As a gamer for a number of years I am quite accustomed to the regular yearly procession of sports titles from the sporting powerhouse that is EA Sports. But this year we have something different because this year we actually have a tennis game that not only is exclusive to the Nintendo Wii but is also the first game to utilise the new Wii Motion Plus gadget. There is another first as well because this is the first tennis game in video gaming to feature an official version of Wimbledon which probably explains the release date as it ties in almost with the start of this year’s competition. Of course there are a number of excellent tennis games out there and the developers of this game probably had two choices when they were considering what to do with this one. Do they make it an ultra serious sim of the sport or do they go with a light hearted alternative which will appeal to the sports player, the casual gamer and the child in all of us. Thankfully they plumped for the second option and have presented us with cartoony graphics that are well presented but actually hide a game that is a strategic delight with or without the new gadget. Unfortunately at time of writing this review I do not possess a Wii Motion Plus gadget so I unfortunately cannot review this game using it. I believe the purpose behind the device is to increase the sensitivity of the Wii remote so that it reacts more accurately with the movements you make with the remote in your hand. Therefore you actually make a slicing action when you want to perform a slice shot and your serves etc are much more accurate and realistic to the power etc you put into your arm action with the remote in your hand. The nunchuck actually proves to be an unnecessary item in this game because although you can use it to guide your player into position the game automatically will do this for you. This actually takes a little bit of getting used too but once you do it becomes second nature and allows you to spend a split second more time deciding what sort of shot to use. Even without the Wii Motion Plus this game is very superior to the majority of sports titles out there. For one thing it is a lot of fun. It is also incredibly addictive and satisfying game especially when playing the career mode. This features practice matches as well as four grand slam tournaments. These games can be against recognizable players from the current tennis arena or classic players from yesteryear. However, as with most tennis and sports games the main fun is to be had with the multiplayer option. There are plain singles and doubles options together with some party games (well it wouldn’t be a game for the Wii without them) including Tag Team Tennis and Triplets. The game is actually one of the best games to use the online mode on the Wii yet produced. Not only because of the fun of playing the game in the first place but also there is none of the problems that other games using this function have endurered such as slowdown etc. Graphic wise, as said before this is a very cartoony and fun colourful style which you will either like or you won’t. The oversized tennis ball does distract from the realism of the game at first but once you get used to it, then it actually dosent jar at all.
Sound wise there is some pleasant commentary which is neither brilliant nor offensive. There are also some reasonable sound effects and the menu music is tolerable. Overall this is a very impressive first attempt at a new sport for EA Games. It can be played equally well with or without the Wii Motion Plus gadget but I would suspect it is with that it is meant to be played. The online modes are excellent but the single player mode has not been forgotten. The developers have to be praised for the number of different game modes available as this lengthens the gameplay of the title immensely. Fans of Virtua Tennis and Top Spin are probably not going to be won over but for an owner of the Wii this is the best tennis title on the market at the moment. And of course this is just a first attempt – so next year with even better motion control and perhaps a little bit more control over serves etc it can only get better.
Got a Wii and like tennis – then you really have no reason not to purchase this game. | 
Wii 
