If you want to play portable tennis, you’re probably best off sticking with Virtua Tennis 4 on the PS Vita or Hot Shots Tennis on the Vita/PSP. This is because touch controls don’t always work too well with fast-paced games like tennis. Virtua Tennis through SEGA Forever is pretty solid, but each time I play it I just wish I had some physical buttons. Well, when you’re really itching for some tennis action on your phone, that’s where Tennis Superstars comes in.
Tennis Superstars is a deep tennis simulator that fits in your pocket. It manages to work as a mobile tennis game by taking care of the running and leaving the hitting to you. This means you can play one-handed, perfectly crafting the power and direction of each of your shots without having to worry about running to the ball.
This isn’t some sort of idle game, either, as you don’t always get to the ball. Whether you can reach the ball to hit it is based on how far away you are from the ball, how much power the AI hit it with, and your stats (specifically speed and reaction time). Your stats are either based on the tennis player you pick (with such original names as R. Fodorar, R. Nodol, and N. Jocavik) or your progress in career mode.
Career Mode
Career mode is where I’ve been spending all my time with Tennis Superstars. If you’ve played New Star Soccer, it will seem familiar at first, but it’s better in several ways. For example, you actually play the whole match of tennis instead of just situational moments, and there aren’t any annoying microtransactions like energy. There are, however, sponsors and an excellent feeling of progression.
You’ll start in the lowest of three competitions, where you have to beat players who presumably moonlight as mechanics and security guards. in between competitions, you can train up your stats and pick sponsorships. Eventually, as you place higher and higher, your rank will move up too, and you’ll eventually hit the second competition. Once you get to the first competition, you can play against your tennis heroes like “R. Nodol” and “R. Fodorar”. The names are funny, but they also weirdly do legitimize the game. Anyways, once you get to the upper echelon of competition this is the most fast-paced, high-skill tennis game available on your Android phone.
Other Modes
If you don’t have time to play through a career mode, there are also much quicker modes like single tournament mode, single exhibition mode, and superstar challenge where you have to perform in certain situations (like holding a 5-3 lead and winning a set) and move up the global leaderboards. If you want to compare yourself more directly against other players, though, Tennis Superstars now has multiplayer.
Multiplayer!
The multiplayer mode was added in since I started playing, and it’s always a good sign to see a game dev continue improving their game after release. To be honest, it’s currently pretty hard to find a match because of the small playerbase, so hopefully this article convinces some people to take the dive. Once you do find a match though, you’re ready for some real time multiplayer tennis action on your phone. In other words, this game has all the tennis you could ask for for just $2.
A Great Android Sports RPG
At the end of the day, if you like mobile sports RPGs, Tennis Superstars is easily one of the best. The developer has been working hard to improve it since release, and they’ve put more than enough in here to make this game worth $5 or $10, so it’s a steal at $1.99. If you want to support great mobile games while getting your fill of tennis action on the go, your best choice is Tennis Superstars.
Buy Tennis Superstars for $1.99 on Android
