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Top Spin started out in life as a Microsoft published Xbox exclusive tennis game back in 2003. It even made use of Microsoft’s innovative, but short lived XSN service for the Xbox. Fast forward to the end of 2005 and it has done the impossible and jumped to the PlayStation 2. Now under 2K Games’ wing, has the game survived the port intact?
Top Spin on PlayStation 2 is pretty much a straight port of the original Xbox title. The gameplay and game modes are all intact, and it’s what you’d expect from a tennis game. It’s the inclusion of online play, though, that makes this stand out from the crowd on the PlayStation 2. The only other tennis game to offer this is the less than spectacular Outlaw Tennis. You’ve also got a selection of the best tennis pros, including Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova.
If you’ve played a modern tennis game, Top Spin will feel pretty familiar. Top spin, slice, drop and lobbed shots are all available, and feel just about right. The basic controls worked great in the original and this version is no different. The risk shot is also here, and it’s still a little too tricky to use. Holding R1 will bring up a metre with an oscillating bar. Releasing R1 when the bar is in the centre will result in a special shot. These can be faster serves or incredible ground strokes, and when they work, they work well, but you’ll miss-time them more often than not, losing the point through an unforced error.
When playing alone the career mode will provide plenty of entertainment, but it isn’t without its faults. You must try and work your way up the rankings by entering tournaments, winning prize money and earning cash along the way. Money earned from tournaments and sponsorship deals is used to pay for coaching, which is vital if you want to improve your player’s stats. The career mode feels very similar to that found in Virtua Tennis, and even includes the training mini-games – although these games aren’t as much fun as those in Sega’s title.
Changes to the original Xbox game aren’t horrific, but anyone who’s played the original will notice them. Visually the game has been clearly downgraded, with lower polygon models and less detailed textures. The courts in particular look a little rough (not in a well used way) when directly compared to the Xbox game. The online service isn’t as smooth as that found in the Xbox game either, with clunky menus and more hassle involved in getting online. The number of people online has made playing online somewhat of a waiting game, but this might pick-up over time.
The addition of EyeToy support seems like a nice bonus for PlayStation 2 players, but it’s nothing more than a gimmick. Combined with the comprehensive player creation tool (which is very good), the results of our face mapping were freakish at best, but it was fun to play as these monsters for a short time – even if their resemblance to humans was slim. Load times also start to grate, with loads of up to a minute at the start of a match and lengthy pauses while moving through menus; this all ads the general feeling of roughness that can be seen throughout the port.
Top spin on the PlayStation 2 is a perfectly playable tennis game, but it has lost much of the sheen that gave the Xbox game that something extra. If you must play tennis online on your PlayStation 2, Top spin is your best option, but Virtua Tennis might be a better choice for everyone else.
