This week in Family Gamer TV we take a look at the Move controls in Grand Slam Tennis 2 on the PlayStation 3. The kids tell us first hand what they made of the new game, and I outline the new features.
Grand Slam Tennis 2 ($42.98 on Amazon) brings tennis to PlayStation Move. While the kids enjoyed it I was disappointed that it lacked the one-to-one nature of the original game’s controls. With no Wii follow-up, I suspect that a Wii U may arrive later in the year and be the true motion-controlled successor.
I was a big fan of the original Grand Slam Tennis game. It was the first title to make use of the Motion Plus controls on the Wii, even released before Wii Sports Resort, and was the first time I experienced the sort of one-to-one controls promised (but not previously delivered) by Nintendo’s motion controlled console.
Grand Slam Tennis was a revelation on the Wii. Not only could you control the direction and weight of your shot by the direction of your swing (more than timing as in Wii Sports Tennis and Table Tennis) but your on screen character perfectly matched your real-world motions in an uncanny way.
Grand Slam Tennis PS3 Move
For Grand Slam Tennis 2, EA has decided to switch to the PlayStation 3 and 360 and not offer the sequel on the Wii. This approach is mirrored by its Tiger Woods golf series that will this year not be coming to the Wii.
Having spent a considerable amount of time with Grand Slam Tennis 2 I now find myself going back to the old Wii game because of the direct connection it creates with the player and the more subtle controls. For all its visuals, sound and big name branding, Grand Slam Tennis 2 hedges its bets too much. It turns out to be a jack of all trades but master of none. Although the original was underdeveloped in a few areas at least it committed to one control scheme that everyone had to use.
For families that don’t have a Wii, Grand Slam Tennis 2 PS3 Move offers a great way to get kids into tennis. Players of all abilities will be able to enjoy the game and can play together with a variety of control methods.
If you do have a Wii though the original Grand Slam Tennis ($15.99 on Amazon) still offers more convincing motion controls and at a fraction of the price — although I suspect the release of the sequel will see a resurgence of the Wii game and a related bump in second hand price.
My full review of Grand Slam Tennis 2.
