Back in the day, Virtua Tennis smashed and volleyed its way into gamers hearts’ everywhere. Whether it was pulling all-nighters with your friends on the Sega Dreamcast, or several people huddled around a machine at the local arcade, it is safe to say that Virtua Tennis had a solid grasp on the virtual tennis crown. Very few could resist its frantic gameplay. Tennis was fun once more.

However, tennis has certainly changed since then. The Top Spin series undoubtedly played a huge role in this new direction. By taking the intense gameplay from Virtua Tennis, and mixing it with a healthy dose of simulation, it seemed that the sport had a new competitor on the rise. Is was at this point in video-game history that I think Virtua Tennis suffered its biggest and most deadly blow. One that honestly I don’t think it recovered fully from. The series certainly continued, now on its third installment, but it lost something along the way. The action on the court never really progressed at the rate the in-depth career mode did, and the series has ultimately suffered from it. It has always remained a blast to play, but most serious fans ended up sticking with Top Spin to fulfill their tennis needs.

So, here we are with the latest installment, Virtua Tennis 3 for the PlayStation 3. However, the real question is has anything been done to slow the action down and make it more realistic? Well, not really. But, at this stage in the game I’m not sure it ever had plans to. I think it is happy with being the alternative. Happy with being the unrealistic fast-paced brother to the more sim-like competition. That is the only reason I can think of as to why things have not been corrected, or reworked. Sure Virtua Tennis 3 is still fun to play, and you will enjoy battling your buddies just like in years past, but when it comes down to it, you will be left wanting more. Most likely wanting something that is just not there. That, of course, is realism.

Complaints aside, most of you will want to know why the frantic action isn’t what it should be, and that’s a legitimate question. Why shouldn’t the arcade-style gameplay be perfect for you if that’s what you desire. Well, the reason is that even the action, as fast and fun as it is, is still somewhat broken. The constant diving that takes place makes matches seem out of control. In years past, you were able to effectively control the diving, which was a big part of VT’s charm. However, this year it takes some serious effort just to keep your player on his feet. In fact, it’s not uncommon to see a reckless dive five and six times per rally. This becomes annoying when all you really wanted to do was backhand the ball down the line, and instead are plummeted three feet out of bounds.

So in turn, this also makes the matches drag out way longer than they should. There is nothing more frustrating than pulling off the perfect backhand only to have your opponent dive 10 feet and rob you of the victory. Of course, this occurs every couple of minutes so frustration soon turns to repetition as you start seeing the same animations repeatedly. To make matters worse, most of the net play is broken as well. If you do manage to get your opponent in a vulnerable situation near the net, it becomes tough to finish him off. Most of the net shots you take lack velocity, and end up looking more like lobs. So instead of driving the ball downwards away from the opposing player, you end up lobbing it just high enough for him to have time to recover.  

The career mode doesn’t really offer anything new either, but one decision has been made that severely hurts this mode. The development team has decided to implement only real players into the mix, which means no more generic no names to destroy on your way to fame. Considering the game has a total of 20 licensed players, this means you will be competing against the best athletes tennis has to offer right from the beginning. And beating them handedly, I might add. This means you will be humiliating Roger Federer at the beginning of your career, and then receive severe beatdowns near the end. The whole process seems unrealistic and unnecessary. One of the best things about career modes in sports games is building your character up over time so that you can one day face the best the game has to offer. That just does not happen here.

The mini games also make a return as you would expect, but even they are starting to look stale at this point. Sure, there are a few new, highly addictive games, but at this point, I believe we have seen every possible combination of tennis balls, targets, and makeshift bowling pins that exist. The visuals however are above and beyond what the competition offers, and look amazing in 1080p if your television can support it. The audio on the other hand isn’t so great. Cheesy guitar rifts drown out constant grunting of the players, and when you do manage to come face to face with a superstar, there is no voice-over to be found. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but the players lips move about a thousand times more than the amount of words indicated on screen, and the entire sequence looks amateurish because of it. 

VT 3 will no doubt please fans from the past, or anyone looking for this type of fast gameplay. Anyone expecting the series to incorporate drastic changes on the court will be sorely unhappy. This game is perfect when friends come over (no online) and you are in the mood for some intense multiplayer tennis matches, but fans who want something just a little bit deeper  and sim-like should look someplace else.

Gameplay: 7.5
Several years ago, this game would be innovative, but today it is starting to grow just a little stale. Problems near the net and erratic diving sequences will even bother veterans of the series. The Tennis Academy is a nice new feature, but career mode and mini-games are mostly the same.

Graphics: 8.5
Both player and stadium models look very nice, especially in high definition. The camera is paned out just a little to far to notice, but mostly everything in the game is rendered quite well.

Sound: 7.0
Most people will either love or utterly hate the cheesy rock riffs that seem to be plastered all over VT3. The crowd pretty much sounds the same, very rarely ever muttering or cheering unless scripted. A sub-par performance overall.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
With the competitions game growing more lifelike with each iteration, now would have been a good time for VT3 to fix its problems and offer a more in-depth experience. Instead, we are left with additions nearly everywhere else except for on the court. 

Mulitplayer: 6.0
Up to four people can play VT3 at one time, but the lack of online play is definitely disappointing.  

Overall: 7.5
Virtua Tennis 3 for the PS3 is a fast, frantic, and high-octane style of tennis. If this sounds like fun then you will feel right at home. Anyone looking for a more realistic approach will want to find another source.