Top Spin

PS2 review by James Frazer, published on Tuesday 31st January 2006

Top Spin on the Xbox was something of a revelation; much more in depth than SEGA’s Virtua Tennis with more shots, a complex but exciting career mode and online play. The graphics were as sweet as a nut, a cool “In The Zone” meter kept the mentalities of the players swinging about by offering ways back into matches and crowds booed and cheered. So what’s new for players owning a PS2?

Not much. A new roster of players, and that’s it. Seriously.

Every console needs a good tennis game. The PS2 has a few.

Seeing as we were too busy playing Top Spin on the Xbox to ever start writing about it, we might as well kill two birds with one stone. The question however remains; Top Spin or Virtua Tennis? My verdict is both.

Top Spin’s focus seems to be on skillfully beating your opponent, taking them to the verge of 5 sets before crushing their dreams, rather than SEGA’s fast and frantic free-for-all where you attempt to power your opposite number off the court before sticking in a cheeky lob or soft shot just over the net. There’s a variety of shots to choose from; the standard shot is quite literally just a smash at the ball with the direction and depth of the shot determined by the placement of the d-pad or analogue stick. Then there’s the top spin, a lower bouncing shot that makes the receiver really work to return it. The lob is pretty self explanatory and the slice is a lower power, more precise shot that curves in the air and deceives the other racquet-holding goon on the other side of the net.

Is this game playing… himself?

Those are the 4 ‘main’ shots, but where the bread and butter really comes into play is at risk shots. Holding either of the shoulder buttons (or triggers, should you be an Xbox owner catching up) brings up a slider which moves bloody fast. Try and release the button when the moving slider gets as close to the middle as possible and you’ll hit a damn good shot that should render your opponent helpless. As with all shots however, it’s not simply pressing the buttons that will determine whether you get a point or not, but rather the timing and the situation you are in. Of course, screwing up the shot means a foul, but with the title of “risk shot” you already knew that, didn’t you?

Another factor that determines how successful shot are is the characters rating; seeing the ball in mid flight, your opponent on his arse in the corner, a full court to hit the ball just isn’t enough because if you’re wanting to hit it precisely, you’ll need a bit more than that one star ranking in volleys, pal. And this is where the career mode jumps in. Starting off by creating a character, you’re pushed into the world of tennis with just your clothes, a racquet and not much cash. There’s sponsor events to complete which will earn you money but also much frustration, being that you have to literally knock the balls off the carefully selected opponent to win the contract. To do that, you have to trawl around the various amateur events, beating fellow no-bodies and slowly saving up cash to have a stab at the lower ranking skill star events to make you more able to win matches.

Men’s doubles. Not all that much fun.

Things are very much like Gran Turismo, in that you hang around the crappy races, slowly building up your funds to buy that ever elusive turbo charger so your second hand Fiesta can have a fighting chance against the likes of Corvette and Porsche. Soon enough you’ll be on a roll, heading towards the top ranking spot, playing in better tournaments and acquiring even more money. Not without hard work though, as the game really makes you fight tooth and nail for the latter skill stars, and the more famous names on the circuit will be less willing to let you get a hand on multi-thousand dollar prizes. But it’s all fun and games, not least down to the mentality meter (better known as ITZ – In The Zone) that boosts your stats significantly during matches when you’re playing well and makes risk shots a bit easier to pull off. Giving away silly points by being cocky and arrogant reduces this meter and allows the opponent to get back in the game, so players are encouraged to be fully focused during matches. Best to leave the girlfriend at the pub, then.

Soon enough you’ll start to feel a bit lonely, what with just you on the circuit, and if you’re a real Billy no mates then, with all the wonders of broadband interwebs, you can turn to online play. There’s your standard single matches which you can either enter via matchmaking or with a friend, doubles matches (but they won’t throw in a computer character for you so make sure you have 3 other players) and frequent tournaments laid on by the developers. Isn’t that nice? There’s not much difference between offline and online, besides your mutterings of discontent being possibly heard from the other side of the world, with no noticeable lag (both on Xbox Live and PS2 Online) and a cool ratings system whereby you can view friends stats from games.

Women’s doubles. Now that’s more like it!

Speaking of viewing, the graphics here in Top Spin are quite remarkable. Players look rounded and…human almost, and not just some ‘thing’ made from polygons that slightly resembles a famous names, albeit with a scary smirk constantly on their face. Created characters are full of life and personality thanks to the pre-career editor, and the equipment is also instantly recognisable and not blurred away from focus at any point. The stadia’s look very nice also, from park courts with the odd dog walker wandering about and pigeons watching from atop of floodlights to full seater stadia, complete with half empty bowls of strawberries and cream.

Made from the same people that gave us the rather loveable Links 2004, this really is a game, let alone a tennis game, that you shouldn’t be without. If you already own the Xbox version of Top Spin there really isn’t any point in getting this as all that’s on offer is a different roster of players, but the unique gameplay still stands strong.