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"Grand Slam Tennis 2 - preview"

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Wednesday, 29 February 2012

"Grand Slam Tennis 2 - preview"


Grand Slam Tennis 2 sees EA Sports aiming for realism, writes Tom Hoggins.

EA Sports' Grand Slam Tennis 2 is due next year.
EA Sports' Grand Slam Tennis 2 is due next year. 

Formats: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Developer: EA Sports
Publisher: EA Sports
Released: TBC 2012
It's taken quite some time for EA to really flex their sporting muscles with a tennis video game. 2009's Grand Slam Tennis tapped into a Wii market that was on a crest of a wave,
offering an arcadey knockabout enabled by Wii Motion Plus. It was just a toe in the water, but the dip must have felt good, as Grand Slam Tennis 2 goes for all out simulation on Xbox 360 and PS3, adopting the slick, austere presentation of the rest of their sporting stable.
Grand Slam Tennis 2 also pinches one of the best ideas EA Sports have had. While you can use Move on PS3 for motion controlled tennis, the focus is brought back to the good old gamepad. Just as in many other EA Sports titles, the right stick is an integral part of the control setup. Flick the stick in the desired direction when stroking a return, and the ball will fly to that area of the court. Pulling back before pushing forward performs a drop shot, while other manoeuvres perform various slices and spin shots. The only surprise about this system is that it has taken so long for EA to build a game around it. The right stick controls work beautifully in Fight Night and particularly NHL, and it's a natural fit for tennis. It's an intuitive system, albeit one that still needs a little refining before release.
Visually, Grand Slam Tennis 2 is aiming for realism as opposed to the first game's bobble-headed caricatures. True to form, the player models are looking terrific and the similarities aren't just skin deep. The army of licensed players will adopt the correct style, so Federer will suit an all round game, while Sharapova will dominate with her vicious back-court groundstrokes. EA are also very keen to point out that Grand Slam Tennis 2 will be the only game in which you can take part in an official Wimbledon tournament, as well as all the other grand slams. Career mode is yet to be revealed, but expect sponsorship-heavy, lengthy campaigns similar to Tiger Woods PGA Tour.
It remains to be seen whether EA's take on tennis can match 2k's Top Spin or Sega's arcade favourite Virtua Tennis. The only concern would be that Grand Slam Tennis 2 could be too clinical, lacking the quirks and personality of its competition. But knowing EA Sports, it certainly won't be lacking in authenticity, which could mean that the more serious tennis-heads among us will have something to make a racket over come release.

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