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Virtua Tennis 3 Preview

Writer: David Latham » Blog
Posted: 21st Mar, 2007

Publisher: SEGA
Release: TBA

Virtua Tennis 3 handles unlike any other tennis game we’ve played. The series has been renowned for being an easy game to pick up, but a hard game to master, Virtua Tennis 3 is proof that Sega know how to repeat their actions while still managing to change for the better. The handling seems a little awkward at first but gamers can easily run around the court and hit the ball over the net.

The first thing we noticed was that you have to actually run your tennis superstar to as close to the ball as possible before pressing A to take a shot, or the player has to dive to get there. There’s no charging up a shot while you run to position, as soon as you hold down a hit button the player will take the shot from wherever he is on the court. This can result in lots of missed shots and heartaches as your player dives to the ground to hit the ball over the net and then the opponent smashes it back faster than a speeding bullet, but it also provides a great learning scale for the game.

For the first time ever, gamers will be able to go online and compete in tournaments on Xbox Live for the glory of winning in Virtua Tennis 3. Sega has promised seamless matches with the best framerate that the Xbox 360 can handle, and guarantees fans that the online mode will offer infinite replayability. “We’re striving to create games which not only have great gameplay but also can make the very most of the Xbox 360’s amazing technology.” – Matt Woodley, Creative Director of Sega.

There’s also an extensive World Tour mode to be played offline where you can create your own character and compete against all the big names to become the world number 1. While doing that, you can also compete in around ten Mini Games that have, in the past, helped the Virtua Tennis series get that leading edge over other tennis games. We’re looking forward to seeing the new versions of the Mini Games in Virtua Tennis 3.

With around 30 confirmed superstars included, expect some major names like Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Tim Henman, Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal, Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Martina Hingis and Maria Sharapova. We went hands-on with Federer, Nadal, Williams and Sharapova, and they’re all visually stunning and act just like they do in real life on court. We’re looking forward to seeing Hewitt in action, especially when he gets frustrated.

We can’t wait to check out the full version of Virtua Tennis 3 here at Sliced Gaming, it looks like a great title to add to any tennis fan’s gaming collection while we wait for Top Spin 3. The graphics are up (continued next page)