Even those who hate physical activity can bring sports into their lives. It is easy to do with the help of simulators and video games. And if you are a fan of tennis, then our selection may be to your taste.
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
This is quite an old game. It was released back in 2004 on PlayStation 2. However, such a venerable age does not detract from its merits. Of course, the graphics are very different from the new games we are used to. But still, passing will give you a pleasant experience of tennis tournaments.
Players have access to four major tournaments: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. You can choose from 17 players. Each of them has precisely calibrated characteristics, which brings the game closer to reality. But that’s not all. In the pro mode, you can create your tennis player from scratch, specifying all the basic parameters.
The game has several modes, including training. You can change them by practicing your game skills and getting closer to your character. Thus, despite its considerable age, the game still pleasantly surprises.
Wii Sports
If you want to start betting on the tennis events, it is worthwhile to better understand the athletes themselves. For this, they do not necessarily have to go to the court and pick up a racket. This can be done at home using the Wii game console.
For full entertainment, you will need a basic set of controllers: the “remote control” itself and “nunchuk,” the latter of which is used only in one discipline, and the rest of the time, it gathers dust next to the console. At first, it may seem that some of the sports presented are quite primitive and are included for the sake of laughter. However, this is not the thing: after a half-hour fight in boxing or several sets of tennis, there is nothing better than to surrender to the power of soothing golf.
It is not difficult to understand the controls, but such compliance turns out to be illusory and soon turns into a completely different side. In tennis, over time, you begin to get confused about the ways to hit the ball and eventually ask yourself what is wrong here. Why does the ball fly to the right side of the court with one serve and to the left with exactly the same one? The answer to this question comes after several unsuccessful attempts to find at least some logic in such an approach: it just happened that way.
However, in general, everything is within the bounds of decency – the remote control fits comfortably in the hand, and the character on the screen reproduces all the player’s movements very accurately. In order to hit the ball in golf, it is not at all necessary to hold the controller like a club and swing it with all your might. A deft movement of the wrist, a barely noticeable turn of the hand – and the ball itself obediently rolls to the hole.
The situation is completely different with boxing – it does not accept a sluggish mood at all. Before the start of the round, you will be repeatedly asked to look around and remove anything that can interfere with free movement around the room and to attach the “nunchuck” strap more tightly to your right hand. Only after this will the ring with athletes appear on the screen.
Virtua Tennis 4
Virtua Tennis 4 is a sports video game developed and published by Sega in 2011. You can choose one of the famous tennis players to go through various competitions. The distinctive feature of the game is a special atmosphere. Both graphics and music work for it. You feel like you are at a real tennis match.
Plot
This game gives you the opportunity to go all the way from a beginner to a professional tennis player.
First, you choose a character. Then, you can join a club and gradually increase the level of your hero. At the same time, the difficulty of different tasks varies.
The game has many settings. You choose the type of surface, the speed of the ball, the weather, etc. This gives an unusual freedom for a computer game. It depends only on you whether your character will become a world champion.
Game Mechanics
Virtua Tennis 4 is a sports simulation game where players can compete in tennis matches. Players can choose from a variety of professional tennis players, such as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and more, and then compete against other players in singles or doubles matches. The game mechanics include several elements.
First, the player selects their character and customizes its parameters, such as the speed, power, and accuracy of their shots. Then, they begin the match by controlling their character using the various buttons and movements.
One of the key elements of the game mechanics is ball control. Players must use various shots, such as free kicks, volleys, serves, etc., to send the ball to the opponent’s side of the court and make it move. Each shot has its own mechanics and can be improved with practice and experience.
Another important element is character positioning. Players must move around the court to catch the ball and hit it correctly. They must also use different strategies and tactics to defeat their opponent. For example, they can use a “service ace” or try to force their opponent to make mistakes.
The mechanics of the Virtua Tennis 4 game also include different game modes, such as career, single matches, tournaments, and multiplayer online games. Thanks to this, players can enjoy different ways of playing and challenge their friends and opponents from all over the world.
Sega Superstars Tennis
Tennis arcade with heroes of such games as Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio, Space Channel 5, Super Monkey Ball, and others. The core is the prickly Sonic team.
The replacements are the flying and dreamy doublet of Knights and Reals, the singing ladies from Space Channel Five, the rollers of Jet Set Radio, the monkeys of Super Monkey Ball, and Samba de Amigo.
Trying to keep up with the team is Gilius – an aged dwarf from Golden Axe, who runs faster than the young ones, obviously happy about his imminent return to the big screens. All the characters are divided into five classes of profiling abilities: speed, strength, ball control, cunning execution of twisting blows, or universally combined all of the listed qualities.
The 16 characters on the themed courts themselves do nothing so innovative. Serve, receive, exchange simple and sharp blows, and move the ball and the opponent to different angles – only the “star” mode will deliver a couple of ticklish moments when the trajectories of the balls suddenly change, and the support team tries to knock down or stun the opponent.
It does not matter where the competition takes place – in the fountain of night fantasy, on the dance floor of a space station, on the graffiti-painted walls of the city outskirts, on the meadow of the Emerald Island, or near an ominous mansion – the scenery does not affect the gameplay.
Another thing is mini-games directly related to the theme of the court: some offer to collect gold rings along the perimeter, others – to hammer the dead back underground with cannon serves, and others – to free fruit rations from crystal balls.
Mario Tennis
The character we now know as Mario appeared in 1981 and has done all sorts of things since then. Players who know the moustachioed shorty primarily as a platformer hero will occasionally snort contemptuously at the latest sports spinoff, but this is more likely due to their ignorance.
Plot
The story of Mario Tennis begins with an ancient enchanted racket discovered during an archaeological dig. The artefact grants its owner incredible skill but simultaneously takes complete control of him, turning him into a real monster.
As a result of a tragic coincidence, one of the racket’s victims becomes Luigi, after which Mario sets off on a journey through five game worlds in search of magic stones that endow the artefact with magical power.
Game Mechanics
Although the challenges start to repeat themselves after a while, the basic gameplay remains exciting. Especially since the story mode has a very well-tuned difficulty increase. With the exception of the very first matches, the game almost never feels like you or your opponent are totally superior. In each competition, you need to use some new technique, master some new moves, or learn new tactical moves.
In addition to different types of hits, the game has, for example, a special energy scale that fills up as you hit the ball. Moreover, the amount of energy you earn directly depends on the force of the hit. It is spent on special hits, which, firstly, can be delivered very accurately, and secondly, at a very high speed, so it is quite difficult to repel such an attack. If you are lucky, and the opponent hits the ball and swings a little earlier or later than necessary, his racket will be damaged and will lose some of its “health,” and in the end, it may even break.
Super Tennis
This is the oldest representative of today’s rating. Super Tennis is a sports game developed by Tose, Tonkin House, and Tokyo Shoseki. It was released on August 30, 1991. It was published by Nintendo. Despite the outdated graphics, the game offers good opportunities. If you are cool with pixel art, try playing. At least you will get some nostalgia.
Outlaw Tennis
This game was released in 2005. Therefore, many fans of modern hyperrealistic graphics may simply not notice it. However, despite the somewhat outdated design, the game offers exciting gameplay. Outlaw Tennis is a sports simulator that imitates tennis with an extreme twist. There are 16 unique players, from a colorful blonde to a scary thug. Each has its own gaming advantages, but you can customize the player yourself.
In addition to classic tennis, take part in games with informal rules (Hot Potato, Casino, Baseball, Ping-Pong, etc.). You will be amazed by the large number of courts, the dynamic environment, and the changing weather. There is a training mode and multiplayer.
Conclusion
Virtual tennis is not as popular as, for example, football or hockey simulators, but it also has its fans. Perhaps this selection will be useful for them, introducing good games that are rarely talked about.