If you are yearning for a tennis game for Windows Phone 8, you need to check out Cross Court Tennis 2. It is a relatively new sports game for Windows Phone and once you get used to the controls, it is an entertaining game to pass the time with.
Graphics are top notch, game play challenging but the screen does feel a little cramped. Nonetheless, overall, Cross Court Tennis 2 is a welcomed addition to the Windows Phone gaming library.
Let us get this out of the way first. Cross Court Tennis 2 is listed as a free game available for Windows Phone 8 devices. However, the free version does not have all the gaming features unlocked making it more of a trial version than a free version. You can play Quick Matches but to play the Career Mode, you will have to pay $1.99 through in-app purchase. A little on the deceptive side but should not detract from what is a rather nice game for Windows Phone 8.
Cross Court Tennis 2 Main Menu
The menu for Cross Court Tennis 2 has the option to pursue a career, play a quick match, access the gaming options, and hit the court for a little practice (replay the tutorial). As you begin to play the game, you will be offered the opportunity to play through a series of tutorials. While you can skip the tutorials, they will help you with game play once you compete in tennis matches.
Cross Court Tennis 2 Player Creation
Quick matches are just as they sound, a quick way to get into game play. The Career Mode allows you to create a tennis play and compete in global tournaments. You have a training mode available in the Career Mode as well as player rankings.
Cross Court Tennis 2 Tournament
The gaming screen has a movement joystick positioned in the lower left corner and two swing control buttons in the right. The buttons are large and it will take you a little time to get used to the controls. You will over run the tennis ball often and miss the timing of your tennis racket swing often as you learn your way around the game. Luckily, it does not take long to get used to the controls and game play becomes less frustrating.
The only issue with the large buttons is the amount of space they take up on the screen. Cross Court Tennis 2's game screen can be rather crowded. The game is playable on devices such as the Nokia Lumia 1020 once you get used to the controls. I can see Cross Court Tennis 2 being better suited for larger screens such as those on the Nokia Lumia 1520 or the crop of 8” tablets that are hitting the market should a Windows 8.1 version become available.
Quick Update: As noted in the comments, you can adjust the size of the controls. Once a game has started, pause the game to pull up the settings menu. At the bottom of the screen, next to the “quit match” option you can access the controls option where you can adjust the size of the controls as well as a few style options. This makes the game a lot more versatile and playable on smaller screens.
Cross Court Tennis 2 Game Play
Game play follows your traditional game of tennis. You can set the number of games per set in the game’s settings to shorten the length of the overall game. The downside to game play is that if you have to end a match mid-stream, the game does not save your progress.
While the gaming screen can be a little on the crowded side and the free game is really a trial version of the paid game, Cross Court Tennis 2 makes a good first impression. I would like to see the option to save your gaming progress added with future updates. It can be rather frustrating to get a few games under your belt, have something come up that takes you away from the game, and then have to start at square one when you return.
Cross Court Tennis is listed as a free game, available for Windows Phone 8 devices. Unlocking all the gaming features will cost you $1.99 through in-app purchase and you can find Cross Court Tennis here in the Windows Phone Store. The game does install and play on the Nokia Lumia 520 but on the smaller screen it is easy for your fingers to get in the way of game play.
Thanks, Izyan, for the tip!
