4. Tennis For Everyone
Tennis is one of those few sports that could lend itself really well to motion controlled gaming. It has already had success on the Wii as one of the sports on the Wii Sports game and, more seriously, in the form of Grand Slam Tennis, the original EA Sports title that was released solely for Nintendo. It boasted authenticity and that it offered tennis for everyone, as it was as simple of complex as users wanted it to be. Seems like they had the right idea. Motion controlled tennis can be just a bit of embarrassing and sociable fun. But with the latest developments in next generation consoles, with sensors so sensitive they can detect your heartbeat, something tells me this technology could detect the slightest of movements in your arm and wrist thus allowing for some pretty authentic shot making. Players have already reported being able to spin and slice the ball with genuine accuracy thanks to Wii Motion Plus. Surely next gen consoles can only improve on this? Don't get me wrong. This obviously isn't for everyone and is arguably where EA Sports fell short. It is widely accepted that the Wii is considered the platform for less serious gamers and perhaps Grand Slam Tennis ignored those users who take themselves far too seriously for swinging madly in their living room. But the fact that PlayStation and Xbox have taken up such advanced motion sensor technology suggests they believe it is a viable market. For the more serious gamers you could just turn on your controller and use the already very well thought out controls with the two joysticks and different buttons for each type of shot. Top Spin 4, especially, was hailed for its detailed controls that created shots and rallies that would take your breath away in real life. Whilst they are very complex, there is a comprehensive coaching feature that enables you to practise and perfect your timing and technique and learn all the skills that are vital in pro tennis. This potential diversity in gameplay opens up the target market to anyone from young children and families to tennis and gaming fanatics and if one franchise could capture all these sides to the game, it could be a smash! (Pun intended).