There’s a famous phrase – “Anyone for Tennis?” – that comes with a mysterious origin story, one that can be traced back to the actor, Humphrey Bogart in the 1920s. It has now become synonymous with upper-class folk in full tennis gear, with a racquet in one hand and a martini in another.Â
But tennis is a serious business and an amazing sport loved by millions all around the world. Tiebreak is the latest of all the tennis games, hoping to cash in on some of that love making as you relive your tennis career dreams.
I’ll set things up here and admit that I am not a tennis expert, or even a virtual tennis expert. I’ve played a bit of Top Spin and back in the day Virtua Tennis was dabbled with. However I was quite intimidated when I looked up the stats for Tiebreak; the official game of the ATP and WTA. The developers – Big Ant Studios – have carved out a good niche in sports sim games previously, with their efforts in the fields of rugby and cricket. Combine that with the two big governing bodies in the title and you get a roster of 120 licensed players, with likenesses intact.Â
As with a lot of sports games when you load Tiebreak up, it can feel quite intimidating, what with the amount of options you have to choose from. There is the opportunity to go playing a single match with a player of your choice, and there’s also online multiplayer. Of course, a tutorial kicks things off, but with Novak Djokovic running as the cover star, there is also the chance to play through his classic matches. But the place where I played more than anything else is the classic career mode.
Here you get to design your young tennis prodigy, working from some templates if you so wish. There is also the option to use a normal player. Most importantly, you get to decide as to whether this plays grunts or not, alongside some playstyle options. From there, you take to the court, working your way up to the top. There’s a bit of a story here too, one about a young something making their way in the world of tennis, built out through the people you meet along the journey. But it’s in the tennis where Tiebreak will really sing or die.
Thankfully, it’s all quite straightforward to get to grips with Tiebreak and the control system seems much easier to handle than that of other tennis games. Pulling off lobs or whacking on some top spin feels good, and if there are a couple of shot types you find yourself struggling with, it’s easy enough to ignore them and still find court success. Just make sure you focus on your serving though; it may be tricky to initially action, but once you get the rhythm of what the game wants then it’s a blast.
The matches can be long, but I guess that is tennis and it does mean that lengthy rallies will mean you continue to get better and better with Tiebreak, improving as you go. It’s then when you’ll want to start considering moving through options, attempting to hone your skills in different match types.
Tiebreak looks good at times too, with some nice character animations. The courts mostly look good too, but the crowds can feel flat, rarely alive. But what I do like are the likenesses of the top players. The less said about my created guy though, the better. I’ve also been taken in by the immersive nature of the sound; all the grunts you could want are complemented by some solid tennis ball twacking and voicework.
Even though the gameplay of Tiebreak feels predictable after a while, any fan of the sport should find a great time taking to this court, relishing what is on offer. There are plenty of modes to enjoy and the career is fine to play, even if some of the venues feel a bit flat.
Tiebreak should well provide the breakpoint needed to get you over the line.
Tiebreak launches on Xbox – https://www.thexboxhub.com/tiebreak-aces-onto-consoles-experience-the-most-realistic-tennis-game-yet/
Purchase Tiebreak from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/tiebreak-ace-edition/9NKBFLFQ3CDB/0010
