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Virtua Tennis 3

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7.0 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 34 critic reviews
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Based on 15 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Sumo Digital Ltd.

Genre(s): Sports, Tennis

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: March 20, 2007

Summary

With Virtua Tennis 3, the series returns with enhanced photo-realistic graphics and advanced player animations that perfectly match the behavior and mannerisms of individual professional athletes. In Career Mode, gamers travel the world and take on the biggest stars of the tennis world. Improvements to the Player Creation Mode allow gamers to customize their own tennis star with a wealth of licensed tennis equipment and increased detail. No Virtua Tennis title would be complete without the popular and addictive mini-games, and Virtua Tennis 3 is no exception. In addition to the popular mini-games from previous titles used to sharpen players' skills, there are a host of brand new games to keep players in top form. [Sega]

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Also On The Web: Official Website

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...

360 Gamer Magazine UK

A triumph. While there are one or two minor niggles, Virtua Tennis 3 is a superb arcade game, a quite brilliant recreation of the sport, and a title so addictive that you'll need a calendar, rather than a watch, to measure how long you'll be playing it for. [Issue #23, p.66]

Official Xbox Magazine UK

The only problem with VT3 is also its greatest asset - it really does play and feel identical to the Dreamcast game we played every day for six months back in 2000 and for large chunks of most years since. [Apr 2007, p.84]

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Eurogamer

Regardless of whether you've played a Virtua Tennis game or not, this is one of those games that no self-respecting gamer should miss out on, because not only is it the best tennis game on the market, it's also one of the best sports games ever made, full stop.

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VideoGamer

The game is as close to Pong as the London Philharmonic Orchestra is to a caveman banging a rudimentary drum and, continuing that analogy, Virtua Tennis 3 is just as primal and instinctive as its most ancient of relatives.

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Official Xbox Magazine

Virtua Tennis 3 delivers big where it matters most--irresistible, thumb-cramping multiplayer--and boots "Top Spin 2" to the sidelines to rightfully claim the title of best Xbox 360 tennis game. [may 2007, p.82]

GamePro

Bloated expectations aside, Virtua Tennis is a fan service treat from the moment you open the box, and setting down the controller without blowing hours on end requires considerable willpower, even if it all comes to feel like just a more refined, balanced version of what we already played to death on the Dreamcast.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

While Virtua Tennis 3 is undoubtedly a relatively mild updating of what has gone before, which is particularly surprising when the length of time that’s passed since the last full instalment is considered, it still manages to convincingly retain its crown as the king of the tennis roost.

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GameSpot

Virtua Tennis 3 is a great game that holds true to that winning formula. There are some new minigames, and the career mode has been fleshed out, but it's clear that the developers were focused on refining the gameplay rather than reinventing it.

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Planet Xbox 360

The major selling point for me is the quickly paced and varied game play. The career mode is not an obstacle to replay value like Top Spin 2, but rather a fantastic compliment to the bevy of minigames.

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Gaming Age

Virtua Tennis 3 looks great, plays extremely well and, online, offers an excellent substitute for the real thing if it’s raining or you’re just too lazy to get out there and play.

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GameZone

It provides solid online multiplayer, a career mode bursting with life, and addictive mini-games fans have come to expect.

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Talk Xbox

It delivers excellent multiplayer, compelling mini-games, and a career mode that’s second to none. Flaws include a less-than-astonishing create-a-player mode, poor audio and lackluster environments. However, the good far outweighs the bad.

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GameSpy

What it boils down to is that if your TV has 1080p support and you don't mind the absence of online support, the PlayStation 3 version is the way to go. However, if you tend to run things in 720p, and you want to check out some decent online play, the Xbox 360 version wins out.

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Gaming Nexus

While it's easy to criticize this game for not being very different from past entries, Virtua Tennis 3 proves to be just as much fun as it ever was. With fantastic online support, an engaging single player mode and some entertaining mini-games, Sega's next-gen tennis game will turn you into a tennis fan!

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Xboxic

Sega have by no means revolutionised the genre but they have successfully brought a much loved series to the next gen and it is as lovable as ever. It has the playability, the fun and competitive edge that any sports title should have.

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Yahoo! Games

Perhaps the best thing you can say about Virtua Tennis 3 is that it's such a good game, you don't even have to like tennis to appreciate it.

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Extreme Gamer

Xbox 360 owners are going to benefit a little more than Playstation 3 owners with the online multiplayer modes including the cool addition of Virtua Tennis TV.

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IGN

SEGA's Virtua Tennis 3 is an example of a tennis game inching forward, instead of making significant or even moderate leaps forward.

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Gamestyle

The players no longer look like white faced zombies and the online mode is one of the best we've experienced so far.

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X360 Magazine UK

There is no other sports sim out there that can beat Virtua Tennis 3 for entertainment value. [Issue 18, p.86]

Cheat Code Central

A first-rate game that would be an excellent addition to your sport-game library. The multiplayer games are phenomenal, and the single player mode isn't half bad either.

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MS Xbox World

The mini games are a welcome addition to the package and break up playing in matches over and over.

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PALGN

Virtua Tennis 3 might be a mere incremental upgrade, but it has almost everything one needs in a tennis game. Online play on the 360 version of the game is just the icing on the cake.

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XboxAddict

A game suggestion. Get ride of the mini games in the world tour. Make them the unlock able features. Let us play matches and build our skills in the academy.

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NTSC-uk

For anyone who is a fan of entertaining, no-brainer old-school arcade gameplay, this is essential.

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Thunderbolt

There’s nothing spectacular about what Virtua Tennis 3 has to offer, it’s very much a case of déjà vu throughout but the game is so accessible and so much fun to play that it doesn’t matter.

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Gaming Target

There’s certainly a lot to like with the online offerings of Virtua Tennis 3, but the core gameplay and single-player experience don’t quite hit the unique balance of arcade action and simulation trappings that was found in the first entry in the series.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

For those with fragile egos who also like jumping rope without the rope, this is a perfect game, as you'll rarely hit the ball out. But hardcore tennis fans should stick with Top Spin 2.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

All in all, Virtua Tennis 3 is an easy to play and visually attractive title. [May 2007, p.56]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

I find the core game to be a lot of thumb-flattening fun--it's just no "Top Spin 2." [Apr 2007, p.84]

Game Informer

Virtua Tennis 3 is a perfectly serviceable tennis game (pun intended) that fails to provide a big enough splash to make it anything else than just another tennis title. Next time I hope it won’t take Sega seven years to come out with the same game.

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GamerNode

The game is surprisingly fun for a non-tennis fan, but it's overly simple at times. It's worth a try for most gamers, though, as it provides at least a few hours of entertainment.

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Team Xbox

The controls are responsive, but the A.I. needs a serious overhaul.

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1UP

In the end, the sharp graphics trump the competition (2K Sports' "Top Spin 2"), but the oversights in gameplay and the pros-only career mode hold Virtua Tennis back from being a must-play. For a quick knock-around with friends, this can't be beat, but for a deeper, more authentic tennis experience, go with "Top Spin 2."

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Liam M gave it a5:
Only half marks were awarded. Why? Because the sound effects are annoying, especially the crowds. There isn't enough female superstars to be certain, and there's no Andy Murray. He will have to be created in Career Mode. Some of the game modes are boring. I would advise you to leave this one out if you don't want to be annoyed.

Apocalypse Brown gave it a7:
I gotta to agree with Job A and say that Top Spin 2 is the better Tennis game, but Virtua Tennis is the more instantly playable game. Having played both, VT3 is more playable off and online, with its easy to pick and play model. And with the mini games and range of tournaments, there is a lot to do here. And I love watching the Virtua channel, some it adds that fun factor while seeing some poor guy getting pasted! But the control system is so disappointing its really a huge shame. The game seems to 'take over' at certain situations when you least expect or want it to, and that really pisses me off.Your player always seems incapable to get in the right area for the right shot, and lag is a major issue which sadly still hasn't been sorted. And cheese gameplay is the order of the day online, i.e. find the cheapest way to win a match and repeat that until somebody comes with a even more cheesy way to beat you! Its hard not to like, like Top Spin 2, but the controls on VT3 are just too warped for any real tennis fan to appreciate.

Job A. gave it a7:
This game has one good thing going for it. It has a great single player game with a lot of things to do and mini games.I played both this game and Top Spin 2 for a long time to see which one is truly better and Top Spins straight up game play is by far the better game without a doubt.Virtua Tennis 3 world tour is better though.I'm into tennis so I own both but if you are trying to decide on which one to buy then go for Top Spin's REAL tennis compared to Virtua's arcade feel.I give this game a 7.2.

Jake gave it a4:
An alright ofline pick up and play game but online it is frustrating because of the lag so if you are looking for an xbox live game stay away

Grant H. gave it an8:
Solid game, with very pleasant graphics. Extremely addictive and well recommended. My only concern would be regarding some AI issues and the fact its near impossible to hit the lines, or achieve ace's. Superb tennis sim though!

Vasili U. gave it a7:
Visually this is a good game, but as far as gameplay goes, I don't agree with the general consensus. The game is too "arcadey." Every third stroke is a dive, and the lack of control over specific strokes is dissapointing. A tennis purist's dream? If it's one of those dreams where you try to run, but can't seem to stay on the ground then I would agree. After playing this game even for a little bit, the only feeling I had left was one of frustration with untapped potential of what could have been a great game. When's the next top spin coming out?

Red XIII gave it a7:
I usually get bored with tennis game very quickly, this game is an exception, the mini games are a blast along with the career mode. The career mode should be a little bit more in depth, but is still fun none the less. The online is ok, but it seems that even the slightest bit of lag completely ruins it. Overall probably the best tennis game on the market right now. more in depth career mode would have bumped it up to an 8, but for as good as a tennis game can get pretty much.

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Virtua Tennis 3

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