Full Ace Tennis Simulator Review 2024: A Deep Dive into Pure Tennis Simulation
If you’re searching for a genuine tennis experience on PC, look no further than Full Ace Tennis Simulator.
While it may initially strike you as visually outdated, with stiff animations, the question remains: What makes Full Ace stand out among tennis games?
The answer lies in its tagline: “No nonsense, just tennis.” This succinctly captures the essence of Full Ace, as it eliminates the distractions typical in modern gaming.
In this in-depth review, we will talk about Full Ace Tennis Simulator. How good of tennis simulator is FATS in 2024?
You can also watch Full Ace Tennis Simulator review in a video version on our YouTube channel, by clicking the below link:
What You Won’t Find Here
In Full Ace, you won’t encounter season passes, paid DLCs, gimmicky game modes, or unrealistic features. There’s no tedious unlocking process in the career mode or side activities to divert your focus. It’s all about the heart and soul of tennis simulation, delivering an authentic on-court experience.
Full Ace Gameplay:
The Heart of the Experience
Let’s dive into the core of what makes Full Ace shine: its gameplay mechanics.
If you’re familiar with AO Tennis 2 or the Topspin series, you’ll quickly adapt to the mechanics of Full Ace. The gameplay is centered around time-based shot mechanics. You hold the shot button and release it just before the ball hits your racket; the better your timing, the more effective your shot will be.
Full Ace takes this a step further by introducing precision-based aiming, allowing you to target exactly where you want the ball to go.
Unlike Topspin, where you merely select a direction, Full Ace provides a much higher degree of control, enhancing the tactical depth of each match.
The Risk-Reward Factor
What sets Full Ace apart is the true risk-reward aspect of its gameplay. In arcade-style games, players can easily miss their timing yet still manage to get the ball over the net. However, Full Ace punishes poor timing; if you mess up, you’re likely to hit the net or make an unforced error. This element elevates the competitive nature of the game and adds a layer of satisfaction when you nail your shots.
Additionally, the game features an interesting mechanic where you can tap the shot button again after your initial release to execute an aggressive shot. This high-risk, high-reward strategy can be particularly effective at higher difficulty levels.
Advanced Shot-Making Mechanics
The accuracy of your shots is influenced by various factors, including timing, shot type, player stats, opponent shot speed, ball height, and energy levels. The shot-making style in Full Ace is both rewarding and satisfying, catering to players who thrive on mastering complex mechanics.
Manual movement plays a significant role in Full Ace. You’ll need to closely watch the ball and move towards it yourself, especially at higher difficulty levels where the margin for error is minimal. Although the animations may appear stiff, the running mechanics are impressively detailed. For instance, stationary split steps are implemented to simulate real-life player anticipation.
While the running animations are a known weak point, the game accurately captures inertia. Players don’t stop abruptly after sprinting, and changing directions takes time, allowing you to wrong-foot your opponent. This element of movement is crucial in Full Ace and adds depth to the gameplay.
Serving Mechanics
Serving is one of the standout features in Full Ace. The serve mechanics are the best I’ve encountered in any tennis game, and I wish other titles, like Topspin or Tiebreak, would adopt a similar system.
The serving process requires multiple inputs. You start by selecting your serve type, such as slice or flat, and then hold the button to set the serve power. The timing of your press is crucial for hitting the green zone on the serve power bar. As the power increases, the green zone decreases, making precision more critical. Finally, you aim your serve into the court. However, be cautious—overly moving the left stick enlarges your aiming zone, increasing the risk of an error.
Mastering the serve mechanics is not only rewarding but also significantly impacts gameplay.
Volleying and Shot Balance
While the net play animations function well, volleys can be a challenge. If you can reach the ball when it’s near the net, you can score plenty of winners. However, your player is vulnerable at the net, making it tough to respond to decent passing shots due to slower movement speed.
Another essential aspect of gameplay quality is shot balance. Unlike other games where certain shots dominate, Full Ace ensures that all shot types are well-balanced, each with unique strengths and weaknesses.
- Topspin is your go-to shot for safety and angles.
- Flat shots are challenging yet can change the tide of a point.
- Slices serve as effective defensive tools, slowing the game down and forcing your opponent into a more cautious strategy.
This risk-reward balance among shot types is spot-on and adds layers to your strategy.
Realistic Physics
Physics play a vital role in the gameplay experience. In Full Ace, the ball physics are commendable. Slices don’t float awkwardly; topspin shots behave realistically, and flat shots have a satisfying impact sound. The ball’s spin affects its bounce, enhancing the realism.
You can also feel the difference across various court surfaces. On clay, rallies tend to be longer with higher bounces and slower acceleration. On grass, the ball speeds up and bounces lower, creating a fast-paced environment. While I wish there were surface-specific movements, like sliding on clay, the attention to detail is commendable.
FATS Difficulty and AI:
Tailored Challenge
Full Ace allows players to tailor the difficulty to their skill level. While it is fundamentally a robust tennis simulator, it offers a surprisingly approachable experience.
You can adjust numerous difficulty options, such as shot release timing sensitivity and CPU aggression. Higher aggression doesn’t necessarily mean a better CPU; instead, it results in riskier winning plays, which can lead to both more winners and unforced errors.
At the lowest difficulty, the game is forgiving, allowing new players ample time to react and learn. As you improve, you can incrementally increase the challenge, providing a satisfying sense of progression.
Regarding AI, Full Ace poses a solid challenge. The CPU generally makes good decisions, and each player features unique AI settings, affecting aspects like net play and shot selection. On higher settings, the AI becomes more unpredictable, delivering smart plays that require you to think on your feet.
Full Ace Online Play:
High Stakes and Learning Curves
Online play in Full Ace can be incredibly rewarding but also intimidating. When you find an opponent at your skill level, the experience is exhilarating, but the default online settings are set to the hardest difficulty, known as “realistic.” New players may struggle to get even a single rally going.
The community often plays with modified player settings, making matches even more challenging. While Full Ace is approachable in single-player modes, online matches feel like a different beast. I hope for online tournaments with more forgiving settings, similar to what Tennis Elbow 4 offers.
FATS Career Mode:
A Mixed Bag
The single-player career mode lets you choose a real player or create your own, launching your career up to six years back. You navigate tournaments week by week, with an energy system that functions effectively. Players’ skills improve passively, with physical attributes peaking at 26 before declining, while technical skills continue to develop.
However, the career mode lacks dynamic elements, such as player retirements or new entries, which can make the experience feel stale over time. You can simulate tournaments you don’t want to play, and there’s a detailed stat sheet for match and player statistics. While the career mode is serviceable, it lacks the depth and excitement found in other tennis games.
Shortcomings: Where the Game Falls Short
Despite its strengths, Full Ace has notable shortcomings. The most glaring is its production value. Although it boasts sharper graphics than some indie tennis games, the player models and animations remain limited. The character animations feel stiff, and the overall graphics are basic. The crowd and surrounding visuals can feel particularly generic, detracting from immersion.
The developer acknowledges these issues and is working on improvements, but progress has been slow.
Another downside is the absence of official licenses. There are no real-world players, tournaments, or venues. However, strong mod support allows players to create a wealth of real-world players, courts, and tournaments.
Additionally, the game is male-centric, with no option to play as or against female players, which is particularly noticeable in the single-player career mode.
Lastly, new players may find the learning curve steep, particularly regarding controls and timing mechanics. It requires practice to feel comfortable, and even experienced players may miss shots they thought they had nailed.
Conclusion: The Purest Tennis Experience
In summary, Full Ace Tennis Simulator truly embodies its tagline of “just tennis, no nonsense.” It excels in delivering an authentic tennis experience, complete with intricate gameplay mechanics, realistic physics, and a formidable AI. However, it falls short in terms of production value and lacks some features found in more polished titles.
For tennis purists, Full Ace is a dream come true. The gameplay complexity, real challenge, and immense satisfaction from mastering its systems make it a standout title in the genre.
Overall, I consider Full Ace one of the best tennis simulations available, alongside Tennis Elbow 4. It may not be perfect, but it offers a deeply satisfying experience that cuts straight to the heart of tennis.
What are your thoughts on Full Ace? Let me know in the comments!