Virtua Tennis 1999

Is it still worth playing?

Sega AM3's 1999 tennis game, first for the Sega NAOMI arcade board and then for the Dreamcast, and called Power Smash in Japan. Its controls are kept simple. The team first designed a paddle controller that switched between forehand and backhand by twisting, found it too hard to operate and replaced it with a joystick and buttons. On that base sit three modes. Arcade asks you to win five matches on different surfaces and venues, and strong play brings a challenge from a boss called Master. In Exhibition you play a single match, singles or doubles, for up to four human players, over one game or one set. In World Circuit you start ranked 300th and rise with wins and with training minigames that unlock more. A joystick and buttons, and a ranking to climb, still make a game of tennis easy to pick up today.