Wimbledon 2018: 5 smashing portable tennis games
Championship contenders for Switch, Android, iOS, 3DS and Vita
It's rather easy to overlook in this World Cup year, but Wimbledon is about set to start here in the UK.
For those unfamiliar with it, Wimbledon is generally regarded as the most prestigious tennis competition in the world. It's certainly the most distinctive, thanks to the fact that it's the only one of the four majors to be played on grass.
Though the qualifiers have already started, the tournament proper commences on Monday July 2nd.
To mark the occasion - and because you always end up wanting to play tennis games during Wimbledon, don't you? - we've assembled a top tennis game pick for each of the currently active portable platforms: Android, iOS, Switch, 3DS and PS Vita.
1
PS Vita: Virtua Tennis 4
The PS Vita might be virtually defunct these days, but many would argue that its entry into this tennis game list is the best of the lot.
Virtua Tennis 4 bridges the arcade-sim divide with its fluid tennis action and fully featured single player World Tour.
2
Nintendo Switch: Mario Tennis Aces
Mario Tennis Aces on Switch lacks the single player depth of the classic handheld entries in the series, but it remains an unparalleled multiplayer tennis experience. The range of moves and counters makes for an experience akin to a beat-'em-up.
This being a Nintendo Switch game, it also looks gorgeous. You can even use the Joy-Cons for a motion-based casual knock-around.
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3
iOS: Tennis Champs
Tennis Champs evokes the look and spirit of the 16-bit tennis classics, but don't be fooled into assuming it's a throw-away knock-around. It's far deeper than that.
This is one of the most technical mobile tennis games you'll ever play, with a tricky timing-based swing system that demands plenty of practice and skill to perfect. It also has a genuinely engrossing career mode.
4
Android: Virtua Tennis Challenge
Sega's Virtua Tennis has long been one of the finest digital approximations of this brilliant sport, but many doubted how well it would translate to mobile.
They needn't have worried. Virtua Tennis Challenge works very well on the touchscreen, and the fluid arcade-tennis action moves like a dream.
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5
Nintendo 3DS: Mario Tennis Open
We'll admit it: Mario Tennis on the 3DS was a bit of a come down. When it arrived, it was the first handheld entry for ages (the DS didn't even get one), yet it lacked the RPG depth of the Game Boy Colour and GBA versions.
Still, it remains a highly playable - and extremely accessible - arcade tennis game in its own right. It also features online play.
