Tennis Cup
Developer(s)Loriciel
Publisher(s)
Loriciel
  • Home computers
    • FR: Loriciel
    • EU/NA: Electronic Zoo
    TurboGrafx-16
    PC Engine CD
    • JP: Micro World
    Super Nintendo
    Mega Drive/Genesis
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, TurboGrafx-16, PC Engine CD, Super Nintendo, Mega Drive/Genesis
Release
  • EU/NA: 1990 (home computers)
  • NA: 1991 (T-16)
  • JP: 1992 (PCE-CD)
  • WW: 1993 (SNES, MD)
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Tennis Cup is a 1990 tennis video game developed and published by Loriciel for the Amiga. It was ported to the Atari ST, MS-DOS and Amstrad CPC during the same year. Tennis Cup was ported to TurboGrafx-16 in 1991 as Davis Cup Tennis.[lower-alpha 1] Versions for the Super Nintendo (International Tennis Tour) and Mega Drive/Genesis (Davis Cup World Tour) were released in 1993.[lower-alpha 2]

The Amstrad version received a sequel, Tennis Cup 2, in 1990.[1] A 16-bit sequel, also titled Tennis Cup 2, was released in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST, and MS-DOS.

Gameplay

16-bit home computers

The screen is split horizontally with both players seen from a behind the back viewpoint, even in single-player. The player is competing against 32 computer players, each with their own skills and weaknesses. You can adjust your skills at the beginning, with six basic types of shots to choose from: service, forehand, backhand, forehand volley, backhand volley, and smash. At first, each type has a 50% skill rating, but there are 30 percentage points to distribute. One type of shot can be weakened to strengthen another. New computer players can be created by adjusting the percentages and they can be saved to a disk. In practice mode, the player can play against a ball machine. There are four court types: clay, indoor, hard, or grass. There are five tournaments: Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open, French Open, and Davis Cup. They can be entered individually, or in a marathon-style championship that links all five competitions together.[2]

Unlike the first game Tennis Cup 2 can be played in full screen in single- or multiplayer.[3] A new feature has been added to the game that allows for two human players to play a doubles match against a single computer opponent.[4] According to Amiga Format, Tennis Cup 2 features "better character animation and more user-friendly options".[5]

SNES

There are practice, exhibition, and career mode where the player is given a generous number of dollars and must compete on the world tennis circuit in order to gain more money. The player can only play as a male tennis player. During the exhibition mode, the rules can be altered along with the opponent.

Players can either represent themselves in a singles tournament, a two-person team in a doubles tournament or their respective home country in a "Nations Cup" tournament It takes approximately 52 in-game weeks in order for a player in career mode to go from being the worst tennis player in the world to being the best tennis player in the world.[6]

Passwords are given out at the end of each match in order to players to continue their progress at a later date.[6]

Reception

Home computers and PC Engine

Computer and Video Games concluded: "What makes Tennis Cup so outstanding, though, is the presentation - apart from some niggly disk loading times, there's great scope for changing all the parameters from player statistics to the type, length and difficulty of a match"[11] The Games Machine noted that "Playability is good but not exceptional." and recommended the game slightly over Pro Tennis Tour.[2] The Atari ST version was said to have better graphics and sound effects. It was called the best tennis game on the Atari ST along with International 3D Tennis.[14] Aktueller Software Markt said Tennis Cup is better than Pro Tennis Tour but worse than Tie Break.[7] They noted that the Atari ST version has better animation than the Amiga version.[8] Comparing tennis games on the PC Engine, they recommended World Court Tennis and Final Match Tennis instead of Davis Cup.[10] Amiga Joker said the screen size is insufficient, the animations are unimpressive, and the controls are sluggish.[15]

CU Amiga called Tennis Cup 2 almost identical to the first game and recommended to get Advantage Tennis instead.[16] Zero said "it's very addictive at first, but play for a while and it can become really infuriating, crossing the thin line between addictiveness and frustration."[4]

Mega Drive

Mean Machines Sega called the game "[t]he best and surely the definitive and unquestionably grooviest tennis game for the Megadrive."[13] One reviewer from Electronic Gaming Monthly called the game "[a] good, solid tennis game", another one said "[i]t doesn't have everything I'd like to see in a tennis game, but it's a worthwhile effort."[12]

Reviews

See also

References

  1. ↑ PC Engine CD title: The Davis Cup Tennis
  2. ↑ North American Genesis title: Davis Cup Tennis
  1. ↑ Yvan (September 1990). "Test - Tennis Cup 2". Joystick (in French). No. 8. Sipress. p. 84.
  2. 1 2 3 Lapworth, Warren (June 1990). "Reviews - Tennis Cup [Amiga]". The Games Machine. No. 31. Newsfield Publications. p. 53.
  3. ↑ "Back cover of the game box". Tennis Cup 2. Loriciel. 1992. Double Camera option allowing 1 or 2 players to play on 1 or 2 screens; © 1992 Loriciel
  4. 1 2 Ahmed, Mohammed (October 1992). "Review - Tennis Cup 2". Zero. Dennis Publishing (36): 34.
  5. ↑ Nuttall, Andy (September 1992). "Game Reviews - Tennis Cup 2". Amiga Format. Future plc (38): 93.
  6. 1 2 "Gameplay/password information" (in Japanese). SFC no Game Seiha Shimasho. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  7. 1 2 Suck, Michael (April 1990). "Sport-Kaleidoskop - Tennis Cup". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 5, no. 4/90. Tronic-Verlag. p. 100. Preis/Leistung: 9/12
  8. 1 2 Suck, Michael (August 1990). "Konvertierungen - Tennis Cup". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 5, no. 8-9/90. Tronic-Verlag. p. 68. Preis/Leistung: 9/12
  9. ↑ Suck, Michael (October 1990). "Tennis Cup". Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 5, no. 10/90. Tronic-Verlag. Preis/Leistung: 8/12
  10. 1 2 Anton, Michael (December 1991). "Konsolen - Davis Cup" (PDF). Aktueller Software Markt (in German). Vol. 6, no. 12/91. Tronic-Verlag. p. 141. Gesamtnote: 7/12
  11. 1 2 Houghton, Gordon (June 1990). "Review - Tennis Cup". Computer and Video Games. No. 103. Future plc. p. 76.
  12. 1 2 Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Sushi-X (July 1993). "Review Crew - Davis Cup". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 6, no. 7. Sendai Publishing Group, Inc. p. 27. 6/10, 7/10, 7/10, 7/10
  13. 1 2 Swan, Angus; McVittie, Andy (August 1993). "Mega Drive Review - Davis Cup World Tour". Mean Machines Sega. No. 10. EMAP. pp. 64–65.
  14. 1 2 Lapworth, Warren (September 1990). "Reviews - Tennis Cup [ST]". The Games Machine. No. 34. Newsfield Publications. p. 62.
  15. 1 2 Beckers, Norbert (May 1990). "Games im Test - Tennis Cup". Amiga Joker (in German). No. 5/90. Joker-Verlag. p. 64.
  16. ↑ Merrett, Steve (September 1992). "Game Review - Tennis Cup II". CU Amiga. EMAP: 75.
  17. ↑ https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-nf-7/page/20/mode/2up
  18. ↑ https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-34/page/n91/mode/2up
  19. ↑ https://www.stcarchiv.de/tos1990/05/tennis-cup
  20. ↑ https://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_powerplay_1990-06_seite106
  21. ↑ https://www.kultpower.de/archiv/hefte/powerplay_1990-05/big/powerplay_1990-05_100.jpg
  22. ↑ https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-36/page/n93/mode/2up
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