AO Tennis 2 review | Nintendo Switch | Smash hit or Double Fault?

[@SwitchedOn]

This game does come down to performance vs portability I feel - so which do you prefer? Will you be picking this up for tennis on the go, or sticking with the more powerful platforms to get the smoothest experience?!

[@JC-li8kk]

I think this is the best tennis option right now. That’s not necessarily a compliment, but it’s only $6 right now so not risking much if it’s unbearable. I appreciate the time you spent making a proper review.

[@drsnicol]

Yep, that's a fair review score as it stands, you've covered all the big positives and negatives on this one including the history of the game / developer. The high price for less than perfect frame rate does drag it down a bit - with a rock solid 30 fps, this would be an easy 8+ for me as the core game play is solid and the amount of content is decent. That said, as it stands I've still sunk a good 20+ hours into career so far (mainly handheld) and since the 2nd patch dropped its been a fun and relatively stable overall. A few things I like includes the flexibility of the options and difficulty system, both in terms of presets and the various sliders in the options for movement assists and courts speeds to the ability to tailor sets, tournament lengths etc and even simulate games based on your stats... you can literally decide if you want a game to last a few minutes to an hour long slog back and forth or skip a few easy matches to get to the quarter finals.... players with limited time and of all abilities get to play the game the way they want to... that's a big thumbs up from me. Perhaps worth pointing out to people that did play the original on another platform, this is definitely an evolution rather than revolution... the major addition is the fleshed out career mode (and a slicker menu system) as the game play on court is very similar to the final version of the patched up first game with a few more frames of animation... if you didn't like that, you wont like this. One final comment regarding the cut scenes, switch port optimisation and non-critical game features. This port features the same replays and cut scenes that the other versions have but some of them really do chug along, stutter, or just look ugly on switch - it simply can't handle some of the more dramatic sweeps across the court or gets the camera angle wrong so it pans behind the (low res) crowd. If they hit performance issues in cut scenes that can't be fixed via optimisng their code, devs should have the confidence to fix things like this by altering the camera angle (or making it a static camera) or simply removing that particular style of cut scene on a platform by platform basis - maybe add an option for static / dynamic cut scenes for example. Its a silly thing that doesn't affect game play but does create a slightly jarring impression that affects how polished the game feels.

[@SwitchedOn]

Scott Nicol thanks so much Scott, always really appreciate the detail you go into in your comments! Thanks for helping me test/confirm some stuff in this with your own copy too. Was a bit of a bumpy ride when this first dropped but glad it's already being turned around by patches.

[@BlackNomad1]

Ugh. Another top spin bore. I wish Sega would come back and make another Virtua Tennis game. Immediately easy to jump in with arcade tennis fun always trumps ‘realism’ for me. Thanks for the review. Think I’ll give this a miss.

[@dinh5532]

When I play on my switch (not docked tv-mode), the players seem very blurry to me. Doesn't happen when I play in the tutorial mode. Does this happen to anyone else?

[@ValGur-97]

Why is called AO tennis lol was it released by Australians?

[@brettcoyle2399]

I wish we could get nhl on switch

[@jaymieparamu9320]

What another horrendous tennis game. Will someone bring back topspin 4

[@tve5614]

Can you plsy it with motion controls?

[@tapedex]

Any thoughts on the motion controls? Literally no one mentioning this but after WiiSports it’s a great way to play tennis games!

[@SwitchedOn]

Mark Lee yea tried them and hated it! You're right though, I should have mentioned that!!

[@tapedex]

SwitchedOn cheers!

[@marcosulu214]

How can i aim with motion control? Please help me. I cant find anything. I can only aim with the left stick.

[@nicolaisidek]

Does academy require nintendo online subscription?

[@JohnSanborn-y2n]

You guys are too nitpicky about little things. Graphics this, graphics that. If you can get past that the game is really a lot of fun. Yes FUN, you forgot all about that word didn't you commenters?

[@McD5791]

so here's my quandry. "A.O. Tennis 2" normally costs around £50 on the UKeShop, and due mainly to mixed reviews, I will only consider a purchase under £20. Currently, the game is on sale with 40% reduction to just under £30, until 7 May 2020. I also have enough 'gold coins' on my account to bring down the overall price to under £20 (sake price + gold coins)... Would you jump on this game for less than £20???

[@SwitchedOn]

Its probably worth it - just checked South Africa for you and its £21 which is the cheapest region, but if you have the coins to get it under £20 then thats cool. I didn't find THAT much difference between this and Tennis World Tour, they are quite similar and TWT is around £10-£13 at the mo, so may be a better option. Neither are perfect...

[@McD5791]

@@SwitchedOn - hey, thanks for the reply. I've read and viewed a few comparison videos between 'AO Tennis 2' and 'Tennis World Tour' and the general concensus is that AO2 is the better game, albeit not that much better. Both games came out ropey initially, but have improved with post-release patches, so as long as the UK eShop download also includes these patches, then I might just go for AO2, even though TWT is significantly cheaper in the same sale. Thanks again - you've earned my subscription!

[@liamboyle6345]

Just got this on sale on Eshop for 17.99 ....downloading now. I’m interested to see how’s it’s playing. All handheld...wouldn’t hook tv up for this, I never do with any switch game, as it’s the best portable ever. And with tennis I’ll play while Phillies are on commercial or if my wife’s watching tv.

[@N-07280]

But how you can swing with ur controllers

[@deanvigamerteffeteller7257]

How do you purchase clothing? I can't figure it out.

[@Antondepadua]

For someone who doesn't care about career mode and just wants to play tennis on my switch (home quarantined), which is better, this or TWT?

[@SwitchedOn]

Honestly gameplay wise, I found them pretty comparable but maybe TWT has the slight edge. You should also be able to pick it up for about £10/$10 physical too.

[@RaptorBacon]

Is there a way to shut of automatic AI assisted moving completely?

[@SwitchedOn]

You can tone it down to a very low level, but its still there.

[@RaptorBacon]

@@SwitchedOn Thank you. I think I will skip this one.

[@8-bitsteve500]

I really enjoy your reviews they are so well done. Thank you! as for this one, I won't buy it at the full price but I might pick it up in a deep sale down the line ..that's if it supports 4 players local (can't remember if you said its 4 players or not)

[@SwitchedOn]

Yeolde GamerSteve thanks Steve! From the control select screen I'd say it's set up to support 4 players, but I hadn't tried it due to lack of controllers!

[@TheMm184]

Hiya mate, really solid review. I've been thinking of picking this one up since it's on sale for a hefty discount right now. How would you say the game looks and performs, especially performs, in its present state? I'm torn between this and the new Tokyo Olympics game. The Olympics game has a fairly decent number of titles albeit in a simplified and overly arcade-like fashion whereas AO Tennis 2 has got that career mode I love in Cricket 19. What would you recommend? I'd really like your opinion.

[@SwitchedOn]

I think if you love tennis then go for one of the tennis game’s. There’s not between this and world tour really - go for whatever you can get for the lowest price! Olympics is great too but already seeing that drop in price in places.

[@TheMm184]

@@SwitchedOn Thanks, mate.

[@TheMm184]

@@SwitchedOn it's not like I am a sucker for tennis games but yes, I do like them. I used to play Virtua Tennis 4 back in the day but I'd really like a good solid career mode. The choice of games in Olympics interests me but it's got the feel of a party game since it doesn't have any sort of career mode at all.

[@lordbyron0850]

Can it be play in switch lite?

[@scottharvey9835]

Nice review as always 👍

[@SwitchedOn]

Cheers Scott!

[@rmkrambs]

Nice review. I think I will still get the game, once the retail release is available over here (presumably it comes out on the 31 of January). Still, I have one question that I think you don't mention in your review. All the fanmade creations (players, stadiyms, etc), once downloaded, can they be used in the career mode? Any info is much appreciated. Greetings from Spain

[@SwitchedOn]

Ola Raúl! Yes at the start of your career, any editing content is added into the mix. If you download a new player whilst your career is underway though, they won't get added and if you really want them in, you have to re-start. Hope this helps!

[@rmkrambs]

@@SwitchedOn Hola back to you. Thank you for your reply. Your info really helps. Somehow I can't wait to get my hands on this game. Take care

[@michelmartinez2387]

4 players can play it or just 2?

[@SwitchedOn]

4 Michel, according to the eShop listing - but from how the set up works in game, I'd say it would support 4 for doubles.