First Impressions: Top Spin 3

Filed under: , by: Grundy the Man


Hello, I would like to tell the group that I have a problem. I am addicted to tennis games. Admitting you have an addiction is one of the first steps to recovery, but here is the problem, I have no desire to get better. Whenever I pick up a digital racket, it is like my inner, Ritalin-addicted five-year-old self comes out. This is my personal heroine.

Ever since pong, virtual tennis games been destroying the lives of gamers everywhere. I can not put my finger on what it is, but tennis games have mystical powers. These are powers that make you ignore faults in the gameplay, graphics, and AI, because of one simple fact: it's a friggin' tennis game. The number of hours in my life that have been stolen away by these cursed creations can't be counted, only regretted. Whew... Now that I have that off my chest, lets get to the preview of Top Spin 3 for the Xbox 360.



I have been fortunate enough to have played every installment in the Top Spin franchise. The quality of the game improved with every version, highlighting new features to add to the immersive experience of intense tennis competition. This years new additions include a new and innovative control scheme that utilizes flicks of the right thumb stick to perform specialty shots.

New controls have always been tough to grasp, especially from a series that I have been so familiar with, but I had a particularly rough experience. In areas that would have been simple in past titles, I am struggling immensely. That said, the Top Spin games could never be perfected overnight, so I will continue to put in time in hopes of figuring it out!

Another reason that I may be struggling is that I am going through the career mode using a created player. Creating a player is a very deep process, that Top Spin has pioneered since the original. Tons of customizable options are at your disposal, as you try to create the next world champion. You have the typical design a face mode, that is comparable to EA's "Game Face" technology in both depth and variety. Anything you can imagine, you can create, all the way down to the personality of your player. Really, it is quite impressive.

The other major addition to Top Spin 3 is the introduction of "Tennis Legends." The legendary players that are featured include Boris Becker, Monica Selles, and Björn Borg. With a wide variety of different modes and a fresh new soundtrack, this is a game that has a lot to offer. The withdrawal effects are starting to get the best of me, I need to score another hit of Top Spin 3.

You can look forward to a full review soon... If I can ever manage to pull myself away.

Below is the trailer for Top Spin 3:

0 comments: