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PSP | Sports | Smash Court Tennis 3

Boxart for Smash Court Tennis 3
Smash Court Tennis 3 49 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.00
  • SOUND: 3.50
  • CONTROL: 3.00
  • FUN FACTOR 3.25
  • AVG USER SCORE n/a
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.3

Review: Smash Court Tennis 3

Review by Andy Burt | 08/22/2007 | 16:32:15 PM PST

As Sega's next contender for King of the Court, Smash Court Tennis 3 brings to the table a deep and involved tennis game. This isn't your little brother's Mario Power Tennis of yesteryear, oh no.

Much more akin to games like the Pro Evolution soccer series, this game may frustrate many with intricate controls and timing, but will ultimately offer up a rewarding experience to the hardcore tennis sim fan who appreciates taking time to build up characters, learning the intricate controls and delving into the games many silly mini-games.

Evolution of the Game

I thought I could just start up an Exhibition Game and start blasting tennis balls at my opponent, but I was sorely disappointed when I got my ass handed to me in the first round... and then the next. Yes, Namco Bandai doesn't keep it much of a secret that they really geared this game towards fans that really want to get deep into this title.

For those dedicated fans, this game has a ton to offer. Playing through the Pro Tour with a customized character will provide hours of play. Fighting your way to the top and improving your skills will be no easy task, but SCT3 does a fairly good job through tutorials to teach the gamer the (oftentimes cumbersome) controls. Breaking up the longwinded Tournament Mode is the fairly entertaining Challenge Mode, where the player can play "Pac-Man" Tennis, among others. These silly diversions definitely come in handy when you need a break from reality tennis.

All in all, Smash Court Tennis 3 has all the pieces that should have made for a well-rounded tennis game. It sports great graphics, an in-depth Pro Tour, and plenty of customizable characters. It's too bad, then, that this title suffers from the unfortunate reality that the individual parts are better than whole. Sure it has a ton of great options and modes, but it simply doesn't have the action packed excitement of the Virtua Tennis series. Sports games, tennis included, are supposed to give you an intense feeling of excitement while playing, and SCT3 simply can't pull that off.

Pros: Deep gameplay with a slew of customizable players and modes.
Cons: Completely inaccessible to a casual player, clunky and sometimes unresponsive controls.


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