Top Spin

The volley sends Pete Sampras backwards. Sampras may be one of the older players on the tour, but he still moves with cat-like reflexes. He skids to a near stop on the red clay, rotates his body into a powerful backhand, but his opposition has closed to the net and cuts off the returning shot, laying a blistering cross-court winner.

Game, set, match - and all in the realm of fantasy.

Microsoft Game Studios, Power and Magic Development and XSN Sports are teaming up to bring Top Spin to life. The game is an amazing visual treat, with intuitive game play and an AI that allows your on-screen avatar to aid in controlling and placing shots.

The game includes some of the high-profile players in the professional tennis world, including Lleyton Hewitt, Sampras, Michael Chang, James Blake, Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova. You can play as any one of them in a exhibition settings or you can encounter them in the career mode. There are several ways to play Top Spin - Exhibitions, Custom Tournament, Career, Multiplayer (through XSN) and Tennis School.

In career mode, you begin as a young player trying to earn coin, which is used to upgrade your avatar. You can fly about the world to visit coaches for training to improve, or buy new gear. Get a sponsor, run through the variety of challenges they place before you (skills tied to achieving increasing challenging shots being filmed for a commercial), play in Pro-Ams and then Pro tourneys, and move your ranking up toward No. 1 in the world.

The game does feature some intuitive elements. That blistering serve can be returned by hitting a shot button. Your avatar will move, or lunge, in the direction of the shot. Sometimes the result can be a feeble return, but other times, it can be a strong volley.

While the exhibition and tournament modes are enjoyable, the true test of your ability with a racquet comes in the career mode. Avatars can be customized for a relatively unique look and then you begin with a Pro-Am to earn coin. That coin can be used to train your serve, forehand, backhand or volley, and acquire skills, such as a passing shot, power, or an ace serve.

While the game sound is very good, what really is remarkable is the graphical elements. The environments are amazing and uses three court surfaces, each with defining characteristics. The hard court (concrete) plays a little faster while the grass has softer bounces and the clay court allows both players and ball to skid a little. On the clay court, you can kick up dust which adds to the ambience of the game.

Shadows play across the stadium and player shadows are sharply defined and move as well as the avatars. Though the crowd is much less detailed, they do react well, and the stadium is littered with sponsor logos. The ball boys at the net will rotate their heads to follow the ball.

The game affords a variety of camera angles, and animations also include a flash of attitude from your players.

While the actual tournaments are shortened games per sets, the overall tempo is line with what one might see on television, with cut-away replays and close-up camera shots.

The game did have some anomalies through in the graphics department. On occasion, during a volley, the opposing player (in single-player mode) almost looked like they got hung up in trying to track a cross-court shot. They stuttered and then did not get to the ball in time. And at the pro-am level, it was easy to set up a winner with a serve to the far cross-court and then a volley up the near line. The opposing player did not learn or adjust to take that away.

The physical ball dynamics though were exceptional.

The game’s sound is very solid and captures the feel of tournaments, and even includes the sound of a tennis ball banging into a variety of objects on missed or errant shots.

The truly nice thing about this game, and one that makes it very accessible is the control elements. The game keeps these very player-friendly and the learning curve is small. Couple that with the training, and you can have a strong idea about what shot will do what before you set onto the court for your first match.

Top Spin is a terrific game. The eye candy is wonderful and the physical dynamics are, for the most part, very realistic and - at times - downright amazing. The game is evolving and presents a solid challenge for players of any age group or skill. Add an addiction quotient to the entertaining gameplay and this game certainly is a must-have for Xbox owners who also happen to be tennis fans.

This game will be rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 8.5
They actual game is set up much like a television broadcast so there is a plethora of replays featured here. Sometimes the opponent will stutter and almost look like they get hung up in pursuit of a crossing shot.

Graphics: 9
The player action animations are wonderful and though not much detail was given to the crowd, they move and react well to the game. Shadows and lighting are exceptional, and little things - like the ball boys at the net looking back and forth as the ball crosses the net, or the way there is a bit of a kick up of chalk on the clay surfaces is very well done. The ball dynamics are also excellent, though there are moments when the judges can take one in various places because they don’t react to the game.

Sound: 8.8
The announcing is solid and the musical score is strong as well. The music can be a tad repetitious, and it sometimes sounds like the referee is announcing the 15-love score as 15-all. The ball sounds, hitting the stands, are sharp, and have a tendency to sound alike regardless of the venue.

Difficulty: Medium
This game is really a challenge, especially in career mode where you have to accomplish certain skills to advance. However, the controls are aligned in such a manner to make the game easy to jump into and play.

Concept: 9
The career mode is a joy to play, and this game has a variety of options to keep it entertaining and a challenge.

Multiplayer: 8.8
The single-player AI is fairly good, but predictable. The true challenge comes in playing against another human foe. This game is supported by the XSN network.

Overall: 9
There are some very slight hiccups in the game, and the AI may be a touch predictable, but that should not deter tennis fans from picking up this title. Top Spin is a wonder outing on the courts, challenging and addictive, with exceptional game play.