EA Sports: Grand Slam Tennis for Wii

GF Rating

8

Very Good

I give this game an 8.5

posted by jdsampson (APACHE JUNCTION, AZ) Jun 22, 2009

Member since Sep 2007

14 out of 17 gamers (82%) found this review helpful

If you are only going to give this game 30 minutes you are not going to like it at all. At first I was very frustrated with it and did not know exactly what I was doing. The game is not one to one motion when you are swinging. It is a one to one of how you swing.(with wii motion plus is only way to play, if you don't this don't play or go out and buy one) If you stop your swing short it will go one direction. If you only swing half way it will go straight. It also recognizes top spin, slice, and a flat shot perfectly. You do have to press a or b for dop shots and lobs though. I would also recomend going with the combo of wii mote, wii motion +, and nunchuck. You really need to play the game for about an hour before you will really get the system down. Once you do though it becomes a very rewarding system and very addictive. Online for the game works extremely well and is a lot of fun. It completely bypasses the need for freind codes. I have ward though that the single platyer mode does lack some depth. Most of my time spent playing is with people localy or with people online.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Much better than Virtua Tennis

posted by Neelix (MALDEN, MA) Jun 11, 2009

Member since May 2006

12 out of 16 gamers (75%) found this review helpful

Ok, this game is not perfect, but it is really enjoyable to play. Yes, there are times when the new wii-motion plus is erratic, but after I recalibrate the wii-mote placing it face down for 2 seconds, it plays much better.

There is a one to one motion aspect that you don't get in Virtua Tennis. Also, the graphics are more appealing. The other game tries to be more realistic but the characters end up looking bizarro and kinda scary.

It took a little learning curve to get the movements down, but once I did, this game is really great.

Here's one important hint. Since it is a true one to one motion transfer, when you are in the ready stance, you hold your "racquet" in a ready pose where your wii-mote top is actually facing the screen. If you aim to the left of the screen slightly, it will be in a pose ready to hit a back hand (if you're right handed) and vice versa, if you aim it to the right a little, it instructs your avatar to prepare to hit a forehand.

Once I got that down, the swings came more easily.

Don't take my word for it, try both versions (Virtua Tennis 2009 and this one) and you'll see for yourself. EA definitely wins out in this battle for the racquet.

Match Point!

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Best Tennis SIM Yet

posted by NealWM (STUDIO CITY, CA) Jun 21, 2009

Member since Nov 2008

4 out of 6 gamers (67%) found this review helpful

Using the Motion Plus is a bit frustrating at times because of the on again off again nature of it but overall this is the best tennis simulation so far...and I have tried them all. My one complaint is that it seems that the pros always seem to have that perfect counter shot in the one on one play...I understand they are supposed to be the pro players but throw us a bone once and awhile. Love the game though.

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

Very Disappointing... STAY AWAY!

posted by mahollo (JASPER, AL) Feb 3, 2010

Member since Feb 2010

3 out of 5 gamers (60%) found this review helpful

I chose to rent this game due to the fact that I love playing real tennis, and this seemed like it would be as realistic as I could get short of going outside during the winter to play actual tennis. I was completely wrong. Sadly, Wii Sports tennis is actually a more realistic tennis game than this poor attempt by EA Sports. Where to begin... The computer's shot selections are almost impossible to predict, and have no rhyme or reason to them. This is not meaning that the game has intelligent AI, but rather the shots are completely random and have little to no strategy behind them. They just go anywhere at anytime. Also, the shots that you are able to take are even more unrealistic. If you attempt to swing in a realistic tennis motion for topspin or backspin, approximately 3/4 of the time you will end up with the opposite shot that you were attempting to take. Add this to the fact that there is no intuitive way to control the way/direction of where your player is running (and if you let the computer run for you it will consistently over or under run a shot), and you are left with a total flop of a game. I also would like to add that the new Wii-motion plus had absolutely no advantage to it, and it added nothing to the game. Most of the time the controller was not 1:1 with how I was holding it, and I used multiple controllers and recalibrated it several different times to make sure it wasn't just a fluke. All in all just a poor excuse of a game. The only positive of the game is that you can play as some of the all-time greats that don't seem to get much exposure in other video games.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

A lot of potential - terrible gameplay

posted by sunny757 (ELLICOTT CITY, MD) Dec 28, 2010

Member since Dec 2010

1 out of 2 gamers (50%) found this review helpful

i really wanted to like this game, it has all the players and courts, but the game play is far from tolerable, wii sports resort's table tennis is light years ahead of this game

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Isnt this the game that came with my Wii?

posted by alec9922 (STATE COLLEGE, PA) Jun 13, 2009

Member since Jun 2009

6 out of 15 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

Anytime EA sports does something, they usually do it more than just right, they do it very well. Not this time. They spent the time and effort to get permission to use all 4 Grand Slam venues, complete with sponsors and play by play announcers with accurate accents. I wish they would have spent some of that time on the game.

The game is really only a version of Wii Sports tennis with a few famous names and prettier graphics. If not for the novelty of the Wii Motion Plus controller and its ability to more accurately control the spin of your shots, this game would be no better than the free game you got with your Wii.

The court movement of your character (who you have very minimal ability to personalize) is awkard, often leaving you not knowing if your hitting a forehand or backhand until its too late. You can set the game up to control your movement with the nunchuck buts it takes more getting used to than i was willing to spend on the game.

There is no career mode-- Only Grand Slam mode which allows you to play the 4 big tourneys but omits the rest of the tennis season. You start out playing a warm up match for the Australian Open without having ever earned your way in. Its the least in depth career mode i have ever seen--- doubly disappointing for an EA Sports game.

It actually has a calorie counter. DUMB! Why not have spent that effort on expanding the customization ability of your character.

Overall, its as big a failure as EA Sports is capable of.....a version of Wii Sports tennis with famous names and a few bells and whistles.

If you have the Wii Motion Plus-- rent it to get some use out of it. You will be ready to return it in a day or so and get back to a game that is truly worthy of the EA Sports name and the coolness of the Wii Motion Plus-- Tiger Woods 10

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GF Rating

5

Fair

So frustrating

posted by WojJed (SAVAGE, MN) Jun 11, 2009

Member since May 2007

6 out of 15 gamers (40%) found this review helpful

I had high hopes for this game. I love to play actual tennis and have always enjoyed the video games, I was hoping the new 'swing technology' would make it more fun. This is not the case, when playing with the Wii Motion Plus or even the standard Wiimote, the ball placement is unpredictable. Also their is no tutorial, so it's up to you to figure out how to play. The game will show occasional screens that show how easy it is to hit the ball left or right, but show placement seems as though it wants to go cross court everytime. So many times I've tried to hit a into the open court but just hit it straight at my opponent instead to lose the point. Also there is no season mode, you just play the 4 Grand Slams over and over again.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Good Fun

posted by MarineBio (SANTEE, CA) Nov 4, 2009

Member since Nov 2009

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

I had fun with this game from start to finish. I play tennis on and off in real life and really got into this one. I like the layout and the career mode. If you like tennis then try this one out. This title is now on the to get list but not at the top.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Very good game

posted by skifreak (LOUISBURG, NC) Oct 6, 2009

Member since Oct 2009

1 out of 3 gamers (33%) found this review helpful

We tried another tennis (Virtua i think) and we could not use it as it didn't have a left hand option. This game has online mode so you can play ranked or unranked players. Very close to tennis itself and I get a bit of a work out. Keep in mind you need to bring your racket back to the front after every shot.. then swing as you would in tennis.

I am more into the game than the players you can create and graphics etc. and this game is perfect. You can play doubles online as well.

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GF Rating

4

Weak

Just ok

posted by wiiflyhigh (FENTON, MO) Dec 8, 2009

Member since Nov 2009

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

I just couldn't get into this game. The controls didn't feel natural at all, which made the game more frustrating than fun. I can't imagine how bad it would have been without wii motion plus. Hopefully a better tennis game is on the way. As far as this one goes, I would rather throw out the racket style controls go back to the old click and aim style shots.

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GF Rating

10

Perfect

Great Game

posted by BMullins7 (CINCINNATI, OH) Nov 10, 2009

Member since Nov 2009

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

One of the best games I have played for the Wii. Game play is awesome and it's a good workout!!

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

Fun!

posted by jonnbecky (LOMBARD, IL) Sep 10, 2009

Member since Feb 2009

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

This game has good dynamics even if you are not a tennis player. Very smooth with the motion plus!

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Terrible tennis game

posted by Viper2 (HIALEAH, FL) Jun 18, 2009

Member since Apr 2006

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

I wanted to give this game a shot. But after trying to play it for over a week, I have given up and I am sending it back. I had high hopes for it considering it was one of the new games that would work with my Wii Motion Plus. It is not accurate at all even after placing it on a flat surface for two seconds like the game recommends. I have not tried Virtua Tennis but I intend to give that one a try.

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GF Rating

8

Very Good

A solid tennis game for Wii

posted by SergeantPope (CHARLESTON, IL) Jun 12, 2009

Member since Apr 2007

1 out of 4 gamers (25%) found this review helpful

Most sports games for the Wii either dont work right or are just bad in general. But this game is a really nice change of pace. First off this games best feature is online. You can play online with people and your friends so if theyre not at your house. It has a campaign mode, but youll prouble just want to play quick play with your friends. This game also works with Wii motion plus, which i havnt tried out yet, but im sure it enhances the game. But if you dont have a wii motion plus attachment, itll still work with any wiimote. The graphics arent too bad for the Wii, but it is still a Wii game so its not as good as it should be. So overall this game is really fun with your friends and has online. Try it out today.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

its ok

posted by chewbaca21 (Denver, CO) Jul 1, 2009

Member since Jun 2005

1 out of 5 gamers (20%) found this review helpful

needs better graphics. bad motions. i'd be suprised if some one bought the game.

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GF Rating

2

Really Bad

another reason not to get the Wii

posted by creemiller (STONE RIDGE, VA) Jun 28, 2009

Member since Nov 2008

1 out of 8 gamers (12%) found this review helpful

This game is beyond horrible, the Wii sensor is late in its reaction time and each game takes forever. I don't have the Wii motion yet because I'm sick of buying accessories for this system so I had to use the nunchuck. Let me say its awesome having the cord hit you in the face and when it gets tangled up it makes it that much more fun. I don't know about you but I don't want to play a game that I have to practice in order to enjoy. I also just wanted to play a season but Noooooo you have to play all these dumb side games first.

Do you like games where the announcer says the same 4 things over and over and over again? Then sign up for this piece of garbage. I had the game for a couple of weeks so I did give it a chance. It is cool that you can play online but the game is so bad it ruins that experience.

Rent this game before you buy it.

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GF Rating

1

Horrible

VERY frustrating at first

posted by williambertram (WICHITA, KS) Aug 9, 2011

Member since Jun 2011

Wow, the controls on this game are COMPLETELY unique. I still find myself frustrated when my guy is facing the wrong direction. Beginners should definitely doe the ball machine for a while, then choose Nadal vs. the weakest possible player to warm up for several games. Trust me, you will be frustrated with the controls for a while. The game suggests standing up and emulating a tennis stance, so I did that and it helped a lot. Took about 15 games of yelling and complaining to finally get the hang of moving the guy around. It's just so.... counter intuitive. Especially returning serves. Sometimes instead of just hitting a backhand like you want, the guy will for some unknown reason go completely on the other side of the ball and hit this awkward scrunched up forehand. Yeah, the controls on this one seemed downright terrible at first. After about 20 games... so - so. It's fun, but in my opinion more work should have been done to make the controls intuitive. One thing I REALLY hate is fumbling around with awkward controls. Make the controls simple, and the game challenging. It's much more fun that way. I have to say Wii Tennis is a lot better than this game, although it's a bit awkward as well. Either one is much like playing actual tennis. :) Maybe a better name for this would be "Struggle with awkward controls that vaguely resembles playing tennis". :)

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GF Rating

7

Good

The best so far (that's not saying much)

posted by mudixon (GRIMESLAND, NC) Apr 12, 2010

Member since Aug 2004

For the Wii, this is the best tennis game I've tried so far. I found myself swinging the remote like a real tennis racket, and (for the most part) the game responded as it should have. In fact, I was trying to whip those backhands so fast that (through a bit too much gaming at one time) I pull a muscle or two in my bicep! You don't have to swing as hard as it makes you think you do!

One area that it needs improvement is with the serve. I was unable to find a way to provide an adequate speedy serve to ace my opponent. Another area of improvement needed is the lack of other venues to play. Why not start your tennis player's career at the bottom and work your way up? Instead, the game starts you at the Australian Open! Not realistic.

The game does get you off your butt, and I did get a workout in the arms when I played it for hours at a time. However, the Wii Motion add-on made the gameplay worse, and I had to remove it after realizing that I was not at fault for missing so many returns.

EA Sports made a good-faith effort here, but I wanted more expansive game play. It feels like tennis when you're playing, but it gets too repetitive and boring after you've finished playing the four venues.

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GF Rating

9

Excellent

Great!

posted by beyes71 (PALM COAST, FL) Apr 1, 2010

Member since Apr 2010

A great game, but if you're older or have bad joints, probably not so great. I thought I was in shape, but after 2-3 games I get some serious tennis elbow issues going on. Which is too bad, really, because none of my other games, even Punch-out, do that to me, and Punch-out is a HECK of a workout. Online games are fun, but most players are extremely advanced it seems, and just about everyone kicks my butt.

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GF Rating

3

Bad

eh

posted by bilko79 (FORT WORTH, TX) Mar 30, 2010

Member since Apr 2008

Easily one of the most frustrating games I have ever played

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GF Rating

7

Good

Fun, but Tough

posted by bricks447 (CANONSBURG, PA) Feb 8, 2010

Member since Jan 2010

I love the game! It is a great pick up and play game. You might need to do the training for a couple of minutes to learn a couple tricks, but overall. It was a very challenging game. However, even thoug I do not have the Wii Motion Sensor Enhancement, I felt the game even on "easy" mode was really tough. I am a 29 year man that usually is pretty dominant in any video game that I play. This game was a little frustrating or humbling because I lost a lot of matches before I got a little better. Overall a 7 out of 10

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GF Rating

3

Bad

Hard to control character

posted by killacolin (CALISTOGA, CA) Jan 25, 2010

Member since Jan 2010

Its seems very hard to make your player do what you want it to do. Sometimes your racket will be on the wrong side and its very difficult to move it back to the other side. Im very annoyed.

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GF Rating

5

Fair

Tennis Anyone?

posted by nullhead (WAYNE, PA) Jan 12, 2010

Member since Jan 2010

This game was frustrating for me. Even on easy mode, I had much difficulty beating even the lowest ranked players. The Wii-mote response seemed a bit off at times (perhaps it was just me) and seemed a bit easier when the motion plus was removed :) It is nice that one can move the character around with the nunchuck but was a bit awkward when hitting and such (I'm a very mobile Wii game player and do not enjoy being smacked in the face with a plastic covered wire). I rate a 5 because, after much more time and energy spent playing the game, I am sure I could master the controls....I just did not feel like putting that kind of time into virtual tennis. I would rather spend my time playing the real-life game.

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

Good motion control, not very interesting

posted by johnsrevie (CUPERTINO, CA) Dec 25, 2009

Member since Dec 2009

this game actually incorporates the wii, so you cant just shake the remote around and expect to hit the ball. the game relies on timing and precision, and the wii motion is actually very accurate. however, the points are often very long, making the game kind of tedious. however, they have deep multiplayer modes, so if youre having something like a new years party, pick this game up!

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GF Rating

6

Above Average

A Short Entatainer

posted by sean2798 (NORTH ANDOVER, MA) Dec 5, 2009

Member since Dec 2009

It is good for the first few times you play it, but after a week it started getting boring. Don,t get it if you don't know a thing about tennis. I spent half the time yelling at the TV because I had no idea what was going on.

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EA Sports: Grand Slam Tennis for Wii Reviews by Gamers

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