Tennis has always been a popular sport, in fact one of the first video games conceived is based off that sport: Pong. The Top Spin series has always been one of the most realistic tennis games around. This year the developers at 2K Sports have finally released the third iteration of their game and many things have changed; the biggest is the new control scheme.

In Top Spin 3 there are many game modes for players to enjoy: Top Spin School, Exhibition, Tournament, Xbox Live, and Career. The first thing players will want to do once the game loads is to visit the Top Spin School. In this mode, gamers will be able to learn the basics of this game. It is highly suggested that players do this since the controls are very different in comparison to the previous games. For instance there are no meters/gauges that give constant feedback to the players, such as showing how powerful a swing will be. The only thing on screen is the heart-rate meter which gives players an idea of how much stamina is left; everything else is left to player’s instinct. After mastering the basics, players will want to try out their newfound skills in the Exhibition mode, where players can instantly get in a game, with up to four players (human or CPU). This is a great way to find tune players skills for the other modes in this game.

Tournament mode allows players to instantly jump into a tournament with human or CPU players. Players will be able to customize how they want the tournament to run such as the competitions (men, women, or mixed), the difficult levels, how many sets, and the amount of games per set. If there is no one around and players have an itch to play against another human they can login to Xbox Live to get their tennis fix. There are two options to participate in: Player match or World Tour (ranked matches). In player match gamers can instantly jump into a single’s or double’s game. World Tour allows gamers to use their player created characters in a season of tennis. Each “season” lasts half a month and allows players to compete in various tournaments to decide the next world tennis champion.

The real meat in this game is the career mode, which will occupy most of player’s time. This mode will have players experience what it is like to go through a full tennis career: starting at the local tennis courts to playing the world’s top ranking tennis stars. Players will have to start off as an amateur, rise to a challenger, then become a junior, and eventually a pro by clearing various tasks.

Once players reach Junior and Pro levels, they will have access to the season center which displays various news, rankings, and stats. If gamers want to see when their next tournament is, all they have to do is hit up the calendar and see if they are scheduled. There is another option called legend, which is comprised of two challenges: grand slam and hall of fame. Selecting grand slam allows players to play four grand slams consecutively. The other is hall of fame, which is where players have to defeat all eight tennis legends on their favorite courts. Needless to say there are a lot of things to do in this mode which will keep players occupied for a long time.

As stated earlier there is a character creation mode. In this mode players will able to design their own character to use in any of the game’s modes. Players will be able to choose from many different options to create their own perfect representation from choosing the gender, body type, tattoos, and even facial hair of their characters. After that players will be able to determine the player’s skill and serving style. As players progress in the game they will be able to improve their characters y spending experience points in areas such as serve, return, stamina, power, and more.

The controls have really changed in this game, and it is for the better. The new control scheme really forces to become better at playing the game, and it is more accurately represented here than in previous games. First off the left stick is used to move around the count and aim. The A button is to serve and used for a flat shot. The X button is used to make a slice shot. The B button is used to a top spin shot. If player want to do a lob shot move the left stick up and press the Y button, and if they hold the left stick down and hit Y they will drop a drop shot. Holding the left trigger and a shot button will do a risky shot (aiming close to the line). Holding the right trigger is for a power shot, and finally hold left and right triggers will do an extremely risky shot. In this game the developers really tried hard to make the controls (and gameplay) more realistic, so many times there will be simple mistakes and the volleys will not last as long, but it this game ends up having more replay value due to its increase depth and strategy.

Gamers will be please to know that there are more than 40 licensed tennis players in this game. The players range from current tennis stars such as Roger Federer to classic players as Monica Seles. In addition to this, players will also get to participate in licensed tournaments such as the US Opens. With all these options players will get to play their favorite “what-if” scenarios to their heart's content.

The character models for this game are really great. The developer spent a lot of time making sure that the characters look like their real-life counterparts. With this being the case the characters are extremely detailed and contains many of the license player’s signature “looks.” Another thing that makes the graphics great are the character animations, because they all move in an extremely realistic manner. As player move to hit the ball, players will be amazed at the lifelike animations. Even the stadiums and the crows look very authentic and realistic.

The sound in this game drags it down a little. While the soundtrack holds its weight, it is everything else that suffers. From the boring announcers to the seemly dead crowds. Much the excitement from watching and even playing tennis is the feeling you get by hearing the crowds when a good play is made. Unfortunately this is not accurately conveyed here and players will get bored of hearing what this game has to offer.

Top Spin 3 is rated for everyone.

Gameplay: 8.1
The revamped controls will take a while to get used to, once players do they will enjoy it. This game has a lot of depth that will keep players occupied for quite a while.

Graphics: 8.3
The graphics for the players are great, and this is made even more prominent by the silky smooth animations.

Sound: 6.5
The announcers are very boring. The music keeps this game lively.

Difficulty: Medium
If players have ever played any of the previous games they will be at a loss with the new controller settings. Once they get used to it they will find this game a blast to play due to its increased depth.

Concept: 8.4
The developers took a huge risk by changing the controls, which could have alienated many fans of this series. This might still be the case, but for any gamer to sticks it out and masters the controls they will find more depth than in any other tennis game.

Multiplayer: 8.1
Getting to play with friends online or at your house is a great treat.

Overall: 8.0
If you are aching for a great tennis game, then look no further than Top Spin 3. While the controls will take a while to get adjusted to, once you get used to them you will find depth and a challenging game that will last for months on end.