Fluid control system
On top of the numerous tennis matches, you can buy new equipment, read messages from rival players, and even acquire your own fan club.
You’ll still find the same array of shots available, top spin, slice and lob, as well as the aforementioned risk shot and, whilst the basic shot will always remain inside the court, the advanced strokes need to be directed with precision. Keep your finger pressed on the directional button too long and you’ll send the ball hurtling out of play. It’s a fine balance between precise directional button movement and failure. You’ll also be able to access high-powered versions of these four shots by pressing your LB button just before you take your swing.
The four buttons on your control pad relate to the four shots that can be played, whilst the right trigger is used for the risk shot.
The risk shot is triggered through the power meter, activated by the RB button. You’ll need to hit the power metre at precisely the right point if you want to send your opponent dashing around the court like a whippet, in a vain attempt to reach this powerful shot.
If you miss the shot you’ll likely hit the ball into the net, or send a weak shot over to your opponent which may give him the upper hand.
The risk shot and advanced shots can be activated once the momentum meter has reached a certain level. The momentum meter rises with each score gained and can drop equally as fast with every point lost. Using these shots will drain your momentum meter meaning that you’ll have to work hard to fill it up again.
Are you still with me? It all sounds a bit complicated but it really isn’t, you’ll be lobbing opponents and sending drop shots over the net with the same skill as Tim Henman *coughs* before long.
As with Top Spin, the controls for executing these shots and all of the standard shots are extremely responsive, they’re as perfect as they possibly could be, and you’ll feel a great satisfaction when you pull of a tricky shot with pin-point precision.
