Info
Developed By: Farsight Studios.
Published By: Farsight Studios.
Platforms Available On: PS5/4, Xbox Series X/S and One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Reviewed On: PS5, a code for the game was very kindly supplied for the purpose of this honest review.
Overview
PPA Pickleball Tour 2025 is the most advanced pickleball game ever produced!
Whether you're strategizing how to beat your opponent with an Erne or testing your reflexes in a Firefight against Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns, this game has everything you love about the fastest growing sport in the USA!
*Fully PPA licensed.
*Create the ultimate Pickleball Player and level them up earning XP in Career Mode.
*Elevate your Pickleball skills to the next level playing against the top pickleball pros in the world including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters.
*Motion captured player movement for every pro in the game.
*Compete for a Triple Crown in PPA Tour events set in San Clemente or Atlanta in Career Mode.
*Outwit and outplay advanced AI developed from analyzing professional matches.
*Hit Dinks, Drives, Ernes, ATPs, Overhead Smashes, Dink Battles, and Fire Fights!
*Play Singles or Doubles matches in All Modes.
*Dave Fleming and Michelle McMahon commentary offers expert critiques while also complimenting quality shots and strategy.
Overview taken from the official game description on the PlayStation store page.
Review
If you've been following my reviews you'd know that the main game genres I like to play are FPS, Racing and Sports games - I do like other genres and thanks to doing reviewing I've had the pleasure of broadening my horizons in that regard but those genres are my go to everytime.
Now back to the review and the game at hand Pickleball Tour 2025 which definitely ticks the box for a fast pace sport game, do I know anything about the sport? No, do I like the look of the sport since playing the game? Yes, it's definitely a great advert for the sport for those that want to see what it's all about. I personally think of Pickleball as a mix between tennis and squash but also feels a little like table tennis. You have the similarities from table tennis with the paddle (or bat) and the small plastic ball but then you have the fast paced rallying action over the net between the players.
Onto the gameplay and considering I've had no experience of the sport apart from hearing about it in parts I picked it up pretty much straight away, if you've played a tennis game at some point then you'll pretty much get the gist of how this game plays as the controls are basically the same and I definitely liked the tournament set up giving it that extra competitive edge. Speaking of competitive edge the game does support local multiplayer for up to 4 players in a more traditional split screen couch co-op format which I did enjoy but unfortunately this game doesn't support online multiplayer which for me would've added more to the game but that aside it's still a good sports game.
The customisation options for your character are really good and there are lots of gear (including branded gear too such as Fila) and equipment to choose from to give your character a more personal touch, if you just want to go into the game and are already aware of the players you can choose one from the roster which is fully licensed with authentic players including Ben Johns and Anna Leigh Waters (again mean nothing to me but I know they're big in this sport).
Graphics and Sound
In terms of graphics I'd say that this game is at the high end of the scale at times up close the characters look slightly ropey such as arms look detached and stuff but overall I thought it looked impressive with the gameplay looking just like a live event, the arenas you play in look authentic with all the branding looking realistic. With the action pretty fast paced it's a tough test for the graphics as you would expect some frame drops but I personally didn't see any throughout the furious exchanges and that only added to the experience for me.
The soundtrack of the game is punchy and adds to the overall atmosphere, in game the sound effects seem authentic also the added benefit of having Dave Fleming and Michelle McMahon taking up the commentary which gives the game the authentic feel.
Summary
Time now then to put my thoughts into a summary, overall I really enjoyed this introduction to the sport of Pickleball admittedly I'm a bit past playing the game in real life but certainly playing the console version is something I'll be doing alot of and I'll definitely be watching a few games on TV. If this game had online multiplayer it would finish it off in my opinion but as a whole it is still a very good sports game that I will be playing for a good while yet. I would definitely recommend if you want to try something new and definitely if you're already a fan of the sport.
Verdict-Out of 5 ⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐½
VERY GOOD
I give Pickleball Tour 2025 a very good score of 4 ½⭐ a very good sports game and great introduction to the sport for newbies like myself. If the game had online multiplayer I would've give it full marks but definitely still pick this game up. I'll be following Pickle Ball from here on in.
Pickleball Tour 2025 is available now on your platform of choice (see above for details)
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