There are not a lot of tennis video games out there. In fact there is currently three Playstation tennis games, none of which are currently available, and one for Nintendo 64. That one for N64 is All Star Tennis '99 from Ubi-Soft.
True there is nothing to compare this game to, so if you want to play tennis on your Nintendo 64 your stuck with it. All Star Tennis '99 is not exactly something to be ashamed of. Its a decent Tennis simulator.
All Star Tennis '99 does not impress graphically, but it doesn't embarrass itself either. This game doesn't go out of its way to show off graphics. The players are quite plain. There is a lack of detail in them. The audience is flat, and the Judge is 3D with a 2D head. Music is extremely dull. Typical cartridge sound effects turned into music, Its best turned down through the options menu.
The control is good. Easy to learn, quick, responsive, and there is an option to perform special moves. All Star Tennis '99 features several real life tennis players, but far from all of them. Michael Chang is the only well known name for those who do not follow tennis closely. There are some computer created players in here as well.
There are multiple modes of play. Tournament, Bomb tennis, smash tennis, single and two player games. All Star Tennis '99 is no great achievement in the gaming world, but its not a complete waste of time. If you want a tennis game on Nintendo 64, All Star Tennis does provide that. It is fun and challenging. More so with a friend. Much like the real thing, All Star Tennis '99 is best played with an opponent.
PUBLISHER: UBI-SOFT
GRAPHICS: 5 SOUND & MUSIC: 2 CONTROL: 7
SECRETS: N/A ORIGINALITY: 7 FUN & REPLAY: 6.5
OVERALL: 5.5