One of the biggest surprise games that I remember from this current generation is Sega's Virtua Tennis. When it arrived on shelves, I remember that Sega wasn't expecting much, and then the game began selling out. Everywhere. I walked into the store to pick up a copy and cursed myself for not reserving it. But when I finally did track down a copy, I could see why. With Tennis, the development team at Hitmaker has nailed down every aspect of the sport, while making it a fully playable affair at the same time. The four-player games are nothing short of brilliance, and if you aren't playing them on the Dreamcast, chances are you've been doing so in the arcades. And if not there, then probably in your mind. Back and forth with the ball-hitting. Virtua Tennis just always had that appeal about it.

After the follow-up that was Tennis 2K2 (a game that is just as good as the original), the only other taste of this series that we got was in the form of a fantastic PSP port, World Tour, that's a steal these days at 20 bucks. But that's going to change when Sega releases Virtua Tennis 3 for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, a game that promises to push the series with more improvements, but the same addictive gameplay we've grown so fond of.

The formula continues to follow the basic pattern seen in the previous games. You take control of a tennis player who lobs, rallies, and smashes the ball back at an opponent until you or him (or her) fold and let it get past you. With the right skillful player as your opponent, some matches that can all-out crazy, with the ball going back and forth so many times that you'd get a crick in your neck if you were sitting in the crowd, watching it go back and forth. But that's just part of the series' natural appeal, faithfully recreating a sport while also making sure the gameplay never grows stale. That doesn't look to be the case in 3.

Using the analog stick and a series of buttons on the pad, you're able to connect with the ball rather easily, preparing for each swing while preparing for whatever your opponent is going to hit back at you. There are times you'll even find yourself diving for a shot, if just to avoid that humiliating smash leaving a mark on your career. And that's just in singles mode. With doubles, you have to consistently work with your partner, keeping the ball in play as you look for that window of opportunity to win the match. No matter which style of play you choose, Virtua Tennis 3 looks like it's keeping up.

An improvement that AM2 is making to the series is some tweaks in the AI performance. The easy mode will still be easy, but don't expect a complete pushover. The computer opponent we played against showed some consistency, managing to keep the ball barely in play so we didn't feel too much like a tennis god. As for harder difficulties, you can expect them to adjust their game so they're even less easy to beat. You might expect a ball to go sailing past them when they suddenly do some kind of return that requires you to hustle back at the ball. I'm excited to see how this little tweak turns out. That's me, always appreciative for some kind of challenge. Well, almost always.