Grand Slam Tennis (Wii) Review

When Nintendo first announced the Wii MotionPlus peripheral for their already popular Wii console, I never dreamed that the first title I would be playing would be a title that’s actually not from Nintendo. EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis is one of the first MotionPlus titles to be released, and while it’s due out on the HD consoles later on in the year, the Wii is enjoying an exclusive version with some extra features. So, how does this combination of MotionPlus and gameplay from one of the world’s most renowned sports developers fare? It’s a mixed bag, really.

The first thing that you should know about Grand Slam Tennis is that due to it’s cartoony art style, it’s extremely easy to mistake it for a Wii Sports clone. You shouldn’t though because the game contains one of the most detailed and complicated control systems ever created for a sports game, and that makes it rather hard to master, even for the most accomplished Wii player. The message here is: don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

The game uses an interesting art style that is highly stylised. Instead of playing as a realistic rendition of the famous tennis players we all know and love, you play as a simplified cartoon caricature, and, considering the Wii’s technical limitations, it works surprisingly well as it really hammers home the fact that this game is tailor-made for the Wii. It has become clear that EA have really studied the sports people that these caricatures are based on, and their major techniques translate well to their virtual counterparts, especially the animations in their swing styles. The major Grand Slam arenas are modelled in a way that makes them instantly recognisable, but they do sometimes feel a little dead, particularly the crowd, who don’t actually look like a group of people. The ball boys never move either and the referee’s voice is extremely boring. While the arenas may look nice, they are really brought down by the lack of atmosphere.

And now, the million dollar question that everyone is wondering about – how does MotionPlus work, and does it add to the control experience or is it just a hindrance? The answer is not so simple. We’ll talk about the good news first: there are a lot of ways to play Grand Slam Tennis (well, three, but that’s a lot!). The first is simply with the Wii Remote, and it makes the gameplay similar to Wii Sports Tennis, except that the automatic movement of your character is hardly as efficient as Wii Sports, and Grand Slam Tennis is certainly not reading your mind, often leading to some frustration. Connect a nunchuck, however, and players will have full freedom over their character’s movement, as well as controlling their swings. The final and probably most anticipated control scheme is the MotionPlus enabled one, and while it sounds like a brilliant idea and brilliant concept, there’s one thing that needs to be said. You will NOT be controlling a racquet in 1:1 motion in Grand Slam Tennis. In fact, the game is instead more concerned with how you twist your wrist as you hit the ball. While it is an intuitive system, it really does go against the entire design philosophy of the Wii, despite the deceivingly simply diagrams.

Those who don’t play games as often or those who are looking for a more accurate Wii Sports Tennis will probably be disappointed. The gameplay is extremely hard to get into until at least an hour into the game. Social gamers will probably shun the new, more complex control system, while those looking for an amazingly hardcore tennis game will probably feel right at home after putting some time into the tutorials and practice court. On a quick side note though, the tutorials are terrible, mainly because they are pretty much non-existent. Grand Slam Tennis really throws you into the deep end if you’re playing with MotionPlus and a nunchuck at the same time. To put it simply, while MotionPlus shows a lot of potential, half of it isn’t realised here, in fact, you’ll probably think, “wow, is MotionPlus working, do I have to turn it on?” at some points. This isn’t the hardware’s killer app. I’m sure all Nintendo fans know what will be, but kudos to EA for at least trying.

But enough about the controls, how do the game’s various modes work, and are they fun? The short answer is yes, but depending on how you interpret the controls really does affect the amount of fun you get out of the title. The main attraction of the game is the Grand Slam mode, where you create your very own caricature (with a limited amount of options) and play against your favourite tennis stars, including our very own (and a very young) Pat Cash, at each of the Grand Slam locations. Winning these rounds allows you to obtain new upgrades for your character, including specific physical attributes (for example, Serena Williams’ backhand) as well as new colours for your uniform. It’s a fairly interesting mode that will keep you entertained for quite a few hours, especially when you fully learn the game’s control scheme.

There is an alternative however, if players only want to play a game of tennis with their friends (and of course, they should) then there is a rather clichéd (well, for the Wii) mode called Party Mode, in which multiple players can try to score points by ONLY performing certain strokes of the racquet. As previously said, while the game has the potential to be fun, having a couple of friends over and expecting them to be proficient at the game is probably more of a dream than a reality. In addition, the game features some fairly decent online modes, where you will actually be playing for your country in matches.

The online infrastructure that EA has in place is brilliant, and beyond anything you’ll play on the Wii. You can play against friends or against anyone worldwide, in addition to being able to add friends from a game you just played, as well as from your Wii’s friend list. The integration is nothing short of brilliant, and the gameplay is silky smooth with minimal lag (we tried connections to both European and American players). In addition, there is a Get Fit mode, but it’s fairly unintuitive and you just know that the information it’s showing you isn’t accurate (a very small workout yielding a large amount of calories burned and vice-versa). While Get Fit mode is a nice inclusion, it doesn’t really work.

Most EA Sports games have an eclectic upbeat soundtrack, and Grand Slam Tennis is no exception. Grand Slam Tennis features a remixed original soundtrack from famed electronic music producer Paul van Dyk. The music is very modern and upbeat and it does do a rather good job of getting players amped up for the game. While the music is brilliant, Pat Cash’s running commentary is quite nice too. You will find, however, after extended periods of play that it is rather repetitive.

To summarise, Grand Slam Tennis is one of the first MotionPlus games and for that you must give it some slack. The developers have definitely put a lot of effort into making the game playable, though the confusing control scheme for MotionPlus players may deter some gamers rather than pull them in. Despite this, the game is probably not as interesting without MotionPlus. The graphics are brilliant, the online play and its integration are well implemented and the gameplay is good once you get into it. The only real problem here is that for some, it might take too long, or players may just leave Grand Slam Tennis in frustration. Definitely not the killer app for MotionPlus, but a good indication of what’s to come.

One of the more deeper and technical tennis games on the Nintendo Wii, complemented by a slightly more complicated control scheme. Brilliant graphics, a very comprehensive system for online play and the first game that support Nintendos new peripheral makes this worth a look for those looking to sample the MotionPlus early, but for now, if youre not a tennis fan, you should probably wait for Wii Sports Resort.

Graphics 8.0

The artistic direction of the game is brilliantly suited to the Wii, and the environments are detailed quite well. Its just a shame that the atmosphere is severely diminished by a lack of vitality in the non playable characters.

Gameplay 7.0

While the gameplay and underlying mechanics governing the use of Grand Slam Tennis are very detailed, the integration of MotionPlus can really make or break the game for some. Gameplay unfortunately requires MotionPlus to make the title worthwhile, but dont expect to understand how it all works until well into the game.

Sound 6.5

Typical electronic EA Sports stuff mixed by a very well recognised musician. Commentary from Pat Cash is a nice touch but can get rather repetitive at times.

Tilt 6.5

Once again, Online functionality really bumps the game up a couple of notches in terms of score, and there are quite a few multiplayer modes to keep friends coming back if they can get past the initial hurdle. However, completionists wishing to earn every single uniform and piece of clothing will find extra value.

Value 6.0

Upon first picking up the remote with MotionPlus, I had to do a double take and disconnect it to make sure there actually was a difference. While I did notice a difference, I also acknowledge that the game does have a fairly large barrier to make it enjoyable to play.