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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       2nd November 2005: Top Spin Tennis  The popular tennis game comes to the PlayStation 2 a little to late to aid our Wimbledon effort. But is the game better than the English tennis stars? Read our review to find out... Posted by Chris Barnett - PlayStation 2,Xbox - UK and Europe Although tennis games are quite simple in concept, there are very few that actually warrant a purchase, let alone a play. But Top Spin Tennis on the Xbox was a tennis game to make people stand up and notice. It was more realistic than the classic Virtua Tennis games (and still is in the light of progressive games in that series) but with no less enjoyment in the gameplay. It comes as no surprise then that this PlayStation 2 version is as good as tennis could get in this generation of consoles. The gameplay is spot on and it is easy to get into - what more could you want? The game has four modes: career, exhibition, custom tournament and online multiplayer. The exhibition and custom tournaments are pretty straight forwards 'select what you want and get on the court', which is great if you just want a quick match with friends. The main bulk of the game lies in the career mode, as you would expect. This involves the creation and grooming of a potential tennis champion. The initial creation of a career involves the usual 'identikit' body selections that are so common these days. But since this is the PlayStation 2, the developers have included EyeToy support, so you can put your real face into the game. This works very well and is a good feature considering the amount of screen time you will actually get (in an FPS game you rarely see the 'face match' that you so carefully imported). From this initial creation you must progress through training and increasing tournament levels; some involving sponsorships that you must posses in order to enter. It is all very much 'gain the key to enter' but with the added realism of contracts and the like. The formula works well and manages to remain simple enough to avoid any possible confusion or boredom. It could be more in depth, but then the game would lose its entire appeal as an accessible tennis game. The controls are where the magic of the game lie; they are so simple that anyone could pick the game up and at least grasp what they are doing. There are just four basic shot types: risk, slice, safe and topspin. Each of these is pulled off with ease and the only differentiation is with the serves, which follow a power meter. This is simply two 'X' presses to determine power. An additional 'risk' or 'spoon' serve is available by holding the L1 button, but that is just for risk takers and is not really required for success. As the modes and controls are pretty much perfect for any tennis game, the only let downs involve the graphics and sound. Neither is very impressive, but they do their job quite well enough to allow the gameplay to flow. We get the impression that is animation processes were more fluid or varied then it may come at the cost of the speed of the overall game and that is something that we would not like at all. Think of it like Sensible Soccer, the graphics were never impressive, nor was the sound. But it is still probably the most enjoyable football game of all time. The online mode gives the game extra depth, but is poor compared to the actual 'console only' multiplayer due to the poor implementation of online features in the PlayStation 2. You will probably only go online a couple of times before realising that it is better to play against people in the same room. Official players do feature, but only a small selection, which is a shame. But since tennis players have little actual charisma anyway, this is not a loss to the gameplay at all. If you want a star to be in the game you can simply cut out their face from 'The Sun' newspaper and take a photo of it with the EyeToy to import them into the game. Easy, and strangely compelling as we were scanning in the England football team and even added Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean for a laugh. Quite simply put, this is the tennis game to own if you have a PlayStation 2, even if you own others. It is far from a perfect package, but then neither is anything else in the world. Chris Barnett             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  A fine tennis game that will be playable by anyone who is prepared to simply pick up a joypad. Not perfect, but with a little understanding you will realise that brilliance shines through in the gameplay.  Related Games:  Top Spin Tennis for PlayStation 2  17  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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