Top Spin 2

UPC: 710425298813

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: 2K Sports

Developer: PAM Development

Category: Sports

Style(s): Tennis

Synopsis: The best-selling tennis series on Xbox makes its 360 debut with the release of Top Spin 2. Players can compete as or against one of 24 male and female tennis professionals, including Andy Roddick, Roger Federer, Tim Henman, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Lindsay Davenport. Custom athletes are also available with an assortment of clothing and appearance options as well as special taunts to express their happiness or frustration during the match. The original game's visuals have been revamped to take advantage of the console's advanced technology, offering more animations, dynamic crowds, and detailed stadiums. Players can follow the career of a star in the making with the signature Grand Slam mode, where created athletes advance through grueling training camps, championships, and tournaments over multiple seasons. Up to four players can test their tennis skills online via Xbox Live. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Package Contents: Registration Card

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The documentation is satisfactory, but players will learn more about the controls and shot types from the in-game training sessions. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The player models are well-defined and sport nice detail, but they are a notch below the athletes in other Xbox 360 sports games. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Top Spin 2 follows in the fancy footwork of its Xbox predecessor by offering crisp, well-animated visuals and a more than serviceable selection of shots. As in the original, Top Spin 2 carefully blends arcade-style action with simulation elements to make it accessible for fans of all skill levels. More importantly, it addresses a number of shortcomings from the original to make it the best tennis game on the market to date. Solo players will appreciate the in-depth career mode, while online enthusiasts will welcome the chance to compete without cheap shots and exploits fouling up their ranked matches. Top Spin 2's career mode is more than double the length from the first game, giving players the chance to gradually build their created male or female athlete over five years of tournaments, training sessions, rivalry matches, and more. Winning events lets players receive stars to improve their character's attributes as well as the cash to pay the costly entry and training fees. Earning the 180 possible stars is a sticking point for those expecting to jump on Xbox Live and compete right away, as the edge clearly goes to those who earned their stripes in the single-player game. Maxing out stats and acquiring advanced techniques such as dump shots or counter shots is necessary before having a chance against the majority of online players. The four available risk shots, the source of much frustration in the first game, are not as useful in Top Spin 2 and should be considered desperation moves that are more effective when used sparingly. Even the powerful advance shots are held in check by a momentum meter that is replenished by skillful play on the court. The result is more balanced matches emphasizing technique over trickery. Top Spin 2 is not a drastic leap in visuals or features from the original, and a few quirks like lengthy loading times and sloppy doubles play are unfortunate faults. Yet comparing Top Spin to Top Spin 2 is like comparing Anna Kournikova to Maria Sharapova. Both are easy on the eyes, but only one is the complete package. While Top Spin 2 may be a few swings shy of an ace, it's clearly a smash hit for tennis trainees. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A few more modes or mini-games wouldn't have hurt, but the online action certainly helps the replay value. Players can also create custom tournaments. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

The crowd isn't involved with the on-court action at all. There's also no color commentary, which is a wasted opportunity to inject some more excitement into key matches. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

A solid playing tennis game that is enjoyable online and off. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.