Top Spin 2

While Top Spin 2 may handle really well, it doesn’t really hold up that much in the graphics department. This game is definitely not the best looking next generation game and it’s arguable that graphics like these are somewhat comparable to last gen consoles. Nonetheless the backgrounds still look impressive and textures are definitely on the sharper side with tons of detail. My biggest disappointment is with the character design, as I found most of the players to barely resemble their real-life counterparts, at the same time all the players in game have that plastic look which is very unappealing if you ask me.

The good side of it all is that the animations are impressive and many transitions from running, to winding-up, to hitting, to serving, to volleying are all seamless and look very life-like. Also it’s worth noting that the physics in the game are pretty good as well, although in a game like this you won’t notice it that much outside of training mode.

If you’re looking for a next gen graphical experience here, you will be disappointed, but in fairness to the game I will say that a major part of the it will be spent in a distant camera view which would probably look the same no matter how good the graphics are up close.

Top Spin 2 provides a real sounding tennis experience, the thing is, tennis is a very “quiet” game. The crowd reactions are usually just a few claps after a point has been played; there aren’t any screaming or loud reactions of sorts. Both racquet and tennis ball impact sounds are good but simple as well. Overall, the sounds that should be present are present and are good, but again there isn’t that much to be impressed by.

The music of Top Spin 2 varies based on the setting of the court, depending on where it is located geographically. Most of the music is well produced but I felt it was very boring and stale. The menu music got annoying fairly quickly and led me to mute it completely shortly after getting the game. But still, I’m sure some people will like and in the end it’s a matter of personal opinion.

The Live experience is very simple and basic; there are 2 options, a Ranked Match and a Player Match. The basic difference is that a ranked match will only let you use your custom player from career mode, while a player match will let you pick one of the licensed players. From there you go in and play a match and quit and join a new one. Playing ranked match will add points to your player’s rank, but I should point out that Top Spin 2 doesn’t match players based on their skills, or stars, so when playing with a low skilled player you might find yourself paired with someone with 60 gold stars who will basically wipe the floor with you.

Final Word

Top Spin 2 is definitely one of the better games I played on the Xbox 360 and it gets very addictive, especially if you never played Top Spin 1 or Virtua Tennis before it. The character development elements of career mode are well emplaced and coincide nicely with the unique features of training mode and the participation of your player in different regionals, opens, and slams.

But I must also say that there are some things you should be willing to put up with as well. For instance, as mentioned, the graphics aren’t the best but are decent nonetheless and other things that can be a nuisance to some are the constant loading times, which can get a little too long. But, if you are willing to look past those, you will find a brilliant game with very fun gameplay, both online and offline.