Review: Virtua Tennis 3 game

Originally released in the arcades and on Sega’s own Dreamcast system, Virtua Tennis has always felt like a console game rather than a ‘serious’ sports simulation, which might explain why the last version (Virtua Tennis 2) never even made to the PC platform at all.

It might also explain the fact that, while the third iteration of Sega’s tennis series is available for the PC, it’s almost unplayable with a keyboard and mouse.

Given the fact that Virtua Tennis 3 has had a simultaneous release across all the latest console formats, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the game is best enjoyed with a gamepad – or several gamepads if you intend on playing doubles against human opponents.

That said, Virtua Tennis 3 probably has one of the most straightforward, easy-to-pick-up control systems of any tennis game ever. Three different types of shot (top spin, slice and lob) are mapped to three buttons and holding down the buttons for longer gives you more power.

Several different play modes are available, including Tournaments, customisable Exhibitions and a whole World Tour career. Again indicative of its console roots is the inclusion of a series of cartoon-like mini-games – everything from a tennis spin on ten-pin bowling to a fruit-catching game that involves avoiding vast tumbling tennis balls.

In fact, these mini-games also serve a purpose; to train you in areas such as footwork, shot accuracy and return power. And when you first start your career you’ll find that your player will need to train using the mini-games in order to proceed.

Virtua Tennis 3’s single-player campaign suddenly swings from being a complete walkover to being almost impossible as you progress. And, while many famous faces appear in the game (including poor old Tim Henman), some well-known players are hard to recognise.

For all its minor failings, however, there really isn’t a better tennis game than this available for the PC at the moment.