Smash Court 2 is the sequel to Namco's little known tennis game, Smash Court, which was originally released in Japan back in 1996. Amidst all the fanfare of Tekken 2 and Ridge Racer Revolution, Smash Court never garnered much attention, despite its appealing graphics and rock-solid gameplay. Now, Namco is attempting to build on the premise formed in '96 with an improved version of its clay-beating tennis game.
Unlike the first game, which was fairly anonymous in its execution, Smash Court 2 is filled with a large variety of tennis players, all fictional, of diverse ethnic backgrounds and different skill orientations (some characters are better at net play, while others favor the baseline, while the rest are considered all-around players). You can rename the player of your choice in English if you choose and must guide him or her through a variety of modes, the most prominent being Smash Roulette. Smash Roulette is basically what you could call a tennis-RPG. By hitting a spinning roulette wheel with a carefully timed serve, you can move up to six spaces on a map that acts like sort of a board game. At different locations on the map, you'll encounter other tennis players in their various territories and can either pay them to let you by or play them for even greater stakes. During your travels, you must also keep an eye on your health and other various factors that can drain your bank account. After winning a certain amount of matches and winning the subsequent prize money, you'll encounter tennis bosses, who will determine your ranking and progress in the game.
Other modes in the game are your basic exhibition mode, Coliseum mode (vs. mode), and training, where you get to practice your swats against an auto-serving teddy bear. The gameplay is about as tight as you could expect in a game like this. In fact, Smash Court (1 or 2) offers the best tennis action on any home system. The directional pad indicates where your shots are directed, while the different buttons dictate what kind of swing you'll use (lob, smash, straight volley, overhand, and so on). You can also put a spin on the ball and slice it to cause all kinds of havoc for your opponent. As would be expected, different players require different strategies, so mastering your character in practice mode is important.
Graphically, the backgrounds are detailed bitmaps with interactive elements, like mailboxes that give off a metallic thud when struck by a ball, or a bystander that grunts when hit in the shins. Each character is rendered in polygons and moves with a fluid animated grace that indicates motion-capture was done, although it certainly could have been hand animated. The music tracks are funky yet unobtrusive during gameplay. Like Ridge Racer 4, the music is worthy of its own soundtrack, although you'll never see one in the US.
Problems do arise, however, in some of the most annoying places during the game. In the first game, serving was never much of a problem once you figured out the best way to serve. In Smash Court 2, serving consistently is next to impossible, as the developers have made the timing almost too precise to serve with efficiency. You could be killing the opponent in a game and still lose, simply because you'll double-fault your way through the game, almost never winning a serve. In a game where your rhythm is everything, once you've lost the touch, you can lose your serve for the rest of the game. Another really annoying "feature" that should have been removed from the first game yet still manages to appear in the sequel is the ability for male characters to lose a point by taking a volley right in the family jewels. Other times, your character can get bonked on the forehead, causing you to lose that point. This can be nothing short of infuriating when a match is at deuce.
Aggravating details aside, it's a shame that Namco never brought over the first Smash Court. Likely, we will also never see the sequel, although there is certainly plenty of room in the domestic PlayStation's library to warrant a release. Happily, even if Namco US never brings this nifty game to the US, there is always the import route, and if you've been hankering for a top-tier tennis game to while away the days, Smash Court 2 will definitely fit the bill.
