E3 06: Virtua Tennis 3 Hands-On

LOS ANGELES--One of the playable PlayStation 3 games on the Electronic Entertainment Expo show floor is Virtua Tennis 3, the latest in Sega's definitive tennis series. Virtua Tennis is known for offering just the right amount of realism while still delivering fun and exciting gameplay that's easy to get into. We were glad to see these signature traits alive and well in this latest installment, even though the build we played is only 20 percent complete. It's also easy to notice the game's impressively realistic looks.

The momentum-based gameplay of Virtua Tennis 3 really captures the feel of the real game. While returning the ball to the other side of the court is as simple as approaching the ball and hitting a button, the momentum with which you approach and how long you hold down the swing button before you hit determines a lot. Realistic context-sensitive animations naturally occur as you rally with your opponent. For instance, if you smash the ball cross-court, your opponent might have to dive for it to get a piece of it. Forehand and backhand shots occur automatically depending on your approach, and you can direct your shot using the left analog stick. (Note that this version of Virtua Tennis 3 didn't use the PS3 controller's newly announced motion sensor.)

The result of all this was that we were readily able to adopt realistic tennis tactics during play. A fleet-footed opponent can be attacked aggressively by approaching him at the net, for a quick and uncatchable shot across the court. At the same time, this opens you up to getting a big, fat lob over your head, which the computer opponent used ruthlessly to put an end to our rush towards the net. Not only do the tennis players animate with lifelike grace on the court, they also demonstrate realistic behavior in between rounds. One time we miscalculated the opponent's return and quickly lost the point, to which the tennis player we were controlling looked about as frustrated as we felt.

Presently, the game looks better in action than it does during player close-ups, since there are some visual blemishes apparent that will surely be fixed as development continues. The game's frame rate also seemed to differ depending on the court, and we got to play on both clay and grass surfaces in real-world tennis courts set in London and France. The visuals on display are substantially better than what's attainable in current-generation consoles, though they don't seem beyond what the Xbox 360 is readily capable of.

A few different courts and players are visible in the demo on display at E3, though only single-player one-on-one gameplay seems to be on offer here. The game's main menu forces you to dive right into a match, so it's unclear what the scope of Virtua Tennis 3's content will be. However, what already seems quite apparent is that Sega has focused on making sure the action on the court not only looks great, but plays well too.