Whenever
a new tennis game hits the market, it seems that I'm always right there
to greet it with open arms. I've never been a huge tennis fan, but the
games always seem to hook me with their easy to master controls,
non-confusing rule sets, and colorful graphics. Sega Superstars Tennis
is no exception. Having played all of the Mario Tennis games to death,
I was a little apprehensive about entering into the world of Sonic and
Co. It's almost like cheating on your girlfriend that you never fought
with. There's no reason to stray, you feel bad about it, but when all
is said and done, you're glad you did it.
Sega Superstars
Tennis takes the best aspects of the Sega world, mixes them all
together, and creates a game that not only looks great, but is actually
fun. The main modes of the game are split between what you've come to
expect of the genre. Singles matches, doubles matches, tournaments, and
multiplayer. Where SST expands on the modes is with the mini-games and
aptly titled "Superstars" mode. Superstars mode is best described as
quest-mode. The player chooses a stage that they'd like to conquer, and
are then thrust into every single type of mini-game relating to the
stage. Some stages only have singles tournaments, where others are full
fledged mini-games which are unlocked after completing all tasks within
the level. For example, to unlock the "Puyo Pop" mini-game in the main
menu, you will have to work through the various things asked of you
within Superstars mode. Whether that is clearing a whole screen of
Puyos, or obtaining a high score, you'll always be working towards a
reward. With over 100 levels, Superstars mode is where most people will
spend the majority of their time.
If
you are a Sega fan, there will be a ton of stuff for you to see within
the game. Every level is crafted in pure Sega fashion, with Sega music,
and cameos from all your favorite Sega stars. In total there are 16
playable characters ranging from Sonic to all the way to Alex Kidd.
With the inclusion of the 16 characters, it would have been nice to see
some of the more known Sega characters make an appearance. I mean, they
could have used characters from Power Stone, Crazy Taxi, and Skies of
Arcadia, but I suppose they'll be appearing in the followups. Along
with the characters, fans are being treated to 10 stages based on some
new, and old sega games. While some are great (Jet Set Radio), there
are some that just aren't that fun to play on (Curien Mansion aka House
of the Dead). The House of the Dead stage just doesn't fit with what I
want in a tennis game - a colorful court that doesn't put me in a pissy
mood. SST has a great variety of courts, but it would have been nice to
have courts for all of the different games in the Superstars mode. For
example, the Golden Axe stage is Curien Mansion, instead of being a
full fledged Golden Axe level.
With a few exceptions in
framerate, everything looks really great in Sega Superstars Tennis.
Most of the courts are decorated with enough scenery to not make them
look bland, and the character models look better than they ever have
before. It's actually rather entertaining to see Gilius from Golden Axe
in HD, beside Sega's new school line-up of Shadow, Ulala, and Pudding.
One of the more annoying factors about the graphics is how the slowdown
on some stages directly affects the gameplay. I really only encountered
it on Dr. Eggman's stage, but it makes it frustrating enough to ruin
the whole experience. There's nothing more annoying than trying to run
across the court to hit a ball, than feeling like your stuck in
framerate hell. The sound in SST is passable, but after a few hours of
play you'll be finding yourself throwing on a custom playlist. There
are tons of classic Sega tunes to unlock, but when that's all there is
to listen to, it tends to get old pretty fast. Character voices, while
done really well, get repetitive quickly. After every serve you'll hear
the same thing over and over, and after a few games you'll want to turn
them right off. All complaints aside, the sound is what many would
expect of a classic Sega title. Quirky sounds and music that feel right
at home with the Sega brand.
If
you have ever played a Sega tennis game, you will know that they are
the masters of the craft. You could hand the controls over to someone
who has never played a tennis title, and in mere minutes they could be
rallying with the best of them. All shots and swings are controlled
with two buttons, while activating the special meter is set to the
triggers. The actual gameplay flows smoothly, and often you'll find
yourself not even thinking about your next move. The only confusing
aspect of the controls is how they binded the lob and drop shots to a
button combo, rather than a single button. I was about 6 hours into the
game before I even realized that I could drop a shot close to the net,
or lob a shot over my opponents head. In my opinion, it would have made
much more sense to bind them to the two unused buttons. All in all,
It's nice to see a company focus more on the controls aspect than
anything else.
One of the more annoying features about SST is
the online multiplayer. While it ran decently, there still are some lag
issues that need to be fixed. The ball almost appears to stick to
player's racquets, making it very difficult to time a return. There
also really isn't a way to set up some good games, because there never
really seems to be anyone playing. I spent about 2 hours one evening,
and I think I managed to find about 8 games. I'm not sure why the
online is empty, but hopefully now that the price has dropped on the
game more people will check out some online games. 
While
Sega Superstars isn't a perfect game, that doesn't mean that it's not
worth checking out. It's easy to pick up and play, and a great way to
get your non-gaming girlfriend into gaming. Doubles games will provide
hours of entertainment among friends, and the Superstars mode will
satisfy any single player gaming sessions. With a brand new price
point, it's probably one of the best titles you can get for $20.
Kim Fidler
