Back when Sega first announced that it would be getting out of the console business and into publishing on multi-platforms many were excited about the endless Sega franchises that could end up on the Playstation 2. It was a no brainer that the football franchise would make its way onto all platforms but the future of Virtua Tennis was not so clear. Sega went on to improve its great arcade and Dreamcast port by getting more tennis pros involved and adding a women's circuit. Known as Virtua Tennis 2, the title was well received by the masses. Questions started to be asked as to whether the series would see light on other platforms. Sega finally announced that it would be coming to the Playstation 2 under the name Sega Sports Tennis. The game recently arrived in stores this summer and the final product was well worth the wait.

Visually, the game is a mixed bag. I had high expectations from the art work that appeared on the Dreamcast. While the player models have been drastically cleaned up, the stages and environmental effects are not as good as they could have been. In the previous incarnations, weather effects such as cloud cover changed the lighting conditions and it was beautifully conceived. In the PS2 version these effects are not present. The courts themselves are fine but the graphics engine appears grainy at times and it seems that the folks in Sega Japan are still trying to come to terms with the programming libraries of the PS2. Some jaggies are also present. Regardless, the game speed is good and as a result, gameplay is appropriately paced. As your player increases his or her strength in world tour mode, things become faster and more accurate. Players move across the court and perform all kinds of neat moves to save the ball. My only gripe is I wish the players would hit the ball faster because at times it is impossible to catch your opponent off guard even if he or she has tumbled on the ground. The soundtrack is standard for tennis games and the in game voice-overs are more than competent.

Of course with any sports game control and gameplay are the most important elements. Gameplay for the most part is tight and easy to control. Shot strength is dependent upon how fast you can get your player to the ball and set up for a return. The only problem with control comes when trying to pull of successful drop shots. They are not as effective as they could be due to the fact that dropping one in against an opponent is virtually impossible. Sega Sports Tennis is a great multiplayer experience. However the one-player modes can get frustrating due to inconsistent CPU A.I. When you get deeper into high-ranked matches, the CPU makes cheap impossible shots and saves. It then becomes a lesson in frustration and pure luck in order to beat them.

The game has three modes to choose from: Tournament, Exhibition, and World Tour. Most of your time will be spent in the excellent World Tour mode. For those who played Virtua Tennis and thought the tour was deep, then you will be pleasantly surprised to find out that Sega has deepened the tour even further. In the World Tour Mode, you are required to create one male player and one female player. You will then train the created players through mini-games and enter various tournaments held all around the world to compete for the #1 ranking. As you earn more skills through the mini-games, the better your game will get. Continue to earn money in order to purchase clothing, shoes, racquets and acquire partners for doubles games. The mini-games are varied in nature and very addictive. One of the early mini-games called Danger Flags, helps improve your footwork as you dodge balls and collect all of the flags in less than 30 seconds. Another game called Tank Attack helps improve strokes as you attempt to hit back a powerful ball to defeat enemy tanks. As you progress through the months of the year, more mini-games open up. It becomes very addictive and as a result you may find yourself spending a lot of quality time with this game.

For tennis fans Sega Sports Tennis is a must buy. For everyone else looking for a solid sports challenge, Tennis is a strong candidate. Next year, I would like Sega to tweak the shot control further and tighten the graphics engine. In the meantime, Tennis will keep me enticed for months to come.