Warcraft 3: Reforged

How do you possibly mess up a classic game like Warcraft 3? It’s one thing to have multitudes of bugs, horrible multiplayer, an underwhelming UI, and an uneven graphics update. It’s quite another to claim ownership over all custom games with players not even getting credit. Or outright lying about remastered cutscenes and presentation. Or making it so that owners of the original had to update to Reforged, thus ruining their nostalgia as well. Or a dozen other things that make you wonder how Blizzard got to this point.

Not willing to back down from a challenge, Big Ant has decided to move ahead with the series despite its stumbles, resulting in this year’s simply-titled sequel AO Tennis 2. And while it seems eager to rectify some of the original game’s problems, there are a number of inconsistencies and game mechanics that bring down the enjoyment enough to make it difficult to recommend to anyone who isn’t willing to tough out the bad to get to the good.

What makes or break a tennis game, of course, is its very fundamentals. It’s here that AO Tennis 2 both succeeds and fails at different aspects, nailing the sense of momentum and split-second decision-making of the sport while simultaneously convoluting the control scheme to the point of frustration. This is due to the fact that both player movement and aiming your shots are mapped to the left stick. This results in the game using a bit of auto-movement to take some of the micromanagement out of positioning your player, but it doesn’t consistently feel great in action since there really isn’t a clear indication of when your player switches from manual to automatic movement.

The steep learning curve rears its head when you realize that the game requires you to get good positioning, aim the ball, and hold your shot button just long enough to get an accurate return ­– all within the span of about a second or two. On higher difficulties, this leaves rallies feeling needlessly cumbersome, resulting in a never-ending feeling of just clumsily getting by. It might feel a bit like the tension of a real tennis match, but it doesn’t translate to being very fluid for the person playing. All of the tedium can be alleviated by bumping the difficulty down to the lowest setting, almost completely removing the need to prime your shots, but doing so ultimately has the complete opposite effect of making the game feel too easy.

I found Amateur difficulty felt both relaxed enough to enjoy and challenging enough to keep me on my toes in the first couple of hours. But even though moving across the court with fairly generous windows for priming my shots felt more empowering, it still never managed to feel as fluid as it should because the game sometimes just decided not register my movements – a problem I weirdly also encountered in World Tour Tennis a few years back – resulting in my player just kind of standing there like an idiot. This happened frequently enough to dampen my experience, and in a game where every point counts, it’s a completely unacceptable problem.

Despite these irritations, I really like the game’s simplistic assignment of shot types to face buttons that make lining up that a ferocious forehand with beautiful top spin feel satisfying. The game’s solid AI will absolutely run you back and forth with hard hits to the opposite corner of the baseline if you let them, so mastering the different shots is a priority right away. Nailing a perfectly-timed slice to give you some time to reposition can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. It’s quite easy to abuse the AI on the lower difficulties though – a fact that will delight or disappoint you depending on your idea of fun. Before I bumped the difficulty up to the third tier, I commonly won points by just pushing up to the service line after my first return and powering a flat forehand to whichever back corner the AI wasn’t occupying.

I was excited to see some of my favorite players and top seeds like Rafael Nadal and Gael Monfils were playable, but it’s a rather jarring experience to see some high-ranking players and not others. The underwhelming total lineup of 25 real-life tennis pros is missing many extraordinary modern players like Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, or Maria Sharapova. As fun as it can be to hit the courts with some of these guys and gals, it’s a real bummer you’re not given the opportunity to pit them against their most exciting matchups.

However, thanks to the game’s incredible player creation tools, someone with enough time on their hands has all they need to design playable characters that look identical to real players. As a matter of fact, the online sharing feature allows you to easily download characters made by someone else, and it’s already stocked up with plenty of lookalikes for popular missing players like Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. This immense level of customization for created players is staggering, and it’s certainly nice to be able to revisit the tools at any time to change things up as you’d like.

And you may find that you want to do that from time to time considering that you’re likely to be spending a lot of time with AO Tennis 2’s Career Mode. This mode is a joy to play, offering a diverse collection of tasks to complete, matches to take on, and sponsors to earn. When you’re not showing up to press conferences or running training drills, you’ll be tackling tournaments to earn money that can help you improve your player’s various skills. Maybe you want to be known for your deadly backhand, or maybe you want the kind of serve that makes people nervous; pump your favorite skills full of points and prove yourself to the world.

AO Tennis 2 also features a barebones online mode for those looking to take on other tennis fans. Connection issues seemed abundant during my time playing, and people left mid-game regularly, but I managed to have a handful of pleasant matches with a few friendly people. Sadly, I couldn’t find any custom matches, and the Quick Match option results in precisely that: very quick matches. So, while hopping online for some rallies with real people is a nice diversion, it’s hardly the star of the show.

That’s okay, though, because there are plenty of other modes to delve into, and once you adapt to the game’s somewhat clunky control scheme and figure out the right difficulty for your skill level, AO Tennis 2 begins to evolve into a pretty fun time despite its flaws. It’s not an exceptional game, and the steep learning curve is not going to appeal to casual tennis fans, but it’s probably the best tennis title you’re going to find this generation. I just hope Big Ant Studios manage to finally get everything right with a third entry in this series they’re clearly so passionate about.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 4.

NOTE: This interview was conducted prior to the game’s launch.

"As we follow an iterative approach with our creation tools, there are always new options that we bring into the system, allowing players even greater control over every element of the characters and environments that they create."

What was behind the decision to make all the community created content from the previous game available in AO Tennis 2 as well?

We have a great deal of respect for the incredibly passionate AO Tennis community. They created – and shared – over 20,000 players, and 4,000 complete venues for others to download, and this meant the game itself had an incredible amount of added value, even for people not creating content. Allowing their content to live on in AO Tennis 2 is an acknowledgement of that community effort.

We also thought that it would be the ideal way to launch the game. From day one players have been able to access hundreds of hours’ worth of different content, and immediately customise their game to suit their tastes.

Does AO Tennis 2 make any improvements to its creation and editing tools?

Yes! As we follow an iterative approach with our creation tools, there are always new options that we bring into the system, allowing players even greater control over every element of the characters and environments that they create.

What are the biggest improvements that AO Tennis 2 has made to its career mode?

We really overhauled the career mode for AO Tennis 2. In the previous title, you would travel around the world playing matches and winning tournaments on the way to world #1. That is still the goal in AO Tennis 2, but now you need to be more mindful of your schedule, as fatigue and injuries play a role, and there are fully-animated cut scenes and press conferences to introduce a narrative element to the game. Add in the reputation system, and now it’s not just about getting to world #1, it’s about the journey and how you get there.

"We’ve introduced a number of key improvements to the presentation side of AO Tennis 2. There’s an all-new lighting system, which helps enhance the atmosphere of matches – playing at daytime, afternoon, or at night has a very different feel to it now."

Presentation is often considered one of sports games’ most important aspects- what sort of improvements does AO Tennis 2 make in this area?

We’ve introduced a number of key improvements to the presentation side of AO Tennis 2. There’s an all-new lighting system, which helps enhance the atmosphere of matches – playing at daytime, afternoon, or at night has a very different feel to it now.

We’ve also significantly increased the amount of animation in the game, and introduced new technologies that make players’ clothing move in a more natural manner. The combined effect is a much more authentic game of tennis on your screen.

Was there any particular feedback from the community with the first game that you worked to improve upon with AO Tennis 2?

The community was great in giving us feedback in all areas. From helping us to understand how they were playing the game, through to the features they would like to see in the game, there isn’t much in AO Tennis 2 that wasn’t enhanced thanks to community feedback.

Can you talk about the new Scenario Editor and what it entails?

After introducing a scenario editor in Cricket 19, to a great community response, we did much the same thing with AO Tennis 2. You’re able to set up a match between two players at any point in the match, and then take over that match to see if you can recreate (or change) history. If you’ve got a favourite come from behind win, you’ll be able to replay that match and challenge yourself under the same circumstances.

"We’re still collecting feedback from players from the launch of the game now, so we’ve got nothing that we can confirm regarding plans for patches just yet. We do firmly believe in supporting our games at Big Ant, and AO Tennis 2 will be no different in that regard."

What are your plans for AO Tennis 2 in the coming months, as far as updates and post-launch support are concerned?

We’re still collecting feedback from players from the launch of the game now, so we’ve got nothing that we can confirm regarding plans for patches just yet. We do firmly believe in supporting our games at Big Ant, and AO Tennis 2 will be no different in that regard.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about the game?

Just that we hope people love it! It’s no secret that AO Tennis wasn’t all it should have been at launch, and despite numerous updates and improvements, the whole team at Big Ant really felt like we had something to prove with AO Tennis 2. We’ve been truly thrilled to see the positive result that the game has had from the community so far.

Journey to the Savage Planet

Typhoon Studios’ Journey to the Savage Planet is a quirky first person adventure with co-op support which sees you traveling to AR-Y 26 to see if it’s fit for humanity. Along with cataloging the different creatures, you’ll craft upgrades, traverse four unique biomes and discover if you’re truly the first one to settle here. Journey to the Savage Planet is out on January 28^th for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

The Walking Dead hasn’t had many good titles outside of Telltale Games’ adventures but Saints and Sinners could be different. It’s for VR platforms and features a new story set in New Orleans where players contend with all kinds of threats. Scavenging for supplies is a necessity but you’ll also have to take down hordes of the undead, whether it’s through stealth or firepower. You can take missions from factions or kill everyone, human and undead alike. It’s intriguing, if nothing else – we’ll see how it plays on January 23^rd 2020.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore (Switch)

A supernatural threat in modern Tokyo is pretty much a given in the Shin Megami Tensei series (especially Persona). But Fire Emblem warriors manifesting as spirit-esque Mirages that teens can use in dance performances to eliminate foes? That’s pretty far out there but Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore makes it work. Originally released for the Wii U, the Switch port promises more party members, new songs, additional story content and much more. It’s out on January 17^th 2020 so if you’re looking to start the year with an excellent RPG, this is definitely worth a look.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Tokyo Mirage Sessions isn’t the only RPG releasing on January 17^th though. CyberConnect2’s Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will also be available worldwide on the same day for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. It’s an action RPG which means plenty of fast-paced, beat ’em up action. This isn’t a simple adaptation of a few story arcs though. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot replicates the entire saga of the Z Fighters from Raditz’s arrival to the battle with Majin Buu while adding training mechanics, quests and yes, Dragon Ball collecting. And who can say no to playing as Super Saiyan 3 Goku or Super Saiyan Vegito?

Monster Hunter World: Iceborne (PC)

The wait has been long but finally, Monster Hunter World players on PC will get their hands on Iceborne. Out on January 9^th, Iceborne adds Master Rank quests, armor and weapons; new mechanics like the Clutch Claw; and heaps of new monsters to battle (not counting all the post-launch monsters that are also coming). If you’ve been starving for new Monster Hunter World content on PC, don’t worry – this will keep you busy for a good long while.

AO Tennis 2

Good tennis games are hard to come by but AO Tennis 2 might be worth checking out. It’s developed by Big Ant Studios of Don Bradman Cricket and Rugby League fame. Famous players like Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber are in, and a substantial career mode is promised for solo and doubles players. You can even create challenges with the scenario editor or your own courts and players. AO Tennis 2 releases on January 9^th 2020 for PC, Xbox One and PS4 worldwide.

Moons of Madness (PS4, Xbox One)

After haunting PC users, the trippy cosmic horror title Moons of Madness comes to PS4 and Xbox One on January 21^st. Taking place from the first person perspective, it sees an engineer on a station that’s falling apart. And that’s before the hallucinations start. It might not be for everyone but for horror fans that want some Lovecraftian terror in space, Moons of Madness might be worth a look.

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Ultimate Edition (PS4, Xbox One)

Obsidian’s critically acclaimed CRPG sequel is finally coming to Xbox One and PS4 on January 28^th. Along with offering the base game with all of its updates (including a turn-based combat option), the Ultimate Edition includes all of the paid DLC. Overall, there’s a great game to explore with lots of interesting characters, naval combat, tons of customization and class choices, and whatnot to keep you busy for a few hundred hours or so.

Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind (PS4)

Launching for the PS4 on January 23^rd (Xbox One gets it in February), Kingdom Hearts 3: ReMind will retail for $29.99. It includes new bosses, including secrets ones; returning characters like Squall, Aerith and Yuffie from the Final Fantasy series; and the ability to play as Riku, Kairi, Sora and Aqua during certain segments. The story sees Sora attempting to save Kairi by exploring the hearts of the Seven Guardians of Light (whatever that means). If that sounds worth your while – or you just need more Kingdom Hearts in your life – then ReMind is for you.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath HD (Switch)

If you ever stopped and wondered whether Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath would be something you need on your Switch, then good news: It’s coming to Switch. Unorthodox art-style and narrative aside, the game’s main claim to fame is using living ammo for your crossbow. Bees can be used as small shots; Boombats serve as rockets; and so on. Highly praised at launch, it might be worth experiencing when the Switch version releases on January 23^rd.