Final Match Tennis

Final Match Tennis is a tennis simulation developed and published by Human Entertainment exclusively for the PC Engine. The game features 16 male players based on real-life tennis legends, including Björn Borg, Boris Becker, John McEnroe, and Ivan Lendl, each with distinct strengths, weaknesses, and playing styles . For instance, Borg excels on clay courts with exceptional topspin and speed but has a weak serve, while Becker delivers powerful serves and strong volleys at the cost of slower footwork . The full range of tennis shots is available: smashes, drop shots, volleys, forehand and backhand spins, and lobs . Three modes are offered: Exhibition (single match), World Tour (career tournament), and Training stages . Using a multiplayer adapter, up to four players can compete in singles or doubles matches .

PC Engine

Released exclusively in Japan on March 1, 1991, on HuCard, the game was programmed by Ryōji Amano (who reportedly coded it in just three months) with music by Hironori Tanaka . Critical reception was overwhelmingly positive. German magazine Power Play awarded it "Best PC Engine Game of 1991" with a 91/100 score, while Video Games gave 91/100 and British CVG awarded 90/100, praising the controls, gameplay depth, and calling it "one of the finest computer sports simulations available on any machine" . Retrospective reviews have cemented its legacy as arguably the best 16-bit tennis game ever made, ranking alongside Virtua Tennis 2 as a genre benchmark . The only common criticism is the lack of in-game music, though sound effects remain solid .