Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 screenshots   The Final Say! Gameplay 9.0 Graphics 8.9 Sound 8.8 Value 8.9 Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 - reviewed by Andrew B Review Date: July 2004 Review Score 8.9/10 Distributed By: Sony

With Wimbledon just over, what better way to celebrate than with the release of Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2. This current incarnation offers gamers a variety of new players that include tennis seeded greats such as Williams, Federer and our very own Leyton Hewitt who is also joined by some non seeded players such as the gorgeous Anna Kournikova. Banking on the success of the previous incarnation, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 (now known as Smash Court 2 for this review) includes a variety of gameplay modes such as arcade, exhibition, pro tour and practice to wet the appetite of just about any sports buff. For those true tennis specialists, I would suggest that they play the Pro Tour because they can virtually play just about every major event in the world from centre court Wimbledon to the Australian Open.  As with the XBox Topspin game, you are awarded money for completing matches that can then be used to purchase a variety of tennis related clothes and equipment that although does nothing to your gameplay, it does bring an aspect of the "Sims" to the game. If you've played the previous game of the series, the control system is virtually identical and it uses a combination of the analog sticks and d-pad to control your tennis player in the gaming environment. Other small touches such as selecting the area where you wish to serve the ball or ensuring a variety of different hits to keep your opponent on their toes has all been included in this addictive tennis title. Although the control system is a little tricky, it does take some time getting use to and I suggest that you play the practice mode of the game to master your topspin. The title also supports a brilliant multiplayer option that looks and plays phenomenally on a widescreen television that we had hours and hours of enjoyment. Unfortunately Smash Court 2 doesn't offer access to the incredibly growing PS2 Online phenomena which is a shame because this would of been great online. Each tennis player in the game also has their own unique style of tennis that must also be mastered along with the control system and it all comes down to timing in order to pull off your shots and smashes. This greatly increases the playability and difficulty of the title to ensure that you are getting your moneys worth. If you feel that the real-world players that grace this game are a little too bland and you feel the inclination of actually playing in the game yourself, then you will be happy to know that Smash Court 2 supports its very own character creation. This character creation aspect of the game allows you to create your very own tennis player, whether it is based on yourself or a some mythical super model or movie star, it is all up to you.

Graphically, Smash Court 2 looks quite impressive on the PlayStation but when you compare it to the XBox tennis game called Topspin, it unfortunately just loses... however, that is still a pretty good sign. However, the game still has its merits such as the highly detailed backgrounds that actually resemble their real-world stadiums to the highly detailed polygonal players that move with human-like grace and fluidity, the graphics in this title are extremely solid.

The stadiums also contain the official advertising of the various stadiums from around the world that include Adidas and Kia to name a few of the sponsors who grace this title. One a side note though, the real-world players almost look like their real-world counterparts and when you see Anna, you can almost be forgiven in thinking that it is really her.

The game also contains all the "official" tennis sounds from the grunts and shouts of the players to the sounds of the ball hitting the difference court surfaces and rackets. There is also a pumping soundtrack that is associated with the game that really gets you into the sporting mood of this title.

In conclusion Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 is easily the best tennis game on the PlayStation 2 to date and is almost on par with Topspin on the XBox. With amazing graphics (just re-check the screenshots again), a very impressive gaming engine and a few little surprises thrown in here and there by Namco, this is one game that tennis fans should grab! Check it out!

- Andrew B