Hands on di IGN che ha provato il gioco con il Wii Motion Plus. E sembra essere letteralmente entusiasta! Leggete un po..
"March 12, 2009 - We recently had the chance to play Grand Slam Tennis for Wii and I thought it was really fun. The only problem? Publisher EA demoed the title to me minus the MotionPlus peripheral and as a result I could not test out what is the single biggest and most coveted feature of the experience. Thankfully, I got to rectify that oversight this week at the company's Season Opener event in San Francisco, where a Wii MotionPlus-ready build of Grand Slam Tennis was on display and fully playable. And play it I did. So what's the verdict? Well, frankly, it's incredible, which makes EA two for two now because Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 equipped with MotionPlus is spectacular, too.
Before I jumped into Grand Slam Tennis with MotionPlus, I tried playing once more without it. I simply selected practice mode, started a rally and off I went, strafing back and forth while hitting tennis balls over the net time and time again. Although you can plug a nunchuk in and control your character with analog precision, EA has always demoed the title in its more accessible Wii remote-only configuration in which character movement is automatic; all you have to do is swing away. The setup works very well, of course.
Once you plug in the Wii MotionPlus dongle, the title auto-recognizes it and takes advantage of its added precision. Simple, no fuss. And all of a sudden you play Grand Slam Tennis very differently. Rallies become much less about timing and much more about the motion and positioning of your swing. The experience considerably more natural and intuitive than any tennis videogame I have ever played, Wii Sports included. And you'll notice this added control fidelity the moment you start playing. If you bend down with the controller in hand, your athletic superstar will do the same, positioning his racket in a lower formation. If you raise the controller above your head, so will he. If you hold it at mid-level, he will too. And you can play the match in these formations.
Forehands and backhands are legitimately read and translated, occasionally at your expense. If you anticipate shots and prepare a forehand or backhand correctly, you'll be golden, and your rallies will be intense and long. But if you misread a shot, go for a forehand and then correct to a backhand, your character will try to do the same, which takes a second, and you might actually flub the shot because of it. You don't have to do that, though, because you can play the way you want to. If you find, for example, that you just don't like your backhands, you can attack left-corner court returns with forehand swings. You simply position the Wii remote sideways as though you want to hit a forehand return and your character will go into the position and strafe over so that you can hit the ball. Works flawlessly and feels very dynamic.
Without Wii MotionPlus, rallies are all about timing. Based on when you swing, the ball will fly off in a certain direction -- very similar to Wii Sports Tennis. With MotionPlus, it's all about your form, power and followthrough, the latter of which is very important. You still use A and B-trigger as lob and dropshot modifiers, which just works. But less emphasis is placed on your timing. As your waiting for a serve or for a return, you twist the Wii remote about and your on-screen character will do the same. And when you finally hit it back, you'll need to consider whether to hit forehand or backhand, speed, and the positioning of the Wii remote at the end of your motion and arch. In my play test, every ball I returned shot exactly where I wanted it to go. Even better, if I cut my followthrough midway on a return, the ball would curve inward toward the middle court instead of outward toward a corner, which is amazing.
I can't wait to play a lot more of the game, but even now two truths are rapidly becoming evident. First, EA Grand Slam Tennis is better than Wii Sports Tennis even without MotionPlus support. But with it, the game is in another league entirely. Look out for more coverage of the extremely promising sports game soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out a new trailer in our media section."
It seems EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will see a delay in europe. The new release is now 2. July 2009 (previously 18. June), and perhaps a bundle comes:
EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis + Wii Motion Plus - 2. July 2009
Grand Slam Tennis - 2.07.2009 - 49,99 Euro
Grand Slam Tennis Bundle with Wii Motion Plus - 2.07.2009 - 59,99 Euro
EA SPORTS™ welcomes a new member to its family of world class franchises. EA SPORTS Grand Slam® Tennis delivers the deepest and richest tennis experience ever developed for the Wii™ with authentic tennis motions on the most famous courts in the world. Professional tennis is all about the Grand Slams and EA's new tennis franchise is no different. It is the only videogame where users can play at Wimbledon. In fact, it is home to all four Grand Slams; from the Australian Open to Roland Garros to the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon to the lively U.S. Open.
Perform real life tennis strokes in your living room and control every inch of the court. Users feel like they have a racket in their hands as they swing real forehands and backhands.
The 23-player line-up features some of the greatest and most accomplished in history including John McEnroe, who is exclusively featured. Joining the enigmatic Mac is an impressive roster of fellow champions who collectively own 135 Grand Slam singles titles, making this the most accomplished group of players ever assembled for a tennis videogame.
EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis is a genuine tennis experience that truly puts the racket in the palm of your hand!!
Key Features
• Swing the racket like a Grand Slam champion: From your living room, play tennis as it was meant to be played with the ability to hit a variety of shots such as top spin, slice, flat, lobs and drop shots.
• Grand Slam Career: Only a select group of pros have won the elusive Grand Slam and now for the first time, gamers can take up the same challenge. Conquer the various skill and legends challenges to accumulate more skills for your created player.
• Authenticity: Boasting realistic looking Grand Slam venues and playing styles true to the players in the game. Actual audio was recorded from the Grand Slams and used in the game.
• Tennis for Everyone: As simple or as complex as users want their gaming experience to be. Use the Wii remote to focus on ball placement or plug in the Nunchuk the control your player's movement in addition to the shots.
• Wii MotionPlus™: One of the first games compatible with the new Wii MotionPlus, the experience is further enhanced with added shot depth and precise ball placement on the court. Racket rotation is also recognized so you can spin your stick just like the pros do!
• Social Tennis Party: An exciting tennis gaming environment comes to life with multiple players having fun and staying active. A dozen party games can be played, using seven core Tennis Academy style games.
• Connect Online*: Play singles and doubles against new opponents online. Every win contributes to your country on the nations leader board.
• Play Against or As Your Favorite Pro: The EA roster features 23 total players with a mix of men, women, legends and current stars. Players include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Maria Sharapova and more.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Hone your skills on the practice courts at every venue. Take advantage of the instructional pop-ups to improve your abilities and beat the pros!
• Music: Original tracks composed by Paul van Dyk, a popular electronic dance music DJ and producer
EA SPORTS UNVEILS COVER ATHLETES FOR GRAND SLAM TENNIS
John McEnroe, Roger Federer and Serena Williams Featured on North American Packaging
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. – April 9, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that tennis stars John McEnroe, Roger Federer and Serena Williams will be the North American* cover athletes for its new tennis franchise, EA SPORTS™ Grand Slam® Tennis. Eight different regional player partnerships will be announced soon. McEnroe, one of the sport's most recognizable figures, was recently confirmed as exclusive to the game. Federer and Williams are among the biggest names in tennis and the most accomplished; having won 23 Grand Slam singles titles between them. Williams becomes the first woman to grace the cover of an EA SPORTS simulation product.
"It's very exciting to be on the cover of EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis. This game not only shows EA's enthusiasm for tennis but for also women's tennis," said Williams. "I know from experience how tough and gratifying it is to win all four Grand Slams so I hope people will enjoy the Grand Slam experience that is offered in this game."
EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis is being developed under the EA SPORTS brand by EA Canada in Vancouver, B.C. Designed first for the Wii™, it ships to North American retailers on June 15th, one day earlier than the previously announced ship date. Worldwide it ships on June 26th with the exception of the United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Australia, where it ships on June 12th.
This fall, EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis will also be served up for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. With stunning realism, it will feature innovative control systems and robust online** capability. Classic matches from the past will be recreated, along with simulated dream match-ups that weren't possible before.
EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis for the Wii has been rated "E" by the ESRB and "3+" by PEGI, and has an MSRP of $49.95 USD in North America.
*In addition to select other global territories
** INTERNET CONNECTION required for online features. See product pack for details.