Tennis World Tour 2 is the next title in the series developed by Big Ant Studios and published by Nacon. Nacon has switched over the controls of development from Breakpoint to Big Ant Studios, who have previously worked on another tennis title called AO Tennis and AO Tennis 2. After the first game was nothing short of a disappointment among fans, Tennis World Tour 2 returns to the gaming world of tennis with many promises of improved gameplay with fast-paced actions, more animations, and more realism to add to the experience of tennis fans. This is my review for the PC version of Tennis World Tour 2, which comes after quite a wait after it was announced earlier this year.
Before we dive into the comparison of Tennis World Tour 2 with its predecessor, let’s look at what the game has to offer right from the get-go. The main menu of the game has a lot of things to choose from, but doesn’t feel clustered nor does it feel like it will overwhelm new players. Of course, you can jump straight into the action and start an Exhibition match by playing as or against world-class tennis superstars of the current tennis generation. If you are wondering, yes you can play as Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer within the first 2 minutes from starting the game.
For the uninitiated, there is a Tennis School mode that explains the basic gameplay of Tennis World Tour 2, which includes how to aim, return the ball, moving and aiming for a certain spot on the court. Moreover, it also teaches movement and sprinting, charging for a precise shot, and most importantly, how to serve. Besides the basics, you also have advanced training options that bring things up a notch. Advanced tutorial in the Tennis School contains most of the gameplay features and mechanics that you can learn and better understand before heading out to play a tennis match. From Baseline Shots that teach to you the topspin or the slice shot, to more advanced shots like the drop shot and lob shot that allows you to mix up your shots in a rally.
Another gameplay feature that is also explained quite well in the Tennis School tutorial mode is the Skill Cards. These are special moves or effects that you can strategically use to gain an advantage against your opponent. Depending on the type of Skill card, you can either apply the advantageous effect of the card on yourself or apply an effect to your opponent that gives you the upper hand over them. Skills Cards are best reserved for the right time, allowing you to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. There are all sorts of Skill Cards that you can purchase with the in-game money, and purchase the ones you think would suit your playstyle. You don’t have to worry about microtransactions as there are none. Any Skill Cards you are looking to purchase can be bought with coins, which you earn by completing challenges, matches, and tournaments.
The first mode in the game is the Exhibition, which cuts to the chase and lets you start a match within a few seconds. Here you can also check out all the current legends of tennis which include Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Ash Barty, Nick Kyrgios, and many more. Nacon also promises that there will more tennis players that will be added later into the game. Now you might be wondering why I haven’t mentioned Novak Djokovic, well it seems like the number one seed is not going to be a part of the new game, just like its predecessor. Nontheless, there are 38 real-world licensed players that you can play as or against in a quick match. This list of licensed players is likely going to increase as the game receives future updates over the course of the year or the next.
Another big addition to the new game is the Doubles exhibition match. Doubles is where instead of the standard two players, you have 4 tennis players divided in a team of two, and playing against each other with slightly different ground rules. Though this may not seem like a surprise if you are new to the Tennis World Tour series, Doubles is a new addition to the game which quite frankly was lacking in the previous game. Considering how Tennis World Tour had a rocky launch and how rushed and incomplete it felt, it came as no surprise that the game didn’t include a Doubles match option. The new title in the series, however, feels more polished and brings the content that was completely missing from the previous title.
Moving on to some of the other modes in the game, the Career mode returns to Tennis World Tour 2 with its own exhibition matches, training, agent meeting, and tournament. All the game modes inside the Career mode allow you to engage in several matches against different opponents and in different stadiums and grounds. The goal however is simple, which is to win games and level up your character to increase their ranking and being capable enough to face the current legends of the game. The Career Mode also has the Calendar that gives you a view of all the Tournaments available to you in the current season of your Career. Here you can choose from several different tournaments from all around the world. Whether you want to head down under to participate in The Melbourne Millennium tournament or you want to go to the hot and humid city of Dubai for the Oasis Trophy. You have a plethora of tournament options to choose from.
Now let’s talk about the gameplay visuals and animations of Tennis World Tour 2, and everything else that the new game brings to the table. There is absolutely no denying that Big Ant Studios has done a really good job with the animations and how seamless they seem in fast-paced action. Apart from the facial features of the real world licensed which can be better, players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal look quite genuine in the gameplay during rallies. If you have grown up watching both the legends and their playstyle, their swings, and even the grunts they make while swinging, you will immediately notice these details in the game.
The gameplay itself in my opinion can still be better as the opponents still feel quite unpredictable with their shots. At times, my character was pretty slow in responding to the opponent’s serve, while the crowd already started to cheer before the ball even crossed me. It was only when I could return the serve where I actually felt in control. Another big factor of the game is all about timing. Your shots and their timings are displayed on the screen after you have hit the ball. The timing of the shots again felt unpredictable at times, but it wasn’t something that I couldn’t get over.
Rallies in the new game don’t feel slow anymore and actually get the matches going at a good pace. There is always a gray area when you have to merge realistic animations into a fast-paced game, but Tennis World Tour 2 does this pretty well without forcing the player to force a mistake or struggle to keep a hold of your character. Your character is pretty responsive all throughout the rally if you can successfully return the opponent’s service and get the timings right with every shot that follows.
Final Verdict:
Tennis World Tour 2 is a big leap ahead than what the previous game was. The new developer has brought in a complete game that does not feel unfinished, while their workings on the new animations and mechanics are quite apparent and well done. The licensed real world players look quite real in the gameplay side of the things even if they don’t look accurate on close up visuals and replays. The gameplay mechanic are slightly better than the previous game, but new players might struggle with the shot timing being too slow or having played too early. Although the shot timing feature is important for the gameplay, I feel it could be further polished for a more consistent playing experience. Tennis World Tour 2 is a great achievement from its predecessor, thanks to Big Ant Studios and the new game engine. I would highly recommend Tennis World Tour 2 to all tennis fans, whether you play it on consoles or your PC.
8/10
