IPhone: Real Tennis 2009 Review
Real Tennis 2009 is a tennis simulation game for the Itouch and the Iphone. It features 8 different characters to choose from, different courts with different surfaces to play matches, wi-fi multiplayer challenge and a rather deep gameplay mechanic (as compared with other games in the same platform). I will first start off by saying that the game does not feature any real life player for they do not own any of the licences to do so. Thus, we have players with names such as Tanerer, Niki, Hyde etc. Some of them however do have a little bit of resemblance of real life tennis superstars (does not matter much anyways). There are basically two main game modes (excluding the wi-fi), the instant play and the championship mode.
Instant play lets gamers have a chance to immediately face off an AI opponent using a character they desire. They can choose to play singles or doubles whichever they think is more fun. Championship mode is somewhat like a career mode where you choose a character and use it to play tournaments after tournaments. Winning does nothing much except that it increases your “rank” in the game. Sad to say that this Championship mode lacks the simulation that other big tennis games have. The company producing the game even called it the “career mode” which is obviously nothing but a fluke. You cannot upgrade your character, watch him grow etc. All you have is matches after matches which takes place in tournaments which you participate in. Otherwise, it is exactly like the instant play mode.
Gameplay mechanic is sufficient to simulate the sport properly. You get to use slice shots, lob shots and the normal top spin. Serving is extremely easy to aim and to hit a MAX shot. You aim by tilting the itouch/phone, moving the cursor around the court. You basically just have to aim somewhere really close to the top left/right lines and then performance a MAX power serve to ensure that the point is yours. Extremely easy when you are serving. On the other hand, when your opponent is serving, it might be hard to receive the ball properly. What I mean the task of returning a good serve really depends on where you predict the AI would serve to. By not returning the ball to a rather good extend, the game would definitely not be at your mercy. However, if you feel like the opponent is too difficult or easy, you can choose from 3 different difficulties.
Moving around and hitting shots isn’t easy at first. It takes time to get used to the virtual D-Pad it provides. At first, you will find it very hard to navigate the court, leaving you stranded behind in rallies or diving for balls time after time. After awhile, it is easier for you but still, the way the movement controls are functioning, it isn’t very comfortable or newbie-friendly. Normal shots are easy to perform whereas shots such as the lob and especially the slice are harder. You basically press the hit button but flicking your finger/thumb up (for a lob) or left/right for a slice. It might sound easy but no it isn’t.
Otherwise, the game has some decent graphics for the platform itself. Wi-fi is surprisingly fun even if there is some lag present. Tried it with a friend and enjoyed it pretty much. Overall, the game is worth it for all die hard tennis fans who would love to play tennis wherever they go and that they own a itouch/phone. Nothing groundbreaking but a decent tennis game for the itouch. At a price of $4.99 though, some might want to consider spending that amount of money for a game lacking in modes. Still, it fits the basic needs and that is providing a decent tennis gameplay experience.
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