E3: Grand Slam Tennis Hands On

After the introduction to Wii Tennis at EA's press conference I was keen to have a go on the show floor. And yeah, much of that had to do with the Pete Sampras cameo. What can I say? I'm easily swayed by celebrity.

Grand Slam Tennis was pitched by EA as a much deeper, more nuanced tennis title, built to cater to the demands of those who loved the tennis game from Wii Sports but found it a little basic. You play the game in generally the same way - serve by raising your Wiimote, then play with a series of concise lunges. Development team EA Canada have mixed it up a bit by adding a drop shot (controlled by the B button) and a lob (A), bringing a little bit of variety to your game - although if you were rubbish at Wii Tennis, you're still going to be rubbish now, as the fundamental gameplay feels very much the same. The game is apparently built to detect, and cater to, your own personal playing style, but if that style is simply waggling your controller in the direction of the ball, nothing much will change.

That is however, before you attach Wii Motion Plus. This was the first time I played with the little attachment, and although the difference is subtle, it feels much more accurate than the standard Wiimote. I felt more in control with Motion Plus, but also more vulnerable. Wii Motion Plus is all about angle - you can now slice the ball (I did), send a powerhouse shot to the very edge of the court (I did) and make the conscious decision to play a forehand or a backhand.

This is where Grand Slam Tennis feels MADE for Motion-Plus, because it actually made me think about my game. You have to be careful though - the aforementioned vulnerability kicked in when I realised just how precise my shots were being copied by my onscreen avatar. Wii Tennis has made me lazy, and the pin-point ball placement with Wii Motion Plus means I couldn't just half-heartedly waggle the Wiimote at the screen. After whacking the ball out of the court one too many times, I found myself forced into playing a much more physical game, crouching down and really concentrating on what I was doing with my virtual racket. Real life tennis players will be good at this. Sampras was.

The game also feels more authentic than Wii Tennis, with a bigger crowd presence, audio taken from actual Grand Slam matches, and real-life venues. There's a 23 player line up, too, and the EA rep was keen to point out the inclusion of John McEnroe, who's exclusive to the title. You can also build your own character from the ground up, and the game encourages you to invent and design your own tennis player and take them through the Grand Slam Career, or jump online to play with a buddy. Just like almost every EA title shown at E3 this year (bar Brutal Legend, maybe) there's also a calorie checker, so you can see how much you're burning as you lunge across the living room. Realistic indeed.