AO International Tennis
- May 7, 2018
- Big Ant Studios
Despite giving the player an excess of control over shots themselves, the movement in order to set up those shots is almost completely absent. Add to this a list of unrecognisable names and you’ve got a tennis game that feels pretty darn hollow.
Get on Steam
Get on Xbox Games StoreAO International Tennis is a community-focused tennis game that offers comprehensive customization features, including the ability to create photo-realistic players with PlayFace™. It includes multiple tennis stars and up-and-coming heroes, with support for hard court, clay, and grass surfaces. The game boasts a wide range of play features and supports thousands of player-created characters.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game offers extensive customization options, allowing players to create their own characters, courts, and logos, which enhances replayability.
- Gameplay is challenging and realistic, requiring players to master timing and shot placement, which can lead to a rewarding experience once learned.
- The community support is strong, with many user-created players and content available for download, making it possible to play with a wide variety of real-life tennis stars.
- The gameplay can feel unresponsive and frustrating, with issues such as players not moving to hit the ball or the timing system being overly strict.
- Career mode lacks depth and variety, often feeling repetitive and dull, which detracts from long-term engagement.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including bugs, performance drops, and a lack of optimization, which can hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay71 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews for the game are mixed, with some praising its character customization and immersive graphics, while others criticize the mechanics as clunky and frustrating, particularly in career mode. Many players find the gameplay to be inconsistent, with issues like timing and movement detracting from the overall experience, despite some acknowledging that it can be enjoyable once mastered. Overall, while there are elements of fun and potential, significant improvements are needed to elevate the gameplay to a more satisfying level.
“Awesome gameplay mechanic and realistic gameplay.”
“Community stadiums and characters along with many gameplay changes makes this the best tennis game on the market.”
“Gameplay is solid, once you get used to the timing, it gets more enjoyable.”
“While the game thrives on character customization, I found the gameplay a bit dull.”
“Game mechanics seem a little off; career mode feels like a drag, and training in career mode is among the most boring things I have ever encountered in a game.”
“The timing window is erratic and inconsistent, especially on higher difficulty levels. The light flashes on and off every split second, making it virtually impossible to time the ball consistently. This makes the gameplay on higher difficulty levels extremely frustrating.”
- graphics33 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the vibrant colors, smooth performance, and detailed environments, particularly in terms of stadiums and crowd animations. However, some users criticize the lack of graphical settings and optimization issues, especially during night play, which can lead to poor frame rates. Overall, while the visuals are generally considered good, there is a consensus that they could be improved, particularly in character detail and customization options.
“The devs did an awesome job on the movements and graphics; the game also runs a smooth 60fps locked, and the gamepad/controller support is great.”
“Career could do with fleshing out, but for me, the gameplay was excellent; the audio and graphics were totally immersive and it offers a brilliant tennis experience.”
“Graphics wise, models are decently detailed on the highest settings, and there's an appreciation around the detail in the stadiums and the crowds.”
“Unoptimized graphics.”
“Lack of graphical setting changes.”
“You cannot change graphics settings when you are playing, so game over with bad FPS.”
- optimization7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while the graphics are visually appealing and the gameplay runs smoothly at times, users report instability and poor performance, particularly during nighttime play, leading to lower framerates. There is a consensus that further optimization is needed to enhance the overall performance and stability of the game.
“Fatigue is more relevant in the game as it not only contributes to your match performances, but can also carry over to following tournaments.”
“The gameplay and animations are decent looking and run smoothly enough, and the port as a whole is decent.”
“The graphics look good, with good optimization, but when you play at night, the framerates drop significantly.”
“Fatigue is more relevant in this game as it not only contributes to your match performances, but can also carry over to following tournaments.”
“Performance is not that good in my opinion.”
“Overall, the game is not stable when it comes to performance.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been criticized primarily due to numerous bugs and glitches present at launch, leading to a perception of it being incomplete and unfinished. However, these issues seem to stem mostly from the initial release period.
“Most of the negative reviews stem from the game's launch, where it felt incomplete and unfinished, plagued by numerous bugs and glitches.”
“The game suffers from frequent crashes and stability issues that make it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced constant frame drops and connectivity problems, which severely impacted my overall enjoyment of the game.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is praised for its appealing presentation, featuring good sound design and decent graphics that enhance the overall experience.
“The presentation is impressive, creating a captivating atmosphere with excellent sound design and solid graphics.”
“The game's atmosphere is immersive, drawing you in with its stunning visuals and haunting soundtrack.”
“Every detail contributes to a rich atmosphere that enhances the overall gaming experience.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to be both fantastic and humorous, making it highly recommended for those seeking a good laugh.
“At the end, I recommended this fantastic and funny game to everyone.”
Critic Reviews
AO International Tennis Review
Despite giving the player an excess of control over shots themselves, the movement in order to set up those shots is almost completely absent. Add to this a list of unrecognisable names and you’ve got a tennis game that feels pretty darn hollow.
50%AO International Tennis Review
AO International Tennis went wide with its first service, and double faults at second attempt. Turgid, unrealistic gameplay is emphasised by the title’s shot targeting mechanic, which largely restricts you to the spot and relieves you of the freedom that you’d have on a real court. The few official player models are of a good quality and the customisation options are a welcome touch, but the PS4’s first tennis title is a disappointment – it wouldn’t even make the qualifiers let alone win a Grand Slam.
40%AO International Tennis Review - PS4
AO International Tennis does not have any competition in this current market when it comes to tennis games, but AO Tennis lacks both refinement and variety that a good sports game should have.
35%
