Even the AI gives up on playing this one.
I’ve never minded the game of Tennis. I even played one year of it in high school. Sure, I was horrible at it, but that didn’t stop me from at least trying the sport out. The same could be said for Tennis video games. I never minded them and I would never shy away from playing one. Enter Tennis World Tour. This is a game that I DO mind playing, and I suggest anyone else should steer clear of this title.
Tennis World Tour has players going through a career mode with tournaments and exhibition matches, with a few simulation points implemented. In between tourneys, I could choose to do certain activities that would affect my player in different ways. I could train in a certain skill to give a buff to them in the next couple of months, rest to recover a draining health meter, and hire managers and coaches/trainers for certain buffs. It was never anything elaborate. Most of training exercises were things found in the tutorial that I never seemed to fail. Tournaments played out in standard Tennis fashion, and never changed up really and I never seemed to be bothered by the overall health meter other than a lowered stamina meter during games which never affected my player that much.
Platforms: XB1, PS4, PC, Switch
MSRP: $59.99
Price I’d pay: I wouldn’t buy it
Players can go up in rank earning XP from matches and are give attribute points to put into three categories. They also are money that can be used to purchase new equipment like new rackets, lines, and grips that can alter the player’s performance as well as cosmetic items like shirts, shoes, and shorts.
During games, I had the choice of different types of serves and returns using the face buttons. Some strategy was involved when it came to returns, mostly in the form of where to send the ball. I could tilt the stick in a direction to send the ball further in that direction. Although I could never get a feel for what determined how far it would go. Was it when I was lining up my shot? Was it how long I held down the return button? Or was it how far I tilted the stick? I never could tell. It really didn’t matter because the AI was something of a mess.
Tennis World Tour is supposed to be a simulation Tennis game. I say supposed to because in many instances, it feels like my player along with the AI opponents is doing some very unrealistic things. First off, the hit detection for returning the ball is completely off. There were shot I made that I know I physically couldn’t do, yet my player seemed to use psychokinesis to hit the ball from a distance, then there were times I was right on the ball hitting a return button and my player would just stand there and let the ball pass right by. On top of that, it seemed like my opponent would just give up at a certain point in a volley and just let the ball go right past them.
As one can tell, this game is riddled with strange AI and overall glitches that make it feel unfinished. For some odd reason, I unlocked a new trainer, but was never able to change them out once I had hired my first one. The biggest tell of them all is the fact that this review is nearly two months late and the online multiplayer isn’t even there even though they advertise it having online play “coming soon.” I was willing the give the game the benefit of the doubt, but it seems like this isn’t coming anytime soon if ever.
Graphically, the game looks ok. The animations actually look pretty good, but the character models are ugly as sin at times. Close-ups do not do this game any favors. Some other minor issues are the fact that some animations can’t be skipped. I just wanted to start my serve, but I have to sit there for six seconds while my player dribbles the ball.
Aside from that, this is all Tennis World Tour has to offer – a simple game mode for regular matches against the AI, the career mode that has more bugs than I can count, and an online multiplayer mode that is still “coming soon” almost two months after launch.
Tennis World Tour is a mess of a game. The AI is a joke that makes it too easy to beat, the modes are lacking, there are glitches galore, and I honestly think the support for this game is not happening, which means that online multiplayer may very well never come. If you’re looking for a Tennis game to sink time into, I would say stick to something else. Anything else, really. This one is not worth your time or your money.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
