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A.P.I Review: | Anna Kournikova's Smash Court Tennis 2 | ||
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Developer: | Namco | OPTIONS: | SCREENSHOTS: No.1 No.2 No.3 |
Distributor: | Sony | 1-4 Player | |
Game Type: | Tennis | Memory Card | |
Review Date: | July 1999 | Dual Shock Compatible |
Setting the Scene
The original Smash Court Tennis was a blinding little game that
somehow didn't quite catch on. Eventually it was deleted and can now only
be found languishing in the annals of a second hand store.
This didn't stop Namco from putting together a follow up, but moderate
sales in both Japan and the US meant a strategic re-think before it's PAL
launch. They could have called it Oh-La-La Tennis to link up with
the French Open... or Get Smashed on Strawberries and Cream to
coincide with Wimbledon. Instead they opted to link it with the upcoming
Russian beauty from the world tennis circuit and call it the rather long
winded Anna Kournikova Smash Court Tennis 2. Now there's a mouthful (if
you pardon the expression).
Sound & Vision
When the game first loads up try not to allow your thumb to wander
onto the 'X button' and you will be rewarded with a selection of live
video footage where Anna can be viewed bouncing around the court and
strutting her stuff. She's definitely a model professional. Mmmm.
Of course the intro shouldn't entice you to purchase this game... and
neither will the sound effects... or the in-game graphics. Remember when a
video games success depended almost entirely on GAMEPLAY? You see Smash
Court 2 falls into the same category as multi-player classics such as
Worms... or Bomberman... or Devil Dice.
Not that the visuals are bad... cute little cartoon characters who react
instantly to each instruction from the joypad... it's just that they all
seem much too young to be playing for world ranking points. Anna
Kournikova looks only about four years old!
As you advance through Tournament mode there are a few nice surprises in
store. Lined up against your chosen character could be one of the many
famous Namco celebrities. Fancy your chances against Pac-Man? Maybe you
would stand a better chance playing Tekken's Eddie Gordo or Yoshimitsu.
Perhaps all three would join you for a session of mixed doubles... it's
certainly a mixture.
There are over a dozen world venues, each set in their own style and
follow a specific theme. Serious players can enjoy playing on the lush
lawns of London, the lightening quick surface of Australia and USA, or the
ultra slow clay of France. Just for fun the player could embark to such
exotic locations as Hong Kong where cyclists pedal around the edge of the
court... or among the busy traffic of Times Square... there's even a glass
floored aquarium at the Great Barrier Reef (a little off putting when
attacking a ball only inches away from a passing dolphin).
There is only one viewing angle but this covers the entire squashed up
court. One annoyance I found with the camera was that occasionally the
player at the bottom of the screen disappears when playing deep.
Playability
Ah! Good old fashioned gameplay. As a single player game Smash Court
2 offers two practice modes, tournament or exhibition. The first practice
mode involves playing a few rallies against your coach . The object being
to return the ball accurately so that it strikes a target placed on the
opposite side of the court. The second practice mode is all about stamina
as you repeatedly knock the ball against a large wall. Each successful
strike sees the wall retreat a few meters gradually revealing a seemingly
endless line of Namco advertising logos for forthcoming titles such as
Soul Blade 2, Point Blank 2 etc.
A tournament involves selection of character and then entering any of the
four round Grand Slam or Street Tournaments. World ranking points are
awarded dependant on your how far you advance in each competition and then
saved onto a memory card. Should you win any tournament a new piece of
equipment becomes available for use. This includes bizarre items such as a
flame racket that leaves a blazing trail with each stroke, or the
wonderful wave racket which turns your opponents side of the court into a
pool of water!
For total enjoyment there is nothing like a multi-player game of Smash
Tennis 2. Using a multi-tap up to four player can enjoy an Exhibition game
of straight tennis lasting between one and five sets. However if it's pure
fun that you are after then look no further than Smash Blast. Two teams of
players line up on the court where standard tennis balls are replaced by
ticking bombs. Each player chooses five different characters (lives).
Before each serve a random timer shows how long it will be before the bomb
goes off. This ranges between three and nine seconds. The player nearest
the explosive ball when it detonates is charred and turned to ash. Last
player alive is the winner. Brilliant!
Opinion | ||
MARTIN | ||
GRAPHICS: | 15/20 | As
a single player game Smash Court 2 has it's limitations, but because of
the world ranking system used in tournament mode it could possibly go on
forever. As a multi-player game this belongs up there with the best of them. Removal of the CPU controlled opponent suddenly bring a new challenge to the game while Smash Blast will leave your ribs aching for ages after. A smashing game! |
SOUND: | 6/10 | |
PLAYABILITY: | 48/50 | |
VALUE: | 18/20 | |
OVERALL | 87% |