Virtua Tennis 3 (Pre E3 2006)

In the days of yore, Sega’s Dreamcast was the console of consoles. It’s a shame it went the way of the dinosaurs, but during its life, a lot of great games came out and considering the DC wasn’t around all that long, that’s saying something. One such game was Virtua Tennis that virtua-owned. Yeah, that’s right, an awesome tennis game. Another Virtua Tennis appeared on the PS2 in 2002 and more recently a new version has arrived on the PSP. Well, if you’re not the portable type of gamer and you still want your tennis action kick, we’ve got good news: Virtua Tennis 3 is currently in development for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

In tried and true Virtua Tennis tradition, the new game will feature a slew of professional players. The real life pros will be your adversaries in the game’s robust career mode as you struggle to take your character to Wimbledon and beyond. The almost arcade-like gameplay will return making the game a blast to play and also make it relatively easy for new players to pick up the controller and put raquet to ball in a matter of seconds. Gravy.

The game has also seen a major improvement in the graphics department. The animations and textures have been enhanced to take advantage of the new, more powerful hardware. Tennis pros are recognizable and have detailed facial expressions that reflect their current mood. Also, the game’s character creation tool allows for a ton of detail which in turn gives you the chance to make your virtual self or just go crazy and create an entirely unique character.

Not much else has been revealed about the game, but we should see more of it on the E3 show floor. Given the 2007 release, there’s still plenty of time for the details to spill forth like mana from heavens. Even if you’re not a tennis fan, this game will still be fun to play just as the past games in the series have been. Check back for more on Virtua Tennis 3 as we continue to cover the show.