Relying on a formula can be a fatal mistake for a game series, but Virtua Tennis is one title that bucks the trend.
Virtua Tennis 09
Sega
Xbox 360
Hayden Meikle
Sporting franchises like Fifa (football), Madden (American football) and NBA Live (basketball) have had to take some risks and come up with new ideas to encourage sports gamers to shell out their cash every season.
Famously, Fifa underwent a seismic change in its physics engine three years ago that shocked devotees but turned out to be a very smart move.
Tennis, dominated by the Top Spin and Virtua Tennis franchises, is a bit different.
The sport, as played on the small screen, is so elemental, so basic.
Just like you did 30 years ago with a couple of white lines and a tiny dot, you manoeuvre a figure left and right and up and down and repeat, repeat, repeat.
Top Spin's most recent edition tried a new timing device, forcing you to think more closely about when to press the buttons, but Virtua Tennis 09 just carries on where Virtua Tennis 3 left off.
The same format, the same formula and the same faces appear - but I couldn't be happier about that.
Call me a basic sports gamer, but there's something nice about allowing yourself to take a break from the more intense experience of running a hot route in Madden or setting up a pick-and-roll play in NBA Live.
Virtua Tennis eases you into its world tour with some simple mini-games, easily winnable tournaments and a stripped-back interface in which you can never get lost.
The gameplay is arcade-style and fast-paced, and an updated roster allows you to play as both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, not to mention a dozen other professionals.
Progression can be slow, with the early tournaments only giving you a chance to boost your world ranking incrementally.
And it might just be my ageing television, but it appears the ball trail graphics that have been a feature of the series are looking a bit sick.
Otherwise, it's another great addition to what is still a relatively small stable of tennis games.
