AO International Tennis

AO International Tennis is a tennis simulation game that has elicited mixed reactions from players. Initially criticized for its janky gameplay and clunky player movement, the game has seen significant improvements through patches and community engagement. The gameplay emphasizes timing and shot placement, offering a challenging yet rewarding experience once mastered. The career mode provides depth with training, fatigue management, and progression through ranks, although some find it lacking in diversity and polish.

Graphically, the game features detailed player models and stadiums, with smooth animations on high settings, but some players note issues such as robotic movements and inconsistent animations. A major strength lies in its extensive customization options, including player creation, stadiums, logos, and community-shared content, which greatly enhance replayability. Despite some technical issues and a sparse official player roster, the game is considered the best tennis simulation currently available on PC, especially for fans willing to invest time in mastering its mechanics and leveraging community content.

Highlights

Players praise the challenging and realistic gameplay mechanics that reward timing and strategy. The extensive customization tools allow creating and sharing players, stadiums, and logos, enriching the game experience.

The career mode offers a deep progression system with training and fatigue elements, while the graphics and animations, though not perfect, are considered good and immersive by many. Community mods compensate for the limited official roster, enabling play with famous tennis stars and enhancing authenticity.

Criticisms

Common criticisms focus on clunky and sometimes frustrating gameplay controls, including player movement snapping and inconsistent shot aiming. The career mode is seen as boring and underdeveloped by some, with repetitive training and limited variety.

Technical issues such as bugs, frame rate drops, and occasional unresponsiveness detract from the experience. The official player roster and licensed content are limited, and online multiplayer suffers from low population and lag. Some players also find the animations robotic and the ball physics unrealistic at times.