Korner Talk

I remember the first tennis video game I played. Boy was that thing lame yet I spent hours playing it. All you had to do was move your guy to the ball and he would hit it. A typical rally lasted 50 strokes, not very realistic to say the least. Then came the arcade game Virtual tennis which was later ported onto the Dreamcast and PS2 console. That was an awesome game. And in my foggy memory bank, I remember spending several late nights playing some tennis game on N64 with Yv, Vik and Sunil…. that was fun too… I think.

Anyways, none of those games can compare to the new comer, EA Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii. Tennis games and the Wii remote are a match made in heaven and EAGST takes full advantage of that fact. I can list off some bummers (ie graphics, lack of control with the regular Wii remote vs Motion Plus) but they’re overshadowed by the game play and player immersion, making EAGST the best tennis video game I’ve played. What I really like is how they got the movements of the featured players down pat. McEnroe serves like McEnroe. Sampras does his racket twirling thing when he’s returning serve. And Venus Williams grunts like a wild boar feasting on truffles. But the best part? Maria Sharapova is in the game and she’s hot. Naturally. I wish they included Andre or Michael Chang in the game though. That would have sealed the deal in making EAGST the best tennis video game ever known to man.

First though: UT.