Virtua Tennis 2009 - Boxed - PS3

Virtua Tennis 2009 features several international tennis stars such as Roger Federer, Boris Becker and Maria Sharapova, whom the player must compete against or team up with in the heart of the game: the World Tour. The player builds their own character from scratch and plays to reach number one in the world rankings.

Like its predecessor Virtua Tennis 3, Virtua Tennis 2009 is not a hardcore simulation of the sport and only needs three buttons to perform every possible shot. Even so, time must be invested to train the character through practice matches, special training sessions at the tennis academy, and 12 different types of mini-games. These include “Pirate Wars”, in which the player must hit and sink moving pirate ships, and “Shopping Dash”, in which the player must collect items on the tennis court while dodging balls thrown at them. These mini-games, as well as regular singles and doubles matches, can also be played with/against friends.

In World Tour mode, the player can only carry out one action per week. For example, they can only enter a tournament or play one of the mini-games, but not both. They also need to keep an eye on their stamina, which decreases more or less with every match or training session. This means it is sometimes necessary to skip a week or two and go on holiday, returning fully rested afterwards. By winning tournaments, the player also earns money, which can be invested in various sports equipment and clothing.