reporting's Full Review: Hard Hitter Tennis 2 for PlayStation 2
I enjoy following the tennis opens, and I play tennis occasionally, so I would say that I know quite a bit about the game. However, if you are looking for a long-time play, turn around and walk the other way.
Features
This game has quite a bit of features. You can do singles matches, doubles matches, 1 player or 2 players. There are several different types of courts you can unlock and use, including the hard court and clay court. Not only are there different types of players, but each and every one of them look different. It's quite fun testing out each of the sorts of players (hard hitters, all rounders, etc) and figuring out which ones are best for you. You can decide how many sets you would like to play, or enter a tournament and see how far you can go.
Gameplay/Controls
The controls are quite simple. Just press one of the buttons when the ball comes at you to hit it to the other side of the net. You can use the analog to select the direction of the ball, and hold down the buttons for more power. The instructions are quite clear about which buttons make which hits, and there are tips that will come up on the screen between points that will help you along the way.
Now, as for the gameplay, it, of course, has no plot. You set your own goals and just... play the game as you please. For tennis experts curious about how well it matches the actual game, these are the similarities and difference I have spotted:
SIMILARITIES
-The service is the same, with double faults, lets, and everything.
-The score is counted the same way as would a regular tennis match. (15, 30, 40, 45)
-The players change courts as necessary.
DIFFERENCES
-One odd change that the programmers made was that they made it so that the score (normally noted as server, reciever) is kept track as player1, player2. Not a big deal, but this can be confusing in some parts.
Anyway, the playing by itself is pretty fluid, and the way they hit it looks almost natural. Note that one irritating point of this game is that after each point, there are 2 or 3 scenes of instant replay and annoying announcer commentary, which can get quite repetitive. You can skip out of this area quickly, however. The game itself is relaxing and fun, and with 2 players, can heat up and become exciting. All you die-hard tennis fans can use your strategies here, or wash away your tennis cravings on a rainy day.
Other
Graphics- 8/10; All the characters are nice looking and smooth, but some of their movements are unnatural. Well, it's not exactly final fantasy, but it's good enough for me.
Sound- 7.5/10; This game has no interesting music to listen to, but at least the theme doesn't get annoying like some games. A plus to this? There is no distracting music during the matches. Phew.
Learning curve- 0-5 minutes; Controls are very simple, like I said before. Even beginners to the game will pick up pretty quickly.
Basically, this game is fun to play every once in a while, but every day? It gets old after awhile. Despite that, it is a pretty good buy and a great alternative to the expensive Top Spin games.
In Hard Hitter Tennis, you can compete in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches with up to 4 players. There are multiple game modes such as Worl...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
HARD HITTER TENNIS-ATLUS-PS2-BRAND NEW! Description ***BRAND NEW PS2 GAMES AT INCREDIBLE PRICES! ***BRAND NEW PS2 GAMES AT INCREDIBLE PRICES! ***BRAND...More at eBay
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