The skill cards effects never felt like they turned the tide of the game in any significant way. There were matches where I saw myself against AI players two or three levels above me and still had no problem defeating them. Similarly to the general concept of Career mode, this is an excellent idea on paper but fails to feel imperative to the game’s loop. In some ways, the tiers are more based on look rather than statistical benefits. However, when I compared the two pieces of equipment, the differences between them seem minuscule. As such, you would assume that high tier gear – in this case, purple colored gear – would be better than low or mid-tier gear. Like Destiny or World of Warcraft, Tennis World Tour has tiered gear indicated by color. You will also earn some cash that you can spend on gear. In some ways, the tiers are more based on look rather than statistical benefits.” “However, when I compared the two pieces of gear, the differences between them seem minuscule. You can also appoint an agent and coach that give you cash and leveling bonuses respectively. For example, the power skill “rocket serve” will grant you a 5% power bonus for serving. Additionally, you’ll also earn skill cards – which are split into four categories including stamina, power, control, and agility – that will augment certain facets of your game.
This will increase your stats and your overall rating. On paper, this is a great concept but was executed poorly as there doesn’t seem to be any consequences for resting.Īs you train and play some matches, your character will level up, in turn giving you attribute points to add to one of three categories: defense, attack, and serve & volley. Doing one of these activities will decrease how rested you are which is indicated by a meter at the top of the screen to replenish the meter, you’ll need to rest. By the end of the character creation process, no matter how much you try to create something unique, your character will look generic.Īfter you create your non-descript tennis star, the game takes you to the Career mode hub where you’ll choose to train, rest, play an exhibition match, or partake in a tournament to become the number one tennis player in the world. Out of all the customizable features, the groan not only has the most options available but allows you to choose how frequently they groan. Hilariously, the most customizable feature is how your character groans. However, the choices are incredibly limited, letting you only choose between select preset faces, serving styles, and other limited options. You begin by creating a character, man or woman, and customize them to your liking.
Instead, the monotony of singles competition takes over Tennis World Tour, not only in its Exhibition mode but also in Career mode.Ĭareer mode is where Tennis World Tour shines, even if it is for just a short moment. An option to play doubles would have sufficed, giving the game some variety. I understand that Tennis World Tour is attempting to take a more realistic approach I’m not expecting a bunch of mini-games or goofy takes on the sport. Local multiplayer is available in the Exhibition mode but only includes singles competition. If the game’s single player options were varied and entertaining, this wouldn’t be as much of a problem that is not the case. This may be a special case considering it is the first entry but the lack of multiplayer still is disheartening. In general, sports games rely heavily on their online modes to keep players invested until the next title releases the following year.