Grand Slam Tennis

Last updated
Grand Slam Tennis
Grand slam tennis.jpg
Developer(s) EA Canada
Publisher(s) Electronic Arts
Platform(s) Wii
Release
  • NA: June 8, 2009 [1]
  • AU: June 9, 2009
  • UK: June 12, 2009
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single Player, Multiplayer

Grand Slam Tennis (known as Grand Chelem Tennis in France) is a tennis video game, developed by EA Canada, [2] and released for the Wii in 2009. Versions for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were planned to be released Autumn 2009, but they have been "delayed indefinitely". Instead, a sequel, Grand Slam Tennis 2 , was released exclusively for those consoles in February 2012. [3]

Contents

Some features for the Wii version include online play, Wii MotionPlus functionality, pick up and play, a Grand Slam career mode, and all four Grand Slam locations, including Wimbledon. The Wii version was also the first title in Europe to be bundled with the Wii MotionPlus. [4]

The in-game music was created by Paul van Dyk, who wrote and produced all the tracks in the game.

Gameplay

Grand Slam Tennis features 23 total players, including 10 retired legends and 13 of today's top players at the time of the game's release.[ citation needed ] It also includes a "Create-A-Player" mode. In the "Create-A-Player" mode, players can create their own unique player for use in all modes of the game. The player can customize their created player with branded clothing, racquet styles, accessories and physical appearance. Up to nine players can be created at any one time. Pat Cash serves as the commentator even when he is playing in a match. Grand Slam Tennis offers 12 different authentic stadiums from all four Grand Slam venues to play in, and is the first video game since Top Spin 2 to feature a licensed Wimbledon.

Play Now is a mode allows players to enter either a singles or doubles match. This mode is available for both single and multiplayer forms of play. The player is able to select their venue, and to choose settings such as set length, number of sets, difficulty and the option of a tie-break.

Grand Slam mode allows players to embark on a career with their created player. The career involves travelling to each of the four Grand Slam tournaments and attempt to achieve the Grand Slam by winning every tournament. Each tournament begins with a warm-up match against a fellow fictional rookie of average ability. The player can then challenge a legend or current player to a match in an attempt to learn the players special ability, e.g. Rafael Nadal's forehand topspin, or Björn Borg's fitness. If the player is successful with their challenge, they may equip that special ability for use in future matches. The player can equip only one ability to start with, however as the player increases in skill, they will be able to equip multiple abilities at one time. Then the player will take part in a party style mini-game form of tennis along with fictional players, before starting the tournament. Every tournament starts at the round of 32 stage (round 3).

Party Mode is a collection of mini-games that are each a slightly altered form of tennis, with slight rule changes:

Online multiplayer consists of ranked or unranked matches where you can play anyone around the world. Ranked earns the player points when they beat someone and these points decide what overall ranking you are in the world. Unranked matches are friendly and do not earn any points for the player's online profile. It is good for people who are preparing to hit the leaderboards. When players win ranked matches they do not only win points for themselves but also for their country. There is a national leaderboard which shows which country has the best players.

Reception

Grand Slam Tennis received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [5] In Japan, where the game was ported for release on July 2, 2009, [18] Famitsu gave it a score of one eight, two sixes, and one seven for a total of 27 out of 40. [8]

411Mania gave it a score of eight out of ten and said, "If you are a big fan of the sport, and even engage in the sport in your free time, you will no-doubt enjoy this game. Grand Slam is a fun way to prepare you for the game's real online draw. If you've just been settling for Wii Tennis over the past few years, then now is the time to act, because Grand Slam Tennis is likely as good as it is ever going to get for the sport on the Wii." [19] The Daily Telegraph similarly gave it eight out of ten, saying, "Though ultimately lacking the precision a truly great tennis game needs, EA should be commended for a superb Wii effort which amply demonstrates the publisher's commitment to the format. If not quite the revolution it promised to be, Grand Slam Tennis shows enough promise that next year's iteration should be a classic." [16] Teletext GameCentral also gave it eight out of ten, saying, "EA's tennis and Wii MotionPlus debut is a success after all and an encouraging sign for the future." [17]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mario Tennis</i> 2000 video game

Mario Tennis is a 2000 sports video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. Following Mario's Tennis, it is the second game in the Mario Tennis series. The game is known for being the introduction of Luigi's arch-rival, Waluigi, and the re-introduction of Princess Daisy and Birdo.

<i>Mario Power Tennis</i> 2004 video game

Mario Power Tennis is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the fourth game in the Mario Tennis series. Power Tennis was released for the GameCube in Japan and North America in late 2004, and in PAL regions in early 2005. The game was ported for the Wii in 2009 as part of the New Play Control! series, and was also re-released as a Nintendo Selects title in 2012. A companion handheld game, Mario Tennis: Power Tour, was also released on Game Boy Advance around the same time as the original GameCube release, bearing the same title as Power Tennis in Europe.

<i>Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis</i> 2006 table tennis simulation video game

Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis is a 2006 table tennis simulation video game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. The game is a realistic simulation of the sport table tennis, with the main objective to make the opponent fail to hit the ball.

<i>Wii Sports</i> 2006 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports is a 2006 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month. It was included as a pack-in game with the console in all territories except Japan, making it the first sports game included with the launch of a Nintendo system since Mario's Tennis for the Virtual Boy in 1995. The game was later released on its own as part of the Nintendo Selects collection of games.

<i>Wii Play</i> 2006 party video game published by Nintendo

Wii Play is a party video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii console. It was released as a launch game for the console in Japan, Europe, and Australia in December 2006, and was released in North America in February 2007. The game features nine minigames, including a Duck Hunt-esque shooting range, a fishing game, and a billiards game, each of which are designed to showcase the features of the Wii Remote controller.

<i>Mario Kart Wii</i> 2008 video game

Mario Kart Wii is a 2008 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Kart series, and was released in April 2008. Like its previous installments, Mario Kart Wii incorporates playable characters from the Mario series, who participate in races on 32 different race tracks using specialized items to hinder opponents or gain advantages. The game features multiple single-player and multiplayer game modes including two to four person split screen. Online multiplayer was supported until the discontinuation of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection in May 2014. Mario Kart Wii uses the Wii Remote's motion-controls to provide intuitive and conventional steering controls. Each copy of the game was bundled with the Wii Wheel accessory to augment this feature and mimic a steering wheel.

<i>Top Spin 3</i> 2008 video game

Top Spin 3 is the third title in the Top Spin series of video games. The game was developed by PAM Development and published by 2K. New game elements include real-time weather effects, more options of professional tennis players, an in-depth character creation tool and new unparalleled gameplay mechanics. It also features impressive advancements in an audio/visual sense with improved Dolby Digital surround sound and "Evolutionary" visuals. Top Spin 4 was released as a sequel about three years later.

<i>FIFA 09</i> 2008 video game

FIFA 09 is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released in October 2008 for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 and Zeebo. It was later in November 2008 released for the N-Gage 2.0 and mobile phones.

<i>Wii Sports Resort</i> 2009 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports Resort is a 2009 sports simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console and is the sequel to Wii Sports. It is the first first-party Wii game to support the Wii MotionPlus accessory and the first one overall to require it, which was bundled with the game. Wii Sports Resort was first announced at E3 2008 and was released in Japan on June 25, 2009, and in nearly all other regions the following month. While Wii Sports Resort was first released as a stand-alone title, it was later bundled with newer Wii consoles alongside Wii Sports.

<i>Bubble Bobble Plus!</i> 2009 video game

Bubble Bobble Plus! and Bubble Bobble Neo! are remakes of the 1986 arcade game Bubble Bobble. The games were developed and published by Taito. Bubble Bobble Plus! was released for WiiWare in Japan on February 10, 2009, in the PAL regions on April 10, and in North America on May 25, while Bubble Bobble Neo! was released on the Xbox Live Arcade download service for the Xbox 360 in Japan on August 5, 2009 and in North America on September 16 of the same year.

<i>Virtua Tennis 2009</i> 2009 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 2009, known in Japan as Power Smash: Live Match!, is a 2009 video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. It is part of the Virtua Tennis series, following Virtua Tennis 3.

<i>Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10</i> 2009 video game

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a sports video game developed by EA Tiburon for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360 versions and HB Studios for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions and published by EA Sports for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360.

<i>The Bigs 2</i> 2009 video game

The Bigs 2 is a baseball sports video game developed by Blue Castle Games and published by 2K for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Wii, and PlayStation Portable. The game serves as the direct sequel to The Bigs. The first trailer for the game was released revealing players like Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Roberto Clemente, and Reggie Jackson and a number of other Hall of Famers. Milwaukee Brewers All-Star first baseman Prince Fielder is the cover athlete chosen by 2K Sports. For the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii editions of the game, the English play-by-play announcer is Damon Bruce while the Japanese announcer is Kasey Ryne Mazak. It was released in 2009. The game was indirectly followed-up by Nicktoons MLB.

<i>FIFA 10</i> 2009 video game

FIFA 10 is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on 2 October 2009 in Europe, 1 October in Australasia and 20 October 2009 in North America. It is available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Wii. Handheld versions of the game were also released for the iOS, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Mobile Phones.

<i>Astro Boy: The Video Game</i> 2009 video game

Astro Boy: The Video Game is an action platform video game based on the 2009 CGI-animated film of the same name. The game was released in Japan on October 8, 2009 for the PlayStation Portable under the name Atom to coincide with the Japanese theatrical release on October 10, 2009. It was later released on the same system as a downloadable game in North America on October 14, 2009. It received a retail version of it and a port to the PlayStation 2, Wii and Nintendo DS which were released on October 20, 2009 to coincide with the North American theatrical release of the film on October 23, 2009. It features the voices of Freddie Highmore and Kristen Bell, reprising their film roles.

<i>Sports Champions</i> 2010 video game

Sports Champions is a 2010 sports video game developed by San Diego Studio and Zindagi Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3, which utilizes PlayStation Move. It was officially unveiled at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. The game is a collection of modern and medieval sports games published by Sony Computer Entertainment and was jointly developed by San Diego Studio and Zindagi Games as a launch game for the PlayStation Move which would be bundled with the controller in several regions.

<i>Grand Slam Tennis 2</i> 2012 video game

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is a tennis video game, developed by EA Canada, it was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A downloadable demo was released on January 10 for both platforms. It is the sequel to Grand Slam Tennis.

<i>Virtua Tennis 4</i> 2011 sports video game

Virtua Tennis 4, known in Japan as Power Smash 4, is the third sequel to Sega's tennis game franchise, Virtua Tennis. It was released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii and PlayStation Vita. This is the first main series Virtua Tennis game to not have an arcade release before the console releases. An arcade version was also released, which is powered by the PC-based Sega RingEdge arcade system. There are two versions of the cabinet: an upright 4-player cabinet, and a deluxe 4-player cabinet.

<i>Wii Sports Club</i> 2013 sports video game published by Nintendo

Wii Sports Club is a sports simulation video game, developed by Nintendo and Bandai Namco Studios and published by Nintendo for the Wii U throughout 2013 and 2014. It is the third entry in the Wii Sports series, a part of the larger Wii series. As an enhanced remake of the 2006 Wii launch title Wii Sports, it includes five minigames that replicate Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing, and are controlled with motion controls that replicate the sports. New to the game is additional control schemes using the Wii U GamePad, online multiplayer, and Wii Motion Plus support. Players are organized into clubs that represent different regions, and scores and stats are tracked on Nintendo's social network Miiverse. Players could also communicate with each other during and after online matches using Miiverse. Each sport can be purchased individually or rented for a certain amount of time via a pass.

References

  1. "EA's Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 and Grand Slam Tennis to Hit Retail One Week Early". Business Wire . Berkshire Hathaway. May 4, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  2. "Anyone for Tennis? EA Announces Tennis Franchise in Development". Electronic Arts . August 20, 2008. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  3. Molina, Brett (August 11, 2011). "EA Sports bringing 'Grand Slam Tennis' to PS3, Xbox". USA Today . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  4. "EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 available with Wii MotionPlus at Launch". Electronic Arts. April 21, 2009. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Grand Slam Tennis for Wii Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  6. Haywald, Justin (June 12, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis". 1Up.com . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  7. Reed, Kristan (June 22, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis". Eurogamer . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  8. 1 2 rawmeatcowboy (June 23, 2009). "Famitsu - review scores". GoNintendo. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  9. Bertz, Matt (July 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis: Big Hopes And Broken Rackets". Game Informer . No. 195. GameStop. p. 85. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  10. Cabral, Matt (June 29, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  11. Anderson, Luke (June 17, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis Review". GameSpot . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 5, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  12. "Grand Slam Tennis Review". GameTrailers . Viacom. June 23, 2009. Archived from the original on July 15, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  13. Myers, Dallas (June 12, 2009). "EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis - WII - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  14. Bozon, Mark (June 8, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis Review". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  15. "Grand Slam Tennis". Nintendo Power . Vol. 243. Future US. July 2009. p. 88.
  16. 1 2 Schilling, Chris (June 18, 2009). "EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis video game review". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Mr. Pinkerton (June 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis (Wii)". Teletext GameCentral. Teletext Ltd. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  18. "EA SPORTS グランドスラム テニス [Wii]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain . Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  19. Robbins, Drew (July 5, 2009). "Grand Slam Tennis (Wii) Review". 411Mania. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2020.