Hot Shots Tennis [PS2]

After PlayStation consoles have hosted several iterations of the Hot Shots Golf series, Sony have finally decided to bring the same style of gameplay to the tennis courts, and it's long overdue.

New players will want to have a run through the Training Mode to get the hang of the controls, especially to practice their serve, before starting the Challenge Mode. The challenge here is to play singles and doubles matches against CPU opponents in order to increase your rank and unlock new characters, outfits and courts to play on. The difficulty increases slowly at first, and somewhat unevenly, as later opponents will occasionally be slightly weaker than their predecessor. This adds an unexpected touch of realism, though. As you win, you'll move up in rank, but also unlock new opponents at lower skill tiers. This gives players the option of an easier win if they're having trouble with a certain match, and usually results in winning an unlockable as well.

The controls are, as expected, easy to learn. The left analogue stick controls both your player and the direction you want the ball to go. By pulling back, you can hit the ball with less power, playing close to the net. Lob, slice, and topspin shots are all possible with the face buttons and combined with the stick or proper timing, players can also perform drop shots, smashes, or volleys. The game also has a multiplayer "Fun Time Tennis" mode, where up to four players (using a multitap), can play singles or doubles matches. The various characters have different strengths, allowing for some handicapping of better players as well. There's no online play modes though, which is a bit of a surprise.

While the game features family-friendly graphics, there's enough depth here that most players should find a good challenge. Developer Clap Hanz have created a new franchise that should easily appeal to casual players, but also satisfy fans of the real-life sport. Hopefully we'll see them take on more sports at some point.... Could that soccer ball that bounces through one of the courts be a clue?

8/10