Tennis: Confused Edition
If you read my Top Spin 3 review, you should have taken at least one thing away from it- I'm a fan of tennis. I play tennis, follow the pros, and am always looking for fun tennis games to play. When EA announced Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii, I was hopeful for a solid tennis game that would make good use of the Wii Motion Plus. Unfortunately, the end result is not as compelling as I had hoped. Grand Slam Tennis makes for an okay academic study, but conflicting design decisions lead to a game that seems at odds with itself, making it a hard sell to both casual and hardcore gamers alike.
The big push behind Grand Slam Tennis is its simultaneous release with the Wii Motion Plus. The claim is that you can now swing the Wii Remote just like you could a real tennis racquet, and produce similar angles and spins. Being a tennis player myself, this was initially the most intriguing aspect of the game, which makes it unfortunate that it ended up being the most frustrating part of my experience. The type of motion required in Grand Slam Tennis doesn't correspond well to that of real tennis, leading to some awkward moments. For example, you may swing down the line but the ball goes cross-court. Or you unleash a forehand only to see your character turn the wrong way and swing through the empty air on his or her backhand side. Aside from wonky swing detection, Grand Slam Tennis also has weird timing issues, as well as stiff movement controls. This all lead to me having to take time reinventing how I play tennis just to match the game's fickle demands, which seems contrary to the ideals of motion controls, and makes Grand Slam Tennis an exercise in tedium more than anything else.
While it may seem like I'm being a bit nit-picky when it comes to controls, that's only because a tennis game demands great, intuitive controls in every moment. Tennis is a fast paced sport, and matches are often determined by a few key points. The controls in Grand Slam Tennis often rob you of that opportunity to edge out close matches, making it totally unappealing for anyone looking for a deep, competitive tennis experience. The shallow career mode only furthers this notion, as character building is extremely limited, and there are only four tournaments available in the entire game. All of this made me think that Grand Slam Tennis would be better suited as a casual party game. But while there are some interesting minigames sprinkled in the mix, I can't imagine the game's steep learning curve being any fun for that kind of crowd. There are just better party options on the Wii, making it an odd direction for a game like Grand Slam Tennis.
And in the end, that's Grand Slam Tennis' biggest problem- it doesn't really serve anyone. The hardcore crowd will demand more responsive controls (the kind you would get with old fashioned buttons), and the casual crowd will prefer a game with a more timely learning curve. It's a self-conflicting experience for sure, and one that I can't feel good about recommending to anyone save those interested in the continued evolution of the Wii's motion controls.
For additional information on my review style and scoring system, click here.
