PDA

View Full Version : Grand Slam Tennis 2 (PS3, 360)



JBHuskers
08-11-2011, 09:13 AM
Courtesy of OS, I think we have our first answer:

EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis 2 Comes to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 http://bit.ly/qQQYD3

morsdraconis
08-11-2011, 09:27 AM
Cool. I've always been a closet tennis fan but haven't really found a tennis game that's been enjoyable.

JBHuskers
08-11-2011, 09:27 AM
The Wii one looked good....I'm pretty excited for this.

cdj
08-11-2011, 09:42 AM
Here's the press release straight from EA:


Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced today that the EA SPORTS™ tennis simulation video game, EA SPORTS Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2, will be entering the high definition era for the first time and will be available on the Xbox 360Ž videogame and entertainment system and PlayStationŽ3 computer entertainment system, including support of the PlayStationŽ Move controller. EA SPORTS Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2 will feature all four Grand SlamŽ championships and is the only game to feature Wimbledon. Players can experience the thrill of serving up aces on Wimbledon’s prestigious Centre Court, hitting cross-court winners on the clay courts of the French Open, play under the bright lights at the U.S. Open or work on your serve and volley game at the Australian Open. In addition, the game features a deep roster of elite past and present players and will be coming worldwide in 2012.

“We are very excited to bring the EA SPORTS Grand SlamŽ Tennis franchise to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms and leverage the graphical power of these high definition consoles,” said Line Producer Thomas Singleton. “Players will now get to experience the excitement and drama of serving it up on prestigious tennis venues such as Wimbledon’s famed Centre Court.”

Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2 will include a host of gameplay features including:

All-New Total Racquet Control: Control every shot with the right analog stick, smashing forehands, backhands, overheads and volleys with precision, accuracy and power. Utilize this innovative control system to take your game to the top! But if you prefer the old school button controls, those are still available!

Become a Champion: Become a true Grand SlamŽ tournament champion by capturing all four major championships in succession. The prestige of some of the most historic events in tennis come alive like never before, including the Australian Open, French Open, U.S. Open and exclusive to EA SPORTS Grand SlamŽ Tennis franchise – Wimbledon.

PlayStation Move Support: The motion control experience gets you on your feet and puts a racquet right in the palm of your hands. From casual players to tennis masters, you truly have the chance to swing your way to victory.

Legends of Now and Then: Play with or against more than 20 of the greatest players to ever grace the courts, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams and exclusive to EA SPORTS Grand SlamŽ Tennis franchise, seventeen-time winner of a Grand SlamŽ tournament John McEnroe.

Professional, Realistic, Organic (P.R.O.). AI: The playing styles and behaviors of the sport’s greatest stars are captured right down to their signature swings and emotional reactions. Realistic tactics and strategies are your keys to success against each legend whether playing on hard court, clay or grass. The organic artificial intelligence adapts to your game so there’s never a dull moment!

ESPN Grand SlamŽ Tournament Classics: Relive some of the most memorable moments in tennis. From Borg versus McEnroe to Nadal versus Federer, play your way through history unlocking up to 25 amazing moments of Grand SlamŽ tournaments.

Deep Tennis Experience: Play countless hours of tennis in Grand SlamŽ Career mode – singles and doubles, through a 10-year career or battle online. A wide variety of online gameplay features, Photo Game Face and more keep your experience fresh and authentic.

For more information about Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2, visit www.easports.com/grandslamtennis2.

cdj
08-11-2011, 09:50 AM
Here's a dev blog on the game (http://www.ea.com/grand-slam-tennis-2/blog/tennis-first-blog):


http://web-vassets.ea.com/Assets/Richmedia/Image/NewsArticle/firstblogimage_656x369.jpg?cb=1313064545

Hey Tennis fans!

I’m Thomas Singleton, Producer on Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2 and I’m very excited to be announcing its upcoming release for the Xbox360Ž and PlayStationŽ3.

You can now swing the racquet like a Grand SlamŽ Champion in full HD featuring the all-new Total Racquet Control (the first real gameplay innovation in the Tennis category – finally on the right stick), PRO AI (where player styles become strategy) and so much more. Here’s a quick look at some of the things we have in store for you in 2012.

One of the biggest stories we have for you this year is the opportunity to bring you Wimbledon exclusively available in Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2. We’ve captured the journey of ALL 4 major tournaments, from the early rounds on the outer courts to the final showdown on center court. You will feel, see and hear the difference from venue to venue and tournament to tournament as we’ve included every detail you can imagine

Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2 features some of the greatest legends from the past and present. Exclusive to our roster is the great John McEnroe who not only can you play as with his infamous afro, headband and old school shorts, but also provides commentary along with Pat Cash so you can imagine how entertaining that will be!And for the tennis fans in France you will hear the action called by none other than Guy Forget!

Our all-new Total Racquet Control system is the feature we on the development team are most proud of in Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2, and it’s definitely a game changer. For the first time in a tennis game you can control the entire experience without pressing a single button. Total Racquet Control with the right analogue stick is the first true innovation in the tennis genre in years. The right stick literally becomes your racquet, while the left stick drives your player’s legs and movement around the court. You will immediately feel the difference and control this innovative control system provides and you can switch back to button controls to compare for yourself.

Where we really bring the product to life in Grand SlamŽ Tennis 2 is with the introduction of our PRO AI system, which has your favorite players playing like themselves while also allowing YOU to use these same tennis styles to your strategic advantage. Each of our players look, act and move like their real life counterparts. From their signature animations, to their emotions and authentic play styles, PRO AI gets you in the tennis game.

For those PlayStationŽ3 owners and tennis fans out there that need to physically get involved in the action (you know the ones who can’t see the end of a b-ball game cuz their out shooting hoops before the end), we’ve included best-in-class PlayStationŽMove integration that “literally” puts the tennis racquet in the palm of your hand. At its core this experience has you performing real life tennis strokes right in your living room to drive the action. With only the Move controller required as the base, our movement assistance system puts you in the right position to return each ball. We didn’t forget about you control freaks out there however and if you want total control of your movement just add the wireless Navigation Controller and you’re good to go.

There are far more features to talk about over the months to come like our deep online experience, ESPN Grand SlamŽ Tournament Classics and Grand SlamŽ Career mode just to name a few. We’ll also go into more depth with the features mentioned above so be sure to check in often as we share more insider into from myself and the other gameplay producers.


Thanks for reading!

Thomas

morsdraconis
08-11-2011, 09:55 AM
Wow, interesting. I might actually give this one a try.

SmoothPancakes
08-11-2011, 10:05 AM
Didn't really see anything laid out in the details of it all, is it just the four grand slam tournaments? Or is it a full career mode with year round tournaments in various locales, like in the Top Spin series? While I'm very much interested in this as a tennis fan, I'm really hoping it's more, and deeper, than just the four grand slam tournaments.

cdj
08-11-2011, 10:12 AM
It mentions career, but no specifics. Hopefully it's more than just the majors.

Here's the teaser trailer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5JsgUfzhYw

JBHuskers
08-11-2011, 10:35 AM
Didn't really see anything laid out in the details of it all, is it just the four grand slam tournaments? Or is it a full career mode with year round tournaments in various locales, like in the Top Spin series? While I'm very much interested in this as a tennis fan, I'm really hoping it's more, and deeper, than just the four grand slam tournaments.

Well it does say a full 10-year career mode.

Deep Tennis Experience: Play countless hours of tennis in Grand SlamŽ Career mode – singles and doubles, through a 10-year career or battle online. A wide variety of online gameplay features, Photo Game Face and more keep your experience fresh and authentic.

My take is they call it Grand Slam Career Mode because they're the only tennis game to have the entire authentic Grand Slam.

SmoothPancakes
08-11-2011, 11:13 AM
Well it does say a full 10-year career mode.

Deep Tennis Experience: Play countless hours of tennis in Grand SlamŽ Career mode – singles and doubles, through a 10-year career or battle online. A wide variety of online gameplay features, Photo Game Face and more keep your experience fresh and authentic.

My take is they call it Grand Slam Career Mode because they're the only tennis game to have the entire authentic Grand Slam.

That's what I'm hoping. I just wish they'd say it outright and clear. :D

gschwendt
08-11-2011, 11:16 AM
The players' face models must be really atrocious.

jaymo76
08-11-2011, 12:54 PM
I guess I'm the only one who finds this extremely dissapointing. There are now several tennis games on the market and ZERO, I repeat, ZERO NCAA BASKETBALL games. Come on EA (or 2k) bring back collge basketball!

cdj
08-11-2011, 01:18 PM
The players' face models must be really atrocious.

That or still a major WIP. I also noticed we didn't get a peek at a single face in the trailer.

bdoughty
08-11-2011, 02:21 PM
I guess I'm the only one who finds this extremely dissapointing. There are now several tennis games on the market and ZERO, I repeat, ZERO NCAA BASKETBALL games. Come on EA (or 2k) bring back collge basketball!

I am with you on college hoops but I need my tennis games and right now there is only ONE good full tennis game (Top Spin) as Virtua Tennis has become unplayable for me.

JBHuskers
08-11-2011, 02:25 PM
I am with you on college hoops but I need my tennis games and right now there is only ONE good full tennis game (Top Spin) as Virtua Tennis has become unplayable for me.

So the latest Top Spin is worth a .... spin?

I haven't owned a tennis game since Virtua sometime back in 2008 when I first bought a 360.

bdoughty
08-11-2011, 02:38 PM
Top Spin 4 is great. You can get it for under $40 now. My only complaint is they only added a few courts this year and really did nothing atmosphere wise. The gameplay itself is great and I was pissed when I first heard they got rid of risk shots but they way they implemented it into the positioning ans swing mechanic is just fine. Plenty of unforced errors and shots into the net. It is the closest thing to a tennis simulation you will find on a console.

souljahbill
08-11-2011, 05:27 PM
I had the Wii version. It was fun. Great use of the Wii remote obviously. The only tournaments in the game were the majors, for anyone asking. I had a cool Gold/Silver/Bronze mechanic for your created player (if you beat legends, you could gain their abilities which were tiered). I'm game for the sequel.


---
- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

cdj
08-25-2011, 12:24 PM
Some new game images, including faces! Sharapova, Federer, Djokovic (http://www.ea.com/grand-slam-tennis-2/images)

bdoughty
08-25-2011, 01:39 PM
Not too bad. Of course images only tell so much. Hopefully they captured each players style of play.

cdj
12-21-2011, 10:59 AM
- Demo available now on 360.

- Amazon has release date of February 14, 2012 (same as EA SPORTS SSX and UFC 3).

- Different covers based on region. (http://www.vgrevolution.com/2011/12/ea-sports-grand-slam-tennis-2-will-sport-various-covers-demo-out-now/)

cdj
01-19-2012, 11:28 PM
I played one match in the demo and enjoyed it. I'm not sure I could get into a tennis game and/or career mode, but it seemed fun.

Browsing through the in-game manual, I noticed you can set up 128-man tourneys (human limit much lower) and wondered how that could be with only 20~ licensed players. The game features GameFace and created player sharing, so the game should get fleshed out nicely with a large roster.

psuexv
01-20-2012, 08:35 AM
Looks like it's only $49.99 on Amazon and a $10 preorder credit - http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Slam-Tennis-2-Playstation-3/dp/B005GSRDHO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1327070064&sr=8-2

psuexv
01-31-2012, 12:59 PM
French Open Trailer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awtZSLmkseo&feature=youtu.be

cdj
01-31-2012, 12:59 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uofQVQNQZHU&feature=relmfu

cdj
02-04-2012, 10:47 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olbme3xqgSQ

cdj
02-12-2012, 10:15 PM
Review from VGRevolution: 8 out of 10 (http://www.vgrevolution.com/2012/02/ea-sports-grand-slam-tennis-2-review/)

SmoothPancakes
02-12-2012, 10:43 PM
Alright, I went ahead and bit on it. Just pre-ordered from Amazon. I was going to wait, but $50 and $10 credit, what the hell. The only tennis games I have ever played were Top Spin 2 on PS2, and Top Spin 3 on 360. It's time for an updated and more modern tennis game. Plus, with this one, I can actually play with Rafael Nadal or Novak Djokovic, among others, and actually play at Wimbledon, unlike Top Spin 3.

SmoothPancakes
02-14-2012, 01:12 PM
Whew, thank god. I got a text this morning from Amazon saying my UPS shipment had been delayed due to weather. However, just got on the UPS website and it's in town and on a truck for delivery today. It normally gets into town between 7 and 8am on delivery day, but left Fort Wayne at 7:54am and arrived in town at 9:20, heading out on a truck at 9:44, so appears they were able to get it on a late truck and still get it into town today.

bdoughty
02-14-2012, 02:41 PM
Mine was delayed by weather also, unfortunately it still shows to be sitting at DFW. Oh well, more Skyrim for me.

SmoothPancakes
02-14-2012, 03:42 PM
UPS just dropped it off moments ago. Installing it right now, then I'll be able to get in an hour of tennis before work.

hitman625
02-15-2012, 02:52 PM
Waiting on my copy from Gamefly...it was sent out today so I should have it in hand by Friday.

SmoothPancakes
02-15-2012, 03:04 PM
Ok, anyone who has ever complained about psychic DBs, you may never complain again. Try psychic tennis players. I have my opponent pushed back to his baseline, and try to throw in a drop shot. Before I even have a chance to swing at the ball and attempt the drop shot, he is already running forward to the net and to the exact location that my drop shot is going to land. Psychic DBs have nothing on these psychic tennis players.

bdoughty
02-15-2012, 10:29 PM
Yeah that was really noticeable in the demo. I also dislike that I can hit a perfect drop shot from pretty much anywhere on the court, of course it does not matter since they get to them so fast. The difficulty seems a bit ramped up from the demo. I was easily winning games in the demo on the hardest level. Moved it up just a notch to "Pro" in the retail game and it is far more challenging. It feels harder to break serves versus the demo. Where the game seems much harder is when you mistime serves, they really take advantage of it.

Going to start the career mode tomorrow and I sure hope there are more than 4 non-championship venues that are available in play now. I do like that you have multiple courts for each championship (take note 2K) and it is so nice to have commentary (again take note 2k). What I do not like is having only one camera view (take note EA) as Top Spin has always offered a nice selection of camera options. I prefer the camera to be a little lower and closer myself.

I was a bit disappointed by the demo but the full game seems a bit more to my liking. There seems to be a few more unforced errors but they seem too random and not because of a mishit, bad return location, etc. Kinda looking forward to Career Mode, we will see how long that lasts.

One strange thing was I did not get the pop up for the Online Pass and there is no way to enter my code. It let me go into the XBL area and go into a match versus and online opponent but still shows the pass "inactive" in the EA Player hub.

bdoughty
02-16-2012, 02:08 AM
Scratch the love of commentary, after a couple matches it becomes really repetitive. To the point I have already turned it off. Also the game is a whopping 2.3GB installed on the disc and based on the fact you only have 8 venues to play in and limited commentary, it shows.

So I jumped into the career mode...

Worst Career Mode EVER. So bad they should have pulled a March Madness from the PS2 days and left it out completely. Making your own tourneys and playing the Classic mode are the only saving graces and even then this game is just one step ahead of Virtua Tennis in regards to simulating the sport. The only reason I list the two modes above is that you can control the difficulty.

So you start career mode, make your player and you are off to week one (12 weeks in a season) and 10 seasons. There is no option to control difficulty in career mode, at least that I have seen. It is one of those, start you off with a low rated player and you ramp up. Typical of tennis games, except for there is no amateur or semi-pro levels. They throw you right into the professional season with all the scrubs, current pros and even the classic players. I went through what they call a pre-tournament and might have lost one point through 6 rounds, ending up playing Stefan Bengt Edberg in the final. Yup, those classic players are in all the tourneys. Then after beating the silly pre-tourney you return to the main menu only to find out you can play it again and again and again because QA at EA took the day off. You can also play training for the week or an exhibition at the same venue as the pre-tournament. You have two weeks of this same thing leading up to a Major tourney. So it has you playing in the same place for two weeks on a venue with a surface the same as the Major you play in the third week. On the bright side they do allow you to select how long each match is before each round (1set/3games - 3sets/3games - 5sets/6 games). The only advantage to playing a longer match is you are more capable of earning bonus attributes by performing specific challenges for the match.

If you thought the ratings in NCAA Football were useless, this game puts it to shame. I was a lvl 35 player with opponents twice the rating and I had no problem with any of them in the matches I played in year one. I simmed like 6 years and the career stays the EXACT same, except for the difficulty. Starting around year three, that guy you beat in year one who had a serve of 65MPH and watched half of your shots go by is now the second coming of Roger Federer. It is just flat out lazy. I would be embarrassed to be someone on the team who was in charge of this pile of dung they call a career mode. Going through the first year of your career is set so low, in regards to difficulty, you should be ashamed if you lose a set through the first year. They just hand you a Grand Slam, which should be something anyone who enjoys tennis would want to be a challenge. Oh but you will have to earn them, just have to wait a few years as the players difficulty level jumps up and players can get to pretty much any shot on the court. So let me just say that if you want any sort of challenge, sim the first year and if you have any skills in tennis games, sim another. Otherwise it will just be mindless (1set/3game) matches just to get to a point where the CPU puts up a fight.


For once Gamespot put it best in their review.

http://www.gamespot.com/grand-slam-tennis-2/reviews/grand-slam-tennis-2-review-6350038/

The Good

Only tennis game with all four Grand Slam venues
Various control options that are all easy to grasp
Great roster of classic players.

The Bad

Weak career mode
Only a few court locations
Female roster lacks top stars.



Top Spin 5 can't get here fast enough. If I had not already played Top Spin 4 to death I would buy it again with the trade money from this game. Now I am just going to play the modes listed above and trade this in when Top Spin 5 hits. It might make for a fun online game so if anyone is interested I will gladly give online a go.

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20110613211802/greenlantern/images/7/76/It_Stinks.jpg

bdoughty
02-16-2012, 02:19 AM
Heh, I just finished reading the Gamespot review and I noticed this.

Rather than restricting what you can do based on your player's rating or career ranking, the game's difficulty increases as you progress from year to year. The first year you play on the game's easiest difficulty, rookie; year two moves you up to amateur; year three takes you to professional; and then years four until the end are played at the superstar level.

So yeah, sim to year three. ;) I have no clue how he figured out the difficulty levels? Maybe he asked someone at EA? I still can't find anywhere in the game. Oh well, at least you were warned of what lies ahead.

cdj
02-16-2012, 12:25 PM
I thought the game would be slightly bare bones for a year one title, but some of those issues are discouraging.


So Legends appear in events. What about downloaded/created players? Do they show up in career? That would seem like a good way to add increased realism, at least.

Here is the OS Initial Review on GST2. (http://www.operationsports.com/features/1440/grand-slam-tennis-2-initial-reviewer-impressions/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

SmoothPancakes
02-16-2012, 01:09 PM
I thought the game would be slightly bare bones for a year one title, but some of those issues are discouraging.


So Legends appear in events. What about downloaded/created players? Do they show up in career? That would seem like a good way to add increased realism, at least.

Here is the OS Initial Review on GST2. (http://www.operationsports.com/features/1440/grand-slam-tennis-2-initial-reviewer-impressions/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

That I'm not sure. I started Career before I went in and actually started downloading players. That would be nice though, see some players like Del Potro, Almagro, Berdych, Tipsarevic, etc.

bdoughty
02-16-2012, 04:51 PM
When you start a career you can add created players - I think it is up to 30, which in a tourney of 128 only does so much for realism.