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Friday Video: What's better than Sega Superstars Tennis?
The trailer for Sega Superstars Tennis. This thing is brutally insane. Beat's all skating up a tree and flying 50 feet into the air to return a shot, Dr. Eggman's got multiple bionic rackets, and Sonic does a loop at super-speed to build up momentum for his return, after rescuing Amigo from a potentially fatal fall. We want to play the trailer. There's no way any of this awesome stuff is going to happen in the game. It's all going to be Sega characters playing tennis, with, like, a few special moves. Not that that isn't great, it's just not ... brutally insane.
Rumor: an exiled mascot returns to Sega Superstars Tennis
Sega Nerds posted an apparent Game Informer scan that holds very exciting information for, well, Sega nerds. The magazine's writeup of Sega Superstars Tennis (which fails to mention the DS version of the game, for some reason) casually mentions Alex Kidd as a playable character.Poor Alex got knocked out of his totally sweet job as Sega's go-to mascot when they decided to get all edgy and bring in that hedgehog thing. Since then, he's been in retirement, showing up only as capsule toys in Shenmue and as, well, his disgraced self in Segagaga, working in the company store. Amazingly, the magazine also asserts that the game will be playable online, but that could be a mistake (since it's listed as 'Up to 4-Player via WiiConnect24'). That would just be the icing on the (Sega-logo-shaped) cake for us. We already love you, Sega Superstars Tennis.
Yessss! Sega Superstars Tennis has an OutRun stage
Oh. Em. Gee. Okay, that Start sign looks awfully familiar. And those "left turn" signs? The palm trees? Yep, a closer look confirms it: Sega Superstars Tennis will have an OutRun stage, hopefully with majestic red Ferraris roaring past as you play.For veteran Sega fans such as ourselves, this kind of fan service is irresistible. First the Shibuya bus terminal, and now this. The only possible downer? Due to its high resolution, we suspect this screenshot is from the Xbox 360 or PS3 versions of the game. That's not to say we won't get an OutRun stage in the Wii version, but please understand, Sega: we need this.Hit the break for a couple more shots of the court.
Sega Superstars Tennis seems to use buttons
You know buttons, right? Those clicky things on either side of the touchscreen? New screenshots of Sega Superstars Tennis show the view on the bottom screen, which contains nothing more than a scoreboard. There are no icons to tap, no moves to select, and definitely no predefined areas to rub. Just character portraits (of what we assume are the player-controlled characters in each team, in the case of doubles) and scores. You're certainly not controlling the players directly via dragging them around, because they're up on the top screen.Of course, stylus controls could still turn up. This display could be temporary, to be replaced when developer Sumo Digital figures out the user interface for the touch controls. Or it could be what displays if you choose a traditional control scheme. Check our new gallery featuring screens of the most exciting multiplatform handheld mascot tennis game ever to have a version made for the DS. Ever.%Gallery-13434%[Via press release]
Sega Superstars Tennis is a love note from Sega to itself
We freaked out when we saw the first Wii screenshots of Sega Superstars Tennis, because of a large amount of Jet Set Radio-related content. Well, it turns out that the DS version also features Beat as a playable character, along with a Shibuya Bus Terminal-located tennis court. Jet Set Radio is one of the most wonderful things in the world, and so is anything that reminds us of it. Even in an extremely graphically impaired DS version, it is beautiful and joyous and fills us with love for video games.This is the first time we've seen a Space Channel 5 stage in any iteration of Sega Superstars Tennis, and while it's not as visually exciting in screens as Shibuya-cho, we assume it'll be vibrant and colorful in motion, pulsing in time to the game's signature music. We're so glad to see Sega bringing back some of their Dreamcast-era classics. It was an excellent time for Sega (creatively).If Sega wants to continue trading on our memories of when they were great, they are welcome to do so. We are willing to be exploited in this manner.
We just bought Sega Superstars Tennis with our minds
IGN posted an interview with Sumo Digital's Omar Woodley which finally reveals some details about the Wii-specific version of Sega Superstars Tennis. If you want to hear about the different control options and the screen resolution and stuff, we suggest you click over to the link and check that out, because we can't focus on that right now in the post.Because we saw a Jet Set Radio stage. And we also saw Beat as one of the playable characters. Look at that, it's the Shibuya bus terminal and it looks just like in the game and oh man we're hyperventilating and this is awesome SEGA IS AWESOME AND SO IS LIFE. As of right now, we're kicking off a Matt C.-Zack-and-Wiki-style campaign to promote this game -- except it's not enough for you to buy just one copy. Buy one copy for every system, even if you don't have that system. Buy it for your friends, buy it for your mom, and buy it for your dog. It is very important that Sega knows that they need to be spending their time filling our lives with more Jet Set Radio.
What we're thankful for: Wii edition
Aside from stuffing our faces with 7,000 calories worth of food on Thanksgiving, we Americans are supposed to reflect on what we're most thankful for. While things like LOLcatz and coffee definitely make the list (oh right, and our families and friends, we guess), we wanted to show a little appreciation for the Wii as well. The Nintendo Wii Fanboy staff was thus asked what about the Wii we are most thankful for. The following is what happens when you have a staff with the collective maturity level of 37% (calculated by science).
A Wii Sports-alike on the DS? Simple!
D3 Publisher's Simple DS Vol. 29: THE Sports Daishuugo (The Big Sports Assembly) is exactly like Wii Sports. Except it doesn't look as good, has different sports, doesn't have any kind of motion controls, is probably lacking in polish to the point of glitchiness, and nobody's ever heard of it. But outside of those and probably some other things, the two are the same.THE Sports Daishuugo contains five main games: baseball, golf, volleyball, tennis, and futsal, as well as minigame variations on all of those. Like any decent casual sports game, it allows for multiplayer-- four-player single-card play.We're actually surprised by how bad this doesn't look. The characters are cute and the graphics are non-awful. We wonder if this cute sports game will take off in Japan, where Wii Sports sells tons as a standalone product.[Via Siliconera]
Sega Superstars Tennis served up in 2008
While competing together at this year's Olympics, it seems some excellent business advice passed from Mario to Sonic, the end result manifesting in the newly announced Sega Superstars Tennis. It's-a Mario Tennis, but with-a Sonic! Mario's sales pitch serve must have left quite the impression, as Sega is quite confident of its huge stable of "cherished" characters ready to wield racquets in an anthropomorphic Wimbledon. Set for release in early 2008 on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii and DS, Sega Superstars Tennis promises over 15 playable Sega idols (it says here) with the famous hedgehog joined by two monkeys (one rockin' and one rollin') and roving space reporter, Ulala. The remainder of the roster has yet to be announced, a clever move that is sure to guarantee at least 15 minutes of fervent internet speculation. Just don't count on Ecco the Dolphin's appearance -- having him flop about on a tennis court as he suffers the most excruciating death in the blistering sun would probably be frowned upon by the ESRB. And PETA.Curiously, the press release hints at "new and innovative ways of enjoying some of SEGA's classic titles" and, less curiously, confirms online support for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. Expect to learn more once developer Sumo Digital figures out how to lure Shenmue's Ryo Hazuki onto the court. (Obvious answer: Putting Vyse from Skies of Arcadia on the other side of the net. He is a sailor, after all.)%Gallery-8783%
Ace Channel 5: Sega announces Superstars Tennis
Hey, Sonic's already appearing in another sports game! Sega announced today that they're making a new tennis game for just about every system, called Sega Superstars Tennis. The concept is simple enough, and is pretty much contained in the title: Sega characters playing tennis. Already confirmed as part of the cast of "over 15" characters are Sonic, Super Monkey Ball's AiAi, Space Channel 5's Ulala, and Amigo from Samba De Amigo. They'll be playing on courts inspired by Sega games, like the Samba court found above.Obviously that's not a DS screenshot, but it gives you an idea of what the game's about. We may balk at Sonic games, but we are ravenous for Sega mascot games like this one. The game became an insta-buy for us as soon as we saw Ulala; unfortunately, there are way more than 15 characters we'd like to see in this game, and at least one more slot will probably be taken up by Tails or Shadow or some other Sonic friend. We're hoping for Ryo Hazuki, ourselves. Or Gilius Thunderhead. Or Joe Musashi, or Alex Kidd, or Michael Jackson.
Sega serves Superstars Tennis to the Wii
Out of nowhere, Sega announced today that it will be working with developer Sumo Digital on a new sports title, Sega Superstars Tennis, for a wide range of platforms, including the DS and Wii. As you've probably surmised from the game's title, Sega Superstars Tennis will feature a celeb-filled cast picked from Sega's stable of classics. Already, Sonic, AiAi (Super Monkey Ball), Ulala (Space Channel 5), and Amigo (Samba de Amigo) have been confirmed as four of the fifteen playable characters.Before you break out the party hats to celebrate this Sega-themed adaptation of Mario Tennis, it's worth noting that while online modes are planned for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases, nothing of the sort has been indicated for the Wii version. Some might feel it's a negligible issue, but being the pessimists we are, we take it as pointing to a lack of dedication towards the Wii variant. Though we can't say for certain whether the screenshots released so far are representative of what Sega Superstars Tennis' graphics will look like on the Wii (they could be grabbed from the 360/PS3 versions), you can still get a pretty good idea of what to expect from the game with the images posted after the break. Expect to see Sega Superstars Tennis early 2008.
Prince gets into the Wii racket
Leave it to Prince, a real tennis racquet maker, to make a nice, high quality fake Wiimote tennis racquet attachment. Their Wii accessory is, quite simply, the nicest, most authentic-looking tennis-racquet-looking Wiimote topper that we've seen yet. Unfortunately, it's still kind of ridiculous. However, if the tiny Brando tennis racquet can increase the realistic feeling of Wii Sports, maybe a more realistic tennis racquet can do even better.Luckily, you won't be paying Prince racquet prices for these sort-of-racquets-- Prince is marketing them at only $15. Maybe we'll get one for some very confusing Manhunt 2.
Lexus wants you to borrow a car for a year
To celebrate the U.S. Open, Lexus set up the pictured play area as part of a contest to win a free year's lease on their IS-F model car. Shame it isn't a free car period, but beggars can't be choosers, right? This car is the same model car the tournament winners will be receiving, apparently.Lexus is also using the event to donate some cash to charity. Lexus will donate $1 for every swing of the virtual racket in Wii Sports: Tennis (up to $30,000) to the Andy Roddick Foundation. The Foundation focuses on aiding abused and sick kids in continuing their education.
Top Spin Tennis is a real honest game
Following word that Rockstar would be bringing their Table Tennis game to the Wii, Take Two announced that its popular tennis franchise Top Spin Tennis would also be gracing the Wii. After seeing Table Tennis, though, many reported it isn't the fun game on the Wii that it is on the Xbox 360. Now, doubts are surfacing regarding Top Spin Tennis.Senior producer Jean-Yves Patay wants you to rest assured that Top Spin Tennis will be a full-fledged tennis game and nothing like Wii Sports: Tennis. "Wii Sports Tennis is a wonderful game but in Topspin you will have to move your character and do different swings. You can move normally and that'll be fine - you will just perform regular swings. But if you want to perfect your technique you will need to practise. So I like to say it's a finished game on Wii." Sounds good to us, because we always wanted something like Wii Sports: Tennis, but with more depth.
Top Spin and Table Tennis on Wii
Now if Take-Two would just come out with a badminton sim they'd have a Wii racket trifecta. Today 2K announced famous tennis game Top Spin would be making its way to the Wii in spring of '08; this follows the recent announcement that Rockstar's Table Tennis would also make its way to the console. Above you can see the video for Table Tennis on the Wii, which premiered at the Leipzig Games Conference.A tennis game on the Wii is about as natural as peanut butter and jelly. We've been clamoring for a solid tennis experience since Wii Sports served up its first tennis ball. Of course, to compensate for the graphical downgrade that'd inevitable with the Wii, the games will have to make up for it in the ol' controls department. Top Spin says that it will use both the Wiimote and the Nunchuk; the Nunchuk controls the player and aiming, while the Wiimote will control force and style. Both games sound like they're perfectly suited for the Wii but, like all things with the console, the controls make or break the game.
Hudson Soft throws their cap into the minigames ring
Hudson Soft recently announced Deca Sports, a minigame collection with -- obviously -- ten different game types that actually look pretty interesting. The game, which is set to come out this year, was revealed in Japanese magazine V-Jump and appears to include tennis, archery, volleyball, go karts, basketball, and more. As far as sports collections go, Deca Sports actually looks pretty ambitious, and the scanned screenshots are easy on the eyes. Check 'em out for yourself after the break. Looks like EA Playground is going to have a little competition! Frankly, we may have to come down on the side of archery, but controls and content will certainly be a factor for each. We can't wait to see more.
PSP Fanboy review: Smash Court Tennis 3
Namco Bandai's PSP-exclusive Smash Court Tennis 3 is not Virtua Tennis. But, that isn't a bad thing. Smash Court has a unique style that tries to take a serious, more simulation-oriented approach to the sport. It will take some time to get used to the sluggish controls. However, players will find a lot of content and depth in this UMD -- even if it does have some questionable AI practices and glitches.It's clear from the moment you begin the game that Smash Court Tennis is easy on the eyes. The menus are easy to read, and fairly stylish. The graphics look very sharp on the PSP, with little to complain about. The text overlays that appear during matches are sleek and professional. The game certainly does a great job with visual presentation.%Gallery-4120%
A Wii remote strapped onto a badminton racket
As far as ghetto mods go, this one certainly takes the cake. So if you loaded up Wii Fanboy today with the intention of procuring a slice of cake, you're out of luck.Acidmods forumer Gene0514 escaped the plastic tyranny of cheaply-made remote attachments from dubious Chinese manufacturers by creating his own Wii-Sports-Tennis-compatible racket. There's nothing hi-tech about its construction; he basically just "secured" a controller onto a badminton racket with rubber bands. Even with the wrist strap fastened onto the handle, we can't imagine Nintendo ever condoning anything as precariously-fashioned as this for its games.Swing past the post break for more photos of the setup and its v2 model, a remote belted onto an actual tennis racket.
PSP Fanboy hands-on: Smash Court Tennis 3
Namco Bandai is promoting Smash Court Tennis 3 quite interestingly in other parts of the world (pictured, above). After getting our hands dirty with a preview build of the game, we have to admit that this game deserves the attention. Although tennis is a fairly simple game to understand, we appreciate the more simulation-based gameplay of Smash Court Tennis. Unlike its nearest competitor, Virtua Tennis, each hit is a lot more difficult to pull off, and each stroke can be decisive in a match. Although daunting at first, a well-designed, and incredibly thorough tutorial mode teaches the various strategies and techniques hidden within the game.We're most impressed by the game's stellar production values. The menus simply look gorgeous. The camera moves in a nice, cinematic way, and the text overlays border on sexy. Load times are incredibly brief, rarely interrupting gameplay. The graphics look solid on PSP's diminuitive screen, and the animations, for the most part, are detailed and fluid.There's a lot of potential in Smash Court Tennis, and we're sure that its various game modes will offer a lot of value. The tutorial mode has been excellent, and we've enjoyed playing simple matches of tennis. Arcade, Pro Tour and Challenge modes look to offer a significant amount of gameplay. The build that we've played does have some very noticeable glitches, though. There are some missing animations and graphics, especially when playing near the edge of the court. At times, it appears that there's no way to exit back into the menu. We're hoping that these issues get cleaned up by the game's final release -- if so, we could be looking at a winner. We'll be giving you more info on the game as we get closer to its release.[Image source. Thanks, Robert!]%Gallery-4120%See also:Smash Court Tennis 3 downloadable demo
Wii Warm Up: Wii Sports, tournament style
The folks from Geekanerd, who made a strong showing at yesterday's Wiimbledon (good on ya!), tipped us off that they had some sweet pictures from the event, which of course, made us even more sad that we could not attend. However, they also hinted that this will not be the only such tournament -- only the first. We like the sound of that ... but do you?Notice the turf that was rolled out for the players. We wondered if the organizers would go this extra step. It's just not Wiimbledon without the players throwing down on grass.
