Order on the Court- Virtua Tennis 2009 Reviewed

If the Virtua Tennis series were a serve, it would contain a reliable windup, followed by a safe toss, culminating in a potent strike that would confidently clear the net. There would be neither an ostentatious display of skill nor any breathtaking display of speed, but rather an assured and reliable delivery. While the game showed a fantastic capacity as a sports title upon its release on the Dreamcast in 2000, the series has evolved little, comfortably growing in smaller increments with each subsequent season.

That’s not to say that Sega’s latest release of the franchise is a bad game. With its incorporation of wacky mini-games, Virtua Tennis 2009 might be the best all-around tennis game on the market. The title’s prudent trajectory has resulted in a game that is enjoyable, although not markedly different enough from its predecessor to make the game a compulsory purchase for clay-court fans.

The game’s activities, mechanics, and multiplayer options closely follow Virtua Tennis 3, Sega’s 2007 entry into the tennis sim realm. Sure, they are a handful of advantageous tweaks. Trying to hit a ball on the fringes outskirts of the player’s racquet range meant the virtual athlete was locked into a perilous dive animation. Now, your avatar merely stumbles, lessening the disadvantage. The functionality of drop shots, lobs, and slices has increased remarkably, especially when playing against human competition. 

Since 2002, the series has included a slew of consummate mini-games that complements the on-court action capably. While these diversions serve to reduce the monotony of continuous matches, they also serve as a way for players to power-up their character in one of three disciplines. Favorites included Pot Shot, a game of pool on steroids, and Block-Buster, which has players eliminating giant color-coded bricks. Sadly, extended load times sap a bit of the activities whimsical charm. Since most of these endeavors feature a minimal amount of assets, the waiting time is nearly inexplicable.   

Although the game’s often predictable A.I. opponents offer a modicum of challenge, VT 2009 comes alive when facing either local or online adversaries. Player can take their characters online for either a tournament or a ranked match, typical facing a swarm of bizarrely attired challengers, experiencing a match nearly liberated of lag. Since minigames are playable online or send information to online leaderboards, having a console connected to the internet is a prerequisite to fully enjoy Virtua Tennis.

Graphically, VT 2009 offers moments of high-definition sheen spoiled by occasional moments that imply the title’s Dreamcast heritage. Court venues may lack real-world licensing, but they are sufficiently detailed, realistically lit, and once the player climbs in ranking, tournaments are densely populated. While players can look peculiar in character portraits, on-court they are effectively animated. The series has always had expertly motion-captured athletes, and the dynamic movement in VT 2009 sustains this legacy.  It’s a shame a few visual shortcuts undermine the game’s sharp visual richness; background trees are clearly single texture maps, while linesmen move in an unrealistic, synchronous manner.