
	Platform PC Genre Sports Publisher Oxygen Interactive Developer Aqua Pacific ESRB E (Everyone) Released July 31, 2003

- Player editor - This feature is one rarely seen in the tennis genre and gives Pro Tournament an independent distinguishable feature - Easy Controls that even a chimp could settle into the controls of this game with no hassle - Motion Captured animation providing a real tennis experience

- A relatively simplistic and predictable A.I lets the game down immensely - A monotones soundtrack to rival a Mariah Carey album - Low resolution mode is far from aesthetically pleasing - Sprites and characters remain far from realistic and at times, completely unbelievable

Review: Tennis Masters Series (PC) Review: Tennis Masters Series 2003 (PC)
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Perfect Ace Pro Tournament Tennis

Score: 4.2/10

The latest offering in the form of sports gaming is from Oxygen Interactive and entitled, Perfect Ace Pro Tournament Tennis. Another addition to the competitive sporting genre, where few games rise while others fall into the pit of gaming obscurity appropriately entitled the "Bargain Basement". My initial reaction was to approach with caution, was this title another to be found in that elusive basement or a proverbial phoenix that would rise from the ashes of the decrepit sporting genre? Could this possibly be 2003's answer to the legendary Virtua Tennis?

The story behind the game is straight forward and simplistic, how complicated can a tennis storyline be? You are playing in the worlds' greatest championships and your task, should you be curious enough to accept it, is to battle your way to the final of the championships and, predictably, win!

Upon starting up the game, the introductory menu's remain fairly simple, in fact so simple that even a 5 year old could happily navigate his or her way around it. Bright colours and clear bold graphics make the menu practical and aesthetically pleasing. Once I had selected the single player mode, I was expecting a maze of controls that would take me a while to master; However to my joy, I was pleasantly surprised. Having briefly skimmed through the manual previously, I was well aware of what

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was required, but didn't expect the gameplay to be that simple. It makes the game all the more enjoyable, when you are able to spend the majority of your time concentrating on the screen as opposed to staring at the keyboard, especially when you have a speeding tennis ball flying at you!

As for the Artificial Intelligence, I have to point out that after a short while, it becomes predictable and boring. It is evident to me that

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little thought has been spent on this section of the game, and as a result lets down the gameplay, and the game itself, gravely and massively. In order to make a game desirable, an essential component is the gameplay, and more thought and design needs to go into the production of the A.I in order to make this game more appealing and addictive, the one major quality it lacks is addiction, why would you bother going back to a game if it isn't addictive?

Graphics are pleasant but sketchy at times, my PC isn't of an amazing specification, and even with 5gb of hard drive space remaining on a 60GB hard drive, the 256mb ram was ample to play with, without becoming furious at stuttering graphic's. You are able to choose between 640x480 with either 16 or 32 bit colours although the low resolution mode can be a bit painful on the eyes. One of the games bonus attribute's is the motion captured animation which provides lifelike movement and an ultra real tennis experience. The characters are at the end of the day just sprites, low rate sprites at that, and bare little resemblance to any of the actual players, even though they are supposed to be photo realistic.

As for sound, well this yet again is another let down. It is nothing special at all and at times, so incredibly annoying I found myself unplugging my speakers and switching on the Television. I personally found it so basic and monotones that it became more than a perfect enough excuse to shut my PC down... which is always a shame...

But on a more positive note, meticulous attention has been put into the general structure and features of the game. You are able to choose 32 realistic character's with their own styles and skills, 16 detailed stadiums on Grass, Clay, Hard and Carpet courts. A tournament mode where you can team up with a partner to battle your way across the globe, a multiplayer mode where up to 4 players can play and my favorite addition to the game; a player editor where you can become a character in the game and create your own dream partner. But even these attributes cannot make up for the poor and dare I say it? Boring gameplay.

In Conclusion, Perfect Ace Pro Tennis Tournament is a refreshing, warm and inviting title to the bland sporting gaming genre. The major let down in this game is the below average graphics and the monotones gameplay. It is a hard game to get motivated to play, you really have to be able to see past the below average gameplay which makes the game appear disjointed and confused, and concentrate on the central, more appealing features of the game.

Sadly it seems like this title is making the process of venturing through the proverbial maze of the ever increasing sports titles is becoming more of a chore then a joy. My mother always told me to trust my instincts and for once, it seems like she may have been right...

Chase Scott-Pearson

September, 28 2003