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SEGA It’s a sound effect that brings us nostalgic warmth. When the mega-drive was at its prime, every game began with the pinnacle SEGA chime and a logo which was unique to the specific game. Sadly those days have long passed and they’re unlikely ever to return. Moving swiftly on and we arrive at Sega Superstars Tennis, the latest title from SEGA which provides a nudge back to its roots. It’s a tennis game, completely focussed on arcade representation rather than the realism of Top Spin and features most of SEGA’s back catalogue’s characters. Set firmly in an aesthetic form, we’ve got brightly coloured arenas, over the top special shots and cartoon graphics. Does SEGA Superstars Tennis serve an ace or does it end up double faulting?
So what’s on offer? SEGA have supplied sixteen characters which are taken from a range of franchises. There are ten courts, each styled on their respective games. The game gives you the typical range of game modes. There’s singles and doubles, across tournaments and exhibitions. The single player mode allows you to choose a zone / game and play through a series of challenges where victory will unlock the next stage, challenge or character. The game constantly rewards you, and it’s a genuine feeling of satisfaction. 
Matches take place on colourful courts dependant on their franchise. There are fifteen in total, ranging from Sonic, to the dark House of the Dead, to the iconic Alex Kidd. Each court’s surrounding environment is taken directly from the game in question. So Sonic’s zone takes place in the Green Hill Zone. The House of the Dead has an audience populated with zombies. The same passion has been applied to the sound, where each zone has its iconic beating soundtrack. There’s funky bass for Jet Set Radio or rhythmic drums for Golden Axe. The environments themselves are well rendered, with onlookers cheering and jeering accordingly. There’s a lot of life and players will be buzzing from the vibrant colours and upbeat music. It’s a solid package in the graphical department and not a game to be scoffed at. Gameplay wise, it’s tennis. What more can you say. It’s a certified sport so scoring and game structure is as you’d expect. You serve with a simple meter of stars, with a rising bar which indicates power. You can top spin return (which is likely the most used shot), drop shots, slices, lobs and smashes. Character movement and animation is as realistic as the arcade look allows and the shots act as you expect. This is where SEGA Superstars Tennis falls down. It’s just too easy. We understand that games have to be accessible, and that’s even more relevant in today’s casual society, but it should only really apply to the learning curve. In SEGA Superstars Tennis, there isn’t one. If you know how to press A (on Xbox360) and more with the analogue stick, then you can play the game just fine. The opponent rarely beats you, and the ball seems to never go out. After playing the game for several days, it seemed that the ball was ruled out a total of three times. Hardcore gamers and Tennis fanatics will likely feel that SEGA Superstars Tennis is just too lucid an experience. It is an addictive game (helped by the constant rewarding of the player) but one the ability actually needed becomes apparent, it slowly becomes a grind through each challenge. There are some mini-games included and again, they depend on the zone. Collecting rings as Sonic or spray painting with tennis shots in Jet Set break up the tennis, but more realistically they’ll just bore you or hinder your enjoyment. The most enjoyable part to the game comes with the star powers, character dependant game-breakers. Return enough shots and win enough points and your star under the player will slowly fill up. Once it’s at maximum, initiate a quick cut scene and unleash the winning shot. AiAi from Super Monkey Ball swerves the ball in an unreachable arc and Sonic gains super speed and reduces the ball to dust with a powerful hit. Some of the shots are better than others, but timed right and they have the desired effect; win the point.  There’s four player multiplayer but it adds little than a half an hour of lukewarm fun. We may seem overly harsh but while SEGA Superstars Tennis is generally a well polished game, it falls into the trap of resting on its laurels. It eventually becomes a grind, a repetitive experience which begins as addictive fun but becomes clear in intensions. It could do better, but again it could have done a lot worse. Score: 6/10 (SEGA Superstars Tennis is out on PS3, Wii, DS, Playstation 2 and 3 and Xbox360 – copy reviewed).
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