	Top Spin 2
	Developer: Indie Built Publisher: 2K Sports Release Date: Out Now Players: 1-4	Words By:
I'm not sure if I was the best person to review this game (and the time it's taken me to actually complete, I am sure the boss agrees) as I'm not a fan of the real game, but that has never stopped me enjoying console tennis games, so I gave it a go. Many things were said in the build up to Top Spin 2 being released - many lauded over how nice the screen shots looked and how good it would be to have a 'next generation' tennis title. The problem is that, being Tennis, with the exception of graphics there is not much else that 'next gen' technology can add to the game. On loading, things start in much the same way as any sports title - single arcade matches or a career with character creation etc. As always I opt straight for the career and the character generator. It was here that I was to be somewhat impressed - the creator is nothing if not in-depth and enabled me to create the closest likeness to myself that I have yet managed (mind you, I am an ugly bugger). You can make male or female characters and unlike the original Top Spin can also play mixed matches. This is both good thing and a bad thing because whilst previously the game held a hint of realism as ladies played a slightly less power-based game that ended up with more rallies, now it seems to make little difference which sex you play as and can easily beat Roger Federer with a well-trained Hootie McBoob (not a real lady pro, it's my made-up character). After this it was into the game proper and it was here that my interest wavered. First, you get numerous training mini-games. Each playing aspect has a training game - serving, for example, sees you having to hit highlighted zones with a serve - there are also sessions where you have to knock down walls or move bowling balls around. It's going to be familiar stuff to anyone who has played a tennis game since the Dreamcast's classic Virtua. The problem is, with the exception of the graphics what you have here it is all "seen it, done it all before" stuff. My first real bugbear though was not actually with the rather boring training modes, but with the load times that you face to get them. At times it takes longer to load the training (and then load the menu once it's finished) than it does to actually play the training drill. On top of that, the stock music you get during this time is awful. I know this may seem petty but in this day and age we should not be faced with these excruciating loading times. I know the 360 doesn't have a hard drive as standard but it seems that the majority of users have one - why don't developers consider it an option and use it to help speed up load times? When certain games can create whole worlds with only minute load times, why should I have to be faced with a HUGE wait just to get back to a menu...? Anyway, that aside I preserved with the training for a while and then entered my first competition. Here was my first opportunity to play the game proper and see exactly how it looked and played. Okay, it's early days for the 360, but I for one was rather impressed with the graphics - the main characters look "real" (even self generated ones) and feel solid enough whilst the environments you play in feel right. They actually feel alive and with a 5.1 sound system you do get a "being there" feeling. As for playing the game - well to be honest, I find it easier to play the real thing (and I get out of breath walking DOWN the stairs) - rather than having a "one button does it all" control system like many will be used to, TS2 has a button for each of the basic shot types. The most simple of these is the safe swing which no matter where you are in the court will make sure your shot never goes out. The problem with this though is that it's nigh on impossible to win the point using it, so you have to resort to more advanced shots. I played for hours initially and all I got was frustrated. The controls felt too complex - there seemed to be no logic or consistency involved when making these advanced shots. Just when I felt like I had worked out how to control the angle and power of the shot, the next shot did something completely different. I never felt like I had full control and, try as I might, the only thing the game succeeded in doing was making me angry. It also felt sluggish - it may look nice, but I would much rather it looked shabbier and played better. At times it felt like I was running in treacle and at others I missed shots for no reason at all. It's as if your on-screen representation gets bored and just can't be bothered to make the shot. Online the game suffers from the same problems as its predecessor, a potentially pleasant experience is ruined by painful loading times, the slightest hint of lag and stupid, unsporting opponents who quit rather than lose. Get together with a friend or a proper player though, and it can be fun, but too many rallies are punctuated not by a shot of great skill, but by a shot that lagged so badly that the ball was back past one player or another before they had a chance to react. We have an 8 Meg line here so goodness knows what the lag problems are like on slower connections. Die hard tennis fans will no doubt get this just for what it is, but everyone else would be better off with a rental or spending money on a game which makes you feel in control. With the exception of enhanced graphics (and the price) there is nothing "next gen" about this title.

Best Bits
- Looks nice
- Sounds nice

Worst Bits
- Ridiculously long load times
- Feels sluggish to play
- Laggy online games


by: Masonic Dragicoot