Top Spin 2 E3 2005 Hands-On

Top Spin 2 is the sequel to the approachable, yet surprisingly deep, Xbox tennis title, Top Spin. News of a sequel probably isn't a surprise to gamers, though just what the heck took so long may not be clear. The answer to that question may be found in the console the game will be debuting on later this year: Microsoft's upcoming Xbox 360.

Currently approximately 60 percent through development, Top Spin 2 was in playable form at the 2K Games booth at E3, and we got a chance to take it on for a few sets. The demo featured only four selectable tennis pros: Lleyton Hewitt and Roger Federer on the men's side and the lovely Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova on the women's. There were only two courses available to choose from: an urban public court in Chicago and a more ornate Greek country club court that better showed off some the graphical prowess of the Xbox 360. It was cool to see the casted shadows of trees sprawling across the Chicago court, but truthfully, it was nothing when compared to the exceptional amount of detail on the Greek court. We let the intro movie run a bit before the match started and noticed plenty of gorgeous little details--such as individual flowers in a latticed atrium next to the court, and some gorgeous lighting effects--which added a real sense of the exotic to the setting.

While the player models are a step up as well--especially when compared to the PS2 version of the original Top Spin, which was also being displayed on the show floor--we have to say there looks to be a ways to go before the Top Spin 2 player models approach the same level of quality. The models don't look bad; they just lack the sort of intensely lifelike quality that Microsoft executives have been promising from their upcoming console. Facial animations were a bit lacking (except when you manually trigger a celebration), and there wasn't much in the way of realistic hair or clothing movement. Still, the game has plenty of time to go in development, so it's safe to assume that a lot of these issues will be cleaned up by the time it comes to retail.

But enough about graphics, let's talk gameplay. We're happy to report that Top Spin 2 seems to play every bit as well as its predecsssor. You'll still have a number of shot types to choose from, which are all are tied to specific face buttons on the Xbox 360 controller. You will be able to lift a lob shot over your opponent's head with the Y button, while topspin, slice, and plain old flat shots will be controlled by the B, A, and X buttons, respectively. In some cases, the longer you hold the button down, the more "oomph" you'll put behind that shot, which means that you'll often be pressing the button as soon as your opponent returns your shot in order to build up the maximum amount of power.

Whether you're having a great game, or choking like Ivan Lendl at the French Open, you'll be able to vent your feelings using the trigger buttons on the controller. Press left and your virtual Hewitt will grin like a little girl on Christmas morning; pull the right trigger and Lleyton will throw a hissy fit. OK, not really, but he'll definitely look perturbed.

Producers for the game assured us that, on the online front, Top Spin 2 will support doubles matches for four simultaneous players, and for those looking to get a little closer to the lovely Sharapova, there will be mixed doubles matches. You'll also be able to get a little jawing in, calling your shots before serves in the hopes of building up some crowd momentum in the process. Win the point and that momentum will boost your attributes; pull a choke job and the momentum will head to your opponent. Unfortunately, online wasn't playable on the E3 show floor, so we hope to see it in action in the near future.

With 25 real-life tennis pros, more than 30 selectable courses, and a number of court surfaces to make the pros sweat on, Top Spin 2 is looking to be as big a hit on the fledgling Xbox 360 as the original was on the Xbox. The producers are aiming for an Xbox 360 launch window release for Top Spin 2, and we'll have more details on this one soon.