''RealSports Tennis'' is a

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 ...

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

developed and published by

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...

Atari 5200 The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System. The VCS was renamed to the Atari 2600 at the time of the 5200' ...

and

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

in 1983. It is part of the ''

RealSports ''RealSports'' is a series of sports video games originally developed and published Atari, Inc. The first games were released in 1982 for the Atari 2600, then the series expanded to the Atari 5200, Atari 7800, and Atari 8-bit family. By the ear ...

'' series of games.

Gameplay

Before the game starts, players have to name their character, a first for an Atari 2600 game, and choose between one and two player mode and the two pre-set difficulty levels ("slow" and "fast"). In the game, one player with a blue shirt plays tennis against an AI enemy portrayed by a

non-player character A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...

(NPC) with a red shirt. In the two-player mode, one player competes against another player local. Players can move vertically and horizontally on the map. With the one button on the Atari 2600 controller, players make the serve. Every further shot is automatic if the ball has physical contact with the player. For every ball that falls on the opposing playing field, players get 15 points which they can see at the top part of the screen. After they reached 30 points, they only get 10 points for each other ball. After 40 points, they won one round. The number of rounds won goes up to 6. After winning 6 rounds, a new pile is opened at the top part of the screen which again goes up to 6. The first player who won two piles of 6 rounds wins the game.

Development

The 2600 version's programmer is unknown, while the 5200 and Atari 8-bit family versions were coded by W Sean Hennessy. Atari's Director of Software George Kiss assigned the project to Hennessey knowing that he's a tennis fan. He did the 5200 version first and then ported the game to the Atari 8-bit family of home computers later. The game was so well received that Hennessey could choose his next project, which was uncommon among new Atari employees. The ball is larger in the NTSC version than the PAL version. The Atari 5200 version is slower than the Atari 2600 version.

Legacy

The

intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...

rights for the game passed to

Hasbro Interactive Hasbro Interactive was an American video game developer, video game production and video game publisher, publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company. Several of its studios were closed in early 2001 and most of its properties ...

and were subsequently bought by

Infogrames Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA) is a French video game holding company headquartered in Paris. Its subsidiaries include Atari Interactive and Atari, Inc. It is the current owner of the Atari brand through Atari Interactive. Bec ...

in 2001, which was subsequently renamed Atari SA. In 2018 the game was re-released by AtGames on their ''Flashback portable'' platform.

References

External links

RealSports Tennis
on Atari Mania
RealSports Tennis
on MobyGames 1983 video games Atari 2600 games Atari 5200 games Atari 8-bit family games Tennis video games Video games developed in the United States {{tennis-videogame-stub

Gameplay

Development

Legacy

See also

References

External links