Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 Review

Developer	Namco
Publisher	Namco
Genre	Sports

Ok, let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: nobody gives a crap about tennis. And if you say you do, you’re a liar. Because, my friend, thinking Anna Kournikova is hot does not make you a tennis fan. It makes you a pervert.

So why do game companies keep making tennis games? Is it because they know little pigs like you just want to make Anna K. do naughty things on the court? Well, I’m sure that’s partly the reason, but Tennis games also happen to be fun. After all, Pong was hella-fun, and what is Pong if not just a more complex version of tennis? And continuing down this rambling stream of logic, people like having fun, therefore people buy tennis games.

Are we up to speed?

Good.

Now what we are trying to determine at this point in time is if Namco’s new Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 is any fun or if Namco is simply hoping that by the time you recite the entire name of the game you forget why you bought it and therefore don’t care about its entertainment value. So let’s take stock in what they’ve given us with this little package, shall we?

Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 (hereafter referred to as SCTPT2) gives you control over sixteen tennis pros – and yes that includes Anna K. – as well as a nice create a player mode. This mode allows you to design your own tennis prodigy and bring him/her up through the ranks on your way to championship glory. The level customization is fairly thin, but you’ll still be able to make a mildly unique character. I would have preferred the ability to design a shrimpy, curly-haired, foul-mouthed guy with a headband and an attitude, but that’s just me. Working your way through the Pro Tour requires you to sharpen your skills through mini games and various tournaments. As you move up, so do your skills. One of the cooler features of the Pro Tour is the option to either play through it normally or use “Mission Mode”. In this mode, you can complete a set of requirements to finish the match, rather than just playing through the match. It’s a nice twist for those who have mastered the play mechanics of the game and are looking for an extra challenge.

Other modes of play include Tutorial, Arcade, Exhibition, and Challenge modes. Each is rather self-explanatory and each does the job quite well.

On the subject of gameplay and control, SCTPT2 has improved greatly in terms of hitting the actual ball. The mechanics in the first SCTPT were a bit clunky, but Namco has ironed out the details making difficult shots easy to pull off with a bit of practice. Unfortunately, actually getting to the ball may require a bit more patience. This is a problem that seems to plague many tennis games as your character may not be as responsive as you’d like when it comes to stopping on a dime and nailing a backhand. There will be times when you’re running across court and need to turn and swing, but your clumsy character will take a few more steps than s/he needs to. This is the kind of thing that will annoy the hell out of you and could even cause you to lose a match. It doesn’t necessarily break the game, but it sure as hell doesn’t help it.

Luckily there’s plenty to look at while you play SCTPT2 as Namco has really done a fine job on the character models. Remember the zombie-looking players of Sega’s Virtua Tennis back on the Dreamcast? Rest assured, there’s none of that here. And yes, the pixilated rendition of her is quite satisfactory. Just try not to look at the audience. If you do, you may notice that the spectators have been replaced by 2D cardboard cutouts! Oh no! Even more frightening is the soundtrack, which you’ll want to immediately turn off. We recommend selecting a female singles tournament and cranking up the theme from Shaft on your sound system.

Bottom Line - So what’s the verdict? Is SCTPT2 fun? Despite the value it has as the longest, most ridiculous name in tennis game history, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 is merely an above average tennis game that doesn’t replace leaders in the genre like Sega Sports Tennis or Mario Tennis. It is a definite improvement over the original and fixes many of the problems that game had. However, missing the ball and losing the match because your character was in the middle of a running animation is never a good thing, and that issue is precisely the problem with this game. Despite that, it is a fun title, and definitely worth checking out for the real tennis fans out there. You pervs will be better served by Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.

Review by John Luedtke