The 6 Best Tennis Video Games Ever

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Everybody’s heard of Madden, NBA Live, or NBA Street, but unfortunately whenever a big company like EA Sports attempts to make a tennis video game, it always seems to backfire.

EA Sports tried making Grand Slam Tennis for all systems, but only produced a Wii version.

An Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 version were scheduled to come out, but didn’t. Even without EA as a major sponsor for tennis, there have been some quality tennis games produced and here’s a list of the best so far.



6. Virtua Tennis 2

http://www.rockin-b.de/c4/2006/index.html

Hence it’s name, Virtua Tennis 2 is a sequel and much better game than the first. The Virtua Tennis franchise started in 1999 and is currently still making more games. Virtua Tennis 4 was released April 29, 2011.

Virtua Tennis 2 was released just when SEGA Dreamcast was starting to be the system of choice and with new game modes, gamers played not only for matches, but for unlocking players.

With somewhat realistic gaming and the choice to hit the ball with slice or top spin, this was a step up from most tennis games previously produced.

5. Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament Two

Courtesy of IGN

This was one of the hardest games I’ve played, but it was fun. There were no easy shots because in order to hit the ball with top spin or slice, you had to time the controller perfectly with the ball.

Creating a character and seeing him/her rise to the top of the ranking was a challenge.

As your character progressed, you were able to unlock secret characters, making the gamer determined to win.

4. Mario Tennis

courtesy of http://www.coolrom.com/roms/n64/7586/Mario_Tennis.php

Although this game is unrealistic, it is still fun to play with your friends. This Nintendo 64 game was one of the most popular games available.

Mario games are never bad, and this wasn’t an exception. It had all the classic characters; Mario, Peach, Toad, Luigi, etc. It was such a hit they made an additional two Mario Tennis games.

3. Virtua Tennis: World Tour

http://www.wescoregames.com/visorfotos/juego/psp-virtua-tennis-world-tour/foto/000000000243053

This game had all the superstar’s and some are still making an impact on today’s tennis even though the game was released in September 2005.

Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Maria Sharapova, and Venus Williams are just some of the players you could play against or play with.

Even though it was only for Playstation Portable there was a great career mode and a lot of courts and surfaces to choose from.

2. Top Spin

http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/top-spin/

This was very difficult not to put at number one because it was very well made. Career mode is one of the best in all of gaming.

First, you created a player. There were so many different options (nose, hair, build, face), that it took about an hour to create your player. In career mode your character played against some of the greats like Pete Sampras.

Also, the player was able to travel around the world and get sponsored if you were good enough. The most recent game is Top Spin 4 released on March 15.

1. Wii Tennis

http://www.flickr.com/photos/superlocal/480123817/

Okay, so there’s no real tennis players, like Roger Federer or Kim Clijsters but Wii tennis is one the most entertaining games I’ve played and it’s for all ages.

Always in danger of breaking something around you, it is great way to exercise and have fun. Your strokes don’t have to be perfect to get the ball in, but that what makes it enjoyable.

It never gets boring playing with a friend.