By Jim Drewes - August 28, 2005

Summary

Crass humor and gratuitous sexuality are two elements which are immediately noticeable as soon as the game is turned on. The designers of Outlaw Tennis were undoubtedly trying to make the game edgy by introducing these elements. Even good “ball jokes” are only funny for a little while, and it would be a stretch to say that any of the jokes are particularly good. There are a few times that the game makes fun of its own writing, and gamers may get a chuckle out of a couple of the comments, but by and large the humor doesn't add anything to the game. The same thing goes for the T&A that is rampant in the game. Early teen boys may view the curvaceous ladies of Outlaw Tennis as a selling point, but most others will quickly disregard the sexy element of the game. It is almost comical how much this goes on in the game. Even when changing the outfits of the female characters, there is quite a bit of extra jiggling going on with the player models. None of this adds any merit to the game, although some gamers may view it as a detraction.

Sound and graphics in Outlaw Golf aren't going to be winning any awards, but they certainly don't take away from the game at all. Outlaw Golf is intended to be over the top and arcade-y, so the graphics don't need to push the envelope. The same thing goes for sound, although it is important to note that the Xbox version of Outlaw Golf allows gamers to use the music collection on their hard drive as the soundtrack for the game. Use of the hard drive music helps to keep the game fun.

Outlaw Tennis isn't the most original game on the market. Tennis games have existed since the old Atari days, arcade titles have been around for a while as well, and outlandish sports games are also not a new concept in the video game industry. However, game store shelves aren't lined with arcade tennis games like they are with first person shooters, and in that regard, Outlaw Tennis must be recognized as being somewhat fresh.

Die hard sports simulation fanatics should stay away from Outlaw Golf – they will only find disappointment in the lackluster A.I. and arcade style gameplay, and should basically just stick with Virtua Tennis. Moms and Dads looking for a good family game to play with the kids shouldn't even bother picking it up off the shelf to read the back cover – those individuals should try out Mario Tennis instead. Outlaw Tennis at least deserves a rental by most other gamers. If you are a college male, looking for a cheap game to pick up to play with your buddies in your dorm room between classes, Outlaw Tennis is perfect – it is what we would classify as a “party game.”

[ << Previous: (Overview)  1 |  2 | ]

1: Overview 2: Summary