Virtua Tennis 3

By Liam O'Connor

Sports have something of a tribal appeal. After all, we support the All Blacks because they represent New Zealand, and somehow we believe that their success on the field trickles down onto us. They are our tribe, and when they do well in a rugby match, they have done so on our behalf. Tennis, however, is a different situation. Sure, they try and attach countries of origin to the players, but it is obvious that each player is out there for him or herself. Thus, tennis becomes a sport of recognisable personalities rather than national representation.

Consequently, it’s not difficult to understand why the virtual representations of the tennis world’s A-list are such a focal point when discussing Virtua Tennis 3. After all, more than any other sports game, we attach ourselves to the players, not what the players represent. If a virtual David Beckham doesn’t really look like David Beckham, then we forgive it because the main attraction is that we are playing as England. But when Roger Federer doesn’t look like Roger Federer, it’s a little less excusable.

Fortunately, Virtua Tennis 3 prides itself on its accurate representations of its roster. Sharapova, Federer, Hingis, Nadal: all of these players and more are instantly recognisable, thanks to the next-gen power of the 360 and PS3. Now we can pick our favourite personality and live our tennis dreams in the virtual environment. However, the dream doesn’t just end at looking like a tennis master. No, thanks to Virtua Tennis’ trademark accessibility, we can now feel like a tennis master – even more on the PS3.

Thanks to the Sixaxis controller, players can actually engage with the game without pushing a button. Players will swing the Sixaxis in a variety of ways that will result in different shots within the game. Swinging the Sixaxis might not feel as fleshed-out as Wii Sports’ tennis mode, but Virtua Tennis 3’s gameplay certainly provides more depth than Wii Sports can offer.

Both the 360 and PS3 versions also offer a tour mode that allows players to simulate a training schedule. Within each virtual week you can choose to play tournaments, engage in training exercises, or simply rest. Virtua Tennis 3 offers far more than just a representation of a tennis match; it offers a representation of being a tennis star.

Given that to reach the level of Federer would take a lifetime of dedication (and a large amount of natural talent), it’s of no surprise that virtual tennis games are popular with fans of the sport. Offering a greater level of enjoyment than merely watching a sport, Virtua Tennis 3 will allow players to feel as if they are a tennis champion. The experience may be slightly crippled due to a lack of online modes, which would have added competition to complete the tennis experience as it should be, but Virtua Tennis 3 still offers perhaps the closest thing to being a real tennis star. Fans of the sport will want to look out for this one on PS3 and Xbox 360 in the very near future.

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