Tennis seems to be the odd sport out when it comes to videogames. In an industry that merits yearly updates in golf and stock car racing, the lack of new tennis titles is truly perplexing, seeing as how there seems to be a new phenom or Russian hottie on the scene every year. The Xbox in particular seemed to have a dearth of quality tennis titles- outside of the well-received Top Spin, there was nothing in the vein of a more lighthearted arcade-style game like Virtua Tennis or Mario Power Tennis. Salvation for fun-loving tennis freaks has arrived in the form of Outlaw Tennis, the latest game in Hypnotix's Outlaw sports series. Their previous efforts, Outlaw Golf and Outlaw Volleyball were decent games, but hardly the kings of their respective sports. Can Outlaw Tennis turn that streak around, or are we looking at another Outlaw also-ran?

Gameplay:

The previous Outlaw titles made their mark by infusing outrageous characters into solid, if unspectacular sports engines featuring little gameplay innovation. Considering the fact that tennis videogames seem to see the fewest new features, one would expect a by-the-numbers gameplay experience in Outlaw Tennis. While it won't turn the Xbox-owning tennis fans on their ears, the developers have managed to serve up a few new features to make the gameplay experience in Outlaw Tennis as enjoyable as any other tennis title on the planet. Yes, even Top Spin.

The back and forth of Outlaw Tennis isn't too different from the handful of tennis games released this generation, save for the fact that the players behind the racket consist of a stripper/mensa candidate, a Japanese pop star, and a white-boy rapper, among others. Serving, returning... it's all been done before (not that they're done badly, though). Where's the innovation, you ask? The modes. Outside of the standard tennis matches and the stat-building minigames (which, along with Top Spin’s crop, can’t hold a candle to Virtua Tennis) awaits a large crop of inventive and alternative ways to play a set. Although seemingly tacked-on at first glance, modes like Pinball (aim for targets on the receiver’s end of the court, Football (the server moves ahead with each successive point) and Hot Potato (the ball blows up after a set amount of time) offer up a unique yet enjoyable tennis experience that stacks up well against the relatively bland competition. Match modifiers like moving blockers, land mines and the "Canadian Doubles" handicap match option ensure that even standard matches can have a little flair to them.

While there are a few modes that can't quite deliver (Training and Casino in particular), the standard game in Outlaw Tennis is as good as any other title, and the many enjoyable modes and modifiers put it among the upper echelon.



Ninjas are silent and stealthy. Monica Seles, on the other hand...

Graphics:

Looking back at the character models used in the first Outlaw sports foray, Outlaw Golf (which you too can do after unlocking the first video clip), the improvements made in the design and detail really is astounding, whether you're viewing them in a cutscene or the industry standard sky-high "tennis-eye-view". Characters that were once cartoony and unrealistic with awkward animations now look and move as normally as any Jewish ninja or morbidly obese line judge you’d meet in real life. The courts have some interesting designs, including a drug kingpin’s mansion and a post-apocalyptic warzone, but the uniqueness of the settings are belied by the lack of quality background animation. Despite that minor triviality, Outlaw Tennis is a fine-looking game that has showcases the series' evolution throughout this console generation.