The popular Virtua Tennis series will be continued on both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in the form of Virtua Tennis 3 and will be released in spring 2007, Sega has confirmed.

The game will feature photo-realistic graphics and improved opponent intelligence for its next-gen debut. Sega has also promised new gameplay features but hasn't mentioned any specifics, only confirming that the minigame-heavy career mode will return.

In fact, there are very few details on any of the gameplay, probably as very little has changed. The Virtua Tennis control system is so instinctive and easy to pick up that Sega would be foolish to tinker with it.

This is surely why the company is so keen to emphasize the graphical improvements, as Matt Woodley, creative director of Sega, revealed, "I'd say the graphics alone are reason to buy, and the quality is so sharp and clear you can even see the veins on the players' necks!"

So there you have it, Virtua Tennis will be as addictive and instantly playable as it's ever been, but now with veiny necks - click on the images tab above for a closer look.

April 25, 2006