I know nothing about tennis - except maybe that Andy Murray seems to be a stroppy little so and so - and find watching it on TV incredibly boring. Fortunately, playing tennis isn't so bad, and the Virtua Tennis games are among the better 'serious' tennis games. None can eclipse Sega Superstars Tennis though, in my eyes - that game was sheer awesomeness on a disc. Not all that serious though.
The latest instalment in the Virtua Tennis franchise, Virtua Tennis 4, once again features a blend of the world's top stars (not that I'd know), as they take each other on in what has to be the longest running tennis series since Pong. Letting you play as world No.1 Rafael Nadal, 16-time major champion Roger Federer and UK No.1 (and sore loser) Andy Murray, Virtua Tennis 4 also marks a first for the series, as you can take control of the action using brand-spanking new motion controls - using either the Wii's Motion+, or Microsoft's Kinect Sensor. Of course, if you don't feel like waving your arms about like a crazed loon, there's support for regular controllers too, so you can play however you want.
Offering a revamped single player mode, The World Tour isn't just about winning matches any more - it's been revamped, so that each decision you make, both on and off the court, will change your career, affecting your fame. The new Match Momentum gauge also hopes to add a touch more realism to proceedings (which may not be a good thing, depending on how you look at it), as it fills up over the course of the match, making your character grow in confidence, and their abilities improve, so they can hit shots they couldn't before.
Check out my tennis dance
The new online mode lets you choose between competitive and casual areas, depending on whether you're playing to win, or to just have fun. It also aims to suit everyone's abilities, with an improved match-making system which lets you jump into a game with someone who's a similar sort of skill level to you (theoretically, anyway), so it's not so much of a thrashing.
Virtua Tennis 4 is making it's way onto consoles this spring - apparently in time for the 'Grand Slam' season. We're sure we'll be getting more information on this one soon, so keep checking back on the site - but in the meantime, here's a trailer to whet your appetites. Disappointingly, there's no strawberries and cream in sight though, just a load of big name tennis players, including one who's name looks a lot like 'Del Potato': We think we've just found our player.
