Title:Sega Superstars Tennis Price:$29.99
System(s): Nintendo DS
Release Date: 3/18/08
Publisher (Developer): Sega (Sumo Digital)
ESRB Rating: “E” for mild cartoon violence
Pros: Nice roster of famous and beloved characters, fun mini-games, superstar skills are pretty cool
Cons: touch screen controls are horrible, the regular tennis matches aren’t fun, no Wi-Fi, some matches are too simple
Overall Score: 5/10
On the surface, Sega Superstars Tennis should have be a success. It looks good, has a great roster of characters, some fun mini-games which draw upon classic Sega series and is one of the few tennis games available for the DS. It isn’t though. I felt like I was wasting my time playing Sega Superstars Tennis, and kept wishing at points that it could be more like the console versions.
The touch screen controls troubled me most in Sega Superstars Tennis. The touch screen controls irritated me to no end. Yes, it was nice that the second the character was near the ball, said character would hit at it. However at times I found characters slow or unresponsive. If that wasn’t bad enough, sometimes the characters would respond a little too well and overshoot the spot I was pointing at. The problem is that the bottom touch screen simply displays the score. If, perhaps, the bottom screen had shown your character, which you could touch and move across the screen, then I think the touch screen action could have worked well.
Plus the bottom screen is wasted. I do not constantly need to see the score. The score could just be shown after every point. I do not need to see my character and opponent’s portraits, especially if I am trying to use the stylus to guide my player’s actions.
Also I found many of the tournament matches boring. It is far too easy to win. Now, I am going to tell you a very sacred secret. You must never reveal it, as it could help you defeat any AI-controlled opponent in Sega Superstars Tennis. Here it is: if your opponent is standing on the left, hit the ball to the far right. If your opponent is standing on the right, hit the ball to the far left. That’s it. I’ve taught you all I know and can impart no more wisdom to you. Go forth and conquer all opponents.
On top of all that, there is no Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. This would be the perfect title to have Wi-Fi. You could have singles and doubles matches against friends or players world-wide. Alas, it is not to be.
The only good points in the portable version of Sega Superstars Tennis are the mini-games and the character roster. Some of the star power appearing are Sonic, Tails, Nights, Beat (Jet Set Radio), Ulala (Space Channel 5) and Amigo (Samba de Amigo). They all look good, and are pretty fun to play as. Each character is supposed to specialize in a certain area, but I really didn’t see any differences in play. The mini-games are quite entertaining as well. I loved hitting tennis balls at zombies.
Mini-games and a great cast can’t save the DS version of Sega Superstars Tennis. I wouldn’t recommend buying or renting it.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2’s many imperfections, like laws you might unintentionally break, a flawed recruiting system, recycled characters and new MP system have made me realize I want nothing to do with the game.
On the surface, Sega Superstars Tennis should have be a success. It looks good, has a great roster of characters, some fun mini-games which draw upon classic Sega series and is one of the few tennis games available for the DS. It isn’t though. I felt like I was wasting my time playing Sega Superstars Tennis, and kept wishing at points that it could be more like the console versions.
The touch screen controls troubled me most in Sega Superstars Tennis. The touch screen controls irritated me to no end. Yes, it was nice that the second the character was near the ball, said character would hit at it. However at times I found characters slow or unresponsive. If that wasn’t bad enough, sometimes the characters would respond a little too well and overshoot the spot I was pointing at. The problem is that the bottom touch screen simply displays the score. If, perhaps, the bottom screen had shown your character, which you could touch and move across the screen, then I think the touch screen action could have worked well.
Plus the bottom screen is wasted. I do not constantly need to see the score. The score could just be shown after every point. I do not need to see my character and opponent’s portraits, especially if I am trying to use the stylus to guide my player’s actions.
Also I found many of the tournament matches boring. It is far too easy to win. Now, I am going to tell you a very sacred secret. You must never reveal it, as it could help you defeat any AI-controlled opponent in Sega Superstars Tennis. Here it is: if your opponent is standing on the left, hit the ball to the far right. If your opponent is standing on the right, hit the ball to the far left. That’s it. I’ve taught you all I know and can impart no more wisdom to you. Go forth and conquer all opponents.
On top of all that, there is no Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support. This would be the perfect title to have Wi-Fi. You could have singles and doubles matches against friends or players world-wide. Alas, it is not to be.
The only good points in the portable version of Sega Superstars Tennis are the mini-games and the character roster. Some of the star power appearing are Sonic, Tails, Nights, Beat (Jet Set Radio), Ulala (Space Channel 5) and Amigo (Samba de Amigo). They all look good, and are pretty fun to play as. Each character is supposed to specialize in a certain area, but I really didn’t see any differences in play. The mini-games are quite entertaining as well. I loved hitting tennis balls at zombies.
Mini-games and a great cast can’t save the DS version of Sega Superstars Tennis. I wouldn’t recommend buying or renting it.
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