Tennis World Tour 2: Complete Edition

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.

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 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.

We can only think with nostalgia of the amazing Top Spin series and the wonderful Virtua Tennis of previous generations.

Even though it suffers with serious gameplay issues, terrible AI and character models lacking visually, Tennis Wourld Tour 2 takes good steps towards delivering an experience worthy of one of the most popular sports in the world, even though it does not reaches its full potential.

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.

Tennis World Tour 2 starts by wanting to be the game of tennis, but ends up failing in some essential aspects, mainly that it makes reference to unite as several good ideas that it presents. It can be super fun to play with friends and watch them get desperate with the amount of balls thrown over the line, or make a career mode, but never too serious. Also to applaud the effort in the number of fields and athletes present in the game, only missing Novak Djokovic to complete the big 3 today. The sonority is what is expected in this type of games without a lot of variety but following the pace of the game well (where not even the groans of the players are missing).

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.

There are likely many players out there who will welcome this level of complexity and challenge but I found it more tedious than fun and as such the game did not work for me. It was great to look at and does capture the experience of Tennis at a professional level; it just wraps much of the game in a cumbersome experience which is lacking in fun.

Tennis World Tour 2 gets a next-gen upgrade, and it makes for a decent tennis sim.