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Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! Review for PlayStation Portable (PSP)

Game, Set, Match!

It’s been a three year hiatus since Clap Hanz initially traded the links for the tennis courts in America with the PS2’s Hot Shots Tennis, giving fans of the cartoony, pick-up-playable Hot Shots series a chance to try their hand with a racquet instead of a driver. Hot Shots Tennis was generally well-received (if a bit basic compared to its golf-based cousin), but after the first installment hit Sony’s last-gen hardware (it was deemed easier to develop over a PSP iteration, following a six year internal debate among developers) the courts were once again empty.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! screenshot

Clap Hanz returned to the fairways with new installments in the Hot Shots Golf series, though a PSP follow-up to Hot Shots Tennis was in the works for release sometime in the future. Now it’s 2010, and the series has finally made it onto the PSP. Although one can’t help but wonder why after a three year break they didn’t just pony up and make a new tennis title for PS3, Get a Grip! is a great follow-up to the original that’s both deeper and has been (to some degree) retooled for an overall improved tennis experience.

The great thing about the Hot Shots series is that anyone can pick up and play these games—in Japan the series is actually called Everybody’s Golf, in fact, and Clap Hanz has always done a good job with making their series very accessible, even if you don’t generally play sports games. Although it’s arguably more apparent in their golf titles (if by volume of games alone), Hot Shots can (and often will) lull you into a false sense of security with initial play before getting downright nasty. However, this only becomes an issue if you really want to put in the time to really play on a technically proficient level. But let’s face it—most of us probably fall into this category, though to the series credit, everything is designed to be simple and user-friendly. Such is the case with Get a Grip!, as well, but the simple control scheme belies a level of depth and strategy needed to really excel and make progress in the game. That being said, Get a Grip! operates much like the rest of the series does, meaning if you’re not getting the hang of when to adopt and employ various tactics on the court, your only salvation is probably going to be turning on the more forgiving Easy mode.

Now, if you’re new to tennis or are relatively unfamiliar with the sport, you’re probably going to need to do some reading (this comes with the caveat that if you happen to pick up Get a Grip! as a digital download on PSN, it doesn’t come with an instruction manual). Unlike its predecessor, this one doesn’t really have a fully-fledged training mode. Instead you’re giving a series of “lessons” via loading screen instructions, which maddeningly disappear once loading has finished, and can’t be accessed again. Essentially, though, what you need to know is x produced a faster forehand hit (which can be used for devastating smashes—think spikes in volleyball), circle is a defensive backhand hit that slows down the ball and triangle lobs it high into the air.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! screenshot

You’ll also need to know when to use each type of hit (say, using the backhand when an opponent is playing a smash-heavy faster game), what style you prefer (volleying near the net, going hit-for-hit with your opponent on the baseline, or back of the court, or somewhere in the middle) as well as more technical tactics, like timing shots or what kind of serve to use when. Hot Shots has always prided itself on less hyper-realistic arcade-style play (which, along with its humor, easily accounts for a lot of the series’ charm), but with Get a Grip! you’ll quickly find yourself having to adapt to varying match conditions. This isn’t the only change Clap Hanz has made to the formula, though. Some game fundamentals—namely character stats—have also been tweaked, forcing you to change the way you play.

This is clearly a response to a big complaint that was almost universally registered against the original Hot Shots Tennis: you could not alter your favorite player’s stats, unlike the series’ golf titles. This time around, however, Clap Hanz has upped the ante significantly. The game is essentially a tennis RPG in terms of its play style and mechanics. Single player is a fully fledged story mode, meaning you’ll pick destinations from the world map, travel to them, walk around interacting with NPCs and engaging in story segments. The tennis, of course, is the substitute for a battle system—any RPG’s bread and butter—and no matter where you go, damn near everybody loves tennis in this game, so there’s no shortage of players.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! screenshot

When compared to just going through the motions of a tournament, playing matches with NPCs adds an interesting dynamic to the game’s core aim, adding some color and character (although admittedly with some degree of silly filler) to an already personable series while significantly upping the number of players you’ll challenge.

Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip! screenshot

In addition to progressing through each destination, fulfilling tennis challenges is also key to getting a leg up on your competition. Winning matches earns you experience which in turn unlocks new moves, strategies and hit types that lower level players don’t have access to. Additionally, items earned by winning level up as well, which earn you blanket stats boosts like speed or stamina to all of your party members. It’s a pretty neat little system that certainly keeps things interesting while at the same time giving some incentive to play as much tennis as possible for more than just fun or silly costumes to dress your players in (though these are both present as well). However, the archetypal RPG mechanic of introducing new party members per new destination is in full force here. Defeating a tennis boss will make them want to join you, so if you come across someone new in your travels who you want to start using, they’re going to require some leveling up before they can adequately compete with whoever you’re facing from there on out—opponents’ levels move up traditionally, not based on wherever your own levels are. However, progressing through the silly story mode yields no shortage of ridiculous tennis encounters, and you can backtrack to previous destinations should the urge strike you.

Though the RPG gameplay can be a little tedious at some points (again, the innocuous narrative is silly, although the characters are cute and charming anyway) Get a Grip! is a great tennis title. I’m glad we’re finally getting to the point where the poor PSP is pumping out some really strong-looking titles—alongside the gorgeous Peace Walker, Get a Grip! is easily one of the lushest games I’ve seen on Sony’s portable in recent memory (although for completely different reasons). All the mischievous charm of the Hot Shots series has been crammed into this one, too, with all the goofy costumes and accessories you could want (alongside some annoyingly prominent Adidas product placement) and reactive courts (balloons pop, people and umpires fall down or react to being hit with a stray ball, fireworks go off). Prior tennis knowledge aside, if you like Hot Shots Tennis, this one’s an ace.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.5 Graphics
It may be cartoony, but Get a Grip! is a damn pretty PSP game. 4.7 Control
Much like all Hot Shots games, the controls are remarkably simple, though a skilled player will need some finesse to get shot timing down. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Your typical happy-go-lucky Hot Shots tracks and tennis sounds, which works well enough, though I recommend playing matches with the music off for the proper ambiance. Voice-overs are often British, for some reason. 4.5 Play Value
Hot Shots has always been a fun-yet-challenging series, and that description remains apt here. If you enjoy tennis, this is a good one. 4.3 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • New “tennis RPG” presentation puts a new spin on the Hot Shots experience
  • Collect and level up a new set of characters on your global quest to spread the joy of tennis
  • Play single or double matches, or ad-hoc with your friends

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