Just one of the myriad tennis games released amidst the sport's summer season popularity, Droopy's Tennis Open takes itself a little less seriously than the majority, offering a more comic approach to the genre.
Based around a tournament featuring the unflappable dog and his bizarre sidekicks, DTO features a cartoon mode as well as the standard tennis game. In cartoon mode, players battle it out on the court as normal but can also make use of fun traps, bonuses and special moves. Appearing in the form of items on the court, these can spice up the game by introducing such novelties as time bombs, multiple balls, a giant net, steam rollers, meteorites and pink hearts. The time bomb, for example, turns the ball into a bomb, which subsequently counts down until it explodes on one of the players.
Although DTO definitely has its funny moments, the main game itself is really compelling. It's extremely fast-paced, easy to pick up, and has a well-implemented learning curve. All moves can be pulled off, including base-line scorchers, pixel-perfect passing shots and forehand slams, and the fallibility of the computer opponents means that games are more interesting and less repetitive.
Features
Six playable characters, each with his or her own unique and nutty attributes.
Two game modes: classic (official tennis rules) or cartoon.
Four game types: quick game (random characters and courts), Arcade (three games, one set or three sets), Tournament (five training sessions and five singles or doubles matches) and Multiplayer (three games, one set or three sets).
Several different court types: Grass, clay, macadam and other amazing courts such as ice.
Six original settings straight from the cartoon series: the Prison, the Wild West, the North Pole, the Restaurant, the Hanging Court and the Manor.
Bonuses, Traps, and Special Attack Moves for each character, which can be played throughout the tournament (in cartoon mode).
One or two players (in Multiboot mode with a single cartridge) or four players (in link mode).