AO International Tennis

AO International is not by any means a bad game. It delivers on what it sets out to do, which is a simulated tennis experience. The action it depicts is arduous and as a result, victories feel like a real accomplishment. Yes, the learning curve left me feeling clumsy as I tried to learn the game’s mechanics. And yes, the sluggish inputs were a detraction from the experience. But AO’s biggest fault is that its end result, despite the ups and downs it provides, is a stale experience.

Check our AO International Tennis review to see if Big Ant's simulation wins a grand slam on PS4 or whether it should be relegated to the amateur tour.

No, it isn’t Adults Only tennis – although AO International Tennis probably wouldn’t be quite so dry if it had followed in BMX XXX’s footsteps and allowed you to play as Rafa Nadal in his pants. The name instead stands for the Australian Open, and some of you will recall it launching alongside the Grand Slam in Oceanic territories earlier in the year. This is essentially the “finished” version of that release, which was clearly rushed to market in order to be ready in time for the tournament itself. But with a criminal dearth of tennis games on the PlayStation 4, does this sporting debut fault...

The tactics and tactility of a good tennis game remain amongst the purest of gaming experiences, but AO International Tennis is not a good tennis game. Overly complicated and bereft of any emotional resonance, the positive elements, including the detailed character creator, will likely be as swiftly forgotten as the game itself will.

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.