Virtua Tennis: World Tour Preview

Virtua Tennis World Tour is SEGA’s first PSP title and the first Virtua Tennis title in many years. With the PSP being criticized over the lack of pick-up and play games available for it, World Tour should fill that gap very nicely. We talked to Mark Glossop, the game’s Executive Producer, about this much anticipated game.

Pro-G: Firstly, could you tell our readers a little about yourself and your involvement in the development of the game?

Mark: I have been involved in the games industry for 15 years – I started as a programmer and have been a producer for the last 13 years. I have worked on numerous games on all the major platforms.

My role on the team is producer which means I am basically the guy who organizes team members and tasks to ensure the product is out on time and is of a high quality.

Pro-G: Virtua Tennis made a name for itself in the Arcades and on the SEGA Dreamcast. While a version of the game appeared on the PlayStation 2, what made the PSP the perfect choice for the game, rather than current or next-generation consoles?

Mark: The PSP is an ideal platform for Virtua Tennis as the game has instant ‘pick-up and play’ appeal for the player who has only a few spare minutes to play. We have included extra modes for this kind of player through Ball Games and Quick Match. On the other hand it also features a more in-depth challenge in the World Tour mode for players who want to while away a few hours on a train journey.

Pro-G: What has changed since Virtua Tennis 2? Is World Tour Essentially Virtua Tennis 2 for the PSP?

Mark: From a gameplay point of view, very little has changed – there is no point in fixing something that ain’t broke. We have implemented new features such as wi-fi networking support and our own Ball Games.

Pro-G: The PSP has come under some criticism over its analogue stick. Does this handheld version offer the same precise control that the home console versions had?

Mark: Absolutely – We spent a lot of time making sure the controls worked just as well on the analogue stick as it does with the digital buttons.

Pro-G: Will the game allow single game disc multiplayer action? This is a feature seen quite frequently in Nintendo DS games, but as yet no PSP games support this feature. Any chance of online play?

Mark: Virtua Tennis does not support Game Sharing or online play.

Pro-G: Are there any plans to release updates including new games modes or players?

Mark: There are no plans at present to release updates.

Pro-G: We know that you will be able to play through a world tour on your own, but will there be a co-op doubles tour mode?

Mark: There is no co-op feature in the World Tour mode.

Pro-G: Previous versions of Virtua Tennis have featured a number of mini-games. What does World Tour offer in this area?

Mark: We have included an extra mode called Ball Games – this takes the idea behind mini-games a bit further. There are no fixed time limits in this mode and the challenge is to survive has long as possible and achieve the highest score. This mode includes four games, which we are sure most players will enjoy.

Pro-G: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome when bringing Virtua Tennis to the PSP?

Mark: Adapting the game to work on PSP was very tricky in a couple of areas. Fitting the game onto the PSP without having a negative effect on the quality took a significant amount of optimisation. Also, the WiFi network play was tricky to implement, but the resulting game is well worth it!

Pro-G: Do you have an estimated release date? Are European gamers going to be playing Virtua Tennis at the PSP launch?

Mark: We are aiming to release the game at launch date.

Pro-G: Thanks very much for your time.