Customer Reviews

Smash Court Tennis 2: Pro Tournament

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was wary at first to shell out $40 for Smash Court Tennis 2, but now I am overjoyed that I did. The game is addictive and not hard to master. The 16 players you can play as are Andy Roddick, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Tommy Haas, Richard Gasquet, Tim Henman, James Blake, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt, Justine Henin-Hardenne, Kim Clijsters, Serena Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Daniela Hantuchova, and Anna Kournikova. This selection overall is excellent, but I wish they had excluded Kournikova, Hantuchova, and Gasquet and instead chosen Sharapova, Venus, and maybe Roger Federer. These choices are definitely better than TopSpin's, though, which features too many boring American players like Shaughnessy and Harkleroad. In the pro tour mode, my only complaint is that the computer decides what the score is for you based on your playing of a few points in what are called "turning points" of the match. For instance, you may enter a tournament and be playing a higher ranked player, and before you even start the score might be 1(you)-5 (them) in games for the first set, and it will set the score at 30-40, set point for the computer opponent. Then it will tell you that your goal is to win the game. This happened to me and I did win the game, but after the game was over the computer gave the first set 6-3 to my opponent, before I even played another point!!! Still, the pros definitely outweight the cons for Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament II. The players are incredibly realistic, as are the courts. Clijsters and Roddick even use their Babolat racquets, while Capriati uses her black Prince and Serena uses her black and white Wilson and even wears her cat suit. Most of the clothes they wear are items the pros actually wear in real life, and all the players use their actual racquets. However, another con (though not as important) is that the grunts are completely unrealistic. All this aside, you should definitely buy this game, as it is probably more fun than TopSpin and cheaper!!!

OK, the title may be too long but the game itself is very good. I have played all of the major tennis games out there: Topspin, Sega Sports Tennis, Smash Court I, WTA Tour Tennis, etc. This game is my favorite of the bunch. For starters, it has the best player lineup, including men and women. The gameplay is all about timing and is a good balance between arcade style and simulation. Unlike other tennis games, you can actually make errors in this one. What a novel concept! If you try to hit a flat shot and miss-hit it badly, the ball will go out. The serve takes some getting used to. You can place it pretty well but the controls are very sensitive. The graphics are not quite as good as Topspin but very much adequate. The grand slam courts are recreated very realistically. The AI is fairly balanced. In most tennis games, on normal it is too easy and on hard it is nearly impossible to win. I have been playing this game for a couple of weeks and win most matches against the computer on normal mode but i also still lose at times. Netplay could have been a little better, it is not to your advantage to come to the net unless it is behind a spectacular shot. The running shot that has been incorporated into the game is a neat idea and fun when you can pull one off. Overall I would recomment this game to anyone. The balance between simulation and arcade style gameplay make this game a lot of fun for tennis fans and non-tennis fans alike.

I'm a big fan of tennis games as well as the sport, so this release is right up my alley. It helps inspire confidence that the producer of this game is Namco, which has consistently given us quality gameplay and design -- witness the Tekken, Soul Calibur, and Time Crisis game franchises.

Smash Court Tennis 2 Pro Tournament gets most of its pieces right. There are a couple of problems in the game, but I can also say fairly that most tennis games have the same problems.

The pros:

- Good controls; you don't ever feel disconnected from your character.
- Decent graphics. Obviously there's a limit as to how much eye candy you can put into this kind of game, and this game's looks are neither deficient nor excessive.
- Excellent breadth. You get a complete tutorial so you can feel out the controls, 16 stock characters with their own quirks (for example, they throw the ball differently when they serve) plus the ability to create your own; hundreds of unlockables such as tips from the stars, sound tests, tournament histories and so on; and a fascinating Pro Tour mode (see below).
- The Pro Tour mode lets you play through your own character through a calendar-based system, going into training sessions with your coach, playing tournaments, and accepting training matches from players usually much more powerful than yourself. The great thing about the system is that it's so close to real life -- for example, if you train for three weeks non-stop before a tournament, you'll get more points and make your characters stronger, but your stamina goes down and you'll move slower and hit less hard.

The downsides of the game:

- Serving is a pain in the neck. This is the one complaint I have about the controls -- it's too easy for your player to serve faults, and so I'm forced to avoid the corners.
- The enemy never flunks a serve, nor does he/she ever fail to return your serve. I'm not looking for enemies who are sitting ducks, but how about making a tiny mistake once in a while? After about a hundred serves on my end, you would think they'd miss just one. Nope. And to have low-level enemies hit 110mph serves that go for the corner every time, while your character barely nicks 90mph even if you execute the serve perfectly, is a drag.
- The enemy can do things you can never do, such as run from one side of the court to the other and then hit a perfect cross-court shot. I've tried this -- when you attempt it, you would only ever get it to the middle of the court no matter how early you get to the ball. So it feels like you're not 100 per cent able to direct the ball where you want.
- The tutorial levels and training missions are useful -- but could have been more so. The game doesn't tell you what you're doing wrong when you fail a training mission, so it doesn't always help you improve your playing.
- The instant replays are so quick that you might as well not have them. Also, the camera tends to be at a bad spot for capturing the move.
- The interface of some of the menus is a little confusing. The designs look good, but could have been simplified. There is some clutter in the layout.
- Long loading times. And there are too many little presentations (such as that Dolby logo in the beginning) you have to wait out without being able to skip them.

The flaws are minor but enough to take a little out of the enjoyment. I'd still call this a quality game, and to give Namco credit, I've never played a tennis game that doesn't have most of the above problems (eg. enemies who never fail to return a serve, problems aiming your serve, and mechanical inability to hit cross-court shots). As far as tennis games go, this is still one of the best I've ever played.

I started playing this game about a month ago and am hugely addicted to it! The best part is the gameplay, which is amazingly realistic. As a tennis player and big fan of the sport, it is a pleasure to have total control over all aspects of gameplay. Contrary to what some reviewers have written, serving is not hard. If you use the directional pad instead of the analog stick, you can place your serve ANYWHERE in the box (down the middle, out wide, deep, shallow). And depending on what button you use, you can hit a power, topspin/kick, slice or slow-ball serve. You should be able to ace the computer even on the hardest level.

As in real tennis, the keys to playing well are movement and timing. You need to position yourself in the right spot to strike the ball, and you need to time your swing. Swing at the right time, and you maximize your power and accuracy; swing a little early or late, and your power and accuracy go down; swing WAY early or late, and you will miss the ball completely. Unlike in other tennis games, where power comes from activating an external meter, power in SCTPT2 comes from hitting the ball at the right time and from the right position.

Another realistic feature of the game is how significantly play changes from surface to surface. On grass, the ball stays low and skids, making it easier to hit aces and harder to return serve. On clay, the ball makes marks on the court, and the slipping and sliding of the players is both visible and audible. The music is a bit annoying, though it can be turned off. I like to play with just the sound effects (grunting, shoe squeaking, ball striking, etc.). Extra features, like a cellphone going off in the crowd and the umpire then asking for silence, are also much appreciated!

The graphics and array of tour professionals are really impressive, though no Federer is dissapointing. The pro tour mode is also pretty cool. With extensive training excercises, a full tournament shedule, pratice matches against top pros, a pro shop where you can buy clothing and racquets, and fan mail, you really feel like you are on tour. And yea, while it would be nice to play more than 3 games per match (you actually do this in the late rounds of big tournaments--up to 6 games in the championship match of a major), that would take too long. If you want to go the distance in an epic 5 set match, feel free in exhibition mode against the computer or a friend.

Playing with friends is a ton of fun. Unfortunately, one of you always needs to play upside down on the far court, which is VERY hard, unintuitive and a little frustrating. Having some sort of split screen, or allowing for two different systems to hook up to each other, would be a big improvement. There is no online play, which too is obviously disappointing.

All in all, SCTPT2 is a great game that can be fun for everyone but is tailor-made for the hard-core tennis fan out there. If that is you, BUY THIS GAME! You won't regret it.

This game is very fun and addicting. I;m not very good at it yet and it takes a min to master the controls, but its very easy to pick up and play. Graphics are very good and the game play is tough. This is not an easy game. You'll definalty find this game easier if you've played previous tennis titles and the wide range of characters that it has is amazing. The one thing i didn't like about this title is the create your own tennis star. For me this is the bread and butter of a game. I don't know about you, but i like to put myself in the action. There wasn't a whole lot of options to choose from. Once you created yourself and put on your spiffy tennis gear thats all you can wear till you win some torneys and then your able to purchase stuff that you don't really want anyways. Overall though it has little flaws and is a very fun game. Warning if you have high blood pressure this game will shoot it through the roof. Have fun with this one!

Fans of the first game will notice that this year's version has corrected the problem of the drop shot being too difficult to get to. Additionally lobs are easier to hit.
Game play is less like 'ping pong' and more like real tennis. As in stop, get your feet set and then hit the ball.
The game play is improved and the men's tennis players included in this year's game are great to compete against (Safin, Hewitt, Roddick, Henman, Blake, Haas) Missing is Federer.
The Pro tournament (which is where you have the opportunity to play at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, US Open and the Aus Open forces you to create your own player.
In the original version of Smash Court you could be Pete Sampras and play through Wimbledon to get a trophy. Now you can't be any of the stars(Safin or Hewitt). Now your new player will be slow, can't hit the ball for at least 20 matches. It wants you to get better through time and to get your ranking up so you can qualify for a tournament.
SAD! There is a way in the setting mode to change it so you don't have to do the missions and simply beat people in smaller tourneys but you won't ever be able to be Hewitt and lead him through Wimbledon.

If you play this game with a friend or against the computer it's fun.
If you enjoyed the orginal smashcourt and how you could play as Agassi in the major tourneys that function is now gone.
This tennis game kills all the other tennis versions available for x-box or ps2.

This game is just brilliant. It's the most realistic tennis sim out there, but it's still accessible, fun and incredibly addictive. The gameplay is very deep due to the huge ball control at your disposal.

In Pro Tour mode you can choose BETWEEN Mission Mode (where you have to achieve certain objectives, e.g. come back from 0-40 down) *OR* Normal Mode. Some people don't realise you can turn off Mission Mode and just play the game in the normal way. In Normal Mode, you just play the tennis games as you'd expect, e.g. You serve, then the computer etc. until you win.

The gameplay is just great, you get involved in the most absorbing and realistic tennis rallies ever. It's such a pleasure to play. It does require skill though. It's not as simple or 'arcadey' as Sega's Tennis or Top Spin, but it is more rewarding and challenging. Smash Court Tennis 2 feels much more like a real game of tennis.

If you play tennis for real, enjoy the sport or just want to try something different then I would definitely recommend this game.

this game is pretty good. but as other reviews have said it is not for the fair weather tennis fan. it takes a lot of patience to actually rise through the rankings. if you think one win will get you to the top,think again. the amazing variety of pro players gives a great custom feel.but there are a few things i really dont like. ina tournament you can't scan through the entire draw and see how the pros are doing,or even to see who your prospective opponents are, in fact, you have to wait for whatever the comouter decides after the second round. another thing i found really disturbing is it does not follow the draws of the pros. i workedmy but off to get to number 2 in the world,then go into the us open thinking that would gaurantee me a decent shot at the semi finals. boy was i wrong. i got the number 1 player inthe world the third round, and the whole rest of the way i had to battle top 10 players before losing in the semis because my chracter was exhausted. this didnt just happen once, but multiple times. this would never happen in the actual tennis world. but, the gameplay itself is amazing and realistic,even for those flaws. it is worth the money

I bought this game not too long ago, and I have found this game to be simply amazing.

Pros:
- The gameplay is phenomenal. Most other tennis games basically revolve around hitting a forehand, backhand, lob, and dropshot. In this game, not only do you get the added slice (which is actually useful here) and the flat, powerful shot, but each one of these shots has at least 4 or 5 different variations that you experience based on both the player's and the ball's positions. The gameplay really is very impressive, and the rallies are exciting and sometimes exhilarating.

Furthermore, serving is actually not bad. It's hard, that's for sure, but if you're playing with one of the real players, or your own player has a high mark in serves, it becomes very doable to get aces. At this rate, with an A- in serving, I am getting around 2 aces per 3 games. The serve is also useful to put the opponents out of position, and this is also manageable. It's just that you can't press left and then expect a good serve. You sort of have to navigate the serve without seeing any "marker", but that's something that a player will develop over some games. This game is NOT an arcade game, and anyone expecting that will be disappointed. While it doesn't fully simulate real life (it is a bit too easy to run cross-court and hit a decent shot back), it is much closer to taht than it is an arcade game. And the serve reflects that.

-The Pro Tour mode is great. I kept reading that the mode was "deep" but no one on the web seemed to specify what that actually meant, so I'll do that myself:
Basically you play the calendar seasons, and each week get to decide whether to practice (either a drill or a practice match) or a tournament. However, each time you do something, your stamina gets weaker. Specifically, if you get deep into a tournament, your stamina will be shot, and you'll have to take a longer break before playing again. Now, as for the tournaments, there are the 4 grand slams, 7 Grand Prix's, which are the equivalent of the ATP 1000, 7 Advantage International's, which are the ATP 500, and 8 SmashPoint Series, which are the ATP 250. You will only be able to play the ATP 1000 and ATP 500 once you reach certain rankings. The tournaments themselvess have unique venues which adds a nice touch, with different colors of clay, hard court, and grass tournaments to play with.

-The surfaces actually matter here, as playing on clay is different than playing on grass, and you can feel that difference in the motion, specifically in the ability to play a more serve-and-volley approach during the grass court tournaments.

-Another thing about the Pro tour: I can't talk about the mission mode because I've chosen not to play it. I like playing straight tennis, and the one thing is that you don't play full matches, but usually somewhere between 2 and 6 games depending on the type of tournament and which round you're in. I find this to be more convenient, as I don't have the time to spend hours on each match that I play, not with the task of moving up from 250 to 1 in terms of ranking.

-They have a version of the Davis Cup! It's an international tournament where you play if you're invited. I don't know if it is easy to get invited for all countries, but I had no problems with that.

Cons:

-On some courts, it is actually hard to see the ball. Especially the bright clay of Roland Garros (not much of a problem on the darker clay surfaces) and the green hard court of the AO (that's an old game, remember).

-I do wish Federer was there, but the collection of players is very solid. 8 of each gender is too few, though, but if you're playing Pro Tour mode, that won't be much of a problem.

-The replays are pretty much useless.

All in all, this is a fantastic game, and I would highly recommend it, even with the presence of more advanced games and consoles. It is hard to go wrong with a game this great.

Ok Customers,

This game is definately the easiest tennis game I have ever played. I have played rival games such as Topspin and SegaSport tennis and none come 3percent close. The only thing that would give this game 20stars is if it came with online gaming.

Listen yall, Just cause I give this game 5 stars does not mean that it is the best tennis game. I have high standards becuase I am a die hard tennis fan and I feel like the gaming world dont really put their hearts into creating tennis games as they do other sporting games. But to be fair and completely honest this game is what I love to call fair.

There is nothing to complain about in this game when it comes to playing a good game of tennis. You have all the shots the player listen to you and the keys are very easy to master. I could probably beat the game with my feet.

Yall talking about the pro tour mode. It is a little bit more challenging but it is so much fun, and I dont like to cheat and chose the set mode, i think it is much more challengeing to play the pro tour mode in the generic standards.

Yall need to know that a bunch of feminist created this game. This is definately big babes tennis, because the women hits the ball 10 times as hard as the men, and although it says that their serves are weaker it is a lie. The guys hit the shot all awkward and have box bodies, while the girls have the most curvacious and biggest behinds you have ever seen on a woman, and they hit the ball with such style and accuracy, that it looks so real. And they have their animated screams. Hey they definately made this game for people who are more interested in womens tennis like me because I love to play with these girls. I feel the fight more from them than the guys. Especially when I pit Justine and Serena in roland garros. I make sure serena gets the revenge on Justine and double bagel her cheating behind.

The characters looks so real, and the game looks so good visually. You will love this game if you get someone who loves the game to and you both compete against one another. It was meant for friends to compete against one another because the computer players are to easy to beat. And the game is so fair because when you play against someone who knows their game it is the most explosive tennis game you will ever see in your life. Please listen to me and get this game solely for this reason. I think this is the secret power and worth to this game, to play it with another devoted tennis gaming fan. I really hope you enjoy this game. I have been playing it for over 4years now and I never grow bored of it. You will definately not regret this one, and trust me I have regreted all the other tennis games that I have bought but this one is fair, and I know that everyone here knows it. Take it from an extremely diehard tennis player, and tennis gaming fan, that this is a classic and the best tennis game to date.