tennis world tour 2 review ps4

Tennis World Tour 2 PS4 Review

Alan Strawbridge / September 22, 2020

I’m confused. Nacon is the publishers behind both of the tennis series on PS4 – the risible Tennis World Tour and the more competent AO Tennis . Slightly strange considering both titles are pitching for the same audience. The first AO Tennis was patched out of mediocrity by developer, Big Ant Studios , who then delivered a far superior sequel in 2020. Meanwhile, Nacon booted out Breakpoint who had fluffed the original Tennis World Tour. So, who could produce a follow up to Tennis World Tour? Nacon decided that the best developer to produce a rival sequel to their own game was the developer of the rival game AO Tennis 2 , namely Big Ant Studios.

It’s mighty strange to think that one of the most popular sports in the world has only appeared on the most popular console in the world three times before, courtesy of Nacon on all counts. Back in the day, PS3 owners were spoilt for choice with the immense Top Spin 4 going up against the equally superb but more arcade-styled Virtua Tennis 4 . And these games are both superior to anything since, which poses the questions where the hell have 2K Czech and Sega been for the last nine years, and have Big Ant managed to polish the turd that was Tennis World Tour?

Tweakable Chins

Well, Tennis World Tour 2 is conspicuous in its absence from Big Ant’s website which doesn’t bode well. The character creation tool when you start the career also does not bode well. Neither the option to create a monster nor the option to model anything which resembles a top player or yourself is present. Merely a meagre selection of last-gen photofits with tweakable chins and noses. Absolutely no fun whatsoever and whatever bland lump you choose, you are forced to wear a hideous 80s style mosaic t-shirt for umpteen games until you level up and can buy something slightly less ugly.

After that, you’re thrown into the deep end (surely the career could have guided me through the training first?!) with a tournament match against another newbie player. The first thing that struck me was just how long I had to wait while the CPU opponent bounced the ball before each serve. It was almost like he was mocking me by doing it for that much longer. After the bouncing, he served and faulted. I waited again. He served and faulted. Oh well. Perhaps the next serve will be better? More bouncing of the ball. The tension was negligible. He served and I finally attempted a shot which was “Too late” and sailed off the side of the court. The rest of the game was equally dismal so I quit to the main menu in disbelief at how little had been learned from classic tennis titles of yore and how incredibly irritating this game appeared.

The Coach Without A Face And Civil Service

I put down the controller and decided to come back later once I had stopped despairing. When I returned, I decided to find the tutorials and work out how to play as well as possible when I was finally allowed to take a shot, as clearly the career mode wouldn’t give me the opportunity to learn by simply playing.

The tutorials are simplistic yet uninformative hosted by a faceless coach who trots out the same bland congratulatory line every time. Each short lesson is bookended by a slightly overlong loading screen to add to the tedium. Still, at least I had a vague idea of how I was supposed to play the game.

The service technique involves two-timing presses of the chosen shot button which works well and is tricky enough to feel satisfying. Return shots can be played safe with a tap, or built up with power which involves anticipation in order to time the strike perfectly. A good system in theory. R1 and square combined enables drop shots, the Circle button for topspin, Triangle for a lob and the Cross button is a straight shot without spin.

Back in the career mode, the gameplay was marginally less turgid, but each game still involved little in the way of flowing rallies. Unforced errors were the name of the game, with little discernible difference between “too early” and “too late” and even playing safe, directing the shots led to a call of “Out!” before too long. Deeply unsatisfying and imbibing the player with little sense of control over the course of the rallies.

Non-Descript Tournaments

The trajectory of your career is also non-existent, merely an endless slog through various non-descript tournaments, exhibition matches, and charity matches, peppered with options to rest, do promotion for advertising, and hiring and firing managers, trainers and agents. It’s all so paper-thin, levelling up hardly seems worth the time.

Outside of the career, playing an exhibition match with Nadal or Federer produces a more flowing sense of actual tennis, suggesting that anyone who perseveres with the career mode will eventually be rewarded with better gameplay. But it really isn’t worth the bother, particularly as it’s impossible to create someone truly individual or original to play with. There will be far too many hours of dire matches to follow before things get mildly interesting.

Skill cards playable before service which boost your stats (or reduce your opponents) are an attempt to throw in something interesting, but they’re all so arbitrary in how they affect the gameplay, I ended up ignoring them as the pointless distraction that they are.

No Troubles With Doubles

The sketchy gameplay is more tolerable in doubles matches, which relies more on reaction times than pinpoint button presses and often the matches were quite exhilarating, which suggests that perhaps the game only works well as a couch multiplayer game or, providing the servers are eventually populated, for online doubles matches.

On the upside, the player animation is realistic and convincing, and the audience is animated and lively enough to conjure some sense of occasion in the mainly fictitious arenas. John McEnroe’s commentary has been ditched from the previous game, leaving mainly silent match build-ups which pail in comparison to AO Tennis’ atmospheric events. In fact, it’s hard to believe that the same development team was behind both games.

No Reason To Buy

Unfortunately, the main issue with Tennis World Tour 2 is there’s never much feeling of honing your playing style as there was in Top Spin, as the control system is lacking nuance and depth and never feels satisfying even after mastering the painfully specific shot timing. As a result, the matches feel stilted and completely lacking in all of the facets which made the best tennis games from the last generation so enjoyable.

One gets the feeling that Big Ant was brought on board to try and salvage something presentable at the last minute as the game isn’t significantly different from the previous release. Which is bad news as there’s really no reason that anyone should buy this game over AO Tennis 2. Why this has even been commissioned is a mystery, unless Nacon has already paid for the licenced players in advance, or it’s a tax write off. Or both.

Either way, don’t bother with this and treat yourself to a PS3 on eBay and a second-hand copy of Top Spin 4. Or grab AO Tennis 2 once the price comes down.

Tennis World Tour 2 is out now on PS4.

Review code kindly supplied by publisher.

The Final Word

A highly unsatisfying and directionless tennis game, with an abysmal character creator and career mode. Steer well clear and buy AO Tennis 2, bizarrely made by the exact same team responsible for this monstrosity.

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Tennis World Tour 2 Review

Rather watch the video version of our Tennis World Tour 2 review? Click here.

I’m not really sure what’s happened with tennis world tour 2 ..

After the first title in the series failed to impress, it seemed as though Nacon was doing all it could to make up for it. At least on paper, anyway. Big Ant Studios was brought in to develop this sequel, and its last title, AO Tennis 2 , actually impressed us a fair bit. Tennis World Tour 2 , however, seems like a step back for the studio. It’s an improvement over the first game, sure, but it still falls short of being a good tennis game.

So, what’s new? How about a new game engine that allows for improved animations and physics? That’s certainly welcome. Doubles is in, too, which many players will appreciate. You can even play in doubles online. And court surfaces now have an effect on play, adding another layer of challenge and/or strategy to each and every match. There are so many improvements in Tennis World Tour 2, big and small, that make sense, and that make it a clear step up from its predecessor. But they’re all nullified by two major changes that do the game no favours at all.

The first is a new timing-based shot system. You can tap one of the various shot buttons to perform a precision shot, or hold one to charge a shot up for more power, but get the timing wrong, and chances are the ball won’t go where you wanted it to. It’s meant to make play more skilful, but the system’s so hard to gauge that it effectively ruins the game. AO Tennis 2 has a similar system, but it also has a useful indicator to help you along. Tennis World Tour 2 doesn’t, and the timing of shots feels horribly inconsistent.

The place where the new timing-based shot system really makes its mark is in career mode. Take a professional such as Roger Federer for a spin in an exhibition match, and you might find yourself actually having a decent time thanks to his high stats. Even if your timing isn’t perfect, there’s a good chance your shot will still be good. Create your own character in career mode, however, and their pitiful starting stats will mean that unless you get good or better timing on a shot, chances are it will go out or hit the net. And getting good or better shots is made all the harder because of their poor starting stats. It’s just not fun.

The second of Tennis World Tour 2 ‘s major mistakes is a revamp of its cards system. Where cards could be equipped to players in the first game to boost their abilities in the long-term, here, they mostly provide boosts that last as little as one hit and as long as one match when activated during gameplay. Some of them even reduce your opponent’s abilities. You can reduce your opponent’s serving strength for, example, increase the precision of a slice shot, or restore a portion of your stamina. The trouble is, it feels largely ineffectual and superfluous.

Cards are purchased in packs from a store on the game’s main menu – currently, only in-game money can be used. You can then assign five of your cards to a deck, one of which providing a passive ability, and the other four active abilities that you activate during play by double-tapping a direction on the d-pad. After so many uses, a card expires and disappears from your deck. With effects being so precise and a game of tennis being so dynamic, however, using them effectively is a hit-and-miss affair. It’s also at odds with the game’s serious tone – it’s a very arcade-like feature in conception.

There are other issues with Tennis World Tour 2 as well. You’ll find the AI of your computer-controlled opponents to be a bit all over the place. Sometimes they’re magnificently dumb, other times they run rings around you. And while the game’s animations are improved, there are still times where they’re not particularly impressive. Finally, you’ll find the game’s character creator to be a let-down too; in career mode, be prepared to play as, and against, lots of unfortunate-looking souls.

Ultimately, Tennis World Tour 2 ‘s new timing-based shot system ruins what could have been a decent or even good tennis game. It makes gameplay so unpredictable, and not in a good way. If you plan on buying Tennis World Tour 2 just to play exhibition matches as your favourite professional players, you might get some fun out of it thanks to their boosted stats making things more lenient. But career mode will be unbearable for most, requiring either an obscene amount of skill or an inhuman amount of patience. AO Tennis 2 remains the best tennis game available right now, so just stick to that.

Tennis World Tour 2 is available on PS4, Xbox One and PC. We reviewed it on Xbox One X with a code provided by the game’s publisher.

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Tennis World Tour 2 Review: A Solid Serve To Tennis Fans

One of the most authentic virtual tennis titles available right now, Tennis World Tour 2 comes with steep learning that may turn off casual players.

While Top Spin 4 remains as many players’ choice for the best tennis video game, my personal experience with the genre remains limited to the titles released on the Sega Dreamcast, which included Virtua Tennis and Tennis 2K2. I never had the chance to check out the original Tennis World Tour when it released in 2018, but was intrigued by what the sequel had to offer after attending a preview event for the game. Tennis World Tour 2 is no doubt one of the most authentic virtual tennis titles available right now, but it comes with an incredibly steep learning curve that may turn off more casual players just looking for a fun tennis game.

Top Spin For The Win

Tennis World Tour 2 is unapologetically tough, requiring players to truly understand the ins and outs of tennis to be effective during matches. This is something to be applauded in regards to its authenticity, but is also a very off-putting element for bringing in new players. An in-depth tutorial mode exists that allows for new players to get a feel for the game’s mechanics, but speaking as someone who had no idea what they were doing to begin with, while the tutorial mode is in-depth, it definitely wasn’t enough for me to pick up and jump successfully into an exhibition match or any of the game’s other modes.

Unlike other more rally-based tennis titles, Tennis World Tour 2 requires pinpoint accuracy with its timing. Charging up a power hit and releasing a split-second too soon, or slightly mistiming a top-spin or slice will usually result in poor ball placement, giving your opponent the upper hand, or, worse, a failure to even land the ball in the court of play. Once you get over the hurdle of actually learning how to properly time your hits, matches become a lot more fun - whether your opponent is keeping you on your toes defensively, or you’re controlling the flow of the match yourself (hopefully leading to a point). It’s almost like you’re controlling the ball rather than your actual character, of which there is an impressive roster to choose from.

Related: Tennis World Tour 2 Preview: A Good First Serving

36 players are available to you, with Marat Safin and Gustavo Kuerten as the two additional legendary characters. All of the newly added character animations and characters themselves looking great graphically. This extends into each of the arenas, which can be customized to fit whatever style of play you’re going for, such as the different types of courts that can be played on. The realistic aesthetics certainly add to Tennis World Tour 2’s goal of an authentic experience.

For The Fans

While realistic tennis mechanics are at the core of the Tennis World Tour 2 experience, a deck-building component provides a fun “Ultimate Team” type of element to the game. You’ll essentially collect these limited-use cards that are playable as in-match buffs that can give your player a slight leg up on the competition. Cards can be earned through gameplay, as well as purchased using the in-game currency. I’m personally not a huge player of Ultimate Team-type of games or game modes, but the passive abilities do add a fun fantasy element and different strategy to Tennis World Tour 2’s otherwise authentic-to-the-extreme experience.

The career mode in Tennis World Tour 2 is as expected, taking your player from an amateur to superstar and making career decisions song the way that ultimately dictates how quickly (and effectively) your player rises through the ranks. Online mode, however, is where Tennis World Tour 2 thrives in terms of its replayability - which is an apparent marked improvement upon the online functionality of the original game - as well as the addition of a doubles mode, which is brand new to the franchise.

The truth of the matter is that most Tennis World Tour 2 players will likely be seeking out the game specifically as fans of tennis or tennis video games. Ultimately, Tennis World Tour 2 succeeds in what it sets out to accomplish. The authentic look and feel of the entire game is something that hardcore fans of the sport can appreciate. Unfortunately, the game is also limited in that same sense, as the learning curve prevents more casual players from taking the court in a quickly accessible way. That said, if you’re willing to stick with it, Tennis World Tour 2 serves as an overall satisfying tennis title.

A PlayStation 4 copy of Tennis World Tour 2 was provided to TheGamer for this review. Tennis World Tour 2 is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC, and will be making its way to Nintendo Switch on October 15.

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Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition Review — A Mid-Level Contender

Big Ant Studios found their audience with niche sporting simulators this last decade. Between Ashes Cricket and Rugby League Live , recent years have seen a greater focus on tennis, with the team offering the enjoyable AO Tennis 2 early last year.

In September 2020, they were back at it, this time launching Tennis World Tour 2 in collaboration with Nacon. Releasing to mixed reviews , Tour 2’s found a second lease on life with a next-gen “Complete Edition” for PS5 and Xbox Series X, which makes for a vast improvement over the original release, even if that improvement is relative.

Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition Review — A Mid-Level Contender

If you’re simply after a quick tennis fix, Exhibition Mode is your go-to here, letting you play with up to three other players locally in singles and doubles matches. In this mode, there are 48 different Tennis players to choose from, including Grand Slam winners Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, and Maria Sharapova. Sadly, a few notable icons, like the Williams sisters and Novak Djokovic, are missing, but the line-up remains impressive despite their absences.

Online multiplayer is also available, as are several pre-set and player-hosted tournaments. There’s also Tennis School, a training area filled with tests to keep your skills sharp.

However, the real focus lies in Career Mode, creating an original character in your journey to win a Grand Slam. You complete different events – including exhibition matches and tournaments. Those come with an entry fee, and higher fees mean higher winnings, should you succeed.

Gradually, you increase your career level, building up a reputation and signing with new agents, who offer performance buffs like greater strength or increased XP. Just be careful of your fatigue meter, which builds up after taking on events and impacts performance. Taking timely breaks to keep yourself in peak condition is a must.

Once you’re on the court, you have two shot options: precision and power. Providing you’re near the ball, racket swings occur automatically, but a good precision shot requires tapping a button as the ball gets closer. For power, you must hold that button down, releasing at the right moment for a devastating volley.

It sounds straightforward, but Tour 2 gets surprisingly challenging, and that difficulty can spike between matches. Even if you force your opponent into errors, moving them to the other side of the court, misjudging your shot timing can undo your hard work. Those seconds are key to taking a point or landing out of bounds.

That’s not to understate the surprisingly technical level of gameplay depth here, a depth that forces you to consider your strategy seriously. It’s not as arcade-like as more notable games like Mario Tennis – and it replicates real tennis to a decent extent.

Of course, that precise, realistic approach won’t sit well with everyone. To help you out, Tour 2 also includes a Cards system, allowing you to boost your own skills during matches – improving endurance, power, precision, and agility, for example – or reduce an opponent’s. You can hold five cards at once and save preset decks, buying them from a Card Shop for coins earned in career mode. Cards can even be sold for extra currency.

Since they’re best used in a pinch, they add a good layer of strategy to the gameplay.

Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition — The Bottom Line

• Captures the feeling of tennis well.
• Plenty of players and courts to choose from.
• Smooth performance.
• Numerous upgrades over the previous edition.
• Difficulty level is uneven.
• Some character models need improvements.
• Gameplay is quite technical.

As for next-gen improvements, Nacon has done an impressive job, and owners of last-gen’s Ace Edition can upgrade to the Complete Edition for free. Running at 60 frames-per-second in 4K, the Complete Edition also benefits from faster loading times, ray tracing, and enhanced particle effects.

It looks great, and that presentation’s only let down by a few off-base character models, which could’ve used some extra detail. Otherwise, all previous DLC is included with six new characters (including Murray and Sharapova), four additional stadiums, new cosmetics, and additional animations, too.

If you weren’t sold on Tennis World Tour 2 previously, Nacon’s next-gen upgrade won’t change your mind, but there’s an enjoyable simulator here and the Complete Edition is the best way to play. If you’re a serious tennis fan, this one comes recommended.

[Note: Nacon provided the copy of Tennis World Tour 2 used for this review.]

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Tennis World Tour 2 (PS4) Review

Michael September 25, 2020 News , Nintendo Switch , PC , Playstation 4 , PS4 Reviews , Reviews , Xbox One Leave a comment 3,159 Views

You can challenge the umpire on this, but….

Tennis World 2 has the things you’d expect of a tennis game, on and off the court. From drop shots and exhibition matches to volleys and a Career mode, developer Big Ant Studios has put it all in. It’s just not their best set.

If you’re coming to Tennis World Tour 2 like me, right off of the heels of Mario Tennis Aces, then you’re going to be in for a rude awakening.

Timing is everything in Tennis World Tour 2 . Mess it up while going for a winner, and you’ll see your ball fly out. The window can be demanding, but it is not an unassailable challenge.

Down a Break

The real issues on the court come from the way the game handles movement and animations. Your character moves in many ways automatically. Sometimes, they’ll swing even if you don’t hit a button (this won’t go in), and other times just watch the ball go by. It can be a struggle to have them do precisely what you want, especially when they commit to an animation against your will. This is made worse when you expect the character to move while preparing your aim. Countless times I’ve walked away from a serve trying to load a charged return, while on other points I’ll do the exact same thing and the character will stay in position.

The worst are the predestined points, wherein the crowd will start to cheer before the ball has even hit the ground, and my character will hang their head in shame as if there isn’t a sprint button that will clear the distance. I once pressed the lob button for a return, but because the point was already decided (despite the ball not yet hitting the court), that button press was instead read as queue highlight.

As a local-multiplayer tennis game, Tennis World 2 is sufficient at best. It feels and looks like tennis. Rallies last, hits mostly go where you expect, and even if you haven’t mastered the expectations for timing, you’ll have decent fun.

Online (which ran well during our post-launch play sessions) is a similar story. People make mistakes, and you’ll feel like you’re walking them all around the court with your expertly placed shots.

It’s against the AI when you realize that people is all you’ll ever be, and you’re up against the machine.

Career Lows

Career mode starts you with a custom-built character (using preset facial features and limited fashion) at the bottom of the rankings. Spending your time playing exhibition matches, doing training challenges, and hiring agents fills your pockets with the game’s currency and experience, which are in short supply in other modes.

How short? For a one-versus-one, three-set match at six games each, I earned under 300 coins. For a one-game match in career mode, I earned 720.

Early equipment is decently priced under 10,000, but rackets and card packs (we’ll get back to card packs) are both an unattainable grind for people hoping to progress in any way from local play.

(For the record, I won a quick match online and was awarded zero.)

No Grand Champion

It’s painful that money and experience both come so slowly, because your Career character will start with stats in the twenties. For comparison, Nadal averages 90s across the board. Even your no-name, auto-filled early-career competitors have a base in the 40s.

What does this mean in practice? Your shots will go wide, your serves will be slow, and you’ll be at a distinct disadvantage throughout the Career mode. Aiming for corners with anything less than a “Good” is a good way to lose a game.

Which, frankly, matters little. Exhibitions pay out identically win or lose. Often, it’s better even to throw a match to complete a challenge, because those hugely increase your take-home. There’s no real rush to improve your ranking, either, so you can grind up stats for a few years while gradually getting a handle on the AI, shot timing, and serves. It’ll take a bit of time to get anywhere near the level of Federer or Nadal. Experience gain is slow, and a level-up only increases your stats by 0-3 at a time.

These stats aren’t precisely self-explanatory. Is front-hand accuracy? Strength? And why does leveling your precision increase your precision stat less than leveling defense? Like many other parts of the game, everything changes in such minute fractions that changes won’t be clear level to level.

Tennis Card Game

Outside of Career Mode, there is nothing really worth working towards. Outfits and rackets purchased by coins can’t be attached to other characters, making them exclusive to your customs. That leaves cards.

Cards are limited-use actives that give miniscule advantages for a match or a game, such as giving increased stamina use for certain shots to your opponent. Generally, they’re so small that it’s not even worth changing the way you play to react. They’re definitely not worth spending your coins on. Card packs at varying rarities supply the jolt familiar to loot-box games, except without any worthwhile reward. Collect them, equip them, use them: they don’t make much of a difference, either way.

You can’t turn them off, either. They sit on the screen, delaying the start of some points because the AI is rifling through theirs. At least you can’t buy them with real money?

Presentation

Tennis World Tour 2 is not a looker by any stretch of the imagination. Outside of serve routines, animations are shared by all the players. You’ve never seen Kei Nishikori this smug or Nick Kergios this calm. The lack of personality makes it difficult to believe that’s who is on the court. Colors are garish at best, with a plastic sheen for all your players. Even that can be distracting: there’s a glaring bald spot on my custom character’s head whenever the lighting hits him right.

It looks like tennis, and, just as serviceably, it sounds like tennis. There’s a crowd, an umpire, and balls hitting rackets. No announcers follow the action in your game, and there’s no music during play. Tunes jingle on the menus with enough energy, but it feels like something is missing from the action. Maybe I’m just too used to tennis on the television having stats read at me by retired players.

Final Thoughts

That’s an emptiness that carries throughout Tennis World Tour 2 ’s presentation. If you are looking for a single-player Tennis experience, it’s here in Tennis World Tour 2 . It’s a decent tennis game with unnecessary card fluff, a slow grind, and difficulties that aren’t suited to a casually interested tennis fan. And that’s on the best day. The occasional freeze, frustrating animations, and visual oddities don’t make matters any better. You don’t have to skip Tennis World Tour 2 if you’re desperate for a new tennis game, but if you have one you like, then stick to it.

PS4 Review Copy provided by Nacon for review.

Tennis World Tour 2 Release Date : September 22, 2020 Platform : PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch Publisher : Nacon Developer : Big Ant Studios MSRP : $39.99

Tennis World Tour 2

Premise - 70%, gameplay - 60%, presentation - 55%.

Tennis World Tour 2 has singles and doubles tennis, but a litany of issues keep it from being the premier champion of the sport. Even if you're desperate for another tennis game, you're probably better off looking elsewhere.

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Photo Credit: Nacon/Big Ant Studios

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal headline Tennis World Tour 2

• Tennis World Tour 2 out September 24 in India
• Available on PC, PS4, Xbox One for ~Rs. 3,000
• Federer and Nadal are in Tennis World Tour 2

Tennis World Tour 2 allows you to “cheat” at the game, which feels like it's missing the point. Just like the 2018 poorly-received original, Tennis World Tour 2 features a variety of “skill cards” that can be activated during matches, allowing you to boost your player's values or even affect your opponent's attributes for a limited time. You can reduce their shot or serve precision, while improving yours. Moreover, these skill cards are found in packs that you must buy with in-game currency, just as with FIFA Ultimate Team. At least you can't buy in-game currency this time around, unlike the microtransactions model present in the first Tennis World Tour game.

Still, it's terrible game design — and worse, it's entirely unnecessary. Just look at FIFA . EA Sports discovered that most players never made use of “training items” (found in Ultimate Team packs), which worked in a similar manner to Tennis World Tour's “skill cards”. And after years of player feedback, EA is finally getting rid of them in FIFA 21 . There's no need for Tennis World Tour 2 to continue with an outdated model. You could simply ignore the entire system, but naturally there's no getting around it when you're up against the AI or even other humans online. Tennis World Tour 2 doesn't allow you to disable skill cards either, no matter what game mode you're playing.

Speaking of game modes, Tennis World Tour 2 also offers doubles tennis this time around, which was missing from the original game. It's a lot of fun, especially to see how quickly AI players react to each other's shots. Four human players can play locally on the same device, or two players on two different machines online. Weirdly, you can't connect four consoles or PCs together on Tennis World Tour 2. That's not the only change. Tennis World Tour 2 also boasts of a new game engine, developed by Melbourne-based Big Ant Studios — also behind AO Tennis 2 and Cricket 19 — which takes over from Tennis World Tour maker Breakpoint Studio. It claims to offer double the character animations, better visuals, and overhauled gameplay.

Doubles tennis in Tennis World Tour 2 Photo Credit: Nacon/Big Ant Studios

But despite all those claims, the Tennis World Tour 2 engine just doesn't have the fluidity of other AA sports games. Heck, it can barely even match what's offered by made-by-the-fans efforts such as Tennis Elbow 2013. Movement doesn't feel natural as players seem to snap from one position to the next, instead of running like humans do. It all feels a bit rigid. There still seems to be a lack of animations as the world's best players — the likes of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are included on Tennis World Tour 2 — are nowhere as superhuman as their real-life counterparts. You can't slide across the court or attempt a last-ditch lob, because the animation doesn't exist.

Instead, many a time frustratingly, Tennis World Tour 2 would seemingly pre-decide that the ball had passed us and wouldn't even let us swing our racquet. Our player would just stand there dumb as a dodo and let the ball go around them or sometimes even hit them. At other times, the player wouldn't swing their racquet even though the ball was within their reach, simply because we hadn't moved the left stick in the direction the ball was coming from. Even the way the ball itself moves in the air doesn't have the natural feel of a real-life tennis ball. It simply zooms across the air with little to no friction — there's no wind factor in Tennis World Tour 2 anyway — and its trajectory and arc isn't impacted by what part of the racquet it hits. All that's to say that it feels very artificial.

Where Tennis World Tour 2 does feel more lifelike is in how crucial timing is. As anyone who's ever played tennis can attest, it's a game of fractions. Hit the ball half a second earlier or later, and that makes all the difference. Tennis World Tour 2 sows that ethos deep into every aspect of the game. With shots, you must give your player enough time to swing their racquet, which naturally changes depending on the speed of the ball. That means you must press the button of choice — flat shot, top spin, slice, or lob — before the ball reaches you. And if you're looking to add power, by holding down any of the buttons, you've to start even sooner, sometimes as the ball is going towards the other side.

It took us a fair bit of time to get used to that concept and subsequently the mechanic. Thankfully, Tennis World Tour 2 has a built-in timing trainer — “too soon”, “good”, “perfect”, or “too late” — that appears over your player every time you hit the ball and tells you how you're doing. Still, a lot of our shots would be late, more so when squaring against top players who have a better percentage of delivering high-powered shots that give you less time to react.

This also applies to serves, which make use of an all-new system on Tennis World Tour 2. You've to time two different components: the ball toss and the racquet swing. With the toss, you can opt to go “safe” (button press) or push for more accuracy (button hold). The next step requires you to hit the ball at its maximum height. These in turn decide how close the ball will land to the selected position, and how much power there will be behind it. Again, the timing trainer applies to your serves too, letting you know if it's too weak, “max power”, or just fine.

While these additions are welcome, Tennis World Tour 2 is still missing some tiny but helpful gameplay tweaks. The receiver's court position is one of those things that is crucial to a tennis player's strategy, whether they like to play from deep behind the baseline or push their opponent to play quicker, depending on how defensive or aggressive they are planning to be. But the game resets your receiving position, forcing you to readjust yourself on every serve. This is the kind of thing Tennis Elbow 2013 understands. It remembers your position by both first and second serve, which is very helpful as it lets you focus on the game, once you've adjusted to your opponent's serve.

Options are similarly limited in the improved Career mode on Tennis World Tour 2. As you progress and level up, you will earn skill points that can be assigned to either “attack”, “defence”, or “precision”. Those categories are too broad. For what it's worth, you can also improve your player by spending the in-game currency you earn (by playing) on buying new equipment such as licensed racquets or creating your own customised racquet by picking the frame, strings, the handle, vibration dampener, and so on.

In Career mode, in addition to the game's basic difficulty choices (very easy, easy, normal, hard, or very hard), you also have to pick career difficulty: “futures”, “challenger”, “worlds”, or “grand slam”. This decides how long the matches you play are (number of sets and number of games per sets) and whether they can be replayed. You can also (randomly) get injured in Career mode while in a match. Tennis World Tour 2 allows you to play through it but we ended aggravating the injury further.

Court Philippe-Chatrier in Tennis World Tour 2 Photo Credit: Nacon/Big Ant Studios

Outside of the Career mode — and the expected singles and doubles exhibition — Tennis World Tour 2 allows you to create your own tournaments as well. The licensed ones (Roland-Garros and Tie Break Tens) are part of the Tennis World Tour 2 season pass known as “Annual Pass”, which also brings in licensed stadiums (five at launch from Paris, Madrid, and Halle) The base game costs around Rs. 3,000 and the Annual Pass is available as part of Tennis World Tour 2 Ace Edition, which comes in around Rs. 4,000. It's a shame that licensed stuff is locked behind a second paywall, though for what it's worth, the Annual Pass will give you more content and players after release. There are 36 players at launch, with two more — Gustavo Kuerten and Marat Safin — available to those who pre-order.

Ultimately, Tennis World Tour 2, with its steep learning curve and stocky animations, is a game that will largely appeal to the hardcore tennis fan. It's nowhere at the level it needs to be, but it's also operating in an environment without any competition. That's why despite the disaster the 2018 original was, it was still funnily enough the only choice when tennis competitions looked to virtual choices during the global lockdown. While footballers were duking it on FIFA's polished pitches, the likes of Andy Murray tuned into Tennis World Tour.

A game that its developer acknowledged was only 20 percent complete when the publisher Bigben Interactive pushed the release button because it had to capitalise on the incoming French Open. That's also the case with Tennis World Tour 2 — the game is out Tuesday in the US and Thursday elsewhere, and Roland-Garros begins Monday — but the sequel is in a much better shape as it storms out of the gate. Hopefully, Big Ant can put work out the problems as new content rolls in. Or maybe the third time will be the charm, if Tennis World Tour 3 ever gets made.

• Emphasis on timing
• Shot timing trainer
• New serve system
• Doubles tennis
• Rigid player movement
• Weak animation affects gameplay
• Artificial ball movement
• Skill cards system
• 4 systems can't connect
• Career progression too broad
• Licenses part of season pass

Rating (out of 10): 6

Gadgets 360 played Tennis World Tour 2 on the Xbox One X. The game is available September 24 in India on PC (Steam), PS4, and Xbox One. It costs Rs. 2,724 (XB1) / Rs. 2,999 (PS4), while Tennis World Tour 2 Ace Edition costs Rs. 3,799 (XB1) / Rs. 3,999 (PS4). Steam prices are unavailable as yet.

Tennis World Tour 2

• 4 systems can't connect

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Critic Reviews for Tennis World Tour 2

Thesixthaxis.

Tennis World Tour 2 is a solid all-round tennis game, and the inclusion of the wildcard system offers an additional and entertaining tactical layer to consider as you play. It's just a shame that some minor issues hold it back from being great.

Read full review

TWT2 feels unfinished, underdeveloped and somewhat soulless in some aspects. The swing mechanic might be a good idea conceptually, but it falls short of supplying that satisfaction that is transferred from simply hitting the ball in a tennis video game. Couple that with the malnourished feature set and you have one of the most disappointing tennis video games in a long while.

A good tennis simulation that, despite a few flaws and frustrating controls, has managed to achieve a much better result than the original game.

Review in Italian | Read full review

God is a Geek

Tennis World Tour 2 has gameplay that takes a while to master, but the healthy roster and well-designed courts offers a lot for tennis fans.

GamingTrend

Tennis World Tour 2 on the PlayStation 5 is the definitive way to experience this realistic simulation title. While it does have quite a few flaws considering the package, there's still a lot to love for those looking for a tennis game with a learning curve.

PlayStation Universe

A highly unsatisfying and directionless tennis game, with an abysmal character creator and career mode. Steer well clear and buy AO Tennis 2, bizarrely made by the exact same team responsible for this monstrosity.

The Games Machine

Tennis World Tour 2 improves upon its disastrous predecessor, but cannot completely make us forget its flaws because it's based on the same creaky structure. It can be fun, but you shouldn't expect perfection.

Push Square

Tennis World Tour 2 captures the flow of real-world tennis well, but that comes with a steep timing-based learning curve. Overcome it, and you'll be rewarded with a deep skill-based gameplay experience, that's elevated by a strategic deck building accompaniment. There's inconsistency to the presentation, with some awkward animations, physics, and art direction decisions – but the campaign is entertaining and online play will add longevity. As it stands, it's the best tennis game currently available on the PS4, but there's still room for further improvement here.

OpenCritic Coverage

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Tennis World Tour 2 – PS5 Review 2

Tennis World Tour 2  is the sequel to Big Ben Interactive’s poorly received tennis game Tennis World Tour .  We actually reviewed the PS4 version of this sequel last September, giving it 4 out of 10, a score that was in range of its Metacritic rating but Nacon have given the game a fresh coat of paint and shuffled it out on PS5 where it promises more modes (including four player doubles), addition players, new courts and a raft of gameplay tweaks.

Now, previously Ian reviewed the game and we’re pretty low on reviewers right now so rather than being faced with his immediate resignation and suicide, I took over reviewing duties figuring that the hours I put into tennis games over the last few decades (from  Super Tennis  to a hard-earned achievements max on Virtua Tennis 4 ) would stand me in good stead.

However, Tennis World Tour 2  does fall into the ‘sim’ camp but not so much because of realism but rather just the fact that it isn’t enough fun to be an ‘arcade’ title.  The on-court action is sluggish, unresponsive and frustrating.  I spent a long time trying to perfect my serve timing to no avail in the game’s ‘Tennis School’ mode and found that most of my matches ended in defeat no matter what tactical approach I took.  When I did eventually get into the flow of the game I still found that I was at a massive disadvantage whenever I served.

The AI is going to put the ball to your left or your right but the controls are just too stiff for you to do much with their return, putting you on the back foot immediately.  It’s not about skill, although practice and determination will help a little, but rather that the game engine just isn’t your friend at all.

On top of that the game has a rather misjudged deck-building card system where cards can offer you very minor perks and stamina boosts but matches never come down to this.  You’re either going to win or lose, the cards aren’t going to change that and frankly it’s all just a bit of a faff.  More things to read and consider when you’d rather just be playing tennis.  Except the tennis here isn’t fun and so you’d rather be playing… well, anything else.

Maybe that stuff would come alive if the gameplay was good.  Maybe it’d all work if there was balance here.  If when you faced a decent player, those cards and gear would give you the edge.  We’d feel the game more then but this all feels like if  FIFA and  PES took a generational break and then  Actua Soccer made a comeback to fill the gap.  But that might be us.  If you really like tennis and want to play a few sets either in career mode or in exhibition matches with the likes of Federer, Murray and Nadal (no Williams sisters though, for shame) then this might scratch that itch for you a little but for anyone looking for fun or even an introduction to the sport, this just isn’t accessible or fun enough.

The court-side detail isn’t bad with various objects that you’d expect to see there and the crowds are alright but the game never focuses on them, instead just showing player reactions between points which just takes up time.  On that, the serve animations are also pretty slow (and slow to kick in thanks to the plodding AI players) which again just takes away from any sense of momentum the game could generate if the shackles were released.

So, Ian’s original score of 4 seems about right from where I’m standing.  I even fired up the game mid-review just to see if I could something of an epiphany and maybe ‘get’ it, especially as a patch dropped today but no, I actually liked it less.  And while I’m not a strawberries and cream eating middle close ponce (although I was born in Wimbledon), I do tend to like tennis games.  Just not this one.

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Tennis World Tour 2 Review PS4

• Local multiplayer for 2-4 players
• Estimated platinum difficulty: 6/10
• Approximate time to platinum: 80h

Review Score

Trailers & screenshots.

Critic Reviews

Thesixthaxis.

„A solid all-round tennis game, and the inclusion of the wildcard system offers an additional and entertaining tactical layer to consider as...“

Push Square

„Captures the flow of real-world tennis well, but that comes with a steep timing-based learning curve.“

God is a Geek

„Has gameplay that takes a while to master, but the healthy roster and well-designed courts offers a lot for tennis fans.“

Digital Chumps

„Isn't necessarily the most robust or enticing offering when it comes to tennis games, but it's one of the only simulation games out there.“

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Tennis World Tour 2 (PS4)

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Tennis World Tour 2

• PS Plus required for online play
• Supports up to 4 online players with PS Plus
• Online play optional
• 1 - 4 players
• Remote Play supported
• PS5 game streaming supported only with Premium subscription

Play as the world's top players or create your own player to try and dominate the world rankings. Faster paced, with more animations and more realism: experience the true sensations of tennis, in singles or doubles games, and challenge your friends locally or online. THE REAL LIFE OF A TENNIS PRO Your player, your decisions. In Career mode, you manage your season, your staff, your equipment and your sponsors. And if you are up to the challenge, you can become the new star of world tennis. DESIGNED FOR TENNIS FANS Master the timing of your strokes, the new serve mechanics and all the moves to dominate your opponent, just for fun or to win in Ranked mode. THE THRILL OF THE COURT More animations, more strokes, a faster pace… Experience dynamic, realistic and precise gameplay that puts you in the heart of legendary rallies.

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• Tennis World Tour 2 PS4™ & PS5™
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Tennis World Tour 2 Review – Another Fault

Tennis world tour 2 review.

The sport of tennis has been intrinsically linked with the evolution of video games. From Higinbotham’s 1958 Tennis for Two to the critically acclaimed Virtua Tennis, the sport has had an array of renditions throughout the medium’s long history. After soaring to unprecedented heights in the 2000s, tennis games crashed into obscurity leaving smaller studios to pick up the pieces.

Fast forward to 2018 and Tennis World Tour served a fault on its debut, due to this the publisher, Nacon, brought in Big Ant Studios of AO Tennis fame in order to hit a return ace. With their pedigree in the sport, can they land an overhead smash or will it just be a double fault?

Boasting a new engine and a slew of new animations, Tennis World Tour 2 makes the right moves to correct the issues that plagued its predecessor. Similar to Top Spin 4, the focus is on timing and learning when to strike is key. Hit the ball too late and it will merely plonk next to your opponent or even wildly out of the court but hitting the ball with perfect timing will result in a vicious strike that will have your opponent flailing to the other side of the court in search for a return.

Positioning and movement are vital in tennis. Being able to Dart around the court and return those far-out lobs brings excitement by placing the gamer in the trainers of a professional. Unfortunately, the movement isn’t as slick as Djokovic’s and you will spend more time aimlessly lumbering to the ball than tearing across the court.

Each of the four face buttons is linked to a shot type, similar to most tennis games, which helps to give the feeling of familiarity when playing. In addition to these, you can also hold either button to perform a powerful version of the shot type or tap it for precision. Although this is an intriguing game mechanic, when it’s married with an unforgiving timing system, I found that it got underutilized, which brings me to my next point.

Lack of Direction 

Although the game tries to replicate the sport in an authentic manner, the inclusion of the ‘card system’ seems odd and out of place. Gamers can equip cards that give them temporary boosts which negates the simulation that Tennis World Tour 2 is trying to achieve. With in-game currency, you can purchase cards and use them during your match by double-tapping the directional pad. The inclusion of this system is perplexing and as a result, you are left with a game that is neither an accurate simulator nor an arcade experience of the sport.

The career mode in Tennis World Tour 2 is underwhelming. After creating your hideous avatar, you have the chance to upgrade your player and participate in tournaments to earn money and improve your rank with the goal of becoming the world’s best player. You can enter competitions from around the globe which take place on different surfaces. It includes the basics of a career mode but does nothing to set itself apart from other tennis games making this mode feel generic.

A new addition to the franchise is the inclusion of doubles. Yes, you heard me right, that is a new feature! Although this is quite fun locally, my experience was marred with frustration when playing with the AI. At times as daft as a brush and other times like Pete Sampras, the inconsistency with the AI was another disappointment with the game.

At first glance, the game looks great. The courts have scuffs where players have skidded from side to side and the posture of the characters replicates the sport suitably. However, on closer inspection, which is most noticeable on replays, characters look almost like animatronic versions of themselves. Focusing on characters, the roster is strong and includes well-known stars such as Federer, Nadal and Monfils. However, with notable omissions and the lack of legendary players, casual fans may just stick with the aforementioned players.

Tennis World Tour 2 lacks focus and due to this, the game lingers in mediocrity. With inconsistent AI, a harsh timing mechanic paired with a stat-boosting card system, the game will turn away both hardcore and casual fans. Unfortunately, this is a double fault for the Tennis World Tour franchise.

• Inclusion of precision
• Power-based shots
• Nadal and Federer are in the game
• The card system clashes with the realism
• Career mode is dull
• Character models look odd

Developer: Big Ant Studios

Publisher: Nacon

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