''Outlaw Tennis'' is a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
based on the sport of tennis published for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
and
PlayStation 2, and the last game in the ''Outlaw'' series to be released in 2005. Actor and political satirist
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
provides the voice of the game's announcer.
Game modes
* Quick Play- The player picks the court and difficulty, the game automatically picks an opponent. This is a quick way to get into a Classic Tennis Match without having to sort through all the options.
* Exhibition- This mode is a quick way for a player to get into a game of tennis, with 7 different Play Styles to choose from, and 12 customizable Play Style Settings to tailor the game to the player's wishes.
There are two Match Types Available in this mode, Singles (1 vs 1) or Canadian Doubles (1 vs 2). When Advantage is turned on at deuce (40-40), one player has to win the game. The player who wins the next point takes the game. If Win by 2 Games is turned on, at 5-5, the player must then win by two games, however at 6-6, a tiebreak is played to determine who wins the set. The tiebreak rules are the first player to reach seven points win the tiebreak and set, at 6 points all, the player who wins two consecutive points wins the tiebreak and the set. The Games per set option allows the player to choose the number of games to win a set. The minimum is two games and the maximum is 6. Sets per Match determines how many sets are in the match. As with typical
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
, 1, 3, or 5 sets can be played. A1 difficulty determines the hardness of the game. The default level is Pro, however the player can set the level at Amateur for newer players or Veteran for the big time tennis players. When Time Bombs are turned on every 5 seconds or so whoever last hit the ball will get blown up with the time bomb. Whenever smoke appears the player needs to get the ball back on the other side of the court before they get blown away. Team Match Timer when turned on, is much like a
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
clock whereas once the ball is hit the time stops but when the opponent returns the shot, it begins again. The match timer can also be enabled. Whoever is in the lead when time runs up wins. Challenges are set by the empire, Heavy G. When turned on at the beginning of the match, Heavy G will present a challenge which ever play wins the challenge first receives 30-seconds of unlimited turbo. The Outlaw Blockers is a malicious square of digital fiberglass that slides back and forth along the net. Known as the great equalizer, the player can try to avoid it, or try timing it, but it will ultimately best the player. Weather can also be switched on or off. When turned on there is a chance for rain or snow.
* Tour Mode- This mode is where the player unlocks characters, courts, clothing, accessories, racquets, and Drill Events. The player must take each Outlaw (character) and win five events. With 80 events, bonus videos, courts, and characters are unlocked. For the double events, a second player can be invited to help out.
* Outlaw Drills- Allows the player to improve their character's skills. This is essential when playing the Tour Mode. Through games that work on Serve, Accuracy, Power, Speed, Control, and Endurance, the player will need to improve on their abilities to make it through the big leagues on Tour Mode.
Reception
The game was met with average reception.
GameRankings and
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
gave it a score of 70% and 66 out of 100 for the Xbox version,
[ and 69% and 67 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version.][
'']Detroit Free Press
The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...
'' gave the PS2 version a score of three stars out of four and stated that "The online features, variety of characters and deep play modes ake
Ake (or Aké in Spanish orthography) is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It's located in the municipality of Tixkokob, in the Mexican state of Yucatán; 40 km (25 mi) east of Mérida, Yucatán.
The name ...
''Outlaw Tennis'' a keeper -- especially at its cheap price."[ However, '']The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' gave the Xbox version a score of three-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "The outrageous characters, puerile gags and crass commentary provide chuckles but the jokes soon become stale. Player reactions after each point also quickly become tiresome."[ '']Maxim
Maxim or Maksim may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine
** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition
** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition
*Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...
'' gave both versions of the game three stars out of five and stated that the game "plays as well as a regulation tennis game. It has the same responsive controls, and even lets you play online doubles with your friends -- assuming they're more likely to chug a Country Club than apply to one."
References
External links
*
{{Outlaw Sports series
Tennis video games
2005 video games
PlayStation 2 games
Xbox games
Black comedy video games
Video games developed in the United States
Video games featuring female protagonists
Global Star Software games
Multiplayer and single-player video games