TIEBREAK Review: Exploring Its Potential for Improvement

TIEBREAK is a commendable option for tennis enthusiasts eager to experience the sport through video games, especially for those willing to be patient as developers refine the gameplay and include community-requested features.

This doesn’t imply that the official game from ATP and WTA has left me entirely dissatisfied, but rather that it shows significant potential for improvement. Credit goes to Big Ant Studios for their responsiveness to player feedback, as they quickly rolled out updates and fixes post-launch.

Now, let’s delve deeper to determine if TIEBREAK has established itself as a formidable contender in the realm of lawn tennis video games.

TIEBREAK In-Depth: Gameplay, Features, and Serving Your Way to Victory

Gameplay

TIEBREAK’s gameplay encompasses all the actions you could anticipate performing with a tennis racket. Whether it’s executing stunning forehands, backhands, drop shots, lobs, or smashes, you’ll have ample opportunity to demonstrate your skills and outmaneuver your opponent on the court.

The controls are straightforward to understand, supported by a helpful tutorial. Your success with shots relies on positioning your player correctly and considering the ball’s placement. Additionally, holding down the shot button (for options like slice, smash, or topspin) charges a power bar that influences the shot’s strength and accuracy.

While I’ve highlighted the positives, there are aspects of TIEBREAK’s gameplay that I find problematic. Player movement can feel awkward, with unexpected teleportations occurring as you reach for shots. Furthermore, reversing your player’s direction after moving the wrong way proves to be quite challenging. Although there is an element of realism to it, refinements are necessary.

I found myself needing to increase the difficulty just minutes into my first match, as the gameplay initially felt too simplistic. However, serving quickly became a major hurdle, as achieving perfect placement often seemed nearly impossible. To toss the ball up, you must hold one of the three available buttons (depending on your intended shot). When the ball shows a green indicator, you must release the button.

If you mistakenly press any of the three buttons (which frequently happened as I hit ‘X’ to skip cutscenes), the player will toss the ball only to catch it again. Unfortunately, there’s no option to skip this animation.

Regarding opponents, the AI lacks a natural and human-like approach in the game. At higher difficulty levels, I mostly encountered cross-court shots and powerful serves.

Even though the game features a diverse roster of real players with descriptions of their playing styles, I felt that crucial variations, such as an unexpected drop shot during a rally, are largely absent. The AI also tends to reposition based on my selected shot type, even before I serve.

Cutscene Animations

A significant shortcoming is the lack of variety in cutscene animations across players. For instance, Nadal won’t respond to an unforced error in the same manner as Djokovic. Plus, there are not many variations in these animations.

Generally, players can react positively or negatively after concluding a point using the up or down arrow (notice the small thumbs up and down icons at the bottom right corner). However, these reactions lack diversity, and more often than not, my character would display the wrong emotion; for example, celebrating despite losing a point.

Game Modes, Career, and More

TIEBREAK shines through its official licenses and the thoughtful effort put into its various modes, including quick play, tournaments, career, rewriting history, and online play. While additional customization options when creating a new player and reduced latency during online matches would enhance the experience, the game feels substantial, allowing players to invest many hours in their gameplay.

Particularly notable is TIEBREAK’s career mode. It offers the involvement of numerous real-life players and tournaments, sponsorship opportunities, and a chance to ascend the rankings, providing joy for any tennis player.

Conclusion

After installing TIEBREAK on my PS5, my first action (following a somewhat tedious tutorial where shots often failed to land precisely) was to jump straight into an exhibition match featuring Nadal against Alcaraz. It was thrilling to see how Big Ant Studios accurately captured the clay court legend’s signature hair tuck before each serve and perfectly mimicked his forehand swing.

The more hours I dedicated to the game, the clearer it became that TIEBREAK possesses the potential to be among the best tennis games available. Despite being hampered by the gameplay and animation issues previously discussed, the developers have been proactive in implementing updates, and the community has remained engaged.

I look forward to returning to TIEBREAK in the coming months, hoping the developers will have addressed the game’s shortcomings.

TIEBREAK

Reviewed on: PS5 (Code provided by Dead Good Media)
Platform(s): Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5
Developer(s): Big Ant Studios
Publisher(s): Nacon
Release date: August 22, 2024

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