Review

Sega simply don’t have the rich line-up of characters at their disposal for games like Sega Superstars Tennis. Compare the list of available characters here to those in Nintendo’s upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl and there is a massive gulf between the two. This was the main reason why I was a little apprehensive about Tennis. As it turns out I shouldn’t have been worried at all, this is a brilliant game no matter what system you own and if you’re familiar with Sega’s output there are more than enough hidden surprises to keep you playing.

First off, it was important that Sumo Digital managed to get the tennis itself right, before they added the characters and locations. Thankfully, we’re talking about the developers who made Virtua Tennis 3, so what you get is a slightly simplified version of one of the best tennis games going, just instead of playing as Federer or Nadal you get to play as a blue hedgehog or a big-eared monkey. Pulling off drop shots and lobs is now a matter of clicking one button then the other in quick succession but thankfully it’s a system that works well.

There are eight characters available from the first time you load it up, and a further eight to unlock. What’s surprising is how few of these characters are taken from the Sonic universe: just Sonic, Tails, Amy, Shadow and Dr. Robotnik (I refuse to call him Eggman). The rest of the line-up comes from the Sega back catalogue, introducing a new generation of gamers to the likes of Samba De Amigo, Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5, which is surely a good thing?

Singles, Doubles and Tournament options are available, as you’d expect allowing you to set up any game to your own needs. The balance of the characters is just about perfect with their strengths and weaknesses. There are four types of character: speed, control, power and spin and each requires slightly different way of playing but once you’ve learnt them you stand as much chance of winning regardless of who you pick,

Then there’s Planet Superstars, which is where the bulk of the single player game lies. This is where you’ll find all of the unlockable extras, including the additional characters, courts and music tracks by playing a selection of mini-games and tournaments. Sumo Digital have a proven record of creating quality mini-games in OutRun 2, and they’ve excelled themselves here. Also, the way these are structured actually serves as a decent training regime as the tougher challenges require pin-point accuracy and timing. To reveal some of the surprises it holds here would spoil the pleasure of discovering them for yourself.

Ultimately, it does lack the depth of Virtua Tennis and the lack of a proper career mode but you’ll be too busy having fun to notice. The characters could have all done with a few more expressions, as the amount of repetition is too high, which is especially noticeable when you are both playing as the same character. Also the Special Moves are completely unbalanced, some are practically useless whereas others are far too powerful. Frankly, the game could have done without them.

Such is the overall polish of the game that any flaws are easily accepted. This is a rare multiformat release that is just as good regardless of which version you pick. On the 360 there’s the draw of Achievements (named after Sega games, naturally) and on the Wii there are the motion controls, which I found to be too unresponsive, but this is highly recommended for all systems.

We’d welcome more Sega Superstars games, as long as they remain at this quality. How about a round of Golf next time? With playable characters including Dynamite Headdy and the Bonanza Bros.? That would be something worth checking out! Please Sega?

About the Review

Platform

Microsoft Xbox 360

Developer

Sumo Digital

Publisher

SEGA

Released

17th March 2008