Charlotte Sansbury: Virtua Tennis 4 coming to PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii this spring

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Virtua Tennis 4 coming to PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii this spring

Sega has lobbed out its official announcement for Virtua Tennis 4. Previously announced only at a Sony conference, the new Sega note reveals that the tennis sequel is bouncing to Xbox 360 and Wii as well, all due in spring 2011. All three versions will include motion-control capabilities -- the PS3 version's Move compatibility was known (and motion controls for the Wii are obvious, though they will be "MotionPlus" controls), but this will be the first true tennis "sim" to make use of Kinect, since March's Top Spin 4 will not be Kinect compatible.

In addition to those new waving-at-the-game options, Virtua Tennis 4 also brings a new "World Tour" mode that builds a unique career path based on your decisions on the court. Spoiler alert: Deciding to win more will result in a better career. "Match momentum" is also new, adding an on-screen gauge that builds your player's "confidence" as it fills. The new online mode provides tournaments and matchmaking services for "the most engaging online experience for tennis gamers ever." Combined with the motion controls, that's going to result in a lot of really awkward-sounding, breathless voice chat.

Gallery: Virtua Tennis 4 (Screenshots)