EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis

Preview - Can EA deliver a Wii-shaped ace?

Tennis on the Wii is an absolute no-brainer, what with those nifty remotes tailor-made for swiping at a digital fluffy, yellow ball or generally swinging and flailing around as if you're holding a racket. What's surprising is that EA have only recently had the nous to finally get round to making their very own tennis game for Wii, featuring all of the typical licenses and extra trimmings you'd expect from the omnipotent publisher. We went along to EA's Guildford HQ to get some hands-on time with the game, which is still in early Alpha stage, but already looks and plays rather well.

Playing as Roger Federer against the hirsute tennis legend Pete Sampras, we found Grand Slam Tennis exceedingly difficult to get to grips with at first, fluffing almost every attempt at a return stroke with mistimed swipes of the Wii Remote sending the ball careering out of court or bouncing past us as we watched powerless to prevent losing yet another point. Switching to serve, we fare a little better, throwing up the ball and smashing it over the net in one seamless motion. Still, getting those pesky return shots to stay inside the lines can feel incredibly arbitrary until you realise that positioning and timing is key.

Our hands-on with the game allowed us to utilise only the remote without the help of the Nunchuk, which highlighted the game's inability to automatically place your player into the optimum position quick enough between shots when you're unable to move your player manually using the analogue stick. Most players who want the real tennis experience will want to play Grand Slam Tennis without having to use their free hand to coordinate their movements using the Nunchuk, (after all, no one plays with two rackets do they?) yet currently the auto positioning of your player when you're trying to keep a rally going is a bit of an issue. Pushing on the D-pad seemed to help matters somewhat, making sustaining an energetic match easier, but there's still room for improvement. Pushing up allows you to rush the net, which is extremely useful, but the other directions don't seem quite as responsive as we'd like yet. Fingers crossed that the guys at EA Canada manage to fix this problem as it would improve the game immeasurably.

So, game, set, and match to the other guy then. Our next match is far better though as we finally master the technique for executing effective forehands and backhands, volleying like a pro and sending devastating returns blazing along the sidelines. We win our first match and actually feel like we've got our heart rate up a little bit. By the third game, we're starting to get into Grand Slam Tennis and getting a feel for the refined control system. Rotating the remote to varying angles allows you to pull off topspin strokes or slices whereas pressing A lets you execute a lob. Pushing the B trigger performs a drop-shot, so there's no shortage of options for you to outwit your opponents.

Once you've taken the time to grasp the basics, Grand Slam Tennis is about as close to real tennis as you're ever likely to get, even given the bold, cartoony art style which is very at home on the Wii. Despite the offbeat visuals, the game is packed to the (Pat) rafters with authentic tennis licenses including four tournaments such as Wimbledon and a roster of well known male and female players. Of these we got to see Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Rafael Nadal, Sampras and Federer, all of which look uncannily like their real life counterparts, albeit in an endearingly stylised form. At time of writing, EA were yet to confirm the female talent, but we've spied the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova in the trailers. Each of the players have their own distinct mannerisms all present and correct too, so expect McEnroe to toss his racket down in a fit of rage. Maybe.

EA's first crack at tennis on the Wii is shaping up incredibly well, the bright and breezy style concealing an intricate and deeply enjoyable alternative to the actual sport. MotionPlus support is just the icing on an already pretty appealing cake, although Nintendo's natty add-on enhances the sensation of real interaction with the game while simultaneously making it slightly easier to get that all important timing just right. Somehow the realism and chunky visuals sit together perfectly, making for a game of tennis that should prove accessible to absolutely anyone able to thrash a Wii Remote around. Our hands-on was undeniably fun and entertaining, but it also exposed a need for some refinement before the game ships this June. Still, given a few months left in development, EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis could very well be the definitive tennis title for the Wii.