Top Spin 3 - 5/10

This is my first review I have written so don’t come dissin me please! And no I’m not a yanky!

I was eagerly awaiting the launch of this title. It had been billed as true tennis simulation, one that will allow you to grow into the role of the player.

It had some good names in the game from the current crop and some from the past to add some nostalgia to it also.

I ripped into my games store with some excitement and parted with my hundred pasos and headed home for some kick ass tennis action.

The first thing that struck me was the graphics, if they are 720P then someone is telling porky pies, the graphics are average at best in line with a good PS2 game, certainly not good solid 720P PS3 standard.

Ok I can look past if the game rocks though and its playable. Firstly I’m all for inventive control methods and pushing something different, but there’s also a place for the old well if it isn’t broken lets leave it. Trying to hit the ball while moving proved very difficult in fact dam near impossible even after sitting through countless “school” shots

Serving was simple but the lack of variety of serves disappointed me, why can we have a high Stephen Edberg “Kicker” or Sampras slider that stays low and slides away, the only variety I could do was left or right…hmm anyone for ping pong on the SNES please!

Returning proved very difficult as I stayed before hitting and moving at the same time was fraught with danger. You have started your swing very early then release as the ball approaches you. Its almost two part process and while I can see the idea behind it - it doesn’t work too well simply because you have to swing too early thus creating a guessing game of sorts, I play real tennis and you don’t swing after the ball has left your opponents racquet you swing as its coming over the net or there about. In this game if you were to do that you would miss the ball “too late”

Also your player had to be in the perfect position to hit, slightly left or right and he doesn’t lunge for it, the lack of lunging is laughable as you see players lunging at Wimbledon all of the time.

Yes you slowly improve your player in career mode but it took me 5 goes to even win a point.

I can see the validity of trying to create a true sports sim but it should never be at the expense of fun, this wasn’t fun it was like getting teeth pulled fun.

If a game has poor controls its doomed from the start, if that’s matched by poor graphics (for next gen standards) then it’s in trouble.

I played this game for a week and the character started to develop into a good player but the sluggishness of the controls still limited my enjoyment. You could win points by using the trick shots pretty easily but for crying out loud it’s marketed as simulation, since when do you see trick shots in tennis to win points?

In fact I could barely win a point without using the trick shots and it always felt like I was cheating when I used it.

Luckily for me the game store has a 7 day cooling off period so I was able to exchange it for something else at no cost.

Anyone this game is definitely a try before you buy game.

Submitted by sven 03/07/2008 5

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More Info:

Top Spin 3

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