The tennis action is pure arcade fun with added depth, but the RPG-like structure spoils things.
User Rating: 6.5 | Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip PSP
Hot Shots Tennis has great core gameplay for anyone who enjoys tennis or sports games. It's easy to pick up and play but there is also a longevity and depth that enables you to learn new shots and tricks as you progress through the game. There are lots of silly characters and outfits to unlock and use none of which attempt to hide the obvious Japanese roots of the development. And that is a good thing. Hot Shots Tennis is often wacky and zany and will probably make you laugh a few times in spite of yourself. The characters in the RPG-like section of the game, most of whom turn into opponents are also wacky but walking around and engaging them all in dialogue gets a little long in the tooth. Using an RPG structure in a sports game like this is a clever and innovative idea but the story was always going to be a problem. It's an interesting way to introduce new opponents and court environments but often you wish you could just play tennis, which is lets face it what you bought the game for. That said this game has so much charm it's hard to hate any aspect of it and the RPG elements sometimes hit the note, just not very often. The problem is the tennis action is so addictive that you just want to get to the next match.
