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Sega Superstars Tennis
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sumo Digital
Genre: Sports
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Platforms: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii
Reviewer: Eric
When Sega announced their latest tennis game I wasn’t sure what to think. How
could Sega add in their entire so called all stars in a tennis game? As of late,
Sega hasn’t been releasing too many stellar releases, but that is about to
change with Sega Superstars Tennis.
 I am a fan of Sega’s older games, from Nights to Sonic Adventure (first one
only) and even all the way back to Golden Axe. Sega use to release better games
than most other companies. Putting these characters together might sound like a
mistake to most, but I’m about to tell you that the only mistake is you don’t
own this game yet.
Sega changed the face of tennis games with Virtual Tennis on the Dreamcast. The
game had easy controls and it was fun. You could either play one on one match,
doubles or even play a set of different mini games. Superstars Tennis has all of
the things from Virtual Tennis and adds even more. Everything big about Sega is
in this game, minus a few key characters/games that should have been added to
the final product.
The games basic gameplay is like most tennis games. There are only three key
buttons, two buttons to hit the ball and another to use your special move. You
are able to hit the bumper buttons to tell your computer partner to either stay
by the net, stay in the back and so fourth. The game is simple to learn; anybody
can pick this game up and play it.
One problem with the game is the movement of the actual characters. Your
characters seem to move too slow during matches, causing power hits to be the
key point in any match. If you make one bad move, hitting the ball all the way
to one corner, you may end up in a bad situation. To know what I’m talking about
try to beat Alex Kidd, he is impossible!
All of the games characters have their own special power and how they play.
Power hitters have more powerful shots and their special moves are the best,
however they are slow. Every character has their own strengths and weaknesses so
it is recommended giving everyone a shot because some characters seem to play
different than what the game says (I’m looking at you Alex Kidd).
 Special moves are pretty cool, though there are some that are pretty pointless.
Power hitters rank supreme when it comes to special moves while control
characters have the worst special attacks. Sega surprised me by giving Sonic one
of the lamer attacks too; honestly Sonic isn’t the best character in the game.
Just like Virtual Tennis, Superstars has a lot of different gameplay options.
The two biggest options in this game are the online mode and a mission based
mode. The missions in this game are placed in different Sega themed games, from
Outrun to House of the Dead. Each themed area has numerous missions, some have a
ton and others may only have one or two. Most of these missions start to get
old; they are the same thing over and over again. The two best themed worlds are
the House of the Dead and Puyo Pop Fever worlds.
The stages in Superstars are fantastic. Every stage looks and feels like that
Sega game it’s representing. Half of the stages I played I wanted to play that
game again. Again some of your favorite Sega games might not be included in this
game. Me personally I would have rather seen a Phantasy Star court than an
Outrun court.
Superstars online is simply amazing. All of the matches I’ve played had no slow
down at all, I felt like I was playing a match with a buddy in my living room.
Online features range from one on one matches to tournaments. Pretty much
everything in the single player mode can be played online, minus the mission
stages. If you don’t feel like playing online you can watch other player’s
matches.
 Graphically the game is pretty. All of the characters look just like they did in
their game, which is also a problem. Ulala, Pudding, and Amigo look a little
outdated, same with a few of Sonic’s buddies. Sega did enhanced Alex Kidd and
Gilius, which was nice. I do need to say though when did the dwarf from Golden
Axe have a name?
One of the cool things about this game is the achievements. Sega created some
pretty clever achievements for Superstars. You can get points by either watching
a game online or if somebody actually watches you tennis match online. There are
about a dozen clever points in this game; I don’t want to spoil half of the
magic Sega added in this game.
Final Verdict
What Nintendo did for “easy to pick up” golf, Sega did the same for tennis. Sega
Superstar Tennis is probably the best tennis game out there today. There are a
few controller issues and the mission stages to start to get tedious after
awhile. If you’re either a tennis or Sega fan I highly recommend this game.
Rating
8 out of 10
Sega Superstars Tennis Trailer
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