There is a variety of sports that can be played. From Hockey to Football to Tennis to Cornhole. People love to watch them as well as to play them. Have you ever played a sport and wished that you could combine them in some way? Take, for example, the combination of Baseball and Basketball in BASEketball. Sure, at first, people thought it wouldn’t work, but with dedication and allowing anyone to play, it became a new sensation. Nevertheless, certain sports have limitations on when and where they can be played. Has Resolution Games created a combination of different sports and rules that allow people to play anywhere at any time? Let’s find out with Racket Club for the Quest 2, 3, & Pro.
Racket Club is an all-new sport designed specifically for VR that brings the best parts of games like tennis and pickleball into your own home. If you’re a fan of racket sports – from tennis to pickleball or padel to ping-pong – Racket Club is for you! Hit the courts in this all-new sport created for VR that combines the best of these sports and allows players to immerse themselves into a fully social experience of a real racket club.
So before you step onto the courts and think you are going to be a pro right from the swing of things, there are a few things that you should be aware of. First, make sure you have some space. You will be swinging, hitting, and possibly diving to hit the ball and you don’t want to get injured or damage anything or anyone. Second, it is possible to play sitting. However, in doing so, you may miss some of the shots versus if you were standing. Third, things can get heated depending on how long you play, so open a window or turn on some fans. And finally, have some fun. With all that said, let’s continue…
When you first start the game, the game presents you with a welcome message and all you need to do is click on “I’m Ready.” Then you will need to calibrate your height. From sitting to standing, the calibration was pretty much spot on. Once you pick which is your dominant hand, it’s time to pick your name. Just remember that no matter how funny it might be in the name that you are choosing, be respectful of others. Then it will be time to create your character with a variety of clothing to the body. I went with the roaming drifter that, you know, has a backstory that everyone is afraid to ask about…
Once you have your player exactly how you would like, it’s time to learn a few things such as how to call the ball and move. Then it’s time for a little target practice with some drills. This is just getting you used to the movements and I will say, the physics from hitting the ball to putting spins on the ball are spot on. But don’t be surprised if you find yourself hitting the balls out of the court or struggling with some of the drills, as getting used to everything will take some time.
Now, before you start your career or against others, you should probably play against some bots to get some additional practice in. Don’t worry about if you lose, this is just practice. If you win, then you are doing something right. If you are not winning, it just means you need a little more practice before you play against more challenging players. You don’t want to go into a rank game unprepared, do you? Remember, you got this.
Now, we all know that the real reason to play is to have fun and be undefeated against anyone we may play against. And it’s possible it can happen, but for it to happen, you have to understand the rules of the game here.
- If you haven’t noticed by now, the courts, are well, inclosed by glass walls. So use them to your advantage
- Your serve has to be done at below the net height. So no over-the-hand power serves
- When you are hitting the ball back to your opponent, it has to bounce on the ground before hitting the back wall
- The area right in front of the net is called the Gap Zone. The ball cannot bounce twice in the Gap Zone, but only once before it has to be returned. Be careful of those spins
- Rallies can be made without the ball touching the ground
- The longer the ball is in play, the more points you can earn
- The ball can also turn different colors depending on the spin you add to it
- You can serve the ball by grabbing it and bouncing it
- If you play doubles, the court will be double the size
- In doubles, you can hit the ball to any opponent, except for serving
- You will receive points for winning a match based on your and your opponent’s skill level. This also means you can lose points if you lose the match
Once I was ready, I decided that I would enter my career with tournaments and had my coach, Harris, who would guide me along the way. As I went through my competition, I started to get too cocky and then hit my moment where I didn’t think I needed my coach. It was at that moment when I lost. I should have listened, but I couldn’t help myself.
After I apologized to Harris to let him know I would never do that again, he had me do more drills and practice more. I decided to take a break from the drills and head out to the club. This is the place where everyone comes to play against each other. You must agree to the code of conduct before entering. Have fun while keeping things clean. You can choose the court for singles or doubles based on your preference. Exercise caution to avoid accidentally joining a ranked game, as I mistakenly did. Even if you enter a court by yourself while waiting for someone to join, you can still get some practice inside the court.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. With the graphics, from the menus to the courts, things looked very good on the Quest 3. Seeing the light reflections and markings on the glass walls was a nice touch to even seeing the fuzz on the ball to the wording on the ball as it kept going from each side of the court to even being able to read the scoreboard behind my opponent, was pretty fantastic. With the sound, being able to hear the ball bounce ever so lightly on the softer shots to hearing it bounce with more power from the harder shots sounded very realistic. And when you can hear sounds from the ball to being able to have a conversation with other players while everything else is going on without any hiccups or other disturbances is very impressive.
There are a few things I would love to see. First, tournaments. Yes, you have your career mode, you can invite friends and have private matches, or just meet new players for the first time, and before you know it, hours have passed, but it would be interesting to see and be a part of. Second, more environments to play in. Don’t get me wrong. I love what is available, but imagine playing in different themed courts based on different countries. It would be quite interesting and fun at the same time. And finally, more interactivity with the Mixed Reality. It’s pretty awesome to be able to play in a room in your house and see that room while the other side of the court is in the game’s environment. It works well. I would just love to see some mini-games added that could somehow incorporate some of the other Resolution Games’ titles.
Experiencing Racket Club is a must, as it provides a place for players to hang out, play, and improve their skills, even for those who may not be able to run or walk. It gives players a place to hang out and play, all while getting better with every swing. It allows those who may not be able to run or walk to play on the same court as others while having fun and never losing its magic on and off the court. In life, we sometimes are so wrapped up in the moment that we sometimes forget what it was like just starting ourselves. But if we all take a moment to help each other out, we may just find out who are true friends can be.
Racket Club is out now for Quest 2, 3, and Pro on the Meta Store, for Pico 4 & Pico 4 Pro on the Pico Store, and on Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Resolution Games, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, follow them on Instagram, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailers, please enjoy. Until next time I need to move up in my career and play against others on the court.
