Sega Superstars Tennis

by Darren Lee Taylor - 2008/03/27 9:36am

Although Sega's timing in releasing Sega Superstars Tennis on the PS3 could be seen as a mistaken oversight in its decision to directly face the competition with a certain Wii Brawler that descended in the States recently, the inclusion of a fresh Sega approach to an otherwise abysmal year for the developer/publisher leads many to believe that Sega is back on track to once again deliver the goods.

Superstars Tennis is a fine example of a well packaged compendium of excellent historical symbols and gameplay displays for a company so well established in this home generation, as well as the '91 fan base of yore. From the well plotted fields of a Sega fanboy's dream escapade to the almighty heights of the new seasonal challenger, this tennis title packs in enough content to satisfy them all. Although most of the game is spent challenging the computer to single and double matches with some well known faces through Sega past and present, the idea of a linear gaming experience is almost abolished from the offset as you are presented with many functional and optional side missions and challenges. The main drag through Tournament mode sees you selecting a character split out over speed, control, power, spin and all round user match statistics, to be able to work your way up the tree and fend off the competition on various stages and courts. From the opening available options, very little content is readily accessible, and must be unlocked through taking part in one of a hundred or so missions in the Superstar Mode.

This mode contains some of Sega's all time master gems sealed away under the accompanying Monkey Ball and Sonic The Hedgehog standards from the start. As you progress through Superstar, you will be graded from A to AAA on your performances, in which the categorical unlocking tool will work wonders for your optional courts and character selections in other modes. Seeing your favourite Sega character plunge a 100mph serve into the winning side of the court as your opponent spins and leaps in misery as you secure a 40-15 win over the competition is exciting and seriously addictive, unleashing all manner of Superstar states on the way. By accumulating special star power, your chosen character will change into special alternate battle styles in which to flumux your opponent, whether that be dazzling them with high speed attacks, twisting them around in a severe vortex of might or raining thunderbolts down from the sky, the attention to individual traits and specialties is incredible.



The key strengths of many of Superstars' modes is contained within the nostalgic blast of fresh air that Sega has managed to squeeze in from most of its leading franchises, with some very exciting and suprising additions to the collection. From Gillius Thunderhead to Golden Axe, and Alex The Kidd to Miracle World and the competing Sonic duel head Shadow, the cast is varied but still considerably short compared to other Brawlers on a certain Nintendo platform. However the courts and accompanying soundtracks do wonders for the simple tennis mechanics that plague Virtua Tennis veterans, from Curien Mansion and zombie-infested courts, to water filled arenas in Nights, to the red bouncing balls of a Virtua Cop encounter and fervent fungi and dragons and space ships from arcade hit Space Harrier, this really is a true beautiful realisation of all things Sega; blue, fast and steady. From an otherwise non-descript opening to a flourishing bloom of Sega brilliance, the title feels right, sitting in a spot so warm and soft in your heart that no matter how it plays, you just accept that it looks stunning, and drifts your head into an emblazon of sound and serenity.

Unfortunately, there are quite considerable details that do drag the score on Superstars Tennis plummeting to the ground, and that is some of the easy challenges and unlockables that you can acquire at such an early stage in the game. With an otherwise perfect score attained in most modes in under five hours, this game really needed to offer more for the hardcore enthusiast, and as such, is plagued by the longevity issues that surround its inner processes and good fortunes. There are some demanding challenges that will have you scratching your skin off in anguish (cough Space Harrier cough), but the ability to be able to set your difficulty meter in settings from the main menu allows you to overcome any obstacle and still achieve the unlockable, cheating your way out of the difficulty spikes, which also proves a broken mechanic for long time Sega veterans and tennis champs.



A game of both sides then indeed, with a blinding attention to detail from some of Sega's most treasured franchises, and some of gamings biggest names and cameo appearances, but the scar placed on complexity, conformity, control issues and several debatable character options, like the decision not to include Streets Of Rage anywhere in the title, and you have another very average Sega experience, but one that shines a very rare gleam of hope and prosperity in its eyes. An otherwise exciting package of secrets and nods to classic times, fantastic musical scores and a perfect online multiplayer, dazzling visuals and gameplay, but scolded by the extreme shortage of lasting gameplay options and harder challenges, a Wii-beating version by a mile, but far inferior to the X360 title thanks to its brilliant Achievements set in place. Perhaps the future will remain brighter for Sega as we approach the summer of dreams in '08. We can only but wait and hope.