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Virtua Tennis
Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 2 votes
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Game Info
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Hitmaker
Genre(s): Sports
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: December 4, 2003
Summary
Now playing on Center Court -- Virtua Tennis for the Nokia N-Gage mobile game deck! This game continues the legend of the original arcade smash hit and is sure to keep you riveted to the net. Simple controls let you easily pick up and enjoy the thrill of tennis gameplay without the sunburn and expensive accessories. A variety of court surfaces, strokes, and moves add to the realistic feel, while three gameplay modes let you choose your challenge. Select one of eight players, or create your own player in Tour mode and watch your player's abilities grow as you win games. If you win first place on the tour, your player will reach the performance level of the world's top pros. Unique to the N-Gage version is multiplayer gameplay via Bluetooth wireless technoloty. Round up your friends for a singles or doubles match and watch the virtual tennis ball fly across the ether! [Sega]
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What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Pocket Games
Clean and crisp if not too detailed. Completely addictive and fun. [Spring 2004, p.18]
Console Gameworld
It’s just a bit of a disappointment considering the standard set by Sega's previous tennis releases.
Read Full Review >N-Gage World
The sound of virtua tennis is probably the most disappointing feature of the game. This is because it is so unrealistic and there is no control between the music (which is typical, repetitive, American porn star music) and the effects volumes.
Read Full Review >AceGamez
Sadly this game is mediocre in every respect and with simplistic gameplay, lazy graphics and repetitive, annoying sound, it ends up being the kind of game that gives the N-Gage a bad reputation.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
The graphics aren't bad, but I have most definitely played better games on Game Boy. [Oct 2003, p.51]
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Despite its easy-to-master controls, Virtua Tennis has issues. Take chasing down well-hit balls for instance; moving your preppy butt across the court is equivalent to running through quicksand. [Nov 2003, p.36]
netjak
Anyone that isn’t a die-hard tennis fan will quickly get frustrated with the insane difficulty level. Nothing makes tennis inaccessible to the common fan like a game like this, which just frustrates newcomers.
Read Full Review >GMR Magazine
A stripped port of the GBA title with eight fake characters, load times, and no double play. [Nov 2003, p.101]
IGN
The mix of sluggish controls and unforgiving difficulty level makes for a very frustrating single player game, and the graphics and sound don't live up to the capabilities of the N-Gage hardware.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
Represents the skeletal version of the game, without much in the way of graphic flair, and controls that are even MORE simple (if slow) than in any previous version.
Read Full Review >Game Power Australia
It doesn't play well because of its tedious pacing, and its limited feature set doesn't help to distract players from the problems. It's not one of the N-Gage's worst titles, but it's hardly worth its asking price.
Read Full Review >GameSpot
The slow pacing and choppy animation, however, irreparably damage the gameplay experience, thus turning something that was intended to be fast-paced and fun into something that is now leaden.
Read Full Review >GameNow
We love the GBA version of Virtua Tennis, but this edition is total crap. It's ugly, sluggish, and outrageously difficult. [Nov 2003, p.76]
EuroGamer
Boring. This is a fine tennis game watered down to its absolute base elements and further ruined by irritating, unresponsive controls.
Read Full Review >Thunderbolt
Even the loading times are slow. I don’t remember any of the other games taking this long to load. There’s really no visible excuse for it either.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 2 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Mr sinister gave it a 10:
i won an advanced copy of this game from my local video game store and i think this game is really cool. i had the dreamcast version of this game, and while it was ok to play, it just didn't feel right. the n-gage version is the perfect version of this game, with everthing improved and flawless control on nokia's brilliantly designed handheld system. us n-gage owners are blessed with many great games right now, and many more coming out on december 15 (rayman3, splinter cell, red faction, taito memories, fifa, ncaa football!! i'm buying everyone of those the first day!!!). so virtua tennis will be a great buy when it is available to everyone, and expect it to be the reason many people buy the n-gage.
