Wii Sports Tennis was praised and criticized for the same reasons. Some people loved that it was simple and semi-inaccurate since it allowed everybody to play the game and at least feel like they were swinging a racket – even if it was all in their minds. Others hated it, arguing that we should have had 100% control over our racket’s movement.

Many players appreciated the lack of control over each Mii; by not having to worry about moving them around the court, they could focus on the fun of swinging the Wii remote. At the same time, other players wondered why we couldn’t control our Miis, believing that the Wii should have only moved us forward in game control, even at the expense of simplicity.

The Wii Sports Tennis arguments will likely continue for as long as the console is on store shelves. Meanwhile, Sega has a game it hopes will satisfy both groups: Virtua Tennis 2009. Designed to be simplistic and somewhat complex, VT 2009 combines two familiar control schemes: swinging the Wii remote in time with the ball’s arrival (like Wii Sports Tennis) and moving your tennis player around the court (like the previous Virtua Tennis games).

Assist Me, Oh Wise Controller

In Wii Sports Tennis, players swung, flung and flicked their remotes to make their Miis execute a handful of swings. If that wasn’t simple enough, VT 2009 offers an assist feature that throws a swing meter onto the screen. When the little white line scrolls across the middle, swing the Wii remote to serve or return the ball. If you’re a total beginner (someone with zero tennis game experience), this feature is helpful. Otherwise you’re going to want to turn it off – skilled players will no doubt be distracted by the meter and likely miss a shot they could have lined up without its presence.

Other than that, the controls are fairly standard. When playing with just the Wii remote and Nunchuk, the swing mechanics are not much more sensitive than Wii Sports Tennis. However, VT 2009 is compatible with the long-awaited Wii remote upgrade (Wii MotionPlus), giving players a greater degree of swing maneuverability. The results aren’t game-changing – Virtua Tennis is still Virtua Tennis. But it’s good to see a Wii game with options.

Mini-games. Big Fun.

Virtua Tennis has never been a series with the most game modes. VT 2009 is no different, offering only a handful of options: World Tour (participate in several competitions and take a player from the status of unknown athlete to a world-renowned superstar), VT Coach (tutorial), multiplayer, quick game, and a mode for viewing medals and other records.

Whether you like or loathe these selections, almost everyone has enjoyed a Virtua Tennis mini-game. That legacy lives on in the Wii version of VT 2009 with mini competitions like Meat Defender, Pin Crusher, Pirate Wars, Block Buster, Avalanche and Alien Attack.

As before, the court is adapted to meet the needs of each mini-game. In Pot Shot, it looks like you’re playing in a giant pool table. Serving the cue ball, players must pot the pool balls by swinging in their direction.

Avalanche is even more outrageous, dropping large balls onto the court (your job is to avoid them and catch the fruit instead). In Block Buster, you’ll instantly kill time by bouncing the ball back and forth between a large block cluster resting in the middle of the court. Pin Crusher, inspired by the world of bowling, is yet another great way to lose yourself in the game; the accurate pin physics aren’t forgiving, ensuring that your skills will be tested.

Visually, VT 2009 is certainly more attractive than Wii Sports Tennis. But that game was barely a step up from stick figures; to say that a game looked “better” is far from a huge compliment. That said, the animations are fluid and the mini-game exaggerations (such as over-sized tennis balls) are amusing. But if you’ve played or merely witnessed the series before, even on Dreamcast (which came out in September ’99, for those of you who lost track), the effects seem much less impressive. As any Virtua Tennis fan can attest, the game has always looked good. This year, it’s starting to look old.

Compared to other sports, tennis hasn't been given much attention on Wii. Aside from Wii Sports Tennis, there do not appear to be any other success stories on the platform. It’s that lack of exposure – and the fact that many people have yet to experience the Virtua Tennis franchise – that guarantee it’ll have a welcome place in the homes of many gamers. But if you’ve played the previous Virtua Tennis offerings, this sequel might seem a little too generic (and if you prefer the motion-free controls of other console, a little too awkward) to enjoy.

Gameplay: 7.0
Virtua Tennis 2009's motion controls don't produce the game-redefining effect you may have expected. But it's a fun (albeit less surprising) sequel that should appeal to those who haven't played the series to death.

Graphics: 6.0
There's no way this series would ever look as good on Wii as it does on PS3 and Xbox 360. But it doesn't look like a game that really took advantage of the hardware at hand. Rather, it looks like a game you could've played 10 years ago (a statement I find myself making about a lot of Wii games these days).

Sound: 6.0
Nothing too bad or extraordinary; just, well, ordinary.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Virtua Tennis 2009 doesn't seem like a game with too much bite, but once it gets going, this can be quite the challenging game.

Concept: 5.0
Motion controls and other minor addition/enhancements aren't enough to refresh this classic series.

Multiplayer: 7.3
The best way to play Virtua Tennis 2009 is with other real players.

Overall: 7.0
If you're a Wii-only player without other options, Virtua Tennis 2009 is worth a few swings; otherwise, you might want to rent it and leave it at that.