Sprt: Anime Tennis Babes [by Black Wolf Games]

Anime Tennis Babes is a game that I think many players will enjoy. Unfortunately for me just about a year ago I played Virtua Tennis. Virtua Tennis has set such a high standard for Tennis games that I really think it will be hard for any game to match it in the near future. Last year Indie games saw the release of Tennis Critters, which much like Anime Tennis Babes focuses on taking the Tennis concept and applying some novelty instead of focusing on making a tennis game that plays amazingly well.

The novelty of Anime Tennis Babes comes from the game providing Female Anime-esque characters to play tennis against and with. The graphics and light-hearted feel of the game go a long ways towards providing a solid entertainment piece. The graphics are not extremely detailed, but are 3D and are bright and inviting. The music of the main menu helps to convey much of the same feeling by providing a relaxed feel to the game.

Unfortunately once you get past the pretty graphics and fun of the anime characters the game doesn't offer up a fantastic Tennis game. For anyone who is used to a quick reflexive tennis game, Anime Tennis Babes is a different kind of of game that won't immediately appeal to you. The game is built a lot more on a slow methodical type of game play. If you try to head right to the net...or if you ever head to the net, you may find yourself in a heap of trouble. To do well in the game, you need to hit the ball hard. In this game the way it is done is by holding down your button until the ball gets close, and then releasing the button.  One small problem, you cannot move while you are holding down your button waiting for a power swing. This often leads to missing the ball, which is compounded by the fact that it is hard to hit the ball to begin with. The tutorial will help you figure out where you need to stand so you do hit the ball occasionally, but until you get that piece figured out, you likely will miss more balls than you hit. After finding that out, you will still likely miss balls that you mean to hit, watching as they fly through or right next to your character. I've always said that good play control is defined by you immediately feeling connected to the game. In Anime Tennis Babes, that certainly isn't the case, however after playing the game for some time you will begin to feel comfortable with how the game is set-up. To succeed at this game, you need to take things a bit more slowly, and perhaps that is a better, more realistic way to take things.

For the casual fan of Tennis looking for something that is a bit different, Anime Tennis Babes will likely hit the spot perfectly. For those looking for an easy to pick up and play sport game, this likely won't fill your need.

Added: February 10th 2004
Reviewer: Russell Carroll
Score:
Hits: 7794
Language: english   

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