Sega Superstars Tennis (Wii)

Reviewed by

Aaron Thomas

on 03/24/2008

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It's a good thing that superstars mode is so much fun, given that the actual tennis in Sega Superstars Tennis is merely average. The simple controls mean that it's easy to pick up and play, but you'll have mastered the gameplay in a matter of minutes. There are a few different control schemes on the Wii and they work fine, though the motion controls don't add much to the experience. In all versions the controls are tight, but there are times when you'll hit the button to swing and your character won't respond. This seems to be the game's way of punishing you for getting to the ball late. This is kind of cheap, but if it didn't happen you'd rarely lose a point because it's so difficult to hit a winning shot that you're almost always in position to return the ball. Lobs, drop shots, and net play are ineffective, which means that you'll spend your time hitting from the baseline, trying to run your opponent back and forth from left to right until he or she can't get to a shot. Each character has a superstar ability that can be activated once the star below the character begins to flash, but these abilities aren't much help and serve only to interrupt play. There is a distinct difference between the different play styles of the characters, which makes for some variety in how you attack each opponent, but don't expect too much challenge from the artificial intelligence. It's generally fairly easy.

Sega Superstars Tennis gameplay is fun, but it's so simple that you probably won't want to play online, given that the points can go on forever. However, if you do go online on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (there's no online mode in the PlayStation 2 or Wii versions) then you'll be pleased to know that the game features a surprisingly robust online mode that runs well and is lag-free. You can play a quick match, a ranked match, and even enter a tournament. Additionally, you can use the TV mode to watch the game's best players do their thing live or just enjoy highlights from matches. Unfortunately, you'd be hard-pressed to actually use any of these great features because almost nobody is playing online. We never saw more than four people online at one time, which is a shame considering how much effort the developer put into this aspect of the game.

Some of the minigames do a great job of combining the gameplay of their source material with tennis.

You won't be amazed by Sega Superstars Tennis' visuals, but it's a decent-looking game that makes good use of its source material. The courts and their surroundings look like they were ripped straight from the games on which they were based. The characters aren't particularly detailed, but they all look fine and are nicely animated. Sonic will spin to get to hard-to-reach shots, Beat will skate around the court, and Nights hovers just above the court while gliding to and fro. Although the game is hardly pushing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 to their limits, the frame rate isn't always steady, particularly on the PS3. Some courts are worse than others during singles play, but the frame rate chugs on any stage if you're playing doubles.

If you're looking to play traditional tennis, then you'll want to stick with Top Spin or Virtua Tennis. But if you want a lighthearted tennis game, enjoy minigames, and have a special place in your heart for the glory days of Sega, then you'll find a lot to like in Sega Superstars Tennis.