Super Tennis

There are games that never earned the fame of the big blockbusters but count among connoisseurs as hidden gems. Super Tennis for the Super Nintendo is exactly such a case. This tennis title from the early years of the sixteen-bit console still ranks among the most playable sports games of its time, and many players consider it one of the best retro tennis games of all.

The secret to its success is perfectly tuned controls. The game offers a whole range of strokes, from powerful forehands through fierce volleys to delicate lobs and drop shots, and each of them is controlled intuitively, yet with room for a tactically led rally. Moving the player around the court, timing your stroke and reading the opponent's return — all of this you have to learn to master if you want to succeed in the higher rounds. Beneath the simple surface hides a surprising depth.

Super Tennis also bets on variety. Available is a range of male and female players with differing attributes, various types of surfaces that affect the bounce and speed of the ball, and a clear tournament mode where you fight your way up the ladder of opponents. This diversity ensures that the game does not get boring for a long time and that each match can have a different character depending on whom and where you play.

The absolute peak, however, is the two-player match. Tennis duels against a friend are among the most thrilling things sixteen-bit sport has to offer. Long rallies, tactically testing your opponent and the winning ball played into an empty court can unleash proper emotions at one screen. It is right here that you see how timelessly the game is built.

Super Tennis is proof that perfect playability requires neither photorealistic graphics nor dozens of modes. One discipline taken to flawlessness is enough. For fans of tennis and sports games in general it is a title that deserves a place in every retro collection. Even after years it controls so naturally that you quickly forget just how old it actually is.

Why play: For its excellently tuned controls and thrilling two-player duels, which make it one of the best retro tennis games of all.