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Top Spin 2
One of the top Xbox
sports games, in both sales and popularity returns for another victory
on Xbox 360 Everything you loved about Top Spin is back and made even
better The peerless player-creator is reborn with the powerful Digital
Identity that truly puts you in the game. Experience the pro tour in
venues that are alive and dynamic with environmental elements that react
to your play Characters are even more stunning with the addition of HD
technology and the inclusion of the top players in the world like Maria
Sharapova, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Roger
Federer
There's just something about Tennis that
makes it a great sport for video games. The best recreations of it can
see two evenly matched players slogging it out for hours, working hard
for every opening to take the upper hand in a rally. Given that the
sport itself seems like a simple case of a ball being hit back and
forth, the fact that most tennis sims get it wrong must suggest that is
isn't that simple at all. The fact that PAM managed to muscle in on the
genre dominated by Virtua Tennis shows that the Top Spin series has got
something about it, and Top Spin 2 really won't disappoint fans of the
original game.
To be fair, anyone who's spent considerable time with Top Spin will
quickly see that the sequel is more of an evolution than a revolution,
with first-impressions being that Top Spin 2 is simply Top Spin in new
clothes. Further play will highlight a number of subtle changes, though,
and they're enough to make the game superior to its older brother - just
not by all that much.
Top Spin differentiated itself from other tennis games on the market by
introducing risk shots, and this has been further developed in Top Spin
2. You've still got your basic shot, which will never be struck wide of
the court, plus top spin, slice and lob shots. To introduce an element
of difficulty to these advanced strokes, your shots will land out if you
hold a direction for too long, especially if your player is lacking
skills in that area. A momentum meter, which is increased by playing
winning shots, can be used to play variations on each basic shot type if
holding the left trigger, and full-on risk shots can be attempted in
combination with the right trigger.
Right trigger risk shots are just as tricky
as they've ever been, with their use only really advised if you're in a
real tight spot and need a miracle. The risk serve is about the only
shot you can use with any regularity as it's the easiest to pull off and
you have a second serve to fall back on should it go horribly wrong.
Mastering all the strokes is vital if you're going to become the No.1
ranked player, but if you just want a game to play with some friends,
using the plain shots will still be enough to have a good time.
All the expected exhibition, tournament and party games are included,
each playable with any of the game's 24 real-life pros. You've got the
likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova
to choose from, or you can use your custom player from the career mode.
It's the career mode that really makes Top Spin 2 a hard game to stop
playing. It's not without its faults, but trying to improve your player,
move up the rankings and become a tennis superstar is extremely
addictive.
Once you've created your player using the comprehensive creation tool
it's time to start your career. This is all handled via a simple diary
that lists up to three possible activities available on each day, with
your dilemma being which activity you choose to do during that day. At
first it's pretty simple, as you're going to need to do some basic
training, but soon you'll be out of money (or coin as the game calls it)
and you'll need to enter some small-time events to raise some cash for
further training. More coaches offer their services along the way and
the cost of training increases along with your skills in each area, so
once you're into your second season you'll have to pick and choose
events very carefully.
Only a small number of the big name pros
are included, but they're some of the biggestIf you like you can buy new
equipment, get a new sponsor, do some personal grooming, read messages
from rivals, get your own fan club and even represent your country in
international events. The real thrill comes from competing in Grand
Slams, where you'll come across the big licensed players in the game and
face a real challenge. Big events feature proper five set matches for
men (three for women), although the games needed to win a set is still
reduced to three. Even so, five set matches can last for considerable
lengths of time, and victories feel well earned. If you don't fancy
playing every game yourself you can even let the system work out results
for you, jumping in to take over if you feel you're player isn't doing
as well as he/she could be.
Single system play for up to four players is obviously included, as is
online play for the same number, with up to two players able to play on
a single 360. Some people might dislike the fact that you can only play
ranked matches with your custom player, but exhibition matches can be
played with any of the players in the game. You're limited to the basic
game modes, but the ranking system should prove popular for anyone who
has spent a long time building up their custom character. Lag was
noticeable in a number of games, which can be annoying in ranked
matches, but if you get together with someone who has a good internet
connection you shouldn't have too many problems.
Being the first next-gen tennis game there were some high expectations
on Top Spin 2 to look stunning, and while character models and
environments are a step above those seen in the Xbox original, they
don't quite have that next-gen feel. It plays like tennis and looks like
tennis, but it just doesn't feel alive, particularly in Grand Slams. The
stadiums are half empty and the crowd noise feels incredibly artificial,
akin to a poorly used laughter track during a TV show - the atmosphere
is almost non-existent. Things aren't helped by players glitching
through officials and ball boys ignoring the balls they run across the
court to collect, making it feel like the game needed a few more months
in development to get all these small details right.
It looks nice enough, but it's not a huge leap over the originalIt seems
as if the soundtrack was also an afterthought or perhaps not even a
thought at all, as all you ever hear is the same few tracks over and
over again. Considering every game released nowadays seems to include a
licensed soundtrack of some sort, this seems odd and pretty lazy. You
can of course use your own music, but considering 2K Sports' Amped 3
featured a huge soundtrack, an absence of one here is baffling.
Even with a number of sloppy audio problems and an overall game that
feels strikingly similar to Top Spin on the Xbox, it's still hugely
addictive. The changes to the shot system are subtle, but enough to mean
you'll continue to improve as you play, and the career mode is able to
zap huge amounts of time. A more comprehensive online mode would have
been great, but it's serviceable, and the visuals are just good enough
to land in the next-gen category. Top Spin 2 certainly isn't a game to
buy an Xbox 360 for, but it is the only tennis game on the system and
it'll probably remain the best for quite some time. |
