Ordinarily, we’d say that competition is a good thing. Nothing improves the breed more than a spot of healthy rivalry, and with most genres broad enough to support games that are similar, yet different, a steady stream of such titles is usually welcome.
Except, that is, when it comes to tennis games. Perhaps it’s the fact the market for tennis titles isn’t the biggest, perhaps it’s the way that the games themselves are somewhat limited by the straightforward concept of the sport they’re simulating. Either way, the tennis genre tends to revolve around a couple of core games with very little space left for anything different.
And this couldn't be more true than with the 360. With AM3’s awesome Virtua Tennis 3 covering the arcade end of the genre, Top Spin 2 catering for the more serious fan (with the promising Top Spin 3 waiting in the wings) and SEGA Superstars Tennis to keep the nippers happy, it’s hard to see where another tennis game is going to fit in.
One company that’s hoping to prove us wrong is Atari, which has snapped up Namco’s Smash Court Tennis 3 for release over here.
And on first impressions, it doesn’t sound too bad. First released in Japan towards the end of last year, the 360 iteration of Smash Court 3 promises the same familiar gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series, while adding a generous helping of next gen sparkle to spice things up.
As such, Namco’s latest ticks all the usual boxes. Players can look forward to playing as (and indeed, against) 16 real world tennis players, including the likes of Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Martina Hingis, plus some up-and-coming stars we’ve never heard of.
And once you’re bored of playing as them in the usual assortment of quick play modes (which will be available in both on- and offline flavours), you can create your own player from scratch in the Pro Tour mode.
Indeed, the range of customisation options available is very impressive, with every conceivable variable – from the size of your player’s head to the clothes they wear – catered for.
Throw in the usual assortment of championships and mini-games to train your player up with, and the Pro Tour mode should offer months of longevity.
Naturally, the fact it’s running on the 360 means that the visuals are a sizeable step up from the previous games. Alongside the usual high-def textures, the 360 game also features enhanced player animation, realistic shadowing and improved skin renders to ensure everything looks nice and tidy.
But while this – coupled with its arcade style gameplay – certainly sounds promising, we wouldn’t go hailing it as a VT3 killer just yet.
While it would be unfair of us to label it a bad game, we were somewhat underwhelmed by the Japanese version.
Our principle bugbear is with the control system, which is more awkward than that of Virtua Tennis 3. Not only do you have such unnecessary elements as the dash button to worry about, the system that governs movement and shooting is far more rigid.
This requires you to move, then select your shot, then choose where you want that shot to go, in that precise order. Although this theoretically offers a greater degree of control, in practice, its complexity seems at odds with the generally high-tempo nature of the gameplay.
Not only is it frustrating when you mess it up (usually resulting in your player simply running off in the wrong direction), the number of considerations required for each move results in Smash Court is lacking VT3’s fluidity.
Likewise, we do have a few other concerns as well. While the shadowing is nice, the game does look a little bland when compared to Virtua Tennis 3, lacking the pin-sharp textures, intricate stadium detail and wonderful character models of the AM3 title.
This isn’t helped by the lack of refinement in the visuals. When playing on a clay or sealed court, neither your player’s movements nor the impact of the ball leave a permanent mark on the court surface – something that doesn’t affect the gameplay per se, but does detract slightly from the overall atmosphere.
While we don’t want to appear overly negative here – despite these flaws, the Japanese game is a solid enough effort – a lot will depend on what improvements Atari and Namco have been able to make in the intervening months.
If both companies can address some of these flaws and get Smash Court 3 out for a reasonable price, then Namco’s challenger may well yet be able to cause the likes of Virtua Tennis 3 a few headaches.
If not, then it looks Smash Court 3 will be a solid, rather than stunning, release – and given the quality of its principle rivals, the big question is whether ‘solid’ will really be good enough.
With the PAL version due to arrive here in June though, at least it won’t be long until we find out.
