Two years ago developer Big Ant Studios released AO International Tennis to a tepid response. You see fans had been waiting a long time for a proper tennis game on PS4 and while initially the start of 2018 was filled with hope, both AO and Breakpoint’s Tennis World Tour hit a double fault. So when Big Ant announced they were coming back with a refined sequel I was both optimistic and a little worried, but I am happy to report that they have delivered the best tennis game since Virtua Tennis 4 in 2011.
While the original game was pretty bare bones, AO Tennis 2 comes packing improvements from top to bottom. As soon as you take to the court you will notice the graphical upgrade in both the players and the environments. Then once the action begins it is immediately evident that Big Ant has added a host of new animations to make matches look much more authentic.
Gameplay, while not perfect is also closer to the real thing. Taking an early step in the right direction can really help you gain the upper hand, while a misstep can catch you out completely. Unlike the more arcade style Virtua Tennis that gained a lot of popularity in the 2010’s, AO is attempting to bring a more realistic game to the court.
The control scheme is easy enough to pick up and play. X for a flat shot, circle for top spin, square for a slice and triangle to attempt a lob, while holding R2 will play more aggressive shots. You can even pull out Nick Kyrgios’ now famous underarm serve which is a nice touch.
While the button inputs are simple, the real skill comes from the timing and placement of the shots. Play on rookie and the aiming assist will stop you from placing a shot out of bounds, but moving up to even amateur will force you to be a lot more thoughtful and precise. Likewise striking the button inputs at the right time will yield more powerful shots.
This allows the game to be a great pick up and play for casual fans while also providing a huge challenge for super fans as you advance up the eight available difficulty settings. Speaking of customisation, there is also sliders where you can alter the game and ball speed on each surface type. This is another nice touch that gives you extra control over how the game plays.
Big Ant Studios is on a budget and as such, wisely, they have put their resources into making the best tennis game possible where it counts the most; on the court. This means the game is lacking key licences for both venues and players. Thankfully, much like Konami’s eFootball series, the developers have went out of their way to create a robust creation suite.
To sweeten the deal even further all created content from AO International Tennis carries over to the new game. Not only can players, venues, logos and scenarios be created, but if like me you lack the skill to faithfully recreate the likes of Andy Murray in-game you can download one that has been shared by the community.
All the standard game modes you would expect are available with online play likely to keep fans engaged over the long haul. However, the pick of the bunch for me was career mode which has been spiced up with some cutscenes alongside your coach as you progress on your journey to greatness. While lacking the budget of EA’s FIFA and Madden, it’s a nice touch and one that helps flesh out the morality options you have during matches.
Gameplay is fun and addictive, but you want to be working towards something and career mode gives you that focus. It also allows you to plan your career with training mini-games that are both fun and genuinely helpful in refining your skills. You can even save at any point during matches and return later, which is a nice touch if you decide to play realistic match lengths.
One negative I need to point out is the game’s initial performance. I received my review code a few days before launch and for the first two days, I had frequent crashes when trying to start a game. Since launch though, despite my PlayStation 4 saying there hasn’t been a patch the game is stable. I haven’t had a single issue since the first 48 hours. I know some others didn’t experience these issues, so it may have been an isolated incident.
The trophy list is well thought out. It will take some time, but instead of having to win a bunch of online matches, instead you only need to play 5 online games. You do have to win all 4 Grand Slams in a single year, but you can do it on any difficulty setting. There are also various in-game shot-related trophies that force you to think about how you are playing, which in turn makes you a better player.
Overall this is the best tennis game this generation. It is a major improvement from 2018’s AO International Tennis and makes up for its missing licences with a robust create mode and community gold mine that has almost anything you can think of. I hope Big Ant Studios continues to refine AO Tennis on PlayStation 5, because this is a series that could really flourish.
-Craig
A review code for this product was kindly provided by the publisher. Reviewed on PS4 Pro.