X06: Virtua Tennis 3 Xbox 360 Hands-On

BARCELONA, Spain--Last week at the Tokyo Game Show, we got our first look at Virtua Tennis 3 (known as Power Smash 3 in Japan) for the PlayStation 3. Here in Barcelona for X06, the game is being shown for the Xbox 360, and we got yet another chance to play to see how the two versions compare.

Whereas in our last preview it was all about the ladies, the Xbox 360 version of the game was strictly devoted to the men--you controlled Roger Federer as he went up against tennis pros such as Rafael Nadal, James Blake, and Andy Roddick. The matches themselves were best-of-three affairs and, more so than when playing with the ladies, controlling Federer really gave us an idea of just how quick and powerful Virtua Tennis 3 can play.

For one, serves are much more powerful when playing with a powerhouse like Federer. We were aced more than a few times by big hitters like Blake, though we managed to blank a few opponents, as well, using the familiar timing-based Virtua Tennis serve meter. Placement on the serves seemed a bit more touchy than we were used to, and it was easy to place a ball in fault on the first serve if you pushed the analog stick too far in any direction.

Because the speed of the ball is increased when playing with the men, you get a greater idea of the different scope of players featured in the game. Nadal, for example, is an incredibly fast runner on the court, and we found ourselves frustrated more than once by his ability to get to balls that we thought were sure put-aways. Similarly, a power player like Blake is sure to bomb a few balls by you if you aren't careful.

The Virtua Tennis series has always been a slightly exaggerated game of tennis--a bit faster, a bit more powerful than the real thing--and that slight exaggeration has served it well. The same is true with VT 3, especially with the graphics. Players dive for shots far more than they do in real life, and every once in a while you'll pull off a spectacular round-the-back shot or the like, all of which are marvelously animated, if not exactly always true to the sport.

From a graphics standpoint, there's very little discernable difference in quality between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Virtua Tennis 3; the environments are all richly detailed and lit (we're thinking particularly of the gorgeous Barcelona Open court we played, bathing in the warm orange glow of the Spanish sun). Little touches in the background, such as the judges moving their heads to avoid balls hit their way, were a nice treat, as well.

In the end, the difference between the two versions of Virtua Tennis 3 might come down to their online components. While the Xbox 360 is sure to have a full slate of achievements to unlock, we're unsure of how the PS3 version of the game will counter. Look for more information on both games in the future as we get closer to their release.