Recent reviews by introspXtion

I'm going to tell you why AO International Tennis is an awesome game, and why it's had so many bad reviews that no longer apply. As a big fan of Top Spin 4, I'm also going to make a number of comparisons with that game.

I bought this game a few days ago after doing a lot of research and it was apparent to me as to why the game had so many bad reviews, but IS NOW a game worth buying; the game at launch was bad, but over the past year has been patched up and is now good. It's as simple as that. Any issues with the game that still exist, just aren't dramatic enough to steer you away from it.

Gameplay: At first I didn't feel the gameplay was as natural as TS4. I needed the visual targeting to hit the ball in and it just didn't feel as nice as TS4. However, after a few days of practice, I've turned targeting off and now I find the rhythm is much more natural. You just need practice. It's more challenging than TS4 but I find that makes it more realistic. I even know when my shot is going out because I can just sense that I overdid it with power, or angle. You can just "feel" it. The animations are more varied than TS4, but less fluid. TS4 wins in that department but overall it doesn't ruin the game. I do have one minor complaint that on the very rare occasion, my player may not respond, or even swing at the ball when I want.

Career: AO is far more challenging and has more depth than TS4. Money is earned through winning and sponsorship deals, and it's used to level up your player. It takes more work than in TS4, but it's not too draining. Initially your low rank stops you from competing in major tournaments. You'll need to earn the right to qualify for them. Your skills (eg. backhand slice) will have a maximum cap on them, but you can increase that cap through "Training", which is much like doing tutorials in TS4, but it's not a drag to do and you can retry if you fail the objective. Fatigue is more relevant in AO as it not only contributes to your match performances, but can also carry over to following tournaments. Each week you will need to decide if your player will Rest, Train or Compete in a tournament (or exhibition match for rewards). You can begin Career mode with a freshly created player with low skills, or start with a Pre-Made player (either made by you or pre-set) with high skills. A Pre-Made player will enter with an appropriately higher rank.

Pre-set and Player Creation: Whilst the game has a lot of present players, only Nadal and Osaka are included as far as big names go, but don't be alarmed if you want to be Federer. AO has an in-game community sharing feature that allows you to download players that other people have created, and trust me; all the famous players are available and it only takes a few seconds to search and download. You can also insert those downloaded players into all game modes as opponents... so you can kick Federer's butt. You can also modify downloaded players so if the user that made your Federer made him too invincible, make him weaker. If you hate Serena and you want her to lose a lot... make her crap.

Customisation: The Player Creator is as good as it gets. Facial features match TS4 but also allows for using face capture... or something... I don't really know how that part works but people have put it to good use as user made versions of real players are amazing in regards to the likeness. There's not a lot of outfit shapes, but the real beauty with making outfits comes from using decals/logos to create original prints. These decals can be created in-game, imported from .svg files, or downloaded from the community and there are thousands of them. Besides the obvious outfit options, you can also customise your racquets and racquet bags. If you want to be decked out in Adidas gear, go ahead. If you prefer to have a Run DMC logo, go for it. How about some cutesy animal logo? Why not. Let your imagination run free (or download other peoples imagination). Just don't turn an Adidas logo into a Cannabis logo. It'll get censored. I know from experience. My bad.

You can also create your own stadiums and plaster Cannabis sponsorship all over the place.

So overall I love this game. I've wanted a new tennis game for years but all the options out there seemed crap, until I found AO. Soooo glad with my purchase.

★★★★★★★★★✰

"Walk Like An Assassin" by The Bangles

All the bad guys with their spears
They're hunting for Bayek, don't you know
If they're in your way (oh whey oh)
You crush em under your camel toe

All the bazaar men by the Nile
Sell you silks and also fancy blades
If you got the gold (oh whey oh)
They'll fix you up with weapon upgrades

Gamer types with the hookah pipes say
Oh hey, I'm so stoned, whoa
Smoke like an Egyptian...

Experience points upgrade your skills
Improve your kills as well as much more
Then you'll have the moves (oh whey oh)
You'll be free to go and explore some more

All the little kids love Bayek
He's cool, he roams all across the land
When there's time to play (oh whey oh)
They playfight like an Assassin

All the kids that know Bayek say
Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh
Kill like an Egyptian...

Pyramids and Sphinx, palm trees and lakes
Hungry hippos and crocodiles
This game is great (oh whey oh)
Disagree only if you're in da Nile

If you want to find all the loot
It's hanging out in the hidden caves
If a lion kills you by surprise (oh whey oh)
You'll be fine thanks to auto-saves

When the bad guys see you and attack
Swing and hack, riding horseback
If you lose the fight (oh whey oh)
You'll fall and get sand in your crack

All the cats and the dirty dogs say
Ay oh meow oh, ay oh woof oh
Stalk like an Egyptian...
Kill like an Egyptian...

★★★★★★★★★★

After 10-20 hours of playing, I was going to give Steep a bad review but then everything changed (except for my underwear).

The first thing you'll notice is that Steep is visually stunning (like me). It's easy to pick up (also like me) but when it comes to performing like a pro and knowing how best to get the most out of it, it's badly lacking in instructions or tips. Granted this may be because I'm stupid, but it took me longer than usual to figure out why I couldn't land tricks and do other stuff. Also the menu is rather unintuitive and seems to be filled with useless information (like me) that I don't have any interest in.

That said, once I figured it all out and had spent enough time exploring the slopes, the enjoyment increased dramatically. By this time I had unlocked more locations and the courses became far more intense and challenging. All of a sudden I was getting nearly more air than what's between my ears and I also began to find locations that I could make a course/challenge out of. The speed you get on the steepest slopes is exhilarating and the slightest mistake will have you crashing like my mum on a motorbike. The wingsuit had also gone from getting into a starfish position and falling, to zooming through tricky rock canyons and caves that are destined to give you more brain injuries than what I’ve accumulated in real life from riding on the back of my mum’s motorbike.

Paragliding has still yet to excite me but it is useful for exploring, especially as it can climb up when you get some wind under you and I kinda like the exploration element of the game. The narration during parts of the game tries to be cool but is pretty dull (like me once again) but totally makes up for it in the fashion stakes by offering numerous jackets in pink, though I would’ve liked to have seen 1-piece lycra bodysuits like they wear at the Winter Olympics. I like lycra.

I could name a number of bugs, issues and things that should've been in the game but for $40au (on sale) I’m more than happy with my purchase.

★★★★★★★★★✰

I decked myself out in full bikie leather then went to a gay bar to shake my butt off but even the gay NPC's laughed at my dance moves. It's like real life!!

MP Bounties and general chases are awesome (unlike my dance moves), the story is goofy (like my dance moves) but overall this is pretty awesome game. It has now become my 3rd most played game and I only wish I had spent as much time learning to dance.

★★★★★★★★★★

DO NOT play this game stoned.
I repeat - DO NOT play this game stoned.

★★★★★★★✰✰✰

I'll just fix the metro and then I'll go to bed.
I'll just fix this round-a-bout and then I'll go to bed.
Oh, I'll just delete these abandoned buildings and then I'll go to bed... promise.
Wait, I need to fix this road, then I'll go to bed.
And the buildings.

★★★★★★★★★★

Man! The only crook is me for buying this game on sale for just under $5. Crookz is definitely worth the full price. Strategy and timing is the key to getting your hands on the goods. It's fun, clever and funkier than my afro, ya dig?

★★★★★★★★★✰

I got so excited about this game that I went out and bought a new bikini and flippers.
Unfortunately there wasn't a pool in sight. Not one. Nudda. Zip.

★★★★★★★★★✰

They thought he was angry... but he was just a bit loopy. No beer, no sheilas and the overly sandy world of the apocalypse has made it hard to keep engines clean, sending Max into fits of road rage and insanity. Achieve "Maximum Madness" by searching for a pub amongst the endless sea of sand by the sea she saw on she sand that she sure. Fight your way through the local ice epidemic. Pass out on cocaine. Exchange tokens for steroids. See the outback. Find some sand. Walk on sand. Drive on sand. Take photos of sand. Take a selfie with sand. Snort sand. Die on sand. Get sand in your crack.

Pros: No weird accents. Steering wheel on the correct side of the car. Driving is done on the correct side of the road/dune/shipwreck.

Cons: Horrible tucker. No didge. No snakes. No spiders. No ancient ruins of the GABBA. And I don't know what that crap soundtrack is but it sure as hell ain't Barnesy! wtf?

Suggestions: Maybe there should be an eski in the back of the ute and you must continuously find and drink beer. Also you should go searching for a playable cricket pitch.

Bonza game mate!

★★★★★★★★★★

Always trying to escape. Just like my husband. Except with better gadgets.

★★★★★★★★★✰