Look back a generation or two and it wouldn?t be unreasonable to think that the sport of tennis was more popular on consoles than it was in real life. Every publisher you could think of ? Nintendo, Sega, Microsoft, Sony, 2K, Atari, Namco, EA, and many more ? at least attempted to serve up an ace, with some of them taking multiple attempts with multiple franchises. With 2k?s excellent Top Spin and EA?s underappreciated Grand Slam Tennis the last in the line and now apparently both dead, the pickings have been slim in the current generation. But, with some solid sports titles on their resume, you?d imagine that Australian developer Big Ant Studios would have as good a chance as any of making the wait worthwhile.
With AO International Tennis, it initially seems that they?ve dropped a perfect shot over the net. Providing a control scheme not massively unlike those we?ve seen in the past, the game is easy to pick up. In no time, you?ll be firing some audacious passing shots down the line that you?ve got no business in even attempting. Different shot types are mapped to the face buttons and triggers, though you do have the option of being able to play shots with the right analog stick, as well. Quite why anybody would choose to use the stick control is beyond me, given that it doesn?t really make much sense and rarely works correctly anyway. Buttons it is, then. Soft Serve
In AO International Tennis, above and beyond shot type, power, and selecting a direction, the control schem...