tennis world tour 2 review reddit

• Privacy Policy

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.]

• Review Policy

If you make a purchase after following a link on our site, we may earn a small commission. Learn more.

Tennis World Tour 2 Review (PS5)

I really wasn’t a fan of Tennis World Tour 2 when I played it on Xbox One X last September.

Awarding it a paltry score of just 4/10 , I said that its “new timing-based shot system ruins what could have been a decent or even good tennis game”. There were other issues too, such as card system that felt unnecessary and unwieldy to use, and erratic opponent AI. Now available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, however, I’m glad to report that Tennis World Tour 2 is no longer quite the dire experience that it once was.

On next-gen consoles, Tennis World Tour 2 benefits from all the enhancements you’d expect. Graphically it’s still not going to impress you, but it does genuinely look better. Performance is also a little more solid, and loading times have been dramatically reduced. They all combine to make your time with the game that bit more immersive and enjoyable. It’s the tweaks to how the game actually plays that now makes it worth a look if you’re a tennis fan, however.

Its timing-based shot system appears to have been made more lenient, meaning it’s now much less frustrating to play. It’s much easier to return shots and, more importantly, direct them to specific areas of your opponent’s side of the court. It’s still easy to slip up in the heat of the moment, but on the whole the change is transformative. Venture into the game’s career and simple things such as training sessions are no longer a struggle to complete unless you have the accuracy of a ninja.

Another important change is that you’re no longer forced to use the game’s card system in career mode. You’re able to enable or disable it at the start of each season, and with it disabled I feel the game is much better. It lets you simply focus on the game of tennis at hand, without any boosters adding an extra layer of unpredictability. In conjunction with the tweaks made to the timing-based shot system, Tennis World Tour 2 ‘s career mode is now actually enjoyable from the outset. Previously, you had to torturously grind out some upgrades to make it even slightly bearable.

New content and features are to be found in the next-gen version of Tennis World Tour 2 , too. As you make your through your career you’ll now be able to take part in both official tournaments and doubles tournaments. And, essentially being the Complete Edition of the game, there are more real-life professionals to play as outside of the game’s career mode, as well as additional stadiums, outfits and accessories. Even a new Champions Pack DLC is included, allowing players to finally take control of fan-favourites such as Andy Murray and Maria Sharapova.

There’s are still some aspects of Tennis World Tour 2 that hold it back from being considered a “good” tennis game, however. Mechanically, it’s still a bit hit and miss. Sometimes you’ll get into a rally, and upon moving towards the ball and pressing a button to return it, your player will simply do nothing. More problematic, though, is the AI of your opponents. As before, it’s still very erratic; in the early stages of your career they’ll often pull off tremendous shots that you’ve got little chance of returning. But then they’ll follow them up with stupid faults. Chances are you’ll win most of your early matches thanks to faults rather than actually performing good shots yourself.

On the whole, there are enough changes for the better to elevate Tennis World Tour 2 from being a sub-par to a decent tennis game. Graphically it’s still not going to wow players, and there’s still some work to be done on the animation and AI side if Tennis World Tour 3 ever comes to fruition, but Tennis World Tour 2 is at least now somewhat enjoyable. Throw in a considerable amount of extra content and next-gen consoles not only now have their first tennis game, but also one that’s worth considering.

Tennis World Tour 2 (PS5) Review: GameSpew’s Score

Tennis World Tour 2 is available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC. We reviewed the PS5 version with a code provided by the game’s publisher.

Buy Tennis World Tour 2 on Amazon

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

The Best Tennis Games on Xbox One & Xbox Series X/S

The Best Tennis Games on Nintendo Switch (2022)

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships Review

The Best Tennis Games on PS4

The Best Tennis Games on PS5

Matchpoint – Tennis Championships Launches This July

Connect with gamespew.

Latest News

Forget Fortnite, this magnificent Doom and Mr Bean art is the crossover to end all crossovers

Aspyr is restoring Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered’s missing Lara posters

Fallout: Miami’s new trailer teases the perfect post-apocalyptic vacation

Manor Lords is out today, and it already has 2,000 ‘Very Positive’ reviews on Steam

Popular this week.

Pools review – A liminal hidden gem

The ridiculous trend of video game cookbooks is perplexing

Stellar Blade review – A stellar experience

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade: Wrath of the Mutants review

• Privacy Notice and Cookies

Tennis World Tour 2 Reviews

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

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.

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.

But unfortunately, even the different modes, slick visuals and silky-smooth frame rate can’t make up for the fact that World Tennis Tour 2 Complete Edition’s core experience, playing tennis, is a huge let-down. It is extremely disappointing that Big Ant Studios has failed to adequately address the basic gameplay shortcomings that have been around since the first Tennis World Tour back in 2018. As a fan of the sport I badly wanted this game to be better, but Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition will make even the most die-hard tennis fanatic want to smash their racquet and head to the dressing room.

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.

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.

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.

Tennis World Tour fails to nail the basics and lacks any frills for long term investment. Tennis fans should look elsewhere for their simulation needs.

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.

Tennis World Tour 2 is an undeniable improvement on the original release and it's also arguably a great tennis game for those who can get into it. Aesthetically, it looks good from afar, with fluid animations and speed that honestly gives the feel of a tennis match and features a wide number of game modes, giving you a lot to play through. The problem, however, is that the core game mechanics are inaccessible and unapproachable, offering no settings to reduce the reliance of awfully specific precision-based button pressing which can ruin the core career mode. A mixed bag, this will appeal for fans of tennis, but the opaque nature of the gameplay makes it too hard to recommend.

Tennis World Tour 2 is a simulation style affair that demands much from its players but doesn't reciprocate with a game that's capable of matching their efforts. Flaky AI and a lack of basic player animations leads to core gameplay here that feels rough and unsatisfying for the most part. Matches often descend into a procession of double faults, there's absolutely zero net play, and no matter how much practice you put in, things always feel like they're out of your control. There is a decent selection of modes here and the fundamental ideas behind the gameplay could have made for a good time, but a lack of finesse in how these things have been implemented mean this one is best avoided by all but the most foolhardy of tennis fans.

Tennis World Tour 2 improves many of the aspects of the first release and adds new playable features. Perhaps the best game of tennis today but it is far from being the simulator that tennis lovers want. It has a lot of work ahead of it.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

On the face of it, Tennis World Tour 2 may look like a simple update, but it is a real overhaul in depth, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This translates into more powerful sensations and a more realistic overall rendering, thanks to a more subtle management of timing as well as risk-taking, although floats remain due to still very intrusive audiences.

Review in French | Read full review

Tennis World Tour 2 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. If you're a die-hard tennis fan, it's worth a shot to see if it can keep your attention. But casual fans should consider looking elsewhere.

Overall, Tennis World Tour 2 is far better than the 2018's Tennis World Tour. Big Ant Studios improved on the gameplay, and the character models actually look decent here. That said, the game is still not as polished as Top Spin or Virtua Tennis. It's still worth playing though if you are a hardcore fan of the tennis sport.

The new team in charge of Tennis World Tour 2 has thankfully made enhancements to a series that badly needed a do-over. It puts it in a better position for the future by expanding the roster and making key gameplay improvements. Although animations have been doubled, characters still appear to be quite stiff at times and even slide into animations awkwardly. The courts are nicely rendered, and when playing exhibition matches, you can freely alter the surface type on non-licensed venues. I think the timing of strokes needs to be adjusted, especially when playing on an easier difficulty.

Tennis World Tour 2 is a complex sports sim that features some real nuances of playing tennis. Unfortunately, that results in convoluted controls with little instruction on how to use them. It'll keep hard-core sports gamers busy for a while, but is not a very good option for casual tennis fans.

Get ready to hit the court and climb up the competitive ladder to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. While Tennis World Tour 2 could provide deep and rewarding gameplay, its passable controls hinder the player's enjoyment and turns a possibly great game into a frustrating experience.

Tennis World Tour 2 (PC) Review

I’ll admit, the last tennis game I dove deep into was Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64. That doesn’t mean I haven’t followed the sport with pensive interest over the past few decades. I have fond memories of watching Opens with my grandmother who had a passion for the sport. I know the ins and outs of the rules, so it’s not like I’m going into  Jonah Lomu Rugby Challenge  for the Xbox 360 (Which I did. Boy, was I clueless there).

Upon entering  Tennis World Tour 2 , I noticed they got the likeness of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, two of the biggest name in the sport in the past few decades. I got a bit excited to play as these superstars, but in the character selection screen, I found the models to be a bit… inaccurate. Obviously, I was looking at Federer, but we’re wrapping up the eighth generation of consoles and I’ve seen better models in the sixth.

I didn’t pick up  Tennis World Tour 2  to critique the character models though, I came for the gameplay. After a brief, descriptive tutorial period of about 10 minutes, I thrust myself into an exhibition match and settled in quite nicely to the mannerisms and movements of high-velocity tennis. If I hit the ball at the wrong time, I was punished accordingly, but several perfect successions and smart placements led me to win my first set convincingly.

That’s the joy of this game, it controls like a dream. Obviously, I utilized a controller as I can’t imagine how the game would handle on a mouse/keyboard layout, but it’s a given that some games warrant controller usage. Thankfully, this has been optimized to perfection. In the span of one second, you can handily score a well-timed, well-placed hit with some fancy fingerwork. When enjoying a videogame, my highest priority is the gameplay, and Tennis World Tour 2  nails this.

There are a variety of modes to tackle in this title. There’s an exhibition mode that you can customize to your liking and a fully-fledged career mode that has all the bells and whistles needed to provide enough depth to be more than just one match to the next. You’ll hire agents that negotiate your payout, trainers that give you gameplay boosts, and a mix between singles and doubles matches. There’s enough going on here to be more than just a one-and-done.

Here’s the catch with  Tennis World Tour 2 : the dreaded microtransactions. The game is currently sitting at a 41% positivity rating with this detractor being the main complaint. The game contains cards that affect gameplay by increasing stamina on serves, preserve your own stamina, etc. and fans are not having it.

While I see the negativity here, the cards – which the AI used against me almost every volley – were so minute and ineffective that it didn’t impact my gameplay experience. On the surface, it’s a great tennis game, and the leader in the sport with Top Spin  and  Mario Tennis  not getting the same treatment. This is worth it for those wanting a nice tennis sim with a competitive edge!

A PC review copy of Tennis World Tour 2 was provided by Nacon for this review.

Phenixx Gaming  is everywhere you are. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter ,  YouTube , and  Instagram .

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment  article  for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a  Humble Partner ! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Tennis World Tour 2

• Riveting Gameplay
• Licensed Tennis Stars
• Comprehensive Career Mode
• Microtransactions Hurt the Fun
• Awful Character Models

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Mike Reitemeier

Related posts.

Planet Zoo: Console Edition (Xbox Series X) Review

Star Trek: Picard “Broken Pieces” – Review

WWE 2K24 (PC) – Review

Comic Book Corner: Black Science

Star Trek: Picard “Nepenthe” – Review

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

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.

tennis world tour 2

NEXT: Willy Morgan And The Curse Of Bone Town Review: Leave 'Em Wanting More

Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition Review – Upgrades Can’t Save This Flawed Mess

Patrick anderson, tennis world tour 2 complete edition (ps5) review.

Tennis World Tour , released in 2018, didn’t exactly hit an ace with gamers with its rough gameplay and generally unpolished state. Now developers Big Ant Studios serve up a second shot at tennis success with Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition , bringing not only an updated version of the game but some extra content in the PS5 version. Unfortunately, while there are a few positives, this latest offering still misses the mark and fails to bring the greatness of tennis to gaming.

As someone who plays and watches real tennis fairly regularly, I know that the game is exciting and fun, but for many reasons that magic is sadly missing from Tennis World Tour 2. For one thing, while controlling and moving your player on the court is straightforward in theory, in practice it is awkward and very frustrating. Moving side to side should be fluid, but character animation is clunky and the range of motion bafflingly limited; this results in your player annoyingly stumbling sideways instead of running for the ball. The game gives you the ability to sprint with the R2 trigger, but this is very laggy and your opponent will blast their shot past you before you are even close to reaching the ball.

Court Trouble

When hitting the ball, it doesn’t get much better. To take a shot, you hit the button when close to the ball, tapping quickly for an accurate but slower precision shot, and holding and releasing the button for a stronger but riskier shot. The problem here is that powered-up shots usually land out, and I saw no way to really control where they landed. There is supposed to be the ability to control left-right aiming with the left stick, but from what I experienced the only input that registered was “extreme left or right.” Thus, you’ll quickly find that the safe precision shot is your only regular option. This results in lots of longer rallies in which you might win some points by luck but otherwise have little chance at purposely hitting winners.

In serving (perhaps the most crucial part of a tennis match), this technical issue becomes almost a game-breaker. Again, powerful serves can be attempted with the same button-hold technique but since there is no control over placement, they almost always go out. Or, if you do manage a rare successful power serve, your opponent will always (in my experience) smoke it past you with their return shot. So, you’ll get broken a lot, but on the bright side your AI opponent also serves atrociously as well, keeping matches from being completely lopsided, I suppose. In normal tennis the server has the advantage but in Tennis World Tour 2, it is the opposite.

And then there’s the card system. I haven’t even yet mentioned Tennis World Tour 2’s strange buff cards that you get to play during matches to temporarily boost things like accuracy or power. They just feel weird and frankly, unwanted. As a fan of tennis, I just want to play tennis. I don’t want to be fiddling with cards and “boosts” and “debuffs,” especially when I am already struggling with an imperfect control mechanic as it is. The whole card system just feels out of place; in fact I’d go further and say it feels intrusive, an attempt by the developers to somehow lay the groundwork for some sort of microtransactions.

Easy on the Eyes

I will admit, there are a few positives to Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition. It does look pretty nice, especially during matches where the overhead view gives the game a photo-realistic feel that will remind you of actual TV tennis broadcasts (aside from the absence of voiced commentary). There are nice ray-tracing effects added for this upgrade, and combined with the 4K resolution and 60FPS, it is definitely a looker at times. Many of the stadiums are also faithful recreations of real-life venues like Wimbledon, Flushing Meadows or Roland-Garros (although due to licensing they don’t always have the official names). On an aesthetic level Tennis World Tour 2 does at least give you the feel of a real-live tennis match.

And I will say that Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition gives you a variety of modes and ways to play. Exhibition matches let you play as any one of 48 tennis superstars to choose from, and they actually look pretty realistic. In Career mode, you can create your own player and work your way up the rankings, entering tournaments in singles and doubles matches and upgrading your gear with your winnings. There’s even Online mode if you want to play against another human, although I was unable to find an opponent during my play time, despite waiting in matchmaking for quite a while — maybe that is due to the game being so recently released, I don’t know.

But unfortunately, even the different modes, slick visuals and silky-smooth frame rate can’t make up for the fact that World Tennis Tour 2 Complete Edition’s core experience, playing tennis, is a huge let-down. It is extremely disappointing that Big Ant Studios has failed to adequately address the basic gameplay shortcomings that have been around since the first Tennis World Tour back in 2018. As a fan of the sport I badly wanted this game to be better, but Tennis World Tour 2 Complete Edition will make even the most die-hard tennis fanatic want to smash their racquet and head to the dressing room.

*** A PS5 game code was provided by the publisher ***

• 4K and 60FPS
• Detailed, well-rendered stadiums
• Lots of modes
• Frustrating movement control
• Flawed shot mechanic

Developer: Big Ant Studios

Publisher: Nacon

Related Posts

Tennis World Tour 2 Review – Repetitive rallying

Reviewed september 30, 2020 on.

Xbox One, PS4, PC,

September 24, 2020

Big Ant Studios

The original Tennis World Tour was unimpressive to say the least. Developed by Breakpoint, it simply didn’t feel like a great reflection of the sport, and so publisher Nacon changed to a different developer earlier this year, in the Aussie team Big Ant, to help steady the ship. This is a curious decision, mostly because Big Ant had already developed the pretty decent AO Tennis 2 back in January. I mean sure, they’ve proven they know how to make a good tennis game at this point, so it makes sense to bring them on. Unfortunately, Tennis World Tour 2 still falls flat, feeling like a step back for tennis games and doesn’t compete on the same level as AO Tennis 2.

When it comes to sports games, gameplay is king, and Tennis World Tour 2 is a mixed bag to say the least. There is a timing system that is difficult to master, mostly because there aren’t strong on-screen indicators to let you know how you’re hitting the ball and the impact you’re having on its trajectory. This is something AO Tennis 2 did quite well, so it’s strange here to see a regression. It’s based on speed and power, but I found it really challenging to nail the timing and get the shot that I wanted, often resulting in the ball sailing out. Other times, the stiff animations often meant that my player would miss the ball entirely or not even take a proper swing at it, which left me frustrated and considering a John McEnroe-esque throwing of my controller.

Once you do get into the rhythm of how the game works, having a rally with your opponent does feel good enough. Indeed, after several failed games of getting destroyed even on the normal difficulty level, the shot timing began to click, but there were still too many inconsistencies that continues to stop me from feeling like I was really  getting it. I guess what I’m saying is that if you continue to stick with the game, you will see yourself vaguely improving, but the systems lack the depth and nuance to be compelling for more than a few matches.

“…vague and seemingly ineffective stat increases on a game that is otherwise a simulation of the sport just doesn’t work.”

Starting up Tennis World Tour 2, you’re presented with the expected game modes, like exhibition matches or career, but don’t expect any real deviation in gameplay itself. Matches on a calendar guide you through from one tournament to the next, and you can use the points earned to upgrade the attributes of your player. Creating your tennis star is basic at best, and then you’re not given any incentive to care about their progression with the career itself mostly relegated to a bunch of menus.

Training and tournaments get you out on the court, but otherwise it feels boring to progress through. Gameplay is even more taxing when your player is a low level, too, which simply highlights the problems with the on-court action itself. There’s also no tutorial or way of understanding how you actually progress, and it’s missing that sense of achievement to help push you along.

There’s also this baffling Skill Card system, which pops up frequently. I didn’t play the original and with no explanation of what they were, I was confused when these rectangles appeared at the top right of my screen. It turns out that you have the ability to play cards that can impact in-game performance on the court, such as power, precision, endurance and agility. You can boost yourself and, in a twist, negatively effect your opponent as well. You’re given 30 cards to begin with and you can buy booster packs from in-game currency, but they really don’t feel like they add much to the game at all. Effects are minimal, such as a small percentage increase on how effective your volleys are for a game, but it just doesn’t feel much different as if they hadn’t been there at all. It’s the kind of system that would go well in Mario Tennis if the cards added fireballs or piranha-plants to the court, but vague and seemingly ineffective stat increases on a game that is otherwise a simulation of the sport just doesn’t work.

Visually speaking, players don’t look realistic, and when combined with the basic textures and questionable lighting choices the game is sometimes hard to look at. A key component of a tennis game is that you need to see the ball clearly, and some of the colours and lighting on the courts actually make it difficult to see. Animations are mostly repetitive, with the movement around the court sometimes coming off as stiff, particularly when it comes to changing direction. While Tennis World Tour 2 might not be a full price title, the lack of polish and quality is still off-putting, and production values are lacking which means it doesn’t come close to mirroring a live TV presentation. Sports games have been improving on this for years, while Tennis World Tour 2 seems stuck in the past.

• Gameplay can be enjoyable when you get into a rhythm
• Learning curve is steep and difficult to engage with
• Skill cards system is strange and adds nothing of value
• Career mode is a boring slog
• Visually unappealing, animations repetitive and presentation lacking

Tennis World Tour 2 is a strange proposition. The learning curve for the timing and general gameplay is a little too tricky for casual fans, but the career and other modes included simply lack the depth that true tennis fans will be looking for. Pair this with a puzzling card system and a presentation that mostly lacks the oomph of a Grand Slam and what you’re left with is a pretty underwhelming package. At the end of the day, Tennis World Tour 2 isn’t offensive, it’s just bland and uninteresting. When the sport you’re trying to portray can be one of the most exciting and intense experiences to enjoy as a viewer, that’s disappointing to say the least.

About the Author

Luke Mitchell

Luke spends his time making radio, playing video games, binge-watching TV, getting unreasonably invested in wrestling, hosting bear events and hanging out with his beautiful pets.

More content by Luke » Follow Luke on Twitter »

Fresh off the press

TopSpin 2K25 Review – First Serve Fault

Checkpoint’s Queer Game of the Month: April 2024 – Jill O’ Lantern: Final Cut

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide is more Valisthea goodness

Garry’s Mod removes Nintendo-related content due to takedown notice

Another Crab’s Treasure Review – Holy shell it’s good

Tennis World Tour 2 — Grand Slam or Double Fault ?

Master the basics as an amateur player and work your way up throughout an action packed career to play against some of the circuits most well known faces as a pro and the chance for a shot at the number one spot in Big Ant Studios racquet sport simulator — Tennis World Tour 2 .

Tennis World Tour 2 looks to reclaim that past glory with fully realised player physics, super high resolution textures and a complete set of licenses for both players and equipment manufacturers. If that wasn’t enough, Tennis World Tour 2 introduces an interesting card mechanic designed to spice up the gameplay further by allowing players to deploy hands from their deck mid-match to gain the advantage.

Starting out at tennis school, Tennis World Tour 2 walks players through a few training drills in order to instill in you the difference between accuracy and power and how failing to time correctly can seriously debilitate your swing giving your opponent the advantage. With that down it’s time to dive into a number of other modes but the most interesting is easily the career mode.

Career mode in Tennis World Tour 2 allows you to create a very detailed avatar through which to take on the world. The number of customization options is impressive and although you can take a preset model into your career,  it feels much more satisfying to create a digital likeness or adversely an absolute monster onto the court.

Career offers different match types and certain matches can’t be replayed so if you do lose, there’s no going back to fix a previous mistake, you just have to deal with it and bounce back. Playing (and hopefully winning) earns your character experience which as you progress will gain you a level up in addition to points to distribute in RPG-like fashion to four statistics which improve your abilities. 

Rather than throw you into the deep end most of the starting matches are single game or single set affairs with either singles or doubles play offered but as you progress the matches are substantially longer. Given how long a full match can last, it’s appreciated that Tennis World Tour 2 offers a mid match save option to allow players to take a break and come back swinging when the time suits them.

Although in many sports games gameplay is paramount it’s also great to see licenses used well and to full effect. Everything in Tennis World Tour 2 is as you would expect when you sit down to watch Wimbledon, with the players and their likeness spot on, all the logos and sponsors you would associate with tennis are here and branding makes the difference between a technically accurate sim and something you can connect with.

Earning currency from the careen mode can be utilised to purchase new equipment should you wish but its key use is to supplement your player with skill cards. Carrying up to five of these into a match, each player can choose to deploy one or more cards at any time to offer them an advantage in terms of stats or to disadvantage their opponent. 

Each card is ranked in terms of overall power and carries a number of uses. Cards are split across the key areas of endurance, power, precision and agility and may affect that statistic only. Increasing Stamina costs for a single game or decreasing forehand power for a number of games allows players to build a deck and hand to assist them in particular matches or challenges.

Playing the cards at the right time can be the difference between closing out a match or suffering a humiliating comeback by an opponent who was previously on the ropes so the card mechanics add a strategically important meta to an already great simulation.

Tennis is not easy to master though and Tennis World Tour 2 shows you this at every opportunity. Jumping into an exhibition with the top two stars – Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer — I struggled to score a few points, never mind a full game or set and it took some time working through the ranks in my career before I dared to try again. Opponents sometimes seem to have super human response times, especially in doubles matches, whilst my character just watches the ball sail by without raising a hand.

Looking beautiful, sounding great and with an authentic feel to it, Tennis World Tour 2 is an excellent take on the Tennis circuit whilst the addition of the card mechanic offers further strategy to a mainly action based game. Sometimes let down by its difficulty early on but definitely rewarding players who spend time mastering its mechanics it’s definitely worthy of your time if you enjoy Tennis.

Tennis World Tour 2 is available now on Xbox Series X and PS5 .

From unboxing his Spectrum through to starting to introduce his kids to the latest gaming platforms, Alex has always had a passion for video gaming with a particular focus on RPG's, Metroidvania platforming and One on One Fighters.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley — Sweet summer days

The House of Da Vinci – Mona Lisa guile

Children of the Sun is ‘connect the dots’ with a sniper rifle

Boiling Point remains a divergence point for open-world first person shooters

Your email address will not be published.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Disclaimer: Sometimes our links will lead to online stores we are affiliated with. If you make a purchase through this we may earn some money. You can find out more about this here .

• Video Game News
• Video Game Reviews
• Video Game Features
• Video Game Previews

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader – Yes, Lord Captain

• Tabletop News
• Tabletop Reviews
• Tabletop Features

Get Wavey – Funny Words and Phrases

CoraQuest and the Keep on Questing expansion will bring your family together

Godsforge Twilight of the Great Houses and Godsforge Return of the Dragon Lords…

• Tech & Gadgets