Matchpoint: Tennis Championships

We’ve had some faily decent tennis games being released over the past few years, such as Tennis World Tour 2 and AO Tennis 2, but they still felt a bit lackluster in some areas. Even though they were leagues better than other tennis titles released during the past decade, they still felt underwhelming when compared to some peak titles of the genre, such as the all-time classic Top Spin, for the original Xbox. Matchpoint Tennis Championships, from licensed gaming extraordinaires Torus Games ...

Does Matchpoint: Tennis Championships do anything particularly noteworthy? Not really. It’s not overly impressive in any way, being perfectly honest. But by simply providing a fun and fairly authentic game of tennis it manages to outshine its rivals. And because of that, whether you’re buying it to get stuck into its single-player career mode or take on all-comers in online multiplayer, chances are you won’t be disappointed.

Matchpoint: Tennis Championships deserves your attention on Xbox Game Pass, as it's genuinely one of the better Xbox tennis games we've seen in years. It has its drawbacks, particularly in the presentation department, but it's also good fun when you get out on the court. Unfortunately, some of that enjoyment has been taken away for us because even on the highest difficulty, the game just feels far too easy at launch, rendering a lot of the strategic elements and Career Mode's features somewhat useless for now. It's still a pretty good game regardless, but definitely in need of a couple of bala...

Tennis is one of the most popular sports on the planet, but publishers are having a nightmare capitalising on its potential. French outfit Nacon has already had a couple of attempts with the two Tennis World Tour titles – and the two Australian Open endorsed entries, AO Tennis – but now it’s the turn of Kalypso Media to serve up its own take on the historical sport. Having had our Hawkeye on Matchpoint: Tennis Championships for quite some time, does it hit a perfect forehand winner – or double-fault like so many before it?

Overall the game is a very lightweight package which shows that Matchpoint Tennis Championships isn’t a high budget tennis game. The animations and atmosphere in the tennis stadiums are well done. Hitting a shot feels satisfying. But, overall the game is too easy and one dimensional. There is a great tennis game in there somewhere, but the developers haven’t been able to capitalize on the opportunity. If you are craving to play a tennis game, try this one! If you’re fine playing something else, then there’s plenty of other sports games to try.

Intuitive controls and great presentation provide some promise, but Matchpoint - Tennis Championships fails to deliver beyond that point. It's too easy to master, and there's just not enough in the game to keep players entertained beyond the first few hours of gameplay.

If you wanted to become the new Roger Federer, this game won't help you do it. Really, it's a waste of time. Matchpoint: Tennis Championships is a tournament for clones.