What a Racket: Top Spin Tennis is all about the ti

MR PAPPAGI0RGIO · Oct 18, 2003

What a Racket: Top S

This is an article that was in our paper yesterday, and likely in a lot of yours as well, anyway I found it on the web as well, so I will quote it for you enjoy.

This article is from Tribune Media Services
TOP SPIN TENNIS, FOR XBOX - It's not like us to get excited about a tennis game. Then again, this is no ordinary tennis game.

You can play singles and doubles matches (and tournaments) as or against 16 of the world's top professionals, including Anna Kournikova, top-ranked Lleyton Hewitt and the legendary Pete Sampras. (You can also challenge all comers on-line as part of the Xbox Live XSN Sports network.)

But a lot of tennis games have featured top pros, and most of 'em fell short when it came to the actual game play.

Top Spin has it all figured out. The variety of shots - drops, lobs, smashes - and the way you can affect them is amazing. It's all about timing. A simple press of a button launches a lob, a standard return, a topspin shot or a drop. But the longer you hold the button, the more you affect your shot. (You also increase the chances of mishitting, or of whiffing altogether.) Service works the same way. You can just safely put the ball in play, or work with a meter that measures the power of your shot. Time it right and you'll launch a rocket that kicks up dust on the other side of the court. Miss and you'll toss a marshmallow that your opponent will most likely slam down your throat.

The players look and move like real-life pros, running, lunging, diving, even rolling to try to reach tough shots. If you play on clay, your outfit will soon be dusted with red stains. Even grass gets you dirty in this one.

Emotion plays a role, too. After every shot in multi-player, you have the option to offer up a response via a button press. Pull off a great shot and press the right button, and your character pumps a fist or leaps in the air. If you miss, you'll shake your head or slam your racket to the ground. It's not just for show - signal in before your opponent and momentum builds in your favor. It's subtle, but late in the game it can have a significant impact.

JON SAYS: I spent a couple of summers at tennis camps and still like to knock the ball around once in a blue moon, but I'm not really a player. This one is making me think about picking up a racket again. - A

CHIP SAYS: I'm a tennis fanatic, and other than the occasional title like Mario Tennis, which snared me due more to its goofy Nintendo appeal than the sports action, this is the first tennis game that's actually caught my eye. It plays the way I do (better of course - I don't have a 150-mph serve). Top Spin is ultra-realistic and ultra-good. - A-plus

OVERALL RATING: A - BUY IT FOR TENNIS FANS
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jackBURTON · Oct 18, 2003

wow - really sounds amazing.

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What a Racket: Top Spin Tennis is all about the ti

MR PAPPAGI0RGIO Well-Known Member

jackBURTON Well-Known Member

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What a Racket: Top Spin Tennis is all about the ti

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