Tennis World Tour 2 Review

Available now on PS4, Xbox One and PC

Version tested. Xbox One X

The tennis game genre isn’t exactly packed out with games but if your a fan of tennis then Tennis World Tour 2 should be the game that fills that gap in the market for a decent tennis game but does it do enough to be the best out there compared to the old classic Top-Spin or AO Tennis?

After playing AO Tennis in the past World Tour Tennis 2 certainly got my attention as decent tennis games are pretty hard to come by. I will say straight away that TWT2 has left me very disappointed and things could have been so much better.

Firstly I want to talk about the gameplay, it isn’t the worst experience in the world but it’s certainly not the best! The gameplay might be fun for some but does get repetitive quickly and isn’t long before you feel like your not really in control and just hitting a button to smash the ball back without any real control. It’s this lack of precision that really hurts the gameplay and this is without mentioning the gameplay animations yet.

The controls are fairly simple and don’t take much time to get the hang of although I did find it awkward running one way to then hit the ball back the other as this is all controller with the same control stick. Animations are possibly the weakest part of the gameplay with the movement across the court far from smooth or fluid.

Playing games like Topspin in the past really highlights how weak things are here, the movement just feels awkward and in general not finished which is a real shame when you consider how good this game could have been with a little more love and attention. This is something that I felt with most of TWT2 it just doesn’t feel finished and lacks any real polish.

Another positive comes in the form of licenses, there is plenty of different pros to choose from as well as different courts with surfaces that actually effect the wall the ball responds as you smash it back at your opponent. The one problem with the different pro’s is that they all really feel the same and this is even when using the special support cards, these don’t really even affect the gameplay in any way, and feel a little strapped on for the sake of it.

The character models aren’t the best and really could be better, faces look muddy and lack any real detail which is a shame but at least it’s pretty obvious who is who when playing. The different courts do look really good from a distance though and feature some well know legendary courts, these really shine with the lighting that is on offer here and when it comes to the visuals the lighting is possibly the game’s strongest asset, especially at night!

Sound is a little off and on occasions, you will hear an odd grunt from your player even if he hasn’t actually gone for the return shot, things like this completely kill any chance of immersion. Courts do have some atmosphere as you hear the ball smash against the surface in the quiet venue but again you can only feel this could have been better and this seems to be a common feeling when playing TWT2.

At the start screen of TWT2, you are greeted with plenty of different modes including exhibition, career, tournament, online, and tennis school. Career for me is always the go-to mode in most games but sadly here it’s very lacking and gets boring pretty fast. You will need to be on another level skills-wise to make any real progress here as at the start you really don’t have a chance.

It’s great you can create your very own player and customise them with a few different options but again it lacks any real depth. There really isn’t enough to keep you playing as even playing through a tournament is a bit of a slog! I personally found the exhibition mode the most fun as it allowed me to test out different players along with courts, surfaces, and different times of the day. The doubles match can be fun playing with others but it doesn’t change the weak controls and animations. Using some of the better players does improve gameplay a little as some harder shots are easier to perform and you actually end up with a chance against the higher-skilled opponents

Verdict:

Tennis World Tour 2 is a real disappointment and I would find it difficult to recommend to even the biggest tennis fans out there. A lack of development and polish really shows through here. Game-play and animations are awkward and aren’t fluid, eventually leading to you feeling like you are just there smacking a ball back to the opponent. The career mode is great that you can start from scratch and work your way up but there is a real lack of depth making the game boring after a short space of time. TWT2 was a huge disappointment and could have been so much better if the devs just put in a bit more effort especially out on court but for now, you are probably better off jumping back into Top-Spin from all them years ago or AO Tennis 2 for something a little more up to date.

Score:

5 / 10

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Code was provided free of charge for my honest unbiased review.