Tennis is a sport that has been around for quite a while in the video game industry, if one considers the Atari 2600 game Tennis to be the beginning (and there could be a good case that Pong would fit the bill as a tennis game, considering it had a “tennis†option. Of course, we are over twenty-five years out from these first attempts at a tennis game, but it feels as if 2K Sports has reached a state of near perfection with their latest iteration of the Top Spin line, Top Spin 3. Players can choose from a number of tennis stars, including current stars like Tommy Haas, Andy Roddick, and Roger Federer, along with women’s stars like Maria Sharapova, and Svetlana Kuznetova and classics like Monica Seles, Boris Becker, and Bjorn Borg.
The shots that each star can use in a match are dependent on the skill level of the player; the inclusion of the right analog controller for further specificity will ensure that success or failure in a match is dependent on the player, instead of the limitations of the game. The one thing that will matter to an individual’s method of play is the environment in which their star is playing; the environmental controls make for different physics and control, depending on whether the weather is sunny, windy, rainy, or the like. For players that focus their attentions toward the TV whenever there is live tennis footage, the characters accurately mimic their real-life counterparts, whether it is through their unique swings, the clothing that they war, or even their hairstyle at the point which they were modeled.
What I feel to be the best feature of Top Spin 3 would have to be the online play option, where individuals can pit their skills against practically anyone in the world, be it in singles, doubles, or even a world tour that ranks players in much the same way as they are ranked in real life. The graphics in Topspin 3 are sharp, ensuring that there is fluid animation to the players’ movement, no matter whether they are serving or trading an intense set of volleys, running all over the court. So, make sure to pick up a copy of Top Spin 3, either use one of the game’s 16 characters or create your own, and attempt to build your way up the tennis charts while listening to some killer cuts by both famous acts (Franz Ferdinand, Boys Like Girls) and up and coming bands (Calvin Harris, The Go! Team).
Rating: 9.0/10
Top Spin 3 (PS3) / 2008 2K Sports / http://www.topspin3thegame.com / http://www.2ksports.com /