TIEBREAK Review – The Official Game of ATP and WTA

This year is the year of tennis matches and this time we have the official video game of ATP and WTA called TIEBREAK.

Big Ant Studios and Nacon have been commissioned to develop TIEBREAK, a title that offers us a large number of licensed players and several of the best tournaments on the circuit, in which we can participate with our tennis player in career mode (ATP/WTA 250, 500 and 1000) in addition to reaching the ATP/WTA Finals if we are among the top 8 in the ranking at the end of the season. All this with a variety of game modes for single player and multiplayer (local and online).

Licenses become important in TIEBREAK

One of the most striking points of the game that has stood out the most since its announcement has been the number of tennis players from the men’s and women’s circuits that we can use in our matches. Either individually, or in doubles playing against the AI ​​or online against other users. In the number of tennis players, we must also include the ATP/WTA 1000 and the finals of both circuits as great standard-bearers of TIEBREAK.

In relation to the available tennis players, we will have, on the one hand, the greats who are on the circuit such as Novak Djokovic (title cover), Carlos Alcaraz, Danil Medvedev, Rafa Nadal and even players who are no longer on the circuit. circuit such as Roger Federer. Each tennis player has a different score and statistics to reflect their way of playing, so we will have to choose the one that suits our way of playing, each of them having a unique tennis style based on counterattack, speed, balance, etc.

The recreation of the stadiums of the ATP/WTA 1000 tournaments and the ATP/WTA Finals is total, since the court and the decoration are copied from what can be seen on television. It is worth noting that they have captured the movements of several of the available tennis players since we find, for example, the classic gestures of Nadal before performing a serve and the characteristic shots of several tennis players, which brings greater realism.

The road to world number 1

Without a doubt the most remarkable mode of TIEBREAK since it allows us to create our own tennis player and participate in tournaments from lower to higher levels. With each victory we will earn points in the ranking, as well as money that we can use to hire certain people who will facilitate the development of our career. For example, not suffering the wear and tear of air travel or even having greater resistance to injuries are some of the advantages that we can acquire.

We can choose what activity to do each week, whether it is participating in a tournament or choosing the rest option. When choosing a tournament, we will have to take into account the prize money, the points to be scored and the surface on which it will be played, as this is a factor to take into account. As we progress in the ranking, we will have the opportunity to participate in increasingly prestigious tournaments, in which we will face the best tennis players in the world.

Please note that there are more than 100 tournaments under official ATP and WTA license, including the tournament that brings together the 8 best tennis players. It is true that at TIEBREAK we do not have the official license (name, stadium, image, etc.) of the major tournaments on the circuit, those called Grand Slams that take place in the United States, Paris, Australia and the United Kingdom.

More game modes

TIEBREAK does not lack single or multiplayer game modes because we have the opportunity to live with our own hands the best moments of Novak Djokovic’s career. We will even be able to replay his last great triumph against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Olympic Games. The quick match option and the tournament mode will allow us to play in several of the most important tournaments on the circuit, playing alone or against another player to find our most appropriate style of play.

Regarding online, we have, on the one hand, the possibility of participating in a tournament that lasts several days. We will only be able to play on this aspect alone… we will have no other choice. The option of creating a private game will be the way to play against our friends and other players with a more informal game. Each online match will be important since the games will be entered in a ranking in which only the best will appear.

Gameplay

In general, the feeling of control at the controls is correct since we can adopt different styles depending on the rival we have in front of us and be able to experiment with the different shots we have available. But it is true that there are some sections that are not so neat, such as the issue of services, because after several games I have not managed to make an ace (direct service) to the other player and on the contrary I have missed several serves first that they have failed in the network.

The left-to-right sprint animation plays a trick if you go the wrong way when using it because its animation is unnatural. Additionally, we don’t have the ability to sprint forward at sufficient speed, which can hurt us against shots closer to the net.

By removing this, you will be able to make beautiful exchanges of shots on both sides of the court and reach points that seem impossible. In addition, the public will react all the more the better the point, which will make each shot more enjoyable. After each point we have the possibility of making an animation of celebration or frustration to express what we felt at that moment, it is an addition that is not bad but it is true that it ends up being tiring to see it at each point.

Technically adequate

The appearance of the tennis players and the quality of the courts demonstrate the love that the Big Ant Studios team has for trying to show reality as much as possible. It is true that the quality of the audience is a little lower, it is not something so important since what matters is everything that happens between the tennis players and the network. What is remarkable are some jerks in the cutscenes at the beginning and end of the game due to the fact that the camera movement has not been optimized, but the overall experience in the visual section is remarkable.

Create and share

At TIEBREAK we have the possibility to create tennis players, logos (for clothing and the court) and courts on which to compete, all this with a wide variety of customization to be able to differentiate ourselves from other users when we make our creations. We will be able to see what other users have done and download a copy of a created tennis player or a track that has caught our attention for its shape, color or choice of logos.

Tiebreaker Conclusions

Big Ant Studios and Nacon offer us with TIEBREAK a tennis game worthy of sports fans, which from the beginning attracts attention by the number of official tennis players that we can use in the game and the number of tournaments in which we can participate. It is a pity that the 4 Grand Slams of the circuit are not included. The variety of game modes with a complete career mode makes the game give us the opportunity to play in different ways, alone or in company.

Gameplay wise we have a few more negatives focused on the sprinting and difficulty of the serves, which makes it difficult to perform direct serves. The variety of shots and styles of the tennis players makes each match different from the last and an entertaining game to play.

Another aspect that was noted was the lack of translation of some texts since, having the game in Spanish, we can find paragraphs in English in the tips before the matches and in Novak Djokovic’s mode.

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