8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
AST '99 dissappoints
Date of Review: Apr 22, 2000
First things first. I'm a HUGE tennis fan, and when I heard that a tennis game was being released for N64, I just had to go out there and buy it no matter what. So then I got it, and after playing it for about 2 days, I realized that AST'99 was not the game I expected to be. It is not necessarily a terrible game, it's just that tennis fans like me expect a lot more from a game based on a sport we all enjoy.
First of all I think that Ubisoft could have worked a whole lot more on the graphical aspect of this game. I've seen real 64-bit graphics and they don't look anything like this. The game is also quite slow, and hitting the ball may become a difficulty sometimes. Also, not all tennis stars are featured in AST'99. Many are missing, like Sampras and Agassi. About the most important player in this one is Michael Chang. Some of the players are even made-up. The biggest dissappointment is the lack of depth in this game. The world tour mode can easily be passed after a couple days, and after that the game falls flat.
On the good side, AST'99 offers arcadey-like modes like bomb-tennis, which is the mode I enjoy the most. When you hit the ball and bounces on the other side, it leaves a bomb, and it explodes after a while. If you're hit, you lose the point. Also there is a mode in which you can enable power shots.As you win points your energy meter increases until you are able send a powerful shot to the opponent.
So in conclusion, I think tennis fans like myself expected a lot more from this game. It's a mediocre translation of the authentic tennis sensation. If you're a tennis fan like me you MAY enjoy playing AST'99. If you're just a casual fan, don't waste your time on this one.
