exercises in order to progress and unlock new ones. The user enters with a rank of 300th, which improves as matches are won. These matches are unlocked by completing easier matches or training exercises. The focus of the training exercises are to be fun, rather than realistic. Each exercise has three levels, with the difficulty increasing progressively. By completing the hardest difficulty with a certain amount of time left or points scored, an outfit is unlocked, which players can wear in all modes.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Virtua Tennis on their February 1, 2000 issue as being the third most-successful arcade game of the year.[7] The Dreamcast version was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Multiplayer Game" and "Best Sports Game (Traditional)" awards among console games, which went to Quake III Arena and NFL 2K1, respectively.[8]

Virtua Tennis received very positive reviews with the UK version of the Official Dreamcast Magazine rating it at 9/10, as well as overwhelmingly positive reviews from users.[9] Players were pleased with the quick learning curve and the wide variety of training exercises available. The game became one of the few Sega All Stars.

It has been ranked in the top 100 games of all time by IGN both in 2005 (#91)[10] and 2003 (#89).[11]

Game Informer placed the game 50th on their top 100 video games of all time in 2001.[12]

In Japan, Famitsu magazine scored the Dreamcast version of the game a 33 out of 40.[13]

Blake Fischer reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it five stars out of five, and stated that "The best four-player game in a long time, and an excellent single- and two-player diversion. Don't avoid this because it's not football - you'll get more playtime out of it than you think."[6]

It was also featured in Guinness World Records 2017: Gamer's Edition where it says that the game got GameRankings score of 91.37% based on 33 reviews.[14]

Virtua Tennis was nominated for PC Gamer US's "2002 Best Sports Game" award, which ultimately went to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003.[15]

Virtua Tennis was a runner-up for GameSpot's annual "Best Sports Game on Game Boy Advance" award, which went to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.[16]

References
  1. Ellie Gibson (2009-02-05). "SEGA announces Virtua Tennis 2009". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  2. "Amazon.com: Virtua Tennis 2009: Video Games". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  3. "Virtua Tennis". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  4. "Virtua Tennis". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  5. "Virtua Tennis: Sega Professional Tennis". IGN. News Corporation. 2000-07-08. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  6. Fischer, Blake (September 2000). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 3 no. 9. Imagine Media. p. 105.
  7. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 603. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 2000. p. 17.
  8. GameSpot Staff (January 5, 2001). "Best and Worst of 2000". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 13, 2002.
  9. "Virtua Tennis for Dreamcast". Epinions. Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2018-01-14 – via archive.is.
  10. "IGN's Top 100 Games". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 2005-08-05. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  11. "IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time". IGN. News Corporation. Archived from the original on 2009-01-20. Retrieved 2018-01-14.
  12. Cork, Jeff. "Game Informer's Top 100 Games Of All Time (Circa Issue 100)". Game Informer. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  13. ドリームキャスト - Power Smash (パワースマッシュ). Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.44. 2006-06-30.
  14. Guinness World Records 2017 Gamer’s Edition. Guinness World Records. p. 61.
  15. Staff (March 2003). "The Ninth Annual PC Gamer Awards". PC Gamer US. 10 (3): 48–50, 54, 58, 60, 66, 68, 70.
  16. GameSpot Staff (December 30, 2002). "GameSpot's Best and Worst of 2002". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 7, 2003.
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