Grand Slam Tennis (Wii) > Reviews (4)

Grand Slam Tennis on the Wii....Finally a contender to compete with the simple, but addictive Wii Sports Tennis. I'd been waiting some time for a Tennis game with more depth and playability, but was this to be the answer?

Well....somewhat yes and no! Yes, when this game 'works' it feels amazing, the ball goes pretty much where you intend and it is just like hitting a tennis ball around your front room for those that have played the real life version of the sport! Unfortunately, due to the advanced control method of using the Wii motion plus device, sometimes the calibration of the controller goes haywire, generally meaning your character will fail to recognize your swing or you will only be able to hit the ball in the direction your character is facing.

I must just say, the motion plus is a relatively new addition that plugs into the bottom of a regular wii controller, supposedly to give a greater degree of control in compatible games. As a first effort using this
control technique, EA Grand Slam Tennis is in the main really enjoyable and although I've not tried it yet, playing against a friend is where I imagine the game comes alive.

As for single player action, you can pick a character from the list of licensed players, including the likes of Federer, Murray, Roddick, Nadal, Djorkovic, Ivanovic and Williams, as well as legends such as Borg, Mcenroe and Becker! or alternatively you can build your own player from a fairly limited editing facility.

You can then take your chosen player to the practice courts to complete the tutorial. This should teach you the basics of the gameplay, and then you're ready to take on the world....well, a choice handful of the worlds best anyway!

I'd advise a few exhibition games first just to find your bearings....then it's upto you. You can go online and play anyone else that's currently connected to the online part of this game, or alternatively enter the Grand Slam arena. It's the name of the game, so as you'd expect this is where the majority of the action happens. The 4 Grand Slam events are all covered, US Open, French Open, Australian Open and of course good old Wimbledon. You travel from event to event, and in the build up are usually offered an exhibition match (win this to gain your opponents special skill which enhances your characters abilities) and then a mystery bonus game is played to win further goodies.

There are three difficulty settings, Easy, Medium and Hard and to be honest I was struggling to win a game on Easy in the early stages! You can also play first to 3 or 6 games per set, and also select the number of sets per match, 1, 2 or 3 if you've got oodles of time on your hands!

The graphics are in a cartoony style, with big heads, big tennis balls and exagerated features....such as the Williams sister massive boobage!? and John Mcenroe's trademark curly hair and wooden racquet! This style works really well on the wii, taking advantage of the limited memory and graphical capability as best it can. Sound is pretty immersive and captures the feeling of a big Grand Slam event and the feeling of smashing a ball back down the court.

There is also commentary, but when you're trying to concentrate on hitting the ball, that kinda blends into the background!

If you're into your keep fit, the game also tracks (rather primitively) your calories burned per session....I'd take that figure with a pinch of salt though as it takes nothing about 'you' into account and basically relies on the game to work it out on an average I guess.

The game can be bought in a pack together with a motion plus controller for around £45, or seperately for around £25. With a motion plus controller available for £18 it might be worthwhile buying both items individually, or better still find it second hand like I did, getting the pack for £33!

In summing up, the big issue for me is the constant need to resync the motion plus controller. The instructions recommend you resync it by holding it still for 2 seconds whilst pointing it at the motion bar sensor near your TV....I really wish I had 2 seconds to spare in between racing around trying to return the ball!

I'm hopeful that games programmers can really use the motion plus add-on to better effect in the future after they've had some time to get used to it....as this game could have been really special. As it is, I'd say a very good start, a worthy purchase for the right price and very much looking forward to some 2 player battles!