First Impressions: E3 2010: Everybody's Tennis On PSP

This is much simpler than that, but it requires adjustment if you've spent years on SEGA's flagship tennis franchise. Unlike said titles hold and release mechanics, hitting the ball here is all about getting into position and tapping a button. The X button hits a simple fore-hand, while the Circle and Triangle buttons operate slice and lob shots respectively. Timing is what's key here, with your shot placement represented by a red circle in the opponent's half of the court. If you hit too early or too late, your return won't land in the optimum segment of your placement, instead swerving to the left or right, setting up an easy return or even going out of bounds.

The "Everybody's" franchise is synonymous with simplistic sports action. And this is apparent here. The RPG aspect allows you to level-up loyalty and skills with a particular character, and points are unlocked to buy new clothes and accessories to dress your player in. Costumes range from the obvious to the ridiculous. We managed to unlock a crazy white suit by beating an energetic looking "Hugo" in a tie-breaker during our hands-on.

The courts are equally zany, a Wimbledon-esque grass court littered with hedges and people walking dogs. As they do in England. What's especially cute about the visual style is the way in which comic-book sound bubbles pop-up to symbolise the clapping of the nearby audience, or rustling of the grass.

It remains to be seen how long Everybody's Tennis will remain fun. While there's addiction connected to building up a character and unlocking outfits, the gameplay does seem simplistic. It's fun, but we could imagine it grating after prolonged sessions.

But prolonged sessions clearly aren't the point of Everybody's Tennis. This is a portable game and ClapHanz know that. It's the kind of the thing we could imagine jumping into for five minutes and then moving on. And in that sense, it looks like its a winner. Once you've got over the initial shock of Everybody's Tennis not being a Virtua Tennis game, there's plenty of charm to be found in the game's simple rallying mechanics. We're eager to see more.