What about Hot Shots Tennis Preview

By James Floyd

When you think of golf games for your Sony consoles, you think of either Tiger Woods or Hot Shots Golf. Soon enough, when you think of what tennis game you should be buying, think of Hot Shots Tennis. The developers at Clap Hanz, made popular from the hit series Hot Shots Golf, thought it was time to branch out into other sports. With your first glance at the game, you’re welcomed back to the visual styles you know and love from their golf series with unique characters, environments and the background detail they put into a game.

Gameplay is easy to pick up and play but it takes some time to master. As you play through training mode or just learn as you play though the main mode, you’ll notice little icons above your head as you hit the ball back to your opponent’s court. The icons tell you if you hit the ball too early, too late, or right on time. These little indicators will help the player with their timing and overall better performance to win harder and harder matches in challenge mode. Multiplayer action is in full swing with singles and doubles matches. Play head-to-head or play cooperatively. Up to 4 players are allowed to play at the same time for some intense matches with the use of the Multitap (for PlayStation®2).

Each character controls the same way in the game, but they all have different attributes and skills they’re better at than others. One player can be great at the net, where as another player can be amazing at the far end of the court. The artificial intelligence covers all range of difficulty from beginner to pro and everything in between so you can enhance your skill level at your own pace. There are 14 playable characters to play from and a few different colour outfits for each; also 11 available courts to play on, depending on your preference.

Tennis fan or not, this is a game full of fun, and anyone will enjoy it. Hit! Smash! And volley! Your way to victory! Look for this Playstation®2 title at your local EB Games, summer 2007.