Top Spin 3 offers plenty of modes including exhibition, career, and tournament as well as a very detailed tutorial and of course online and offline multiplayer. The game can be punishing and brutal to both novice and seasoned players but the one thing that rings true is the realistic mechanics of playing Tennis. Together with the timing of your swing and the placement of the ball, requires players pay careful attention to these details without the screen getting bogged down by gauges or timers or any other gaming mechanism typically used in a sports game.

For those new to series, I suggest starting with the tutorials since it can help you get a good handle on the complex and complicated control scheme within Top Spin 3. That is if you can withstand the hours of tutorials and practice it takes just to get a handle on the game. Here’s the general idea, and I mean general – I kept this part short (no really…I did)! The left analog stick controls where the player meets the ball, while holding, A, B, or X controls how to swing. Letting go at the right time performs a perfect shot, but letting go too early performs a weak or wild shot while alternatively, letting go too late either misses or performs a shot that’s too powerful and goes over the baseline (or “out” for a less technical term). Using other buttons with the left analog stick to direct your shot lets you perform slices, drop shots, lobs and the Right Bumper and Left Bumper let you race up to the net to volley shots back and forth in quick succession. But if you were paying attention, the Left Analog stick performs two functions, which is where I ran into a lot of difficulty. Once you have moved your character into position you have to then aim with the same stick, even with lots of practice, the best you’ll get is half your shots will be aimed, the other half – you’re character will inexplicably walk away from your shot. These kind of touchy controls make for a frustrating game and people who don’t want to spend hours and hours learning to play the game with tutorials will find themselves switched off. It’s this complicated control scheme that makes the game extremely precise and that precision makes for an extremely sharp learning curve for all players.

Unfortunately, the difficult learning curve might drive many Top Spin and Tennis fans away from this title. Even when bringing the difficulty down to “Very Easy” I found this made very little difference in the computer’s AI level of play. Unfortunately, they don’t make silly mistakes or miss shots because they forgot to let go of the button to swing. Players can play every court and Tournament imaginable in the Tennis circuit, there’s one iconic one missing. I found myself asking “Where’s Wimbledon?!?”

Top Spin 3 takes a back-to-basics approach for Tennis, which also means that unless you have someone to play against, the game side feels as if it’s lacking a bit, especially in solo play. The crowd doesn’t increase the pace of the game either. They don’t get worked up into an excited frenzy when amazing shots are nailed and lobbed back and forth nor do they get incredibly disappointed when a mistake is made (like you see on TV). Instead the crowd seems rather unengaged and the reactions are kept on the players between plays, their disappointment and their excitement. Because of this we’re left with a game that doesn’t celebrate our achievements and instead it simply moves from one event to the next. It’s this lack of emotion that Top Spin 3 fails to truly engage its audience but for the truly dedicated Tennis fans this simulation will keep them busy for many seasons with the most realistic gameplay they could ever want; perhaps a little too realistic even. 

Graphics

The graphics and animation within Top Spin 3 are just as realistic as the game. Each event is rendered with extreme care and realism. There are only a few issues I noticed concerning the game’s graphics. A frame rate difficulty seemed to appear during the every introduction animation of the court being played but disappears when the characters playing that court were introduced. A small but noticeable pixelation is also present in the player-creation tool which becomes much more noticeable areas like the Player-Area more specifically when trying on the various clothing items. These are minor issues and don’t detract from the graphics overall quality with is extremely well detailed. This game goes above and beyond what is expected graphically and will gives an experience that is equal to being at each of the locations that are featured within the game. 

The ambitious player-creation tool is one of the highlights of the game both in the features it offers and its beauty graphically. It allows for an incredible amount of customization as players create their own Tennis Star using their own self image. A minor complaint of mine however was that there were too many customizable features for some menu; many of which were difficult to see changes in the render when adjustments were made. Features like the eye color and even the miniscule changes in different types of serves, forehand and backhand animations choices made for a system that was a bit more complex than it really needed to be. Players also have access to many licensed personalities that exist in Top Spin 3, rendered in exquisite perfection such as Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg, and Monica Seles. By the way, Andy Roddick’s serve is rendered to perfection; I checked. But unfortunately some very prominent professionals are missing like Ana Ivanovic, Rafael Nadal and the Williams sisters. While the player-creator is strong enough to allow these players to be created, it means that these characters can’t be played against in tournaments, career competitions or in exhibition play. Their signature moves, and familiar styles simply didn’t exist in the game.

Sound

The music is a mix of popular tunes from artists like Jamiroquai, Boys Like Girls, The Go! Team and Stone Roses. ”.  The music is so upbeat and toe-tapping it will make you want to grab a controller and check the game out if for no other reason than to hear more music. I wish they’d added a few more tunes because the soundtrack can get a little repetitive after spending a long time carefully creating the perfect character. The sound effects are a good fit for the game, and like the game add continued realism to the entire package. The many “grunt” sound effects seem to be a little overdone at times but just like on television, these can be switched off by either turning the sound volume down when they get on your nerves (and they can after a few sets). There is also a setting in the player-creation tool which allows players to set these grunts to either off, or a mixture of specific settings to their liking increasing the sound customization of the game. While the sound effects aren’t anything too spectacular, I did find the music however much to my liking; the soundtrack was excellent, albeit a little repetitive but, still entertaining and fun. I would have liked an option to run some of the music during matches but that would have detracted from the ‘serious’ and realistic approach of Top Spin 3.

Value

Top Spin 3 is a solid simulation for die hard Tennis fans. Casual and even hardcore players will find this version of Top Spin 3 much more difficult than previous incarnations and this may be a turn-off. However the game delivers a very realistic Tennis game with tons of modes and lots of replay value for anyone looking for a challenge and has the time to invest to practice many hours with the controls.

Bottom Line

Top Spin 3 takes a back-to-basics approach for Tennis, which also means that unless you have someone to play against, the game side is lacking, especially in solo play as the control scheme requires extreme practice. Players wanting to play a simple game of Tennis may need to look elsewhere or may need to put lots of time aside for a more involved game.

Verdict

Rent it first!

Due to the increased difficulty in gameplay, this may prove more frustrating than entertaining. Even die hard fans of the series will find this incredibly punishing but that challenge could be right up your alley! Check it out first, that difficult gameplay could be what you’ve been hoping the series would include, at least you aren’t in for the long haul with a game you cannot play.