There’re a lot of options here, and it adds a layer of strategy to each performance. Everything from adding an improvement to your top spin power and serving, to decreasing your opponent’s abilities can be used. Before each match, you can equip a certain amount of these Skill Cards, and throughout the match you can use them to give you temporary boosts. These coins can be used to buy new gear, including rackets, shorts, and tops, but they can also be used to buy card packs. The more you play the game throughout the various modes, the more coins you get. The use of Skill Cards is actually a great thing to include. There were times when I enjoyed Tennis World Tour 2. You can serve safely, and this was what I often opted for. Add into this the sensitivity of the left stick and I almost always hit it outside of the required zone. Get it in the centre, then hold in the your preferred shot button delivers a fast serve, but the amount of faults and double faults I picked up became far too frequent. The way in which you serve and add power comes in the form of a gauge that has a moving icon on. Serving can be tough to get your head around. I eventually found my rhythm, and when you do, things are much smoother than the original, and winning a rally is about as satisfying as putting on pants straight out the tumble dryer. This often happened when I was moving, and for a sport that requires quick movements to meet the ball after an opponent’s delivery, it became frustrating when my player wouldn’t react. Another problem I encountered was that my player wouldn’t swing for the ball even though I was trying to slice it. Power and accuracy are key to any match, and when you struggle to get it right, then matches become more of a grind than a challenge. Timing is everything, and whilst it takes a bit of time getting used to exactly when you’re supposed to hit the ball, it’s the direction of your shot that never seems to accurately go where you need it to. Reading your opponent has become easier to do due to double the animations as before, but slight touches can affect where your shot lands.Įven after spending a lot of time playing, holding your shot button for too long will send it out the perimeters of the court.
If you ignore the modes, the Skill Cards, and everything in between to focus on the gameplay, there’s a lot of improvement. Whilst there’s much more in terms of content, Tennis World Tour 2 does have its issues, but once you get past the steep learning curve, it’s a rather good tennis sim.
After a lacklustre entry into the series with Tennis World Tour, Nancon has looked towards the development team behind AO Tennis to bring a sequel that is much better than its predecessor.