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Top Spin 2 arrives on the Xbox360 with little in the
way of competition. With EA yet to splurge into the Tennis field,
and the only other sports offerings being Amped 3, NBA
2K6  and NHL 2K6 – all also from the 2K Sports
stable – the title clearly has it’s own market sewn-up. But,
simply being the only representation of its genre clearly isn’t
enough to warrant purchase by itself; in time, there will no doubt
be countless rivals to the title. So, as the first title to launch
on the Xbox360 in the Tennis genre, does it have the staying power
to last-through the Tennis drought?
The title provides the usual gameplay options; Exhibition,
Tournament, Career and Party Games. The Exhibition Mode plays
individual matches, with human or AI opponents, whilst the
Tournament Mode let’s you create your own knockout tournament with
both human and AI players. The Career Mode – a modern staple in
sports videogaming – must be played through, at least to a minor
extent, in order to best make use of the title’s XboxLIVE! functionality,
as the majority of it will see you using your Create-A-Player built
as you start the Career Mode, and Levelled-Up throughout. The Career
Mode plots five seasons in a similar fashion to the Calendar System
used in Juiced; Events, Tournaments or Training will be
available on selected dates, some of which you may not be able to
enter until you have improved either your abilities or status, and
on each day you may only play one of the  three available options.
The Career Mode may be seen as the traditional flair for modern
sports gaming; however in Top Spin 2 the vision seems largely
superfluous. There is little incentive to continue playing through
the Career Mode once all the Xbox360 Achievements have been
unlocked; of which there aren’t many.
The title features an interesting, opportunist control
set-up. Basic returns are executed with the Face Buttons – A for
Safe Shot, Y for Lob etc. – whilst Risk Shots and Special Shots
are performed by holding the R Trigger or L Trigger respectively
whilst pressing the corresponding Face Button to the move you wish
to execute. Initially feeling over-complicated and out-paced, the
method soon becomes natural and Drop-Shots just behind the Net are
within your grasp.
There’s a large variety of courts offering the usual
variety in surface and texture, and the variety of clothing and
accessories is bordering on Dead Or Alive-style fixation. The
Create-A-Player feature rivals the likes of WWE SmackDown! Vs.
Raw 2006 and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for it’s
depth, and allows you to create some truly monstrous beings.
Top Spin 2 is very polished graphically. Many of the
players greatly resemble their real-life counterparts, often putting
EA efforts with FIFA 06: Road To
FIFA World Cup to shame. The
lighting effects are comfortable, although never really having too
much an effect on the gameplay, and the animation for the majority
is top-notch. The title features easy guitar-lead tunes and a few
up-beat light-rock bands. Nothing to upset mum, but hardly as
“edgy” as the likes of Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland, Full
Auto or Driver: Parallel Lines.
Top Spin 2 is in a league of it’s own on the
Xbox360, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Its pacing has a
distinctive display of a developer who knows they are seen as the best in
their field, and has an unpleasant comparison with EA’s football
branding appearing all too obvious. For Tennis fans, you could do a
lot worse, but for those simply looking for a fun break from the
monotonous racing and shooting on the Xbox360 would be better
looking at Indie Bullit Inc. and 2K Sports first Alternative Sports
title; Amped 3.
 
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