I have always found immense enjoyment with the sport of tennis, whether by watching it on TV, getting some fresh air and actually playing it, or hitting the courts virtually in video games. Sega’s Dreamcast hailed one of my favorite sports titles – scratch that – titles ever – Virtua Tennis. It was, in my opinion, the first game to strictly inhabit the sport. A year later, there was the unrealistic gem Mario Tennis on the GBC, which while unrealistic, was frankly a handheld masterpiece. But in 2003 things heated up when Top Spin from XSN Sports rolled around and reinvented the genre yet again with its responsive controls, flashy graphics, and online play. So where does this take us? Top Spin 2, the original’s stellar sequel, is where. It doesn’t promise to reinvent the wheel this time around, but it does pledge to improve upon its already established formula. So, strap on your tennis shoes (literally, not just the all-too-common used stereotype term for non-dress shoes) and get ready for some hard-hitting, bone crushing, ankle-bending action. 

Top Spin 2’s gameplay is very similar to its predecessor. It’s still good ol’ tennis and nothing out of the ordinary has been thrown in. The heart of Top Spin 2 is found in its career mode where your goal is to become the #1 tennis player in the world. You’ll accomplish this objective by winning tournaments, but before you can enter into a tourney to earn the big bucks, you’ll need to hone your skills in training mode. Training mode includes several mini-games which by completing will score you some attributes to add to your custom character’s stat list. Each particular training process will carry different types of stats for you to add, not like in Tony Hawk titles where you get points and are able to implore them to any facet of your character. This forces you to try all the different training mini-games. Most of these training games are rather humdrum ordeals. There are a few that are fairly exciting, though, and one (baseline control) will have you hitting tennis balls into a bowling ball to knock down pins in order to rack up the required points to finish the task.  

Before starting out in career mode you will need to mold your custom character. And when I say mold, I strongly mean mold. The amount of options is mind-blowing. There are six main selections you have to choose from: skin, face shape, hair, morphology, attitude, and talents. Skin is where you’ll simply decide the color you want your face to opt, but it’s face shape where this create-a-player mode starts to get in-depth. Here you can fashion your eyes, cheeks, chin, brow, nose, mouth, forehead, and jaw. Wrinkles, ‘’vein intensity,’’ and freckles will also be able to be mingled with. You can make your character look vastly unique with this option. Next we have hair, where you, among other things, will be able to select the style and color. In morphology, your body type (fat, muscle, height) will be morphed into form. Attitude will have you choosing if you want your tennis player to be a screamer or a meek, Pete Sampras-esque saint. Serve stance and primary hand (right/left) you desire your character to possess are selectable as well. Lastly we have talents, or attributes, where you are given a small number of stars to develop your speed, power, focus, reflexes, stamina, etc.

There are three key things you can do in career mode. Train, play in a tournament, or enter a special event. It’s one heck of a ride, through and through and is much improved over Top Spin’s single-player. The opponent AI is second to none, and you can feel the difficulty gradually go up as you enter tougher tournaments and are playing against higher ranked rivals. Its create-a-player feature is amazingly well implemented, and you won’t want to stop playing until you’re the best in the world.

Exhibition mode is where you can freely match up your favorite real-life tennis pros and partake in a dream match. But before you get too frolicsome, remember to bring your A game. It’s no question some hard stuff. Heck, my first few times playing I found myself losing miserably. Exhibition mode should provide a wholesome challenge for seasoned players and a headache for rookies. But what if you don’t fall into either category and just want to sit back and relax? That’s where the party modes come into play. There are three self-explanatory games in total (time bomb, wall breaker, and splash court). They’re all mildly fun, but keep in mind you will need to own at least two controllers to participate in the madness as they’re multiplayer-only.

Online play, though not being this title’s best aspect, is nevertheless quite possibly its biggest attraction. I’m happy to report it’s nearly flawless aside from its lack of options. As one could imagine, lag would deeply tamper such a time-sensitive game. When playing, I only had a loading icon pop up once to regain a stable connection. No hiccups, frame-rate drops or visual glitches to articulate about. However, speaking of lack of options, there are only ranked and non-ranked matches. In a non-ranked you will be able to play with a professional character or your created beast, whilst in ranked you can only play as your created character. Fair enough, but I really wish you could develop your stats online instead of just in career mode. It would have added a substantial amount of replay value.   

Tennis games wouldn’t be anything without intuitive controls, and thankfully Top Spin 2 wholeheartedly delivers with a plethora of risk shots, shot types and candid sense of power. You can execute a risk shot/serve by combining the right trigger with a face button (A, B, X, or Y). For example, to pull off a dump serve, which is ideal for tricking your opponent, you simply hold the right trigger and press X. You can also muster a drop shot by using the same combination while the game is in play, as opposed to when serving. In addition to risk shots, there is what this game aptly titles advanced shots. These are done by mixing the left trigger with a face button. Advanced shots can be unlocked in career mode by finishing particular training courses.

All in all, Top Spin 2’s gameplay is superlative. You’ve got a deep career mode, a great player creation mechanic, a superb online component, and an extraordinary exhibition mode that finally isn’t child’s play. And to put the icing on the cake, Top Spin 2 possesses wonderfully done controls and bonus party games. There’s not much more you can ask for in a sports game.   

Top Spin 2’s visuals are a bit on the lacking side. While the environments and things of that nature are first-rate, the character models, faces in particular, are substandard. The good news is you probably won’t notice the bland textures as the animations are slicker than an icy road in the winter. Players gracefully glide across the vivacious courts as if they’re doves. Professionals represent their real-life counterparts exceedingly appropriate as well. Anyone who’s observed Lleyton Hewitt knows he hops and slides a great deal. The same is apparent in this game. It’s truly remarkable.

Fans of Hoobastank rejoice! Their song, ‘’Just One,’’ is the opening theme, and I must say, it fits the atmosphere. It’s upbeat, catchy, and energetic. However, if only the menu music was half-decent. It’s extremely repetitive and annoying. On the flipside, the custom soundtracks option takes care of this setback in a flash. Sound effects such as your racket hitting the ball are fantastic – maybe a little too much oomph at moments, but overall fairly well done. Top Spin 2 also nails how some players yelp when they swing their racket for a blast. Agitating, yes, but it’s most definitely realistic.
 

Gameplay: 8.6

The gameplay is packed to the brim with features. Its career mode is deeper than the Atlantic and you’ll get lost in the player creation facet due to the massive amount of customizations you can perform on your character. The online packs a powerful punch, too, with seamless production and brutal competition. Snuggle accessible controls and extras into the recipe and you’ve got yourself a Sports Title of the Year nominee.

Graphics: 7.2

Beautiful surroundings, but the characters look as if they could appear on the original Xbox. However, that’s not to say the visuals are bad. The animations and court variations are exceptional.

Sound: 7.6

Whether Hoobastank is trying to promote their new album due out in a couple weeks or not, ‘’Just One’’ is a show-stopper in the opening sequence. The sound effects are nothing to write home about, but they work.

Difficulty: Medium

Exhibition mode, difficulty-wise, has been overhauled. Tournaments in career start out generally easy to win, but as you progress they’ll get harder and harder.

Concept: 8.5

Tennis, unlike football, baseball, and basketball, hasn’t been overdone in the virtual realm. It’s still a refreshing experience, and you don’t see tons of companies dishing out cash-in renditions every year.

Multiplayer: 8.3

The online play, as I mentioned several times, is a seamless occurrence. Offline multiplayer is encouraged as well through party games and tournaments. However, the main chunk of Top Spin 2 still lies within its single-player.

Overall: 8.4

Top Spin 2 is a dream title for sports gamers. Not only does it improve upon its forerunner, it completely revamps its gameplay engine making for an absolutely blissful virtual tennis experience. And at twenty bones below other Xbox 360 titles, there’s not much to fret about.