Sonic the Hedgehog, Ulala, Amigo the monkey, and other favorite Sega characters are serving up arcade style sports fun with Sega Superstars Tennis.  Play as and unlock up to 16 popular Sega video game characters and compete in fantasy tennis matches. 

While at first, one might compare Sega Superstars Tennis to Nintendo’s Mario Tennis, a more accurate comparison would be that it’s more akin to Sega’s other popular racket game: Virtua Tennis.  Compete in singles or doubles matches, or play tennis-themed mini-games based on Sega classics.  Lob the ball at House of the Dead zombies or aliens from Space Harrier, collect rings on the Sonic court or clear blobs in Puyo Pop Fever.  Play on Sega themed courts based on favorite games like OutRun, Super Monkey Ball, or Space Channel 5.  In Superstar Mode, take on various challenges and tournaments in each of the Sega game worlds.  This is the main place to unlock most of the secret characters, courts, and mini-games. 

Play controls is simple and easy to learn, at least on the Xbox 360 version that I played.  Just use two buttons to serve and lob the ball, and that’s it.  Each character can use a special Superstar power to return the ball in crazy, unpredictable ways, but luckily you can turn that feature off in the options screen.  If you’re playing against the computer, using a Superstar move against them won’t phase them a bit, so turning off those powers makes things much more playable and easier.

Graphics and music on each court accurately depict the themes of each Sega game world.  Sega Superstars Tennis is also available on just about every new console system out there.  Each one’s a winner in its own right, just pick the one that’s best for you.  If you want an arcade tennis game with strong online components, pick the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions.  The PS2 version isn’t online, but it’s still fun.  If you want a tennis game that plays like the one in Wii Sports, get the Wii version.  And the DS version is great for on-the-go tennis gaming.  The only big problems with this game are that some of the challenges are pretty tough, and the gameplay may be a little bit too simplistic for some.  But classic Sega fans will still find a lot to love about Sega Superstars Tennis.

PS: And if anyone cares, my favorite characters to play as are Tails and Ulala.

Kid Factor:

On the surface, Sega Superstars Tennis looks perfectly safe for all ages, and it is, really.  But there are a few little persnickety details that some concerned parents may want to know about.  One of the ESRB descriptors says “Mild Blood” but I have yet to see a drop of blood in this tennis game.  In the mini-game based on House of the Dead, you do knock over zombies with tennis balls, so some young kids may find that a tiny bit scary.  Although the zombies look more like human sized muscular blue Smurfs than creepy undead.

Another ESRB descriptor is Mild Violence, and I can see that a little bit.  One of the mini-games is based on the arcade light gun game Virtua Cop.  Although here you’re shooting tennis balls at cardboard cutouts of criminals, but they still groan in pain when you ‘shoot’ them.   Another challenge is based on the Jet Set Radio games.  In these titles, you skate around a city and win by tagging graffiti everywhere.  In this game, you must use tennis balls to paint graffiti on the court, and some parents may not like that it appears to promote vandalism.

And finally, the last ESRB descriptor says “Mild Suggestive Themes,” which could only pertain to Ulala’s somewhat skimpy outfit.  But other than that, Sega Superstars Tennis is as kid-friendly as any classic Sonic game. 

Tags: Game Reviews