Hot Shots Tennis
aka “Everybody’s Tennis” in Europe, みんなのテニス (Minna no Tenisu) in Japan
Hello. 17 years ago my dad found a PlayStation 2 game called Hot Shots Tennis (aka Everybody’s Tennis in Europe and Minna no Tennis in Japan). This PlayStation 2 game was released on September 14, 2006 in Japan, April 13, 2007 in Europe, May 3, 2007 in Australia, and July 17, 2007 in North America. It was developed by Clap Hanz Limited and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America (today Sony Interactive Entertainment). I was going to save that to pay tribute to Arthur Ashe1, for another Black History Month, but… what the hell, right?
On to the game review!
The sports video game is the sixth game in the Everybody's Golf (Hot Shots Golf in North America before dropping alternate Hot Shots branding for the North American market for the now-closed PS4 game) series and the third released for PlayStation 2.
The game has 14 characters, 5 umpires (see below for the characters and umpires), and 11 tennis courts. There are 3 different modes to choose from, which are Challenge Mode, Tennis with Everybody (“Fun Time Tennis” in the North American release), and Training Mode. In Challenge, you play against computer-controlled opponents to unlock things like alternate costumes for characters and more courts to play on. In Tennis with Everybody, you can play matches with 1 to 4 players. The training mode lets you practice positioning and timing shots. You can choose from service, volley, smash, and general practices in this mode.
On the official website (which no longer exists, as there is no Wayback link yet) that I used to frequent, I can roast these characters by giving the female characters “two flags” and the male (and expert characters) “one flag” with the Six Flags commercial on YouTube. More Flags, More Fun!!! (LOL)
Characters
Note: Due to the author being an American citizen, this post uses voice actors from the North American release.
Beginner characters
Ashley2 (v.b. Asuka Tanii in Japanese, Jessica DiCicco in English) is a 15-year-old exchange student from Malibu attending North Academy. Her stroke lacks power, but her balanced skills and easy-to-time shots make her perfect for beginners. In the North American release, her nationality was changed to American (though the game does say “North Academy”) from the original Russian, and she was given a Valley Girl speech pattern.
Cody3 (v.b. Miyu Irino in Japanese, Greg Cipes in English) is a 16-year-old (17-year-old in the original Japanese and European releases) Academy regular. He's a rounded player with a stronger stroke than Ashley’s. His volley needs work, but he hates practicing. Easy to control, ideal for beginners. In the North American release, his nationality was changed to American from the original Japanese.
Jun (v.b. Sachiko Kojima in Japanese, Maria Darling in English) is a 16-year-old Japanese (specifically Okinawan) student. Her blend of karate speed and wide-angle volleys makes her a force to be reckoned with. She's the perfect choice for aspiring net players.
JJ (v.b. Megumi Matsumoto in Japanese, Maria Darling in English) is a 10-year-old skate pro who rocks the court with his unique blend of skate and tennis. The youngest playable character, he is short, so he has some problems with service and net defense. His “Funky Fashion” costume somewhat resembles the members of the Jackson 5.
Intermediate characters
Suzuki (v.b. Tomomichi Nishimura in Japanese, Peter Dickson in English) is a 45-year-old (55-year-old in Hot Shots Golf) tennis player from Japan. The oldest playable character, Suzuki is always placing last in every tournament. He also appears as a referee in the game (and the mainstay of Hot Shots Golf).
Gloria (v.b. Kikuko Inoue in Japanese, Danielle Judovits in English) is a 22-year-old (24-year-old in the original Japanese and European releases) southern belle with stunning looks and a killer power serve. Gloria is one of North Academy's most lovable students, both for her technical skills and charm. Like Suzuki, she is the mainstay of Hot Shots Golf. While the character is from Russia in the series, her nationality was changed to American and given a Texan English dialect for the North American release.
Big Chief4 (v.b. Kenji Nomura in Japanese, Stephan Stanton in English) is a 28-year-old TV star from the United States wearing an Indian-style costume. Although he is slow, his serves and smashes are powerful and intimidate opponents.
Carol (v.b. Nami Kurokawa in Japanese, Sarah Hadland in English) is a 20-year-old British punk rocker. She is left-handed, fast, and has a tenacious play style that bites into the ball. Among the mid-level characters, Carol has the fastest feet and the widest stroke angle. However, she is not very good at volleying.
Kaito (v.b. Toshio Furukawa in Japanese, David Holt in English) is a 22-year-old student CEO from Hong Kong (designer from Australia in the North American release). Although his stroke angle is narrow, his specialty is high-speed volleys that make use of his long reach. Kaito toyed with his opponents with his unexpected plays. In the North American release, his nationality was changed to Australian from Hong Konger, possibly to avoid offending the Asian-American and/or the Asian-Canadian audience.
Momoko (v.b. Mari Adachi in Japanese, Haruka Kuroda in English) is an 18-year-old Japanese geisha-in-training from Kyoto. She has a wide range of skills and is particularly good at backhands. Her stroke angle is somewhat narrow.
Expert characters
Kent5 (v.b. Nachi Nozawa in Japanese, James Arnold Taylor in English) is a 33-year-old former professional player who retired due to injury, he is currently the coach of the Kita High School (North Academy in the North American release) tennis club. His impactful strokes and wide range of angles are astonishing. He has difficulty with shots close to his body. His nationality was changed to American in the North American release.
Miranda (v.b. Yuki Masuda in Japanese, Emma Tate in English) is a beauty of unknown age and origin. She is extremely agile and excels at accurate volleys. Due to the difficulty of controlling her, she is a character for advanced players. There are rumors that Miranda may be a spy.
Lola (v.b. Masako Ikeda in Japanese, Emma Tate in English; not to be confused with the Looney Tunes character Lola Bunny, who made her first appearance in Space Jam) is a 30-year-old French tennis player. Thanks to her gifted education, she has become the queen of tennis with her boomerang serve. For advanced players, her skilled hands bring out her abilities.
Will (v.b. Tomoyuki Shimura in Japanese, Wayne Forester in English) is a 36-year-old German tennis player. He is a top-class tennis player with the title of former world champion. His kick serve is extremely intimidating to opponents. He is the most difficult character to control and time the impact with.
Tennis umpires
Chika (v.b. Aya Endo in Japanese, Haruka Kuroda in English) is a 17-year-old manager of the North Academy Tennis Club from Japan. She is the starting umpire.
Suzuki (please see the “Immediate Characters” for this selectable umpire)
Lily6 (v.b. Akiko Koike in Japanese, Kana Koinuma in English) is a 25-year-old Japanese (American in the North American release) model who serves as a referee on her days off. She has a sexy tone of voice.
Robot Tennis7 (v.b. Miyako Ito in Japanese, David Holt in English) is the world's first microcomputer referee robot, manufactured in the 1980s.
Anna (v.b. Joanna Newsom in English) is a 30-year-old internationally qualified British referee. She believes in accurate and fair judging and is the last umpire.
Anna is the only tennis umpire who does not have a Japanese seiyuu.
Clap Hanz, the game’s developer, decided to “divorce” Sony and went their own way, as they developed Easy Come Easy Golf as their first brand without Sony. The developer’s official website still exists as of today.
That’s it for this review. Don’t forget to subscribe to this newsletter if you haven’t already.
Cory out.
Pronounced as “ash”
Called Eleanor (エレノア) in Japanese and Yelena in Europe. The character in the Japanese and European releases identifies herself as Russian.
Called Yuki (ユウキ) in Japanese and Europe.
Called Rock Bull (ロックブル) in Japanese and Europe.
Called Ryu (リュウ) in Japanese and Europe. His name was changed for the North American release, possibly to avoid legal actions from Street Fighter creator Capcom.
Called Kaori (カオリ) in Japanese and Europe.
Called Tennis Boy (テニ坊) in Japanese and Europe.