Grand Slam Tennis 2

Quite a good result for a first try. Tennis simulation comes with legendary John McEnroe both on court and behind the microphone. Three different styles of control let you choose the one that fits you best. [Feb 2012]

In the end, Grand Slam Tennis 2 is a solid tennis game that sits below Top Spin 4 in terms of quality. The gameplay mechanics are more simulation than arcade, but it isn't too technical to the point that you need precision to execute moves well. It looks great but flawed, and the same goes for the commentary.

In order to trade blows with the best in the genre, all the minute details have to be in order, and sadly, this is where Grand Slam Tennis 2 stumbles. While it's a good effort, there's little reason to pick this game over the other, better tennis games out there.

A surprising effort by EA Sports. In its current state Grand Slam Tennis 2 is clearly behind Top Spin 4, but with interesting ideas, like the Total Racquet Control scheme or the Classic Grand Slams, it promises to become a serious and strong contender if EA believes in its product and keeps polishing it.

Despite a complex control scheme, Grand Slam Tennis 2 is not a simulative game. There are few reasons to prefer it rather than Virtua Tennis.

The only game that offers all four Grand Slam tournaments also boasts interesting controls. I expected better animations though and the AI also needs some tweaking. [March 2012, p.61]

A good approach to tennis made by Electronic Arts that offers the four official Grand Slam and a career mode which should have been more complex. It has several control options that will satisfy everyone.

The game is steady like Tim Henman but lacks the imagination and true greatness of Roger Federer.

Grand Slam Tennis has a fantastic engine, it plays an amazing game on the court, however it is surrounded by an uninspiring career mode and a sterile feel to the whole thing. It is a great base to start a new franchise but there is still a lot of work to be done. Going to a fifth set against Rafael Nadal can be a real tense affair, mistakes start to creep in and there is a fine line between winning and losing. It really does capture the drama of professional tennis. Well worth picking up as there is plenty of fun to be had, despite the flaws.

The one and only certified Grand Slam tennis game has solid gameplay mechanics and a good amount of game modes... but it remains one, maybe two, steps behind Top Spin and Virtua Tennis.

The setup could have been less repetitive, but all in all, this is one addictive tennis game.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 brings together a solid cast of real world champions and courts with dual analog controls and a balance between arcade physics and realism.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 has the makings of a great tennis game because the tennis simulation at its core is a good one. Everything else about it is rather bland, though, and the career mode that should be its showcase is poorly put together. I think that the potential for a great Grand Slam Tennis 3 is here, but 2 lands just outside the baseline.

I would recommend it to somebody who craves a proper tennis experience without being an over the top comedic look like Virtua Tennis, and is sick of the Top Spin series. Otherwise, casual gamers looking for that fun sports title to play with their friends for hours should pass. Give EA another year or two to work this one out.

As possibly the only tennis game to be released in 2012 (no others are announced yet), and the only tennis game released in almost a year, Grand Slam Tennis 2 will definitely suffice, just don't expect a game-changer. There's a bit of work to be done before EA climbs to the position of number one seed.

Good visuals and accessible controls can't mask Grand Slam Tennis 2's weak career mode.

Grand Slam Tennis 2 doesn't compare to the bigger tennis francises. Te career mode is strangely put up, and it doesn't pay off to specialize in one specific play style. The online modes and Classic-games keep it from being awful, but that's all there is to it.

By no means a bad game, but it's lacking in anything to draw you back in or to take the game beyond what Top Spin and Virtua Tennis already do better. [Issue#82, p.90]

Grand Slam Tennis 2 is built on a solid foundation but there's nothing special about it. There are better tennis games out there.

It's damn hard to talk about video game tennis without bringing up Virtua Tennis, particularly when a game, like Grand Slam Tennis 2, hems so close to that original arcade formula. It's a facsimile that's executed well enough; there just aren't any good reasons to recommend Grand Slam Tennis 2 over the games that it cribs from.

EA is trying hard to compete with the masters of the genre, but there are still much to be done with the Grand Slam franchise. On the other hand, Xbox 360 owners will get one of the most clever controller set-ups in this category of games.

Does Grand Slam Tennis 2 compete with Top Spin 4? On the surface it does give the reigning king a run at it but manages to fall short. The career mode is limiting, the analog stick controls need refining, and the game itself doesn't have the depth that sports games have become accustom to in recent years. Although I enjoyed my time with Grand Slam Tennis 2 there is still plenty of room for improvement and my hope is that EA doesn't give up on the young series and comes back with an ace in its follow-up.

Right now, Grand Slam Tennis 2 echoes the debut of the Fight Night series, a franchise that has consistently galvanised its quality. Would you bet against EA to do this again?

Quite simply, there's little reason to choose this game over the far superior Top Spin 4.