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Platform: Xbox 360
Rating: 7.9 | 0 User Reviews | Send to Friend
By Scott Hesel
If tennis games were a family unit, Top Spin 3 would be like your successful older brother: Polished, intelligent, but he probably hasn’t had a drink in three years and is a little uptight. This is not necessarily a negative when it comes to 2K Sports’ newest offering – the market for tennis games has needed something a little more technical and realistic. As a result of this simulation-style approach, the Top Spin 3 controls have a steeper learning curve, leading to many ridiculous, flailing backhand attempts as you hold the x button down a split second too long in hopes of adding extra power. Once you master the controls, however, the possibilities for some realistic tennis open up, with options like the “risk shot” (accessed by the left and right triggers) allowing you to test your mastery with more powerful or angled volleys. The career mode in Top Spin takes a no-frills style, with the only customization being skill attributes and gear, and there are also no practice options. Frankly, this reviewer doesn’t care much the Sims-type customization seen in many sports career modes, so that’s no matter. The problem is that your player in the beginning of career mode plays like he/she in encased in cement until you build up skill attributes. Couple that with the game’s stolid atmosphere (silent crowds, muted player celebrations) and the Top Spin 3 can be a slog before you get to latter point of your career, and even then the atmosphere is still too passive. Nonetheless, the game still offers realistic and rewarding tennis play around once you put in the time, and it’s worth a look.
GAME PLAY: 8.0
The controls are tough to get used to, and the matches are way too slow in the beginning of career mode, but the game rewards you if you invest time to improve.
GRAPHICS: 8.2
Solid player graphics and animations. The stadiums look decent, but the same cannot be said for the crowds.
SOUND: 6.0
The lack of engaging crowd noise is the biggest disappointment in the game. The menu and loading music selections are good, but too limited; you hear the same songs over and over.
VALUE: 8.5
Like any good sports game, there are plenty of different ways to keep your attention once you get used to the controls.
OVERALL: 7.9
Flawed, but the best tennis sim available right now.
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