EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis Review

By Kristan Reed Published 8 June, 2009

Motion dismissed?

Version tested: Wii

This review has been withdrawn by the editor due to errors in the review process. Please see the Editor's blog for an explanation, and our re-review for a revised and, we hope, fair judgment of the game.

In a month that's seen motion-sensing controls rocket to the top of the agenda across the spectrum of consoles, Wii MotionPlus's timing surely couldn't be better: Microsoft and Sony talk about the future in aspirational terms at the start of the month, and a fortnight later Nintendo's dream is reality. On the other hand, the dream isn't really reality until 24th July, when Wii Sports Resort, the first Nintendo game for the new accessory, comes out. In the meantime, it's up to Electronic Arts to shoulder expectations with the first WMP game, and the publisher's first tennis game in 15 years, Grand Slam Tennis.

But not to worry, right? Because tennis should be an ideal way to demonstrate the precision accuracy of Wii MotionPlus - swinging the Wii Remote around like an imaginary racquet, delighting as the new upgraded technology senses our shot-selection with a fair degree of accuracy, strawberries all round, etc. Combined with EA's pedigree in releasing glossy, accessible sports titles, it should be a winning combination.

On a basic level, the game works almost identically to Wii Sports' tennis offering, with running taken care of for you (although you can position your player with the d-pad or nunchuk if you prefer), flat shots pulled off with a short swing, a slice performed by going high to low and top-spin by going low to high. The game says that the harder you hit the shot, the shallower it will land. In addition, pressing A along with your swing produces a lob, while pressing B delivers a drop shot.

Sounds simple, and so does aiming, where timing is all-important regardless of whether you have the Wii MotionPlus attached or not. According to the basic instructions (hidden away in a sub-menu), you swing early to make the ball travel left, and swing late to make it travel right, while the WMP tab recommends "smooth and easy motions" with "follow-through to aim/place the ball". In addition, backswing is said to determine your position for the actual swing. It all sounds pretty intuitive, and the little animated diagrams make it look simple and logical.

'EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis' Screenshot 1

Wonder why the ball is triple the normal size? We did.

Sadly though it isn't. In fact, the harsh reality is that shot-selection is unreliable, and as Tom pointed out in his recent hands-on, the game's system of shot-selection and direction makes you wonder out loud if WMP is even functioning correctly.

Perhaps the best way of determining this is in front of the game's ball machine on the practice court, where the type of shot you produce is displayed on-screen. This gives you a fairly basic means of determining cause and effect, but it also serves to display the narrow margin of difference between shot types. And while it might be possible to nail down your shot-selection reasonably early on, getting the game to behave itself during shot-placement is a dark art that makes Grand Slam Tennis feel disproportionately difficult on even the easiest setting.

Usually in console tennis games, one of the most effective means of ensuring players get used to a new control system is to encourage them to enter a Tennis Academy and learn all about shot-placement and which shots are the best for any given situation. Sadly, Grand Slam Tennis has nothing of the sort, save for the ability to slug it out against the aforementioned ball machine. You can either play a four-tournament Grand Slam (encompassing Wimbledon, as well as the French, Australian and US Opens), or play against friends offline or online. To get better, you just have to get better. Eventually. Or you might not.

It doesn't help a great deal, either, that the player you create is a bit of a chump at the start. Beginning with a zero-star rating, the only way to improve is to beat opponents - either in one-off matches or through tournaments. Winning points and games (even when you lose the match) will eventually contribute to your star rating, but the problem is just that - winning games is disproportionately and unfathomably tough.

As something of a tennis gaming veteran, I kicked off on the game's medium level to see how I got on, but was forced to drop it down simply to see if I'd fare any better. The difference was minimal, and, again, the problem was nearly always down to actual shot-placement rather than fierce AI. In the heat of a lengthy rally, you might be doing fine, but one misread shot and you're another point down. If that happens a couple of times in a game, you're not only left frustrated, but probably defeated. The AI hardly ever makes mistakes. Being able to unlock special moves, such as Serena Williams' serve, by beating them in one-off matches is largely inconsequential when the outcome of so many matches is apparently random.

As you might expect from EA, 23 of the game's major stars have been licensed, and it's these pros that you'll be facing throughout. But unlike most other tennis titles, the focus isn't entirely on the current crop. So alongside the likes of Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Serena Williams, you get old stagers like John McEnroe and Pat Cash popping up for another crack at Wimbledon. Impossible, obviously, but it does add a smidgen to the overall appeal to be able to play against the stars of the past as well as the latest and greatest. Another interesting decision is the cartoony visuals, which are obviously meant to be in-keeping with the Wii's house style, and look nice enough. It will be interesting to see if EA sticks with this for the other versions when they turn up.

'EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis' Screenshot 2

Missed!

Similarly, it will be interesting to investigate these games again when both players are using the WMP. Right now, you're either going to have to shell out GBP 20 a pop to find out, or hope that your friends are willing to part with the extra cash for the slightly-better-value bundled versions. In these early days of the WMP, such issues are going to be moot for many.

And in Grand Slam Tennis's case, they may be entirely moot. Grand Slam Tennis is an underwhelming representation of tennis, crippled by unintuitive controls, and just makes you want to go back to the precision of Top Spin or Virtua Tennis on a control pad. You can't blame Wii MotionPlus for this failure, because it's almost impossible to tell whether it's helping or hindering. What you can say is that Grand Slam Tennis isn't very good either way. Bring on Wii Sports Resort.

This review has been withdrawn by the editor due to errors in the review process. Please see the Editor's blog for an explanation, and our re-review for a revised and, we hope, fair judgment of the game.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (84) Latest comment 3 years ago

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  • MisterCraig #1 3 years ago

    Kinda thought this was going to be good.

  • tomdominer #2 3 years ago

    Whoops. Virtua Tennis Wii for TEH win!

  • Ryze #3 3 years ago

    Oooops! I expected this to be 7/10.

    This doesn't bode very well for Virtua Tennis 2009 played with a Wiimote!
    Edited by 1 at 08/06/09 @ 17:47

  • normannormal #4 3 years ago

    Looking forward to seeing what Virtua Tennis can do with and without WMP now...

  • Malek86 #5 3 years ago

    It's at times like these, when games get different scores on reviews, that I'd really want my Wii to be able to access game demos.

    Alas, that's not going to happen. I'll have to check if I can find some demo station or something, so I don't have to spend 59€ blindly.

  • secombe #6 3 years ago

    It's at times like these, when games get different scores on reviews, that I'd really want my Wii to be able to access game demos.

    I agree, Wii games get incredibly diverse scores depending on whether the reviewer 'got' the controls or not. I've seen reviews on here and elsewhere that destroy the control mechanics for certain games, but I've given it a go and wondered what on earth all the fuss was about.

    One of the big discussion points in the WMP thread in the forum was whether the controls may be too accurate, because at the end of the day, very very few people can actually play tennis well. Whilst this doesn't seem to apply to this game in particular, it's something worth keeping an eye on.

  • mowgli #7 3 years ago

    HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

  • KevvyMetal79 #8 3 years ago

    Shit/10

  • richardiox #9 3 years ago

    Slightly concerned that the WMP in itself might be flawed. Some more reviews of other MP games should show either way.

  • HSH25 #10 3 years ago

    I get the feeling this game is actually a lot better than the review suggests, just that it requires some skill to play properly.

  • krudster #11 3 years ago

    Possibly. There is always the possibility that I'm just crap at the game, but that should be taken in the context of other tennis titles where I generally do exceptionally well.

    HMM.

  • Malek86 #12 3 years ago

    Well, I played tennis for a couple years, so if this game is "too realistic" I should be able to get the hang of it relatively quickly. Still, I'm not going to give away my money like that without some sort of insurance. So I'll wait until someone else who has actually played tennis can tell me whether this game is realistic or not.

    Though I doubt it. This is a party-oriented game we're talking about. I don't think they wanted to make it so that nobody would be able to play it properly unless they're Federer's family or something.

  • FerrisBueller #13 3 years ago

    Kristan, since or any other of the mods - any ideas when Virtua Tennis Wii review comes out? It's worth knowing because some of the advance buy places like Amazon raise their price the minute the game comes out, so if I'm waiting on the Eurogamer review I'd like to know whether it's worth waiting a day or two more to buy...

  • Jack1258 #14 3 years ago

    Damn, I was expecting this to be good! Oh well, maybe wait for a few more reviews to come in before cancelling the pre order...

  • Oh-Bollox #15 3 years ago

    Wow, a shit EA game. Didn't see that coming.

  • brof #16 3 years ago

    hitting late or early to define the direction of the shot sounds exactly the same like Wii Sports. And tis is a no go for me... The direction of the shot should be determined by my swing or at least by the analog stick...
    this is an epic fail on EAs part... let's see if virtua tennis is better

  • Zaltan #17 3 years ago

    I can't believe anyone expect a Wii Tennis (and one made by EA) game to be good.

  • HSH25 #18 3 years ago

    Its had good (or at least better) reviews elsewhere.

    And an EA sports title being completely rubbish is pretty much a big surprise nowadays actually.

  • smelly #19 3 years ago

    "And an EA sports title being completely rubbish is pretty much a big surprise nowadays actually. "


    Erm.. look back in history.. the FIRST iteration of any EA sports game is almost ALWAYS shit.

    They only seem to spend a year making a game, then push it out... Then they improve it the next year.. push that out.. etc etc until they FINALLY get it right about 5 or 6 versions down the road.

    Look at early fifa games - they all sucked balls.

  • onyxbox #20 3 years ago

    shame, I was hoping this would deliver... guess it's Virtua Tennis (360/PS3) for me.

  • SirScratchalot #21 3 years ago

    /Gutted...
    :'(

    Really krudster, I was counting on this and Tiger to be the games that would get me 2 Wiimotion pluses as a side-effect.
    Also, tennis really is hard...
    /Sucks at it in real life....

  • Tomo #22 3 years ago

    Yeah, the early FIFA games were terrible... God you talk some rot smelly.

  • ghearoid #23 3 years ago

    Ooh, sounds shite. Guess I'll be getting Virtua Tennis again.

  • jonsaan #24 3 years ago

    and the early NHL games. They were stunning.

  • secombe #25 3 years ago

    ^^^ +9,000

    Although NHLPA '97 (Mega Drive) is still the greatest hockey game ever made.

  • dr_faulk #26 3 years ago

    Oh dear...

  • Darren #27 3 years ago

    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... should have released this game for the 360, PS3 and PC where it would have worked better with a conventional controller and benefitted from some spanking HD visuals too. Not that those machines need another tennis game, although the licenses would be welcome, but then the way things are going on the Wii such games are being squandered on a platform that doesn't have an accurate enough controller to mimic the sport anyway. For shame. Wii Tennis worked... just.

  • cak #28 3 years ago

    I absolutely trust this review.
    I've seen a review on Official Nintendo Magazine that basically stated the same problems ("your player is often facing the wrong way thanks to the slightest flick of the Remote in the wrong direction";), but eventually gave it a 90%. It clearly looks like an inflated score, for reasons that are probably not worth mentioning. And btw Nintendo Power (!) gave it a 75/100.
    Eurogamer's score looks like the one anyone would give this game, once the novelty wears off. And once you consider that the price for a full controller (wiimote+nunchuk+wmp) is now dangerously close to the 100 EUR mark and this is a big issue multiplayer-wise, although the game is hardly to blame for this.

  • Smoped #29 3 years ago

    Kind of embarrassing for EA to have messed up the control system, what with it being the reason for the game's existence and all. Then again, I suppose the problem could be with Motionplus itself, but it would seem unlikely for Nintendo to release it without making sure that it actually works like it's supposed to.

  • ilmaestro #30 3 years ago

    Review reads like 2 or 3 out of ten, totally bottled on the score.

  • niaiserie #31 3 years ago

    "There is always the possibility that I'm just crap at the game, but that should be taken in the context of other tennis titles where I generally do exceptionally well"

    So you're telling everyone that you're not sure if the problem is the controls or your inability to grasp them? Isn't this something you should sort out before you write a review and publish it. That's bad journalism at best. Also, how does your experience with other tennis games even factor into the discussion when this is a completely new tennis game with a totally new and different control scheme. Seems to me you should try reviewing this again after you've decided whether the problem is with the game or your lack of skill. And based on other initial reviews (IGN, ONM, Nintendo Power) the problem does seem to be you.

  • konnsky #32 3 years ago

    more like WiiMotionFail, amirite?

  • Z101 #33 3 years ago

    Another review from a guy who don't get motion controls and whining about he wants his gamepad back.

    A very bad written review. Shame on eurogamer.

    That the reviewer considerate that WM+ doesn't work exact is absurd. Other reviewer tested the device with different games and are thrilled.

    And by the way. The Developer of this game said that M+ was to accurate and they don't use all the input the device created. They said also that they could have done a simple 1 to 1 control, but that seems to exhausting for the player.

    By the way 2: ign said it is one of the best tennis games they ever played :)
    Edited by 2 at 09/06/09 @ 07:42

  • Plewt #34 3 years ago

    Yes because suddenly IGN are not a bunch of cheerleaders and make the most trustworthy reviews in the entire universe.

    facepalm

  • smelly #35 3 years ago

    >Yeah, the early FIFA games were terrible... God you talk some rot smelly.

    Did you actually PLAY the early fifa games?

  • smelly #36 3 years ago

    back to tennis..

    i've just read the ign review... and now dont know whether to get this or not.

  • brof #37 3 years ago

    changing shot direction in this game is just RUBBISH. it is the same like in Wii Sports.. totally unintuitive...

  • Zomeguy #38 3 years ago

    totally unintuitive...
    Except it's not. I play tennis in RL and it makes sense.

  • Dan234 #39 3 years ago

    @Darren

    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... should have released this game for the 360, PS3 and PC where it would have worked better with a conventional controller and benefitted from some spanking HD visuals too.

    Change scares you, doesn't it?

  • Darren #40 3 years ago

    I've just read the 8.5 IGN review and it comes across like a different game to the one EG reviewed. But that purely down to how two different people get on with the controls. If someone doesn't think the controls work then how can they honestly praise the game they're playing? The controls are your only means of interacting with a game, if you don't think they work then the whole game falls flat.

    For every Wii, there are people who love the controls and others who don't. Resident Evil 4 Wii is another good example, EG didn't like them especially but I thought they worked fine. Mind you, having gone back to the GC original a few months back, I actually found I preferred the original GC controller but there you go.

    I noticed the IGN review pretty much slated the original Wiimote controller in the opening paragraph for every game except Wii Sports bowling, something I agree with. The Wiimote is perfect for pointing at the screen and all that jazz as well as tilt games such as Super Monkey Ball but it's always been pretty hopeless at detecting precise movement, something which is apparent from all the borked up Wii games I've played over the past few years since I bought it in December 2006.

    Now we hear that games using this new add-on might not be that great either, that's not really very good news really when you think back to IGN's comment about how Nintendo are the only ones who used the Wiimote properly. Is this new add-on going to suffer the same fate?

  • Darren #41 3 years ago

    Dan234 - "@Darren

    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... should have released this game for the 360, PS3 and PC where it would have worked better with a conventional controller and benefitted from some spanking HD visuals too.

    Change scares you, doesn't it?"

    Considering I've owned a Wii since launch, I'd say no otherwise I wouldn't have bought the machine in the first place. ;)

    But, yes, there's something about the EG review that disturbs me... it's bad controls!

  • layleeloo #42 3 years ago

    @ Darren

    "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... should have released this game for the 360, PS3 and PC where it would have worked better with a conventional controller and benefitted from some spanking HD visuals too."

    ERM, you do know it is coming on the PS3 and 360 later in the year don't you?????

  • Darren #43 3 years ago

    Actually no I didn't but I do now. :)

    Unless EA seriously mess up the controls then I suspect they'll prove to be the better games anyway. I hope they stick with the cartoony visuals though, I think they'd help the game stand out from Virtua Tennis and Top Spin and give it a bit of personality. :)

  • Santino #44 3 years ago

    i think i'm going to go with ign on this one, i tend to agree with the majority of their Wii reviews as they seem to be the only reviewers that can grasp the controls properly most of the time, ssx blur comes to mind immediately as a game i really enjoyed but was slated a bit for its controls most places. Even if without motion plus this game incorporates the same controls as wii tennis but allows you to move your character then i would be convinced, i just gather no satisfaction pushing buttons to play tennis after playing wii sports.

  • brof #45 3 years ago

    @xking

    I based my opinion on the review... where it was stated that shot direction is based on timing only, not on position or nunchuck stick... is shot direction timing based or not? I wonder....

    cheers,

  • Bremenacht #46 3 years ago

    The fact that you have to press a button for a lob or drop shot puts me off right away. Can't the game tell how you're positioning and moving the racquet using the WMP anyway?

    Is there a rival WMP tennis game out soon? Maybe that'll nail it, and get me buying.

  • CaptianScarlet #47 3 years ago

    The IGN review has me confused also. I think I'll probably take the plunge and get this. I'm a little bored with Wii sports tennis and could do with a proper tennis game. It'll be fun to play against the grand masters of tennis.

    Also, I'm getting the feeling that there might be a bit more skill to this one instead of the swing and whack approach of wii sports so maybe it just a little more "hardcore" than Kristan might have expected or had time to get into :)

  • Plewt #48 3 years ago

    "Can't the game tell how you're positioning and moving the racquet using the WMP anyway?"

    Virtua Tennis 2009 is supposed to work like that and should be out this month.

  • General_Zod #49 3 years ago

    Hahahahaha
    This is what always bothers me about previews, everyone including Eurogamer have been saying "the controls for this game are really good" Eurogamer recently did another preview and mentioned some slight problems with it but that was it. As soon as the review comes out it basically says its complete crap. This applies to all games where the game gets glowing previews and the game turns out to be turd. Do game companies hold the games journalists hostage until they give them a good preview or something?
    I would love to read a preview where the writer just said this is a terrible game and only the powers of heaven could save it before release.

  • layleeloo #50 3 years ago

    Quote from "Gamesradar"

    You can tell the difference immediately. You open up the invisible face of your ‘racquet’ to drive an imaginary forehand down the line, and that’s exactly where the on-screen ball goes. Put a bit more angle on the swing, aiming for the opposite corner, and the ball goes that way, too. Impressive!

    So - perhaps the review of this just wasnt any good at it?

  • xandaca #51 3 years ago

    Obviously I haven't played this game so have no idea whether the review is accurate or not, but it sounds as if the reviewer is more than a little sour than his assumption that he'd be automatically be awesome at tennis games has been shown up, and is annoyed that he needs to learn some new skills to adapt. IGN acknowledge that there's a large learning curve and it doesn't sound as if this reviewer gave the game a lot of time or was willing to take the time to learn the nuances. Of course I could be wrong, but Eurogamer have been immensely unfair on motion-driven gameplay in Wii games before (I'm looking at you, Deadly Creatures reviewer) so their impatience isn't exactly without patience.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 15:58

  • layleeloo #52 3 years ago

    @ Darren.

    Glad to teach you something :-)

    I am inclined to agree with you - I do have Virtua Tennis 09 on the PS3 which is great, not much of an improvement over VT3 but still great. So yes, I too hope that they keep with the same visual style as I think its ace and would stand out against the others, but - with EA's history of wanting to out tech themselves each year to be the best graphical sports games I cant see them doing it. I think they will go for the full HD life like visuals but - like you I would rather they kept this style

    BTW - its "due" in September on the other 2 machines.
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 16:58

  • carterclan #53 3 years ago

    I read other reviews before this one and think i will go with the majority verdict on this and get it. I dont realy trust EG on thier Wii reviews at the best of times. I like most others know theres a lot of crap on Wii but too often in the past ive seen EG give a poor review or bypassed giving a review entirely to what i have considered a good game. I dont profess to be an expert but having been a solid gamer since the '80s ive got a fair idea of whats good and whats not. I happen to be useless at football games therefore i wouldnt dare to judge on what football games are good or bad. If you were no good at Grand Slam Tennis Kristan you should have passed it on to someone else.

    Kristan Reed - Dismissed
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 17:21

  • Bremenacht #54 3 years ago

    Kristan Reed is probably one of the longest serving and respected reviewers on this site. It would be quite a rarity for him to have got this review so wrong as is being suggested. Having said that, he really doesn't seem to do many Wii reviews...

    edit:

    About 9 months ago: http://ww w.eurogamer.net/articles/de-blo... 8/10
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 18:19

  • Bhup666 #55 3 years ago

    Kristan Reed, it seems to me that you didn't calibrate the Motion Plus control so that it is behaving so randomly like you mention. If you don't calibrate it right, the shots get all arbitrary, and that is exactly what you're saying happened to you!

    IGN has a great review on this game and says that it has really good controls.

    It seems like you are being a bit childish in your review: "bu-hoo.. I don't like this game, it is so hard, even in the easiest setting.."

    Are you sure you used the Motion Plus correctly.. seems to me that you did not!

    Try it again before you give it 5/10

    Sincerely Jack
    Edited by 1 at 09/06/09 @ 19:33

  • kastark #56 3 years ago

    Eurogamer is for grown up only
    If not a FPS or xbox360 game the score sucks
    I am not a beliver of your site anymore
    ign.com is much better

  • Geordiemp #57 3 years ago

    Unfortunately EG is a bit 360 centric.

    In their face offs they always say, that damn 4.6 GB install on Ps3. I have both Xbox and Ps3 (and Wii) and I install all games if possible, for 360 to save noise and extend console life, for Ps3 cos I have to. With 320 GB ps3 dont care, with 60 GB I have to delete something (but its quicker install).

    Thats not the point, the point is the way EG portrays it. If you take away their slant on things, the information is useful.

    So, , for Wii MP, after each shot you have to keep the remote still and horizontal, is that correct ?

    Does that means it only tracks certain slow / medium speed movements and can loose it when you flail arms quickly, OR does the game loose its way by stopping tracking sensors at end of every point when it shows the replay ?

    If its the former and you can loose calibration by moving too fast, then bring on the Sony wand. Wii MP looks fail to me and agree with EG. And you should not have to hold the remote horizontal and still between every pont really, loose immersion ?

    If it looses cal at the end of each point, surely if the software kept tracking the wiiimote then you would only cal when you start ? This is a software issue.

    Which one is it, software of deficiency of Wii MP ?
    Edited by 1 at 10/06/09 @ 06:30

  • brof #58 3 years ago

    I wonder why Mr. Reed does not comment on some of the mentioned points, here

  • malteaserhead #59 3 years ago

    Cos he knows when to stay out of unsightly battles? ;)
    I'm more than willing to wait for other reports from EG people on the controls etc before wading in with personal attacks over someone's opinion. Not that you were doing that :)
    /prepares knuckledusters
    Edited by 2 at 10/06/09 @ 11:48

  • FiveManArmy #60 3 years ago

    I've just read on the EA GST forums that the face of the raquet is the left hand side of the Wii Remote, not the buttons as you would normally think.

    Apparently this isn't made very clear anywhere in game.

    Could this be the reason with the issue with the controls?

  • malteaserhead #61 3 years ago

    you would think it might have some effect...sounds counter intuitive though.

  • captain_chris #62 3 years ago

    "I've just read on the EA GST forums that the face of the raquet is the left hand side of the Wii Remote, not the buttons as you would normally think.

    Apparently this isn't made very clear anywhere in game.

    Could this be the reason with the issue with the controls? "

    Interesting point. What angle do most people hold the wiimote at? I think i usually have it at about a 45 degree angle between 'buttons on top' and 'buttons on side' unless the game calls for more precise tilting. It sounds as if the 'resting' position might need to be updated on a point by point basis to take your slightly differing standing position for each point into account.

    I don't think this is the reviewers problem however. He was complaining about shot placement which suggests issues with timing the swing accurately. Perhaps he got a bit excited at certain points in the rally, tried to play too hard a shot and ended up connecting too early?

  • malteaserhead #63 3 years ago

    I'll place my bet on it just not being a good game and the controls being flawed.

  • Warp2 #64 3 years ago

    Having actually bought and played the game, I feel this review is fair though perhaps a bit *too kind*.

    I've played tennis all my life and have been incredibly excited about the release of this game since I first heard about it. The (clearly rigged) demo video presented by EA led me to believe that we would finally receive a realistic feeling and intuitive tennis video game. Perhaps some day we will, but this is not it. This game's controls are terrible. Simply terrible.

    The swing motion does not at all work as would be expected and the 1:1 movement to on-screen action claims are laughable. In the demo video, the producer shows off the ability to bob up and down as McEnroe before serving. I attempted the same and it does not work at all like that unless you figure out the magical distances that the game will let you move your WMP up and down. Otherwise, you'll get choppiness or nothing. Twisting the wrist to change the racket angle is sorta represented on-screen, but the animations are so fickle and the results are so unexpected that it appears to be nothing more than a gimmick.

    I put a good hour into hitting balls against the ball machine trying all sorts of ground strokes. By the end, I had given up and was just trying to consistently get the right spins! It's that bad! This is something I can do with a real tennis racket in my sleep, however with this game it feels completely random. The most extreme attempts to generate topspin by angling the racket "face" forward and swing low to high would often still end up on-screen as slice. Sometimes pulling the racket back to begin a forehand stroke led to the on-screen character setting up for a backhand. Sometimes it performed a quick forehand stroke, completely whiffing early. Sometimes it did nothing. It led me on more than one occasion to wonder if my WMP was broken. Calibrating the WMP changed nothing and judging by what I've seen so far in Tiger 10 it's working just fine.

    After getting thoroughly disappointed by the WMP, I tried the game with the standard Wiimote. Lo and behold, it's easier to more consistently get the correct topspin and slice than it is with the WMP! It's not tennis, but it's not just pure randomness.

    Anyway, I'm rambling. But anyone who disagrees with this review either hasn't played the game or doesn't know how to play tennis. I'm about to give up on my Wii.
    Edited by 1 at 10/06/09 @ 15:28

  • malteaserhead #65 3 years ago

    Any ideas about the theory of having to hold the wiimote the 'right way'?
    It might be a little early to dismiss wmp on its display in this though, then again, maybe not ;)

  • smelly #66 3 years ago

    >Eurogamer have been immensely unfair on motion-driven gameplay in Wii games before


    Yeah.. i still remember the resi 4 review - with the "unplayable" controls!!!!

  • smelly #67 3 years ago

    "Eurogamer is for grown up only "

    replace "grown up" with "teenage boys" and i'll agree with you

  • SlyBoots #68 3 years ago

    I disagree with the reviewer on the controls. They are reliable, its the player that is unreliable. I'll preface this with the fact that I have only played with the nunchuk, which admittedly takes out some of the guess work on if your toon will line up for a backhand or forehand, but add another difficulty factor. I bought the game today and spent at least 3 hours on the practice court just figuring out how exactly aiming worked. It was frustrating at first because I could hit cross court shots easily but I could not for the life of me figure out how to hit shots down the line. But by the end I was hitting shots wherever I wanted to, including touch slice drop shots at the net without using the drop shot button.
    The only reason I hit shots that didn't go where I wanted them to was because of poor execution. This game takes a lot of skill. Not only do you have to point your follow through in the direction you want the ball to go, but you have to time your swing right too. If you point your follow through way to the left to hit a cross court forehand (right hander) but swing when the ball is almost passed you it will go straight, not left. On the other hand, if you swing too early the ball will go too far left and out. Needless to say, you will miss time shots and miss aim some shots and the ball will not go where you intended it to go. Its unreliableness is linked to player skill not Motion Plus malfunction.
    The game also has a lot of strategy, like real tennis. My first couple games I lost to the computer on easy from mostly hitting balls out trying to hit winners and not setting up my opponent. As my aim improved (just going for less risky shots mostly) and my strategy improved I started to win. After about 4 games I got the hang of my serve and volley game and I won the Australian Open winning every match 3-0 on medium setting. Then I tried online. I played 5 ranked games (5-0, name is SlyBoots, add/challenge me!) online and so far I'm having a blast. Online has been smooth with no lag and fast connect/join times.

    5/10 is a terrible score and isn't representative of the quality and fun of the game. Maybe it is 5/10 if you don't figure out the controls or simply can't execute shots reliably enough for it to be fun, but for those with decent hand-eye coordination and a willingness to practice it is a great game.
    Edited by 1 at 11/06/09 @ 00:17

  • Bartacus #69 3 years ago

    I'm quite impressed with this game & Motion + it's well worth a try.

  • layleeloo #70 3 years ago

    I dissagree with warp2.

    WARP2 Quote
    "Anyway, I'm rambling. But anyone who disagrees with this review either hasn't played the game or doesn't know how to play tennis. I'm about to give up on my Wii."

    I dissagree with both of these comments. I own it, and have been playing it all day so theres one of your suggestions gone, and secondly, I can play tennis as luckily I have one of the UK's top tennis coaches (who has written and published 14 books on tennis coaching) as an Uncle. Although I am hardly pro standard haha

    No doubt your points are valid for what YOU have found, as everyones points are valid buy saying if anyone dissagrees with you hasnt played it or doesnt know how to play tennis is wrong. Just becasue you found the game not to your liking does not been its a rubbish game. It means its not for you. As we are all individuals then people should make their minds up.

    We have to remeber here - IT IS A GAME AND NOT A SIMULATION. Admittedly it has been adertised as 1:1 which is maybe inaccurate and yes, serving is a bit strange. But you have to remember is still works a lot BETTER than any other games available. Sure I have VT2009 on my PS3, and wont say either are better as its like comparing 50 Cent to Halo. Just cos they are FPS they are totally different. Same with these.

    Grand Slam Tennis is a fun and varied reperesentation of the game. I have no doubt some tennis players will say its flawed and rubbish - but then, most people are NOT tennis players. We are gamers, and alas, the game is great fun, works much better than I thought it would, althought slightly dissolusioned about the 1:1. However we must also bear in mind it is the first game to use this and the tech and games to go with it will be firther refined as time goes on.

    Do no be put of buying it and enjoying it from this review as its the worst ive seen, most others are complimentry. People like warp2 make valid points but i feel they are forgetting the main point - its still just a game and does offer INFINATELY more playability and accuracy than anything else the wii has to offer right now.
    Edited by 2 at 11/06/09 @ 12:35

  • Z101 #71 3 years ago

    So I played this game since yesterday. It is the best Tennis game out there (perhaps until Virtua Tennis for Wii comes out?). The controls works fine, yes they have a learning curve, but what did you expect from a realistic Tennis game?

    The eurogamer test of this game is a shame. No more words to say about that.

  • Gabrien #72 3 years ago

    I think the point is: can anyone who has bought the game and played it, replicate (or come anywhere close to replicating) what the guy in the promo video was showing off as being possible? I certainly can't. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is the most blatant example of false advertising I can recal witnessing in the games industry. (The dude in the video is going straight to hell.)

    I spent a couple of hours trying to "learn" the controls, regardless, with varying degrees of success. I wil say this much - when this game works, it is the most exhilirating tennis game I've ever played. The other 80% of the time however, it is sheer frustration. In the end, what I found works best is simply flicking the remote right to left/left to right - which by the way works equally well with or without the motion+ attachment.

  • Warp2 #73 3 years ago

    milkyjoe, it sounds like you're missing the point. The game is advertised as 1:1 with a true intuitive tennis feel. However, it is anything *but* that and, as such, should receive a bad review. In order to play well, you have to figure out HOW THE GAME WORKS rather than how a tennis swing works. If you try to play this game like you're playing tennis, it will not work. Sure, that's ok for people who aren't tennis players, but for those of us who *do* play the game and know how a swing works, it's a joke. I don't know who the target audience is for this game, but I would think that it would be tennis fans.

    As Gabrien said:

    "In the end, what I found works best is simply flicking the remote right to left/left to right - which by the way works equally well with or without the motion+ attachment."

    That is absolutely right. Just like with most Wii games, the motion control turns out to simply be a gimmick. In this case, EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis is still pretty fun as a party game, but not as an actual tennis game.

    A 5/10 score is completely appropriate. Reviewers should not be in the business of giving high scores just because a game is different or because the game system's fans like high numbers.

  • Warp2 #74 3 years ago

    The rest of the review scores are meaningless if the reviewers feel obligated to post inflated review scores to avoid the wrath of fanboys. That's the problem, in general, with review scores. Not every game can be a 7 or 8 and a 5 in one rushed-out game does not invalidate the console or the WMP, itself.

    Quite honestly, I don't care what any sites think of the game. I can only judge the game by my own standards and expectations and, in this case, I feel eurogamer has done a better and fairer job of presenting the game than any other reviewer.

    Your mileage may vary.
    Edited by 1 at 11/06/09 @ 19:54

  • alexbee #75 3 years ago

    Played it. Hated it, could NOT get the hang of the controls. No forehand possible at all. Took it to a mates house to play and he was fine. Turns out you have to keep backswing to a minimum and kind of sweep the remote forward or to the left or right across your body. Is that like proper tennis????

  • secombe #76 3 years ago

    Plenty of Youtube footage (from your common garden Wii owners) shows them twisting the racket and doing all sorts with it, so I'm not sure why people believe the EA demo was 'faked'.

  • jjkandrews #77 3 years ago

    I read this review and was really disappointed. I'd been waiting ages for this game. Knowing that EG is normally really stingy with reviews I went and bought it anyway. After 20 minutes of smacking the ball OUT and wide I thought I should have listened to EG.

    HOWEVER...

    When a loading screen came up stating that the SIDE of the Wiimote was the face of the racket not the FRONT as it wiisports everything changed, I was hitting cross court shots, down the line anything I wanted! I honestly believe the reviewer didn't know how to hold the wiimote properly. This is at least a 8/10 game, the reviewer I'm SURE didn't know what he was doing and I'd dare him to say so!

  • ChrisS #78 3 years ago

    It does take a bit of getting used to, but I've had very few problems with this game's controls so far, and after one defeat won my next three matches on Medium difficulty.

    What's odd is that MotionPlus seems to work better in matches than on the Practice court, although admittedly I haven't gone back to the latter since starting the game.

    I think this review is a good indicator of how difficult reviews for MotionPlus-enhanced games are going to be. Kristan clearly didn't get on with the controls, but having played the game for just a couple of hours, I've barely experienced any of the problems he had. Very odd.

  • Gabrien #79 3 years ago

    Actually, I figured out why controls seem like they're working better in match than on the practice court. What appears to happen is, the game does not properly register you swinging back until the ball is heading toward you. On the practice court, since we know where the ball will be coming, we tend to swing back early in anticipation (before the ball has left the ball machine) and that messes it up. In a match, since we have less time to swing and tend to wait to see in which direction the ball will be coming, we swing later.

    I have gotten on with the controls much better in the last couple of days, however as mentioned in a previous post, "flicking" the remote left and right is what appears to work best - not tennis, and not what was advertised. Still having fun online with this though.

  • malteaserhead #80 3 years ago

    Another way around the inconsistent controls is to get back to the starting position (i.e. the position you hold the racquet in before the opponent serves) as quickly as you can after playing a stroke.

    If you take a swing and don't go back to the normal starting position quickly enough the game reads the last position you held the remote in (i.e. the end of your previous swing) as the starting point for the new swing, so when you then try to move the remote back to the original position it counts it as a swing. I'm sure this makes little sense but it works for me! That and making sure the side of the remote is thought of as the face and holding the remote pretty still between points... all of which is barely explained in-game!
    Edited by 1 at 15/06/09 @ 09:22

  • gudnikristinn #81 3 years ago

    Wii owners! Beware of Eurogamer scores!
    Seriously, if you go to metacritic.com you can see that this site is almost ALWAYS the site that gives the lowest scores on Wii games.
    I have long since stopped using them as a reference and it is more then just a little bit obvious to anybody who uses Metacritic scores as theyre main reference to quality that Eurogamer might just be one of the most unfair sites when it comes to Wii games.
    Edited by 2 at 15/06/09 @ 22:57

  • malteaserhead #82 3 years ago

    fwiw although I think GST is a high 7 or maybe even an 8. However, the lack of a decent in-game explanation on how to use the controls properly kind of makes arguments about the review scores a bit loose. I can understand if people don't get it, think it's rubbish and, accordingly, rate it low. EA really need to make the issues about the resetting and proper use of the controller clearer imo.
    Edited by 1 at 16/06/09 @ 09:34

  • db3 #83 3 years ago

    Bought this yesterday and no way is it a 5.

    Although not exact 1:1, motion+ really does work well enough for a great game of tennis. The nunchuck isn't recommended to start with, but I found the game played so much more naturally when used to control players position. If the wiimote is held correctly I found I only occasionally missed the ball, although that was largely down to selecting the wrong shot side when not quite in position. I've just completed my first online game and it was hugely entertaining.

    Only shame is the need to use buttons for drop and lob. I guess increasing the shot power sensitivity to include these would make the game too challenging.
    The cartoony the graphics suit the game well given the lack of Wii HD. The sfx really adds atmosphere dropping to a hush and then building up in the excitement.

    Don't be put off by the 5, that score is nonsense. Perhaps the VT advertising is a factor here?
    Edited by 2 at 16/06/09 @ 20:44

  • snowdog #84 3 years ago

    Looks like this is being looked at again, and good job too. This game is streets ahead of Virtua Tennis on the Wii once you get over the learning curve. This deserves a score of 8+ imo, the 72 Metascore doesn't do this game justice thanks to some reviewers not taking enough time to learn how to play the game.