Grand Slam Tennis

Wii Motion Plus is the new and improved Wii controller technology that promises an even greater level of accuracy and sensitivity to make games even more immersive, and EA’s Grand Slam Tennis is the first game to take advantage of the upgrade.

This is pretty big for a couple of reasons, first because it’s EA’s only tennis game for over a decade and second because they’re carrying the banner for the WMP. At least tennis would seem like the perfect demonstration for the new tech.

If you’ve played the Wii Sports tennis game then the basics of Grand Slam are familiar, with similar moves and button presses to pull off the shots. Tragically though EA has failed to capitalise on the promise of the WMP and the game struggles with even basic shots. There’s such a small difference between various moves and it’s a pain to get Grand Slam to tell the difference, making for a very frustrating experience.

You’re also thrown straight in at the deep end with little instruction, aside from practicing shots with a ball machine your only options are to go straight into tournaments and matches but a training mode would have been really useful.

What you’re left with is a very frustrating sports game where, thanks to tough AI and wonky controls, you’ll rarely win games until much later, and only improve your character by scraping by with a few points.

Verdict: 45%

This should have been a showcase for the new WMP but instead it’s an annoying experience marred by broken controls and an unreasonable difficulty. Play Wii Sports tennis instead.