Yes, another former Virtua Tennis veteran chiming in... TopSpin takes the VT formula and fixes most of the sniggling problems that annoyed us. Specifically: the play on VT was fun, but never really mimicked "real tennis": the points were too long, the AI too repetitive, etc. TopSpin points are more realistically paced. For instance: if you don't see that lob coming, you will NOT be able to chase it down... The added controls for top & back spin are welcome, and the player's footspeed, momentum, and (on appropriate surfaces...) sliding all add up to a very realistic experience. Tons o' fun, too. Bad stuff: 14 "upgrades" in career mode is NOT enough. Just when it's getting interesting, you're done training your character. It makes sense WHY they did this: it'll keep online play more balanced, since they're won't be any UberKournikova's running amok through the ranks. Plus, with 14 upgrades to spend among 20 possible slots (five max for serve, backhand, forehand, and volley), it'll force people to specialize and then team up with complimentary doubles partners. But, as said: it maxes out too quickly. Just as well, I guess, since the training games are indeed less creative than VT's. There's no "Bowling Pins", "Can Crushing", nor "Serving at the Sushi Conveyer". But on the flip side, these exercises feel a bit more realistic, and keep closer to the theme of "real tennis". Other flaws: the interface/menus are annoying, with too many loads required. Failed training sessions should offer a "Retry?" option, instead of forcing a load of the menus, then re-load of the session court you were just on. Dumb. And the lack of custom soundtracks is pretty unthinkable these days. But lots of great touches balance out these "cons". The ambient audio noise is superb, from crowds screaming for their favorites to balls bouncing off chainlink fences. The crowds themselves are especially nifty: the polygonal spectatator groups start out small with lots of empty seats in preliminary rounds of tournaments, and proceed to grow into a packed house for the final. And yes, the character generation mode is quite a blast, and should allow folks to "be unique" online. But ultimately, it's the controls & gameplay which hit the highest notes. The same "easy to learn, tough to master" combo that VT pioneered is present here, and improved upon: Run to spot where the ball apears to be heading, hold the hit button down to start the stroke (earlier=better), and the crank on the stick to aim your shot while the stroke is in motion. Top Spin's new "Risk" and "drop" shots will take quite awhile to master, but they're also not required until you start challenging truly advanced gamers or characters. All in all: this one's worth a buy for tennis fans, or for gamers looking for a more "laid back" online gaming experience.
By dsplayer1010 | Review Date: Feb 10, 2007 | XBOX
i got thi and ncaa 2005 as a pack-in when i got my xbox. and i was surprised how good it was. now im not a diehard, or even casuual tennis fan, ( i can name like 1 player, but he retired,) but this is really fun and addi... Read Full Review
I have never been a real fan of tennis but I thought I would give this game a try as it was in the bargain bin of my local store. I loaded it up and was at first impressed with the quality of the graphics. The animati... Read Full Review
