Grand Slam Tennis: EA Sports Tennis Game

[toonarmy]

The Eurogamer review is utterly laughable, especially since the reviewer never even bothered to learn how to hold the controller correctly. I think if I were doing that bad at a game I would read the manual or do a tutorial or something to find out the deal.

This game is outstanding, and the control is absolutely terrific. In fact, it is way more intuitive than I thought it would be. It can be frustrating at first, but once you learn how the controls operate it becomes second nature. One thing I was doing wrong initially was, after my backswing, I was moving the wiimote too much before the forward swing. You have to keep the wiimote steady once you backswing. Just like in real tennis what I do is establish whether I need to hit a forehand or backhand, I backswing that way, then I use the nunchuk to move to the ball. It takes some getting used to, but I got the hang of things after 6 or 7 games. The only downside to using the nunchuk for player movement is the cord bounces around some. I have gotten used to that now so it isn't as annoying as it was at first.

The CPU AI is quite good. It works the point well, and each player exhibits real-life tendencies. Federer, for example, comes to the net a lot and is a beast to beat. Once I figured out how to keep him deep behind the baseline, as well as lob effectively, I was able to be more competitive.

Overall, Grand Slam is an example of EA doing things very right. They clearly spent a lot of time getting the controls down well. I also love the way in which it is important to focus on proper footwork and getting an appropriate distance from the ball for maximum shot effectiveness. I still have not delved into the career mode, but will later today after I get into TW10 career mode.

[Spooky]

The Eurogamer review is utterly laughable, especially since the reviewer never even bothered to learn how to hold the controller correctly. I think if I were doing that bad at a game I would read the manual or do a tutorial or something to find out the deal.

This game is outstanding, and the control is absolutely terrific. In fact, it is way more intuitive than I thought it would be. It can be frustrating at first, but once you learn how the controls operate it becomes second nature. One thing I was doing wrong initially was, after my backswing, I was moving the wiimote too much before the forward swing. You have to keep the wiimote steady once you backswing. Just like in real tennis what I do is establish whether I need to hit a forehand or backhand, I backswing that way, then I use the nunchuk to move to the ball. It takes some getting used to, but I got the hang of things after 6 or 7 games. The only downside to using the nunchuk for player movement is the cord bounces around some. I have gotten used to that now so it isn't as annoying as it was at first.

The CPU AI is quite good. It works the point well, and each player exhibits real-life tendencies. Federer, for example, comes to the net a lot and is a beast to beat. Once I figured out how to keep him deep behind the baseline, as well as lob effectively, I was able to be more competitive.

Overall, Grand Slam is an example of EA doing things very right. They clearly spent a lot of time getting the controls down well. I also love the way in which it is important to focus on proper footwork and getting an appropriate distance from the ball for maximum shot effectiveness. I still have not delved into the career mode, but will later today after I get into TW10 career mode.

Are you playing the game with the Motion Plus?

[Spooky]

I don’t think I can play with the unpredictability of this game. Just too frustrating. I am going to try VT 2009 and see what happens there. I have read that it does not have quite the full M+ control as Grand Slam, which I’m now thinking is a good thing.

Interesting.

You wonder now that maybe the EG review was more accurate with the little intricacies of the motion + that Reed was alluring to. So just to be sure , are you supposed to be holding the controller with the buttons faced up facing the TV or sideways?

I basically feel exactly how the EG reviewer does at this point. And YES, I am holding the controller correctly. Trying very smooth swings with the buttons facing directly up.

When things work, they work pretty well, but there are way too many times when they don't.

[10spro]

It seems that when one connects to the nunchuk, trying to focus on the correct swing type and simultaneously getting your player into the right position on court is something that a newbie may have problems with (overrunning), so maybe letting the game control the player movement is a better option?

Although personally I would prefer to control the player myself and therefore use the nunchuk, if the MP is not as responsive it defeats the whole purpose.

I am going to wait a little bit more before I take the plunge on this game, I want to make sure the motion + works as well as with TW10.

[toonarmy]

The Eurogamer review is utterly laughable, especially since the reviewer never even bothered to learn how to hold the controller correctly. I think if I were doing that bad at a game I would read the manual or do a tutorial or something to find out the deal.

This game is outstanding, and the control is absolutely terrific. In fact, it is way more intuitive than I thought it would be. It can be frustrating at first, but once you learn how the controls operate it becomes second nature. One thing I was doing wrong initially was, after my backswing, I was moving the wiimote too much before the forward swing. You have to keep the wiimote steady once you backswing. Just like in real tennis what I do is establish whether I need to hit a forehand or backhand, I backswing that way, then I use the nunchuk to move to the ball. It takes some getting used to, but I got the hang of things after 6 or 7 games. The only downside to using the nunchuk for player movement is the cord bounces around some. I have gotten used to that now so it isn't as annoying as it was at first.

The CPU AI is quite good. It works the point well, and each player exhibits real-life tendencies. Federer, for example, comes to the net a lot and is a beast to beat. Once I figured out how to keep him deep behind the baseline, as well as lob effectively, I was able to be more competitive.

Overall, Grand Slam is an example of EA doing things very right. They clearly spent a lot of time getting the controls down well. I also love the way in which it is important to focus on proper footwork and getting an appropriate distance from the ball for maximum shot effectiveness. I still have not delved into the career mode, but will later today after I get into TW10 career mode.

Are you playing the game with the Motion Plus?

Yes

[Spooky]

I have been playing without the Nunchuk. Tried both. Nunchuck does not seem too hard to get used to. But either way I still have my issues.

[toonarmy]

It seems that when one connects to the nunchuk, trying to focus on the correct swing type and simultaneously getting your player into the right position on court is something that a newbie may have problems with (overrunning), so maybe letting the game control the player movement is a better option?

Although personally I would prefer to control the player myself and therefore use the nunchuk, if the MP is not as responsive it defeats the whole purpose.

I am going to wait a little bit more before I take the plunge on this game, I want to make sure the motion + works as well as with TW10.

I struggled at first with the nunchuk mainly because I am so used to playing tennis games in which you move the stick in the direction you want the shot to go, so in GST I was moving to the ball then moving the stick in the direction I wanted to place the ball. Obviously this was messing up my shots when I did this, so I had to retrain my brain to just use the stick for only player movement and the wiimote only for shots. Once I trained myself to do that the controls became second nature. I cannot imagine wanting to go back to auto player movement, although I can see the attraction to that scheme as well for people who want to focus only on shots. I have tried this game on both medium and hard difficulty. Both levels are pretty challenging.

[Spooky]

Is there any game setting options for the controls or is it all or nothing when you have the M+ plugged in?

[toonarmy]

Is there any game setting options for the controls or is it all or nothing when you have the M+ plugged in?

I don't know. I just plug it in and play. I have not seen anything in the options menu. I did go into the Wii master settings and changed the sensitivity of the wiimote.

[Rodster]

The CPU AI is quite good. It works the point well, and each player exhibits real-life tendencies. Federer, for example, comes to the net a lot and is a beast to beat. Once I figured out how to keep him deep behind the baseline, as well as lob effectively, I was able to be more competitive.

Overall, Grand Slam is an example of EA doing things very right. They clearly spent a lot of time getting the controls down well. I also love the way in which it is important to focus on proper footwork and getting an appropriate distance from the ball for maximum shot effectiveness. I still have not delved into the career mode, but will later today after I get into TW10 career mode.

Well there goes another $50.

[Spooky]

The CPU AI is quite good. It works the point well, and each player exhibits real-life tendencies. Federer, for example, comes to the net a lot and is a beast to beat. Once I figured out how to keep him deep behind the baseline, as well as lob effectively, I was able to be more competitive.

Overall, Grand Slam is an example of EA doing things very right. They clearly spent a lot of time getting the controls down well. I also love the way in which it is important to focus on proper footwork and getting an appropriate distance from the ball for maximum shot effectiveness. I still have not delved into the career mode, but will later today after I get into TW10 career mode.

Well there goes another $50.

Good luck.

[sportdan30]

I almost purchased this game on the way home from work, but I think I'll wait until I hear some impressions of Virtua Tennis for the Wii. It sounds like it has a different type of control scheme which might be more to my liking.

[Danimal]

So I gave this a run through and the first thing is I will never be able to play with the Nunchuck connected I keep pulling it out.

Overall i think it does a good job but not as good as Tiger in using Motion Plus. You can literally just flick your wrist and return shots.

One thing is for sure it will give you a decent sweat if you play a long match my forearm was killing me when I was done.

Anyway game was fun but I'm not sure how much time it will see at my house, this was purely an impulse buy when getting Tiger for me.

[Leebo33]

I bought this yesterday, but didn't open it. I don't mind a learning curve, but it seems like a rental first at this point.

[Leadfoot5]

Crazy how split people are on this game, but I completely understand it.

It took me probably about 2-3 hours of gameplay, and re-watching the Producer Video on the EA site to finally "get" the shot placement mechanics. I've also gone back to the non-nunchuk control after trying both, but I figure it's best to master one thing at a time. I also put the difficulty on Easy while I was learning, and that helped a lot as the AI is brutal in this game.

Like I mentioned before, while footwork and positioning are important, equally important (if not more so) is your swing. Both the tempo and the follow-through determine where the ball will go. So assuming a forehand shot from the center baseline, follow through across your body to put the ball in the top left, follow through straight ahead for a center shot, and for a shot to the top right, keep your swing outside of your body (hard to explain). And don't forget tempo, it plays a big part in placement as well.

I'm not saying that I don't see the control glitches that others are having as well. It's mildly frustrating, but doesn't happen often enough to ruin the experience. I'd say 7/10 shots go where I want them to, and any time my character doesn't swing, I can usually find fault with my mechanics. (getting lazy with the swing).

I found that the game plays 100% better if you "get into" the game by using proper tennis technique, turning at the waist, etc. If you just flick the controller when the ball is near you, you will have no control and the experience is going to be flat.

This is the by far the most fun I've ever had with a tennis game. I was up past midnight last night with the "one more game" syndrome. Can't wait to get back home for more...

[Spooky]

Crazy how split people are on this game, but I completely understand it.

It took me probably about 2-3 hours of gameplay, and re-watching the Producer Video on the EA site to finally "get" the shot placement mechanics. I've also gone back to the non-nunchuk control after trying both, but I figure it's best to master one thing at a time. I also put the difficulty on Easy while I was learning, and that helped a lot as the AI is brutal in this game.

Like I mentioned before, while footwork and positioning are important, equally important (if not more so) is your swing. Both the tempo and the follow-through determine where the ball will go. So assuming a forehand shot from the center baseline, follow through across your body to put the ball in the top left, follow through straight ahead for a center shot, and for a shot to the top right, keep your swing outside of your body (hard to explain). And don't forget tempo, it plays a big part in placement as well.

I'm not saying that I don't see the control glitches that others are having as well. It's mildly frustrating, but doesn't happen often enough to ruin the experience. I'd say 7/10 shots go where I want them to, and any time my character doesn't swing, I can usually find fault with my mechanics. (getting lazy with the swing).

I found that the game plays 100% better if you "get into" the game by using proper tennis technique, turning at the waist, etc. If you just flick the controller when the ball is near you, you will have no control and the experience is going to be flat.

This is the by far the most fun I've ever had with a tennis game. I was up past midnight last night with the "one more game" syndrome. Can't wait to get back home for more...

So...I agree with most everything you have said as I truly was starting to 'get it' this moning and was able to plave my shots about 75% of the time. But I swear the game was either registering a swing when i didn't or not registering a swing at all about 40% of the time. That's too often for me.

I just don't feel I should have to constantly be worried about a motion glitch.

[Leadfoot5]

I just don't feel I should have to constantly be worried about a motion glitch.

Right. Understood. I guess for me the novelty of the interface outweighs it's v1.0 problems.

[wco81]

Do Wii games get patched at all?

Maybe if enough people have problems, EA can tune it and post a patch.

[Naples39]

Do Wii games get patched at all?

Maybe if enough people have problems, EA can tune it and post a patch.

I have never heard of a Wii game getting a patch.

[toonarmy]

No, Wii games do not get patches. I am not sure what could be patched in GST anyway. There is no point in "tuning" it. If people spend the time to learn to utilize the controls as intended then there is no problem. It takes some time to get things down, but once the learning curve is met the controls are not an issue at all and you can focus on beating the smart AI. The whole point of the MotionPlus is to give the user finer control over games. Thus, it will take more user skill and practice to be successful.

[Rodster]

OK I picked up GST at my local Kmart. I figured out the Wii M+ controls so i'll pass along the tip to those who are having issues with the quirkiness of the controller.

Everything you learned from playing Wii Sports Tennis forget it, throw out the window. In order to consistently and successfully hit the ball in GST you need to first hold the controller like you would a real tennis racket. Place both hands on the controller as if you were holding a real tennis racket awaiting a serve. I hold the controller angled slightly down with both hands on the M+ controller. With an even stroke you'll return 95% of your shots then you'll figure out how to angle your shot on the court.

I was like everyone else here having trouble with just a slight motion, the controller (1 hand on the controller) would interpret a swing. I'm a righty and had no problems returning shots on my back hand. Where the problem lied was on my forehand. So I kind of experimented just holding the controller like a real tennis racket with two hands and the controller had no problems recognizing a motion from a swing.

Give it a try and let us know if it helped you at all.

[Rodster]

OK I just lost to Federer 3-6 and that was on easy. The CPU is just too freakin good in this game. It's a really fun tennis game.

An update, I decided to remove the M+ controller as it's too sensitive in game and against the rapid fire shots of the CPU. Once you remove the M+ controller, GST plays pretty much like Wii Sports Tennis.

[Spooky]

OK I just lost to Federer 3-6 and that was on easy. The CPU is just too freakin good in this game. It's a really fun tennis game.

An update, I decided to remove the M+ controller as it's too sensitive in game and against the rapid fire shots of the CPU. Once you remove the M+ controller, GST plays pretty much like Wii Sports Tennis.

I would have actually maybe kept the game if it game me a control option without having to remove hardware.

I ended up with VT and so far it's pretty good.

[sportdan30]

Spooky,

I'm anxious to hear your impressions on VT.

[Spooky]

Spooky,

I'm anxious to hear your impressions on VT.

So far it's kinda 'blah'. It controls well. But it's less fun than GST when that was working. Nothing's pulling me back to play it more. Yet...maybe when I get some multiplayer going.

The M+ is much less evident in VT but it makes things more manageable. I don't know...I am really pissed that GST was so quirky because it would probably be a more fun game in the long run if it didn't have registering issues.