Originals
OriginalsTop Spin
Posted by: kombo
I got spanked by a monkey1988. Unfortunately, I can honestly say that it wasn’t due to my lack of skill that the monkey won the match, but rather a combination of factors; A) lag is a huge issue. I have yet to play a game that does not lag severely. Granted, it could be my T1 connection, but... no. 2) For some strange reason the timing on the serve no longer matters. No matter how good you are at timing your serve for maximum power, the lag issue will always throw you off. Be prepared to re-learn your serve timing. Lastly, nobody uses their custom players online. If you aren’t facing Sampras, then you’re losing to Hewiit. What fun. So, aside from the fact that the other guy was really good and I sucked, that’s what hindered my online play… honestly. If you bought this game for XSN support, make sure to start or join a league with nearby friends only. However, if you fancy a lag-a-licious game with people who rarely show up for their matches, then go ahead and join some random league. Graphics Anna Kournikova is hot. So is this game. Nuff said. There really isn’t much to say about this game aside from the fact that it’s a very good looking game. Player animations are silky smooth and nearly all character models are damn fine representations of their “real world†selves. Though the plastic shine of 3D models does, at times, detract from the overall believability of the character models, it hardly becomes noticeable during gameplay. Some of the best design work was paid to developing quality stadiums. Each venue is rendered with great detail and exemplary accuracy. Elephantitis, its finally possible. Perhaps Top Spin’s best graphical show lies in its amazing create-a-player feature. With it I was able to create both a fairly believable representation of myself and a man riddled with elephantitis of the everything (no, they aren’t the same person). Given the fact that the players were animated with motion capture technology, each created player you make will move like a pro. Imagine the Elephant man kicking up dust as he sprint and slides across the clay court… awesome. Sound How exciting is the sound of a ball bouncing? Really… Ok granted it’s a tennis game, but with recent games pulling off a custom soundtrack so nicely, there is no reason for Top Spin to not do so also. With games like Conflict Desert Storm 2: Back to Baghdad, benefiting from the custom soundtrack feature, tennis games (and for that matter all sports games) could do the same. I mean, come on, if a war game can do it, why not tennis? Furthermore, the in-game music leaves much to be desired. While it may not sound like the generic 1980’s wanna-be big hair rock of Vritua Tennis, The Vines’ “Get Free†does not a good soundtrack make. â€OUT! OOT! HUT!†Luckily, the team at Microsoft spent more time developing quality sound effect for actual gameplay rather then licensing good music to listen to while setting stuff up in the menus. After a few matches in different venues you will immediately notice the individual attention paid to diversifying sound. Line judges will shout “out†in one venue, while in another, a heftier, more gruff judge may shout “OOT!†The crowds will clap in anticipation of a match and cheer you on as you gain the lead. They will react to your celebration or frustration while tennis balls thump resoundingly with heavier hits than with lighter taps. Just wait until you hear your footsteps quicken pace, then slide on a clay court… you’ll love it. Replay Make sure to keep home court advantage. My initial impression of Top Spin was that it would dominate most of my online play. Unfortunately that is not the case. While the multiplayer fun should have people coming back for more over and over again, those of you who buy this title for the XSN support may be a little disappointed. As I stated earlier, the online play was very laggy and pretty much made gameplay frustrating. The sad thing is that, this game is so much fun to play offline that the online value suffers greatly. When you see the amount of potential this game has for online play, the truth will be that much more bitter. Granted the games might have suffered because I wasn’t hosting and my opponent might have been farther than just down the street, but I highly doubt that was always the case. Luckily, the offline gameplay is very addictive. After touring the world and building up your custom character to a complete tennis god in the deep single player career mode, the multiplayer matches are sure to fill the void. Get a friend to play doubles and you’re in for a few hours of tense tennis action. Overall This is hands down the best tennis game on the market. It improves on nearly every aspect of video game tennis, ever. Everything from the intuitive control scheme to the expanded career mode is golden. Even though it doesn’t completely deliver on the online front, the rest of the package is sure to serve up an ace. Though Microsoft’s entry into the console tennis cup was not the most anticipated, I guarantee that its sequel will most definitely meet with a welcome audience. Top Spin does so much right this time around and still manages to leave enough room for needed improvement. Mixed doubles, lag-less online play and a few unlockable features are sure to make next year’s Top Spin a sure fire hit, in the mean time stick with this ace. Fernando Bueno
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