Besides the re-release of Tennis Elbow, there has not
been a great, or even a released, Tennis game since Pete
Sampras Tennis last summer. However, this has changed with
Blue Byte's release of Game, Net & Match.
A week ago I read the preview on
www.game-over.com and checked out Blue Byte's product
page and I was impressed with the promise of this title. I was
surprised when it was released since most people claimed it
was not completed yet.
Graphics: (15 / 20)
The graphics in this game are alright but not great.
The main reason for this is because it is ported straight from
the Play Station, since consoles mostly get priority over the PC
due to the higher sales. Since this is the case the graphics are
excellent for Play Station standards but acceptable for PC
standards. You won't find any hardware fog or colored lighting
in the stadiums, however, a couple of courts use reflective
textures which is pretty cool. The game blasts away at about 50
fps on my PC using a Monster 3D 1. However, during doubles
play a generous amount of swapping does occur with the hard
drive, not because of the graphics but because the game is not
coded properly to be able to handle 4 players. Also, the 7-8
views give a different perspective on the match which can be
changed on the fly with the END key.
Sound: (12 / 15)
No advanced sound options are available such as
A3D or even Doubly Surround Sound, once again resulting
from the fact that this is a PSX port. The game atmosphere
concering sound is pretty good: when you are losing the crowd
shouts what seems to be words of encouragement and when
you are winning the crowd roars. The play by play and
commentary addon is a must since it adds a more realistic
feeling. Of course the men and women have different sounds
as well.
Gameplay: (24 / 25)
Gameplay in this game is excellent: the AI players
make mistakes such as Double Faulting, net shots and even out
of bounds. The player you control is also very realistic: you
can hold down the button for a harder smash or farther lob.
One thing I did not understand, however, is that the game
allows the use of all 8 of the buttons on my GRIP pad but I still
have not discerned what each button's function is. The AI is
also very tough and is not a "push over". One of the best parts
of this game is the training mode as it is one of the most
comprehensive training modes I have ever seen in a tennis
game or any other sports games for that matter. All of the
function keys are used to assign the ball shooter to return
different types of your opponent's shots, such as close lobs,
deep shots, tip overs and nine others. This is really a credit to
the programmers who allow the games inexperienced tennis
players to be able to handle the complexities of tennis.
Fun Factor: (17 / 20)
For a true tennis fan this game should keep them
busy for hours. However, for a regular fan or just another
player it might not be as great since the graphics are not too
hot and there is nothing dramatically good about the game.
Multiplayer: (4 / 5)
I played the game with a friend in 2 player mode and
it is excellent in terms of replayability and fun.
Packaging: (5 / 5)
This game was packaged like most others: very easy
installation. The interface is really fast unlike other games
these days and you will not have to wait that long starting a
game.
Overall Impressions: (8 / 10)
Overall I really enjoyed this game and although the
graphics were a bit lacking, the excellent AI, gameplay,
re-playability factor and especially multiplayer made up for it.
Definitely worth the grab if you are a big tennis fan or likes
games with intelligent AI.
Graphics: 15 / 20
Sound: 12 / 15
Gameplay: 24 / 25
Fun Factor: 17 / 20
Multiplayer: 4 / 5
Packaging: 5 / 5
Overall Impression: 8 / 10
Overall Rating: 85 / 100