EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis

Received on time, in excellent quality. Great game...will make you sweat!!

UPDATE 2 - after about 20 hrs of play, I will flat out say this is the best, by far, tennis/gaming experience i've ever been able to play. The depth of control with Wii Motion is unreal. Invest the time, and you will be SMILING ear to ear playing this, and then probably wanting to go take some tennis lessons too. EA gets a knod, I have not been a fan of them for quite some time, but everything in this game is done right to MAKE THE GAME FUN...awesome, awesome. You feel the adreneline flow before tryingto return a HUGE Sampras serve, knowing hes coming into net - the look and feel of EACH pro is just like real life (even given the graphics of this game) you feel the mounting pressure of a cross court rally, the crowd erupts, your playe reacts - what a game.Well...the wiimotion plus is out, and so are 2 tennis games.Ive been playing tennis my entire life, and can tell you that if you are a waggle-er from wii sports, you may just want to stick to it. GST is no joke, requires real, fluid,controlled swings, competent play, and constant attention to the wii mote/your hand. This is not demanding, its real - you would not be able to hit a tennis ball if you kept the racket hanging by your side until it was time to swing - getting the racket back before the ball needs to be hit, preparation for your swing, all the things needed for real tennis are in this game. You will have to prepare your shots, be set up, and take a real back swing - or else, you will wind up like other gamers out there complaining that controls are off, what you (think) you are doing is not coming out on screen.Get ready to invest serios time into learning this game, but the benefits are great, and the rallies are awesome. Dont be swayed by the cartoon graphics...this game is the first game I have played that actually captures real tennis, the sounds of the court, the serious voice of the announcers, it has a very very authentic feel, powerful racket contact sounds, and its very real compared to the artificial nature of virtua tennis - virtua tennis 3 was so robotic it was horrendous to play, and if you are a tennis player, virtua tennis is much too arcade ish to really feel a reward if and when you put a ball down the line for a winner.In virtua tennis - there is not such thing as hitting a ball OUT. in GST, you bet you can hit it out, go for too much - you will be dissapointed when you hit it 1 ft off the sideline. the game rewards you with good play, smart shot selection, and execution whereas in VT - the game wants the ball in play and you can do no wrong.Being able to slice, lob, DROP, top spin etc, all in real time, and for the most part putting the ball where you want, its just awesome.spend AT LEAST an hr with the ball machine - u know you have mastered the controls when you say "i want it cross ct" and you put it cross ct, i want a inside out forehand, and you do it, every time. then its time to play - just like real tennis.UPDATE - MOST IMPORTANT THING - MAKE SURE THAT INBETWEEN POINTS YOU KEEP THE WIIMOTE LEVEL AND POINTED AT THE SCREEN AND STEADY - EVERY POINT YOU WILL HAVE A PERFECT CALIBRATED DEAD CENTER RACKET - THIS MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD.

Came in excellent condition; worked perfectly.

The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it's not quite perfect - in that one could argue that more expanded gameplay options would make it better. But for all intents and purposes this IS a FIVE STAR game.Contrary to some of the reviews here I found the controls (using Motion Plus and Nunchuk) intuitive and more easy to use than I had feared prior to playing the game. The only control issues I have are forgetting to pick a side and start my backswing early enough when facing very fast balls. Such is life.I quite like the graphics and sound. While obviously the characters are stylized, the quality of the art is such that it is quite obvious who they are. Even the little details such as expressions and slam-specific attire are not overlooked. The real life sampled sounds are exquisite and make the game much more immersive. One can even tell how the ball impacts the strings (or the frame) of the racket by the sound, before you see the effect. The animations are fantastic. Rarely is there a glitch in the movement, which is impressive for a game with so many sudden direction changes. The swings are player-specific and well done too.Winning a match is much harder as a 0 star player, even on easy difficulty, than it is as a 3 star player on medium difficulty. Or it could be that my human skills have improved along with my computer counterpart. I played my first year on easy and sometimes would reset the game instead of taking a loss because I wanted to build my player more quickly. Yes, this is cheating, but there is only so much time in life to play games and I want to have fun in my down-time. After winning every slam my second year, without a reset I might add, on medium difficulty I have switched to hard for my third year. I won my first (1 set) match, against a 3 star qualifier, 18-16! I think this indicates that the game has sufficient difficulty to entertain me for a while!Tips:1) Use the motion controller plus and nunchuk! There is no way to fully appreciate the game or use pro-level tactics without being able to control your footwork and your wrist spin.2) Start on easy difficulty, and cheat (reset) for the first year. It will still be difficult to win (and fun), but this will give you bonuses that will let you play legitimately the second year and have even more fun.3) Have an idea of how you want your character to play, then select the best bonuses to that end. Ignore the game's coach.4) Practice on the practice court! Try out different techiques with each shot type - vary your wrist movement, swing level and timing. Good practice here will makes your swings second-nature in matches.5) Just because you got to the net doesn't mean you need to stay there. More advanced players will lob over your head, and often it can be advantageous to change your spacing if your opponent closes as this will open up passing opportunities.6) To pick a sever direction, just move the nunchuk hat to the side after the ball toss. To really nail the lines (the only way to ace) you need to use additional wrist movement to create ball spin. This is also helpful, even if your serve isn't great, to position the opponent.7) Movement! Tennis is ALL about movement. Keep your feet going, have a plan of where you want to go even before you hit the ball, and try never to find yourself flat-footed waiting for your opponent to hit the ball. Spacing between your player and the ball significantly alters how it is struck. Try not to be too stretched out or too close. Sometimes it is beneficial to step in and take a ball early to give your opponent less time to react (watch Serena Williams play).8) It is much harder to volley line than cross court, so if you are having trouble with an opponent at net think in terms of using his volley to put him in a position so that it opens up a passing lane for your next shot after his volley.9) Note that your player's follow through angle and your own follow through angle may differ, depending on how close to a side line you are. Work this out on the practice court so it doesn't surprise you in-game.10) Remember that tennis is a THREE dimenional game! Use angles, lobs and drop shots to take advantage of your opponent's position on the court. Both your depth in the court and the opponent's radically alters each player's options, both defensive and offensively.I play as an offensive baseliner, but I often use serve and volley as a tactic. Essentially I play how Roddick was trying to play under Conner's tutelage. I rarely stand toe-to-toe in a point, but rather use my ground strokes to position the opponent for a winner or so I can advance to the net.The bonuses I use are:-Roddick's serve-Hewitt's speed-McEnroe's forehand topspin-Nike shoes that give me more hustle-Wilson racket with increased backhand topspinOverall I find the game a very decent simulation of actual tennis. It's a LOT of fun and I highly recommend it.

This came with a clean label, box and disc. No manual. The game is fun. And the grahics are a mix of cartoon and anime. Found a guide for all the ways to hit the ball online. There's a lot to learn. You can really work up a sweat playing this.