Tennis games are really nothing more than fancy versions of our old friend Pong.
So what Microids is giving us in Tennis Masters Series 2003 is a new Pong. Is
this a good or bad thing? Well there is little doubt that the original Pong is a
classic in the history of video games and can be immediately recognized by
almost any gamer by a simple screen shot or sound clip. I do not believe that
TMS 2003 will have the same lasting affect on the gaming landscape. While it may
not go down in history, is it still worth playing? Let’s find out…
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| Giving the serve a little thought. |
Tennis Masters Series 2003 is based on the Masters Series Tournaments of the
ATP. The Series consists of 9 tournaments in such locations as the hard courts
of Miami, and Cincinnati, the clay courts of Monte Carlo and Rome, and the
indoor courts of Madrid and Paris. Do well enough and you can advance to the
Masters Cup in Shanghai.
TMS 2003 doesn’t have an incredible amount of game options. You can either play
an exhibition or start the Tournaments itself. That’s it. There are,
unfortunately, no mini-games or other interesting sidetracks. That said, this
game is about trying to simulate tennis more than creating an “arcadey” game. So
I suppose that’s why they left out the foo-foo stuff and concentrated more on
the serious side. Still, it would have been nice to have a little more variety
in play options.
Obviously the heart of TMS 2003 is the tournament play itself. But first you
must decide on a player. You pick one of the 67 different players provided. No,
you cannot create your own player but you can customize one of the players
provided. Well, by “customize” I mean you can change the color of their outfits
and racket. Changing the racket doesn’t affect the play it just changes the
look. For a game that really wants to be realistic this seems to be a major
oversight. Each player has attributes and abilities that define that player’s
game style and skill. Some players are better power hitters than others while
others play as net rushers. Choosing your type is really a reflection of how you
like to play. Me, I like to go with the net rushers and try to end the point
quickly. There are several abilities that help mold your player including speed,
stamina, volley and forehand.
Once you have your player it’s time to start winning some matches. You progress
through the game playing tournaments in the same order as the real series. First
up is Indian Wells, which you must first qualify for because you are not ranked
in the top 63 at first. Pretty much after your first tournament you won’t have
to worry about qualifying again. And this finally gets us into the action
itself. First thing I noticed was a fairly remarkable resemblance to the old
Dreamcast classic, Virtua Tennis, which happens to be one of my all time
favorites. Unfortunately that game is 3 years old and this is the XBox, so I was
expecting more. Still, it is a decent looking game. It’s just not a great
looking one.
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