SUPER TENNIS (SNES)
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Publisher: Nintendo.
Developer: Tokyo Shoseki. Released: 1991. Genre: Tennis. Posted 7th October 2012. By Chris Weatherley © 2012 |
When the Super Nintendo was unleashed upon the UK public in 1991, only five games were initially available alongside the bundled Super Mario World. So what did Nintendo choose to show off their shiny new all-conquering console? A racer? Yep. A flight simulation? Oh yes. A football game? Of course! A tennis game? Strangely, yes again. Tennis games are not exactly known to be crowd pleasers in the history of gaming, more for light amusement, but Nintendo choose to hang on the feats of the Pete Sampras’s and Andre Agassi’s of the time and make a tennis sim that would surprisingly set the standard for all that would follow. So was Super Tennis as super as its name makes it out to be? In a word, yes. But let’s take a closer look shall we? New balls please!
It was no surprise that Nintendo wanted to showcase the SNES’s Mode 7 graphics to the maximum in the system’s first releases, and a tennis game does provide some original viewpoints to display. Immediately after switching on Super Tennis, you suddenly have the unusual POV of a tennis ball getting whacked over a court for a short intro. The title screen then fades in with an energetic tune in the vain of 90s sports shows gets the fun flowing. All is bright and colourful in the presentation department, neatly done and very easy to follow, and rather exciting too in a low key kind of way. There are also some nice little touches to the selection screens I rather like. The animated balls bouncing off the selected surface is original and the look-alike qualities of the players themselves is fun to spot. Jimmy Connors, a bearded Boris Becker and a long nosed Bjorn Borg are in there in typical anime form. Fun and cartoon-ish, but very fitting to the game.
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Tennis
games are at their best when it’s a multi-player affair, and of course Super Tennis has this option, but the
single-player has its attractions too. You enter a tour of the world playing on
different surfaces, much like a scaled down version of the real life circuit.
You choose to enter each tournament too, with the highest rewards for the four
major tournaments. All of these are named after the city they are held in, no
official names like Wimbledon are used.
Progress going through this can vary from the dullest of easy matches, to ultra
hard opponents that zip around like flies. All in all, it’s not the hardest to
finish on top of the pile, but you’re reward for this is an exhibition match
against the hardest player in the game. I have never beaten this dude without
cheats, he is very hard. All this moving around the world is displayed zooming
in and out, neon colours aplenty staying with the anime style of things. It’s a
bit jerky at times, and slow to skip over a tournament as there is no instant
bypass option, but it’s all clear and bright. Saving the game is present in the
form of a password system, and as with so many SNES titles, it’s far too
complex and long-winded.
The bold colours and cartoon look continues into the matches themselves, and this is where it all really works well and brings the game alive. Although the backgrounds and secondary sprites are not to a high standard, they do just enough so as not to be distracting save for the poor animation of the crowd. The primary sprites however are very well animated and excellently drawn; looking distinct from each other, even the ones dressed all in white, and stand out from all of the different coloured courts. The net can look a little dodgy though and loses sharpness against the movement of the players while scrolling. The SFX are all rather predictable but adequate, adding to the game a little but nothing outstanding.
The bold colours and cartoon look continues into the matches themselves, and this is where it all really works well and brings the game alive. Although the backgrounds and secondary sprites are not to a high standard, they do just enough so as not to be distracting save for the poor animation of the crowd. The primary sprites however are very well animated and excellently drawn; looking distinct from each other, even the ones dressed all in white, and stand out from all of the different coloured courts. The net can look a little dodgy though and loses sharpness against the movement of the players while scrolling. The SFX are all rather predictable but adequate, adding to the game a little but nothing outstanding.
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Brian ingeniously brandishes a mirror in order to distract his rival's ugly wife
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Winning championship point however is the gameplay; this is where Super Tennis makes a big mark in the
chalk dust. It’s very fluid, fast and tight, with good collision detection with
the ball and well synchronised audio. The scrolling around the court can go off
the action from time to time, but mostly follows exactly where it needs to be,
providing a wide view of the court. Players respond well to the controls, moving
quickly and accurately, and with a vast variety of shots at your disposal, there’s
plenty of enjoyment to be had. The SNES controller’s many buttons are used to maximum
effect here with great results. Figuring out new shots, countering others and
getting the judgment correct for a delicate volley or a bullet serve seems
endless and really makes for a long standing game. It’s interesting that the
game makes the volley shot automatic depending on your proximity to the net.
This can be very irritating at times, but on the other hand can force to you
make some very satisfying shots, frustrating the hell out of you’re opponent. There
are some small issues are a bit annoying though; occasionally the ball will be
called in when it’s clearly out, (no Hawkeye in them days!), and the ball boys
can slow things up pottering around in a comical scurry sometimes. Compared to
the likes of Pro Tennis Tour and Tennis Cup 2, it’s far superior to play
however, and certainly set a precedent for the modern, non-realistic tennis games
like Mario Tennis.
Along with Super Mario World, I strongly feel that Super Tennis was the other stand-out title from the first Super Nintendo releases. F-Zero was visually impressive, as was Pilotwings, whilst Super Soccer was complete dross, but Super Tennis scores the service ace in terms of pure fun and simple knockabout enjoyment. It’s pretty much like a better version of Final Match Tennis on the Turbografx, following similar design cues and uncomplicated format. Polished and brilliant, it’s by far the finest tennis game of its era, and for my money still is the classic tennis game. An essential part of any Super Nintendo enthusiasts collection. Game, Set and Match!
Along with Super Mario World, I strongly feel that Super Tennis was the other stand-out title from the first Super Nintendo releases. F-Zero was visually impressive, as was Pilotwings, whilst Super Soccer was complete dross, but Super Tennis scores the service ace in terms of pure fun and simple knockabout enjoyment. It’s pretty much like a better version of Final Match Tennis on the Turbografx, following similar design cues and uncomplicated format. Polished and brilliant, it’s by far the finest tennis game of its era, and for my money still is the classic tennis game. An essential part of any Super Nintendo enthusiasts collection. Game, Set and Match!
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VERDICT
Visual: 7/10
Audio: 7/10 Gameplay: 9/10 Longevity: 9/10 OVERALL: 8/10 |