In Short
Grand Slam Tennis 2 is technically brilliant – the ‘total racket control’ is fluid, intuitive and does not fumble, making for the most graceful tennis game I have played. Grand Slam Tennis 2 offers an extensive array of game modes combined with the brilliant gameplay design, making this one of the easiest sport games to recommend.
Developer: EA Sports Canada
Publisher: EA Sports
Distributor: EA South Africa
For fans of: Tennis, sport games
Reviewed on: Xbox 360
Also available on: Playstation 3
If we had to give it a numerical score: 8.0/10
Likes
- Pat Cash and John McEnroe do a stunning job with commentary
- Presentation
- Sound quality
- Visual quality
- Total racket control works well
- Selection of players
- Licensed tournaments
Not so much
- On easier levels AI is questionable at times
- Career mode is limited
Overview
Grand Slam Tennis 2 is the long awaited tennis sim that incorporates EA’s analogue-stick controls. While the ‘Total racket control’ takes centre stage in this latest tennis title, there is also plenty of content and visual flair. Grand Slam Tennis 2 offers major tournaments and licenses, the world’s greatest players from the modern game as well as some legends from the past.
Gameplay and Features
Grand Slam Tennis 2 uses both the stick controls for ‘Total Racket Control’ which will appeal to those looking for the more sim experience, or you can dumb down the control input by using the buttons to play the various strokes. The buttons are straight forward – a button for top spin one for slice etc. and will please novices looking for a casual pick-up-and-play game of tennis. For the more authentic tennis experience you have to master the technical possibilities by using the stick. “Total Racket Control” is a fitting description and does exactly that. For example – a top spin shot could be carried out generically with the button, but then the only added control you have is the direction. By holding the stick down and then correcting timing the flicking of the stick in the direction you want, will result in a more potent top spin shot. You have control of not only the direction, but the length you hit it, by varying the speed when flicking the stick. This theme continues throughout the shot selection and the services, really opening up the technical aspect of the game and therefore rewarding your efforts. The only shots that require you to use buttons together with the stick are the lob and drop shot. You use your LT and RT respectively together with the stick to perform these.
Along with the norm of EA Sports acquiring licences for the major Grand Slam tournaments, EA secured most of the pro’s you would want to play with including many legends. The only noticeable missing pro of yesteryear is Andre Agassi, who endorses the 2k product. So you will never be wanting in both the male and female arena.
Grand Slam Tennis 2 offers a host of modes to compete in; from the obligatory online mode, exhibition matches, tournaments, legendary matches and a ten-year spanning career. Career mode has you create your own character using the familiar EA Sports creating tools which extensively lets you create and sculpt your individual. You can pick from the greatest tennis gear from Nike, Adidas, Prince, Wilson, Prince, Lacoste and more. You will unlock new gear as you successfully navigate through your career. Pick wisely here as gear does carry stats which add to your players stats. A warning to seasoned sports gamers – do not start your career on easy or even the normal difficulty. I found myself rarely even dropping points, never mind games or sets on the normal difficulty, and half way through my first year I quit to start off on a more difficult setting. The AI also seemed to let me off many shots and dished me points on the lower level as opposed to the more difficult level where the AI stiffens up nicely.
Once you are all customised you are thrown straight into the tennis calendar. You can either take part in pre-tournament or train before the tournament in the calendar year. Training lets you work on all aspects of your game and successfully performing allocated tasks adds to your skill stats. The biggest tournaments include Australian Open, U.S. Open, the French Open and EA Sports have acquired the exclusive license for Wimbledon. I know there are other grass tournaments, but really, nowhere like Wimbledon. There are smaller, but swish tournaments too like the Geneva open and other hot spots. At the beginning of every tournament you can pick the length of the matches, from 1 set of 3 games all the way to five sets – this is nice to whizz through the smaller stuff and slog out the big ones properly. The tournaments mix up players of all skill levels and throws in legends randomly. You are also tasked with certain mini-achievements in the matches, which when obtained add to your XP.
If it’s online modes that you are looking for, EA Sports fans will know the drill. For novices – you hop on to EA servers where it’s usually smooth sailing [at least it was when I tested it]. Hopping on to EA servers also means matchmaking is not a tedious job and you will find matches in a timely manner. There are already more than enough players online, and I was playing around the time of the real-life Dubai tournament, so I am sure this inspires gamers to get into it. With EA Sports games there is generally a good following, so online gamers needn’t worry here.
Visuals and Sound
Grand Slam Tennis 2 was put together by EA Sports Canada who is responsible for the Fifa series, and this is clear immediately. The studio clearly used the technology used in the Fifa series, and so you can expect the gloss and the shine that comes with the Fifa series. The menus are the familiar ones used in other EA Sports games, and while being extensive, a breeze to navigate.
Again, being from the stable that produce the frequent and massive array of sports games, and being a studio with ‘as grand as any’ when it comes to the tools to craft games, Grand Slam Tennis 2 is just about flawless in the visuals department. EA Sports use hi-tech software in recreating their athletes and the players likeness is uncannily like their real-life counterparts. The graphics are crisp, the player animations are life-like and the games’ venues were stunningly put together. The only aspect that could be better, as is the case with all sport games, is the crowds’ generic looks. That said, I cannot recommend a better looking tennis game if that’s what you are looking for.
EA Sports acquired the ESPN license and so replays could be mistaken for actual footage at times. The camera work compliments this aspect and the shot angles in replays or fly-overs would easily convince an onlooker of it being an actual broadcast. The replay aspect in this game actually had me watching, which is rare with my impatient nature when competing.
The sound quality, like the visuals is also spot on; from the sounds of the match atmosphere to the ball stroking, the players sliding on the clay courts to the umpire; all brilliantly put together to amplify that authentic sim sports game feel.
John McEnroe and Pat Cash stole the show for me with Grand Slam Tennis 2. Their commentary was second to absolutely none I can think of in a sports game. At times I actually found it uncanny how in-tune their comments were to my gameplay – all credit to the devs in triggering associated commentary to what’s happening in the match. Repetition is where all sport games suffer and so by day 3 or even 2 the commentary starts sounding familiar. As said, McEnroe and Cash really did a stellar and the jovial pair recorded stunning commentary to keep you company throughout your career.
Final Thoughts
It should come as no surprise that Grand Slam Tennis 2 is brilliant – with EA Sports’ extensive library of accomplished sports games, the technology that goes into their games, combined with the importance of EA sports to the EA umbrella; it’s hard to imagine an EA Sports game that would not deliver.
I have played many tennis games this generation, and many from the previous generations, and what makes Grand Slam Tennis 2 stand out for me above the rest is the superbly designed controls and gameplay mechanics. While other tennis titles, even the very good ones, fumble here and there in this regard, Grand Slam shines. The controls work better than any I have experienced, allowing me to get on with the business of tennis as opposed to dropping points here and there due to fumbling controls or gameplay mechanics.
Grand Slam Tennis 2 is not just for the fanatical tennis fans – it’s for lovers of great sports games too and one of the easiest to recommend.
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