Virtua Tennis

A tennis game might just save the Dreamcast?  Ok, it sounds far fetched, but listen up: Virtua Tennis is one of the best games I’ve played in the past six months.  Flawlessly converted from the arcade version, the Dreamcast revision of this game is a sight to behold.  Most importantly, the gameplay is addictive and smooth.  There are no choppy animations or frustrating controls to deal with.  Everything just flows, and as a result, you soon forget you are playing a game.  You feel like you are playing a real game of Tennis.

Virtua Tennis is also one of the best two-player games to come out on the Dreamcast, especially since all players are on the same court – no split-screen nonsense here.   In fact, up to four players can join in on a game (providing you have four controllers).  Suffice it to say, Virtua Tennis also succeeds at being a great party game.

The only problem?  For an “online gaming machine,” it’s disappointing that Viruta Tennis doesn't work over Sega.Net – at least not yet.  While rumors persist that Sega will launch an Internet-enabled version of the game later this year, as it stands you shouldn’t expect to be Virtua Tennis-ing with friends over the Dreamcast modem.

Nevertheless, don’t let the lack of Internet play deter you.  Virtua Tennis is probably the best console game I’ve played this year.  I encourage you to check it out.