Now that all the hullabaloo concerning gimmicky motion-sensor tennis has subsided, maybe now we can take a look at a game with a little more bounce in its step. Well, for those who’ve been living in a sports proof bubble for the last decade, Hot Shots Golf has been giving that old fuddy-duddy sport a swift kick in the ass dating back as far as the original PlayStation. Not quite a sim, yet not quite over-the-top arcade madness, the Hot Shots franchise has been consistently breathing new life into a sport that one would figure most mainstream gamers would have little interest in.

And this summer will mark the return of Hot Shots. It’s back and tackling a different sport - and looky there - they didn’t even need to think up a new pun for the title. Visually, Hot Shots Tennis gives the time honored act of whacking balls a much needed shot in the arm. Gone are the drab and lifeless clay court designs so prevalent in other tennis games. Even HST’s pavement courts pop with character, speckled with rustic buildings, or the blossoms of spring. They’ve got sand strewn beaches, rainy grass playing fields and even a course at the gates of what looks to be Mt. Olympus. And the detail isn’t just in the design - each court will react to the ball a little differently as well.