Virtua Tennis 2009 review

The most important aspect of any tennis game are the mechanics. A game can look terrible, but as long as the shot selection and placement are responsive and accurate, you have yourself a good game. Thankfully, VT2009 has both; it looks impressive, with clear, crisp visuals, and fluid player animations, but it also plays excellently. There are some issues with occasional slow-down and lag, mainly during doubles matches, but overall the game runs smoothly, and draws you into the action. The game is very well presented, and each of the 40 courts feel varied, be it with a realistic reflection of the playing surface, or differences in the peripheral aspects, such as the scoreboards, line judges, or ball boys. Yes, the music can get particularly annoying, and at times sounds like a crazed baboon has been let loose on a Hammond Organ, but VT2009 is certainly entertaining to play.Although VT2009 remains true to its arcade roots, with a simple three-button shot selection, it is one of the more realistic tennis games Gamestyle has played, with foot placement and shot-timing being crucial to victory. VT2009 is a very tactical game, and success comes from pushing your opponent to make mistakes for you to punish mercilessly. You'll find yourself being able to return most balls, but if you have to stretch to reach them, you will be off-balance and hit a weaker shot. The better opponents will also be able to reach most of the shots you hit, and you therefore have to try and control the game, making your opposite number do the leg work before choosing your moment to hit the winner. It can lead to lengthy rallies, but there's not a lot more satisfying than lashing a top spin forehand down the line, when your opponent is helplessly stranded on the other side of the court.VT2009 does seem to lend itself to baseline play. The crowd get more and more excited the longer the rally continues, and volleying does appear a bit hit-and-miss at times. When playing close to the net, the shots are less accurate, and it's harder to play that killer shot. Each selectable tennis player has their own style, however, be it "baseline stroker", "offensive volley", or "hard hitter", and you do notice an improvement in the relevant aspects of their game, such as volleying, serving, or speed. Finding a player that suits your style of play is easy, but mastering each playing style has its reward. With over 20 standard players to choose from, there is a good variety, but Gamestyle found it more interesting to develop your own character through the World Tour mode.The World Tour makes up the bulk of VT2009, and starting as an amateur player, it is your goal to climb through the amateur and professional rankings and become world number one. You begin the whole process by creating your player (using, incidentally, one of the worst player creation systems Gamestyle has ever seen), and then working your way through the tour calendar. Each month is divided into four weeks, and during some weeks you will be able to enter tournaments, which will help you climb the rankings. In between tournaments you can train and improve your stats by completing mini-games and missions. By increasing your ground stroke, footwork, and serve-volley skills, you can unlock different styles of play for your character to adopt.The depth of the World Tour is one of VT2009s strengths, but also unfortunately also one of its weaknesses. There are many, many tournaments to participate in, taking place on the wide variety of courts, and you will compete in them several times during the years it will take you to rise to the top. Unlike traditional tournaments, however, where you would expect to compete against opponents of all ranks, in VT2009, you only face players around your own ranking. This does mean that you will win virtually every tournament you enter, certainly in the early stages, and therefore move up in the rankings, but at a rate that is close to crawling. To begin with, winning a tournament only moves you up 1-3 places in the rankings. Gamestyle would have preferred a more traditional approach, whereby the top ranking players entered, and won tournaments. Yes, it is unlikely this would be you at the start of your career, but this is more realistic. If you did face, and indeed beat, a player ranked 30 places above you, you would be rewarded with a speedier rise up the rankings.As it stands, however, the World Tour becomes a bit of a chore. Gamestyle played the game for far too many hours before meeting an opponent of any real competition, rarely losing a point, let alone a game. Thankfully, each match is a "best of three" game format, so completing tournaments only takes a few minutes. This does mean, however, that you only have to hold your serve to win the match, which detracts a degree of challenge from the game. Again, Gamestyle would have preferred a more traditional approach, with less tournaments in the three/five set format. The shorter format does make playing the game more accessible, and the mini-games support this. These can be played outside the World Tour mode, with or without friends, and on-line scoreboards act as an incentive to try and better your score.Sadly, the World Tour gets boring very quickly. The mini-games are of varying difficulty, but the increase in stats that your receive as a reward is so small, participating in them doesnt seem worth the effort. You get a bigger increase completing the missions, but there are simply not enough of these. The mini-games and missions do not prove to be enough of a distraction from the incredibly slow rise up the rankings, and as a result, the whole game just starts to drag.This is addressed by another aspect of the World Tour mode which is on-line play. During the weeks that there is no official tournament, you can enter on-line tournaments, or play ranked matches against human opponents from accross the globe. Winning tournaments gives you prize money, which can be used in the tennis store to by new outfits, equipment, or court passes so that you can play unlocked courts outside the World Tour mode. Changing your character's outfits can only be so much fun, but as certain tournaments carry a specific dress code, there is a reason to spend those hard earned dollars. Another is to utilise the game's stamina system; each activity you do will drain your energy, and will lead to an injury if not replenished. You can buy vacations and energy drinks to do this, and whilst a good idea in theory, it just seems to be an added mechanism to stretch out the World Tour.Outside of the World Tour, you can play exhibition matches and tournaments, and create and join on-line matches as you please. The on-line games during the World Tour mode are simple three-game matches, but outside of that you can customise the matches to suit your needs. If you want to create a five set match on grass without tie-breaks, you can. If you just want to challenge someone to a quick mini-game, there's also that option. You just have to find someone out there wants to play you. VT2009 also has a decent list of Trophies to obtain, as well as its own medal system, which rewards you for accomplishing certain goals throughout your career.There maybe some minor issues with regard to slow-down and lagging, but overall Virtua Tennis 2009 is a well-presented, and exceptionally playable tennis game. It's perfect for those who want a in-depth experience, with realistic shot mechanics and an extensive choice of players, courts, and surfaces to choose from. It's also an ideal game for the more casual gamer, with short and simple tournaments, and a good selection of mini-games. The World Tour mode has the potential to keep you occupied for more hours than Gamestyle cares to imagine, but you have to be quite the dedicated tennis fan to last the distance.