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Pro Tennis Tour

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 8 min

Short description: 1989 video game
Pro Tennis Tour
Developer(s)Blue Byte[1]
ESP (C64)[2]
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Platform(s)Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
Release1989[3]
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Pro Tennis Tour (known in Germany and France as Great Courts[1][4]) is a 1989 sports video game developed by Blue Byte and published by Ubi Soft for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. 8-bit ports for the Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum were released later. Electronic Arts distributed the game in North America.[5] A sequel, Pro Tennis Tour 2, was released in 1991.

Gameplay

The game offers a pseudo three-dimensional view of the court. The joystick or keyboard controls the movement. Shots are played by pressing the fire button and releasing it to hit the ball. Positioning is important, since the player character can't be moved while swinging. A crosshair appears on the ground when the opponent hits the ball, to mark where to hit the ball. The crosshair can be switched off in higher difficulties. Tournament play is the main part of the game. The player begins ranked 64th and plays computer-controlled opponents in succession. Tournaments have different surfaces: grass at Wimbledon, clay at the French Open, cement at the Australian Open and the US Open. In practice mode, skills can be worked on against computer-controlled opponents or the ball machine. In two-player mode, the foreground views are alternated between the players after a round is over.[4][5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
ACE900/1000 (Amiga)[4]
850/1000 (DOS)[4]
Your Sinclair85% (ZX)[6]
Zzap!6488% (Amiga)[7]
82% (C64)[2]
Amstar (magazine) (fr)16/20 (CPC)[8]
The One83% (ST)[9]

ACE said "What really makes this particular tennis simulation stand out is attention to detail." and "This is easily the best tennis simulation to date [...]"[4] Zzap!64 noted that "[t]he difficulty of hitting the ball is disconcerting at first, but once mastered the novel hitting technique works really well." The game was summarized as "[u]ndoubtedly the best tennis sim yet."[7] Zzap!64 also reviewed the Commodore 64 port: "This is a really good conversion [...], retaining the Amiga game's simple playability and featuring some very good, large player sprites. The game plays almost identically to the original with a high speed of play that makes hitting the ball a difficult task at first."[2] Amiga World concluded: "While its graphics are gorgeous and the sound very life-like, Pro Tennis Tour is below the usual quality of the Electronic Arts sports line. Sit out this match."[5] Amstar (magazine) (fr) called the game "a must have".[8] Your Sinclair called the game "The best tennis sim on the Speccy so far."[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Suck, Michael (October 1989). "Sport-Kaleidoskop - Auf Heiligem Rasen" (in German). Aktueller Software Markt (Tronic-Verlag) 4 (10): 103. https://retrocdn.net/images/7/78/ASM_DE_1989-10.pdf#page=103. "Animation: 10/12, Sound: 8/12, Realitätsnähe: 7/12, Spaß/Spannung: 8/12, Preis/Leistung: 8/12". 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 King, Phil; Scorelord (May 1990). "Test - Pro Tennis Tour [C64"]. Zzap!64 (Newsfield Publications Ltd) (61): 72. https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-061/page/n71/mode/2up. 
  3. ↑ "Game disk 1 (Atari ST)". Great Courts (Ubi Soft). https://www.mobygames.com/game/12590/pro-tennis-tour/cover/group-97987/cover-267220/. "© 1989 UBI Soft ™". 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Scotford, Laurence (March 1990). "Screentest - Pro Tennis Tour". ACE (EMAP) (30): 52. https://archive.org/details/ace-magazine-30/page/n51/mode/2up. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Teverbaugh, Rick (April 1990). "Game Preserve - Pro Tennis Tour". Amiga World (IDG Publishing) (43): 74–76. https://archive.org/details/amiga-world-1990-04/page/n75/mode/2up. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Reviews - Pro Tennis Tour". Your Sinclair (Dennis Publishing) (50): 44. February 1990. https://archive.org/details/your-sinclair-50/page/n43/mode/2up. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 King, Phil; Wynne, Stuart (November 1989). "Test - Pro Tennis Tour [Amiga"]. Zzap!64 (Newsfield Publications Ltd) (55): 74. https://archive.org/details/zzap64-magazine-055/page/n73/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Amstrad - Pro Tennis" (in French). Amstar Informatique (53): 25. January 1991. https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=24&num=13605. 
  9. ↑ Brennan, Ciarán (November 1989). "Review - Pro Tennis Tour". The One (EMAP) (14): 79–80. https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-14/page/n77/mode/2up. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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