G4TV

Forrest Gump may disagree, but a video game port is also like a box of chocolates--you never quite know what you are going to get. Two years ago, which is an eon in the game industry, Top Spin was released on Xbox to critical acclaim. It featured professional players, including the lovely but questionably skilled Anna Kournikova, a career mode, online play, and more importantly, intuitive controls. One would expect the subsequent PlayStation 2 port to feature adequate graphics, more professionals, and improved options. Alas, Top Spin on the PlayStation 2 is like a raspberry cream when you’re expecting to bite into a luscious caramel; it’s an unwelcome surprise with an aftertaste that sticks with you for hours.

Send in the Clones

Things start off promising; the Xbox roster has been updated to reflect the sport’s current stars, with Sampras, Kournikova, Chang, and Schett getting the boot in favor of new blood. While Roger Federer has straggly hair and Maria Sharapova is tall and lean, their attributes are identical to the players they replaced (Sampras and Kournikova). Instead of redesigned players with personalized animations and tendencies, we have the exact same athletes with new body types and faces. The ratings could have been easily corrected with an editing tool or AI sliders, but these options are sadly missing. Casual fans might not consider it a serious issue, but this blatant oversight--Federer and Sharapova are on the box cover--is indicative of the title’s overall quality.

Slice, Slice Baby

Top Spin is an otherwise approachable version of tennis that can be picked up and played by just about every living organism outside of an amoeba, a fish, and your arthritic grandmother. The basic principles of proper positioning and varied shot selection hold true here, with motion-captured players and swings requiring a sense of timing. As soon as the ball crosses the net, players need to begin the swing animation to connect, with more powerful shots initiated by holding down the button. Tapping the face buttons lets players perform flat, topspin, slice, and lob shots. Both drop shots and arcade-like “risk” shots are also available, which involve holding down the shoulder button until a horizontal line reaches the center of a vertical meter.  

Not Worth the Wait

While gameplay has an arcade feel, it takes time to get started. Selecting a character, switching an outfit, choosing a court type, and so forth has the PS2 loading more frequently than a UPS driver. Even the on-court action is marred by slight stutters, with the ball hiccupping its way across the net during extended volleys. Since this was not a problem on Xbox, one can only assume the developers either rushed the port or failed to optimize the code.

Yet this is a minor annoyance compared to the graphics, which are barely acceptable for a launch title, let alone a 2005 release. Grainy, muddy visuals combined with simplistic character models make this one of the worst-looking sports games on the system. Even the crowd is surprised at the awful visuals, as they don't utter a word during the entire match. No cheers, whistles, or groans--just silence as if they were mourning a great tragedy. And they are.

Double Fault

It’s a shame the presentation is so disengaging, because the career mode is decent. Players can create an athlete--even use the EyeToy to map their blurry mug on a character head--and earn money to purchase equipment and outfits. They can then pick and choose destinations on a world map to work on skills, acquire sponsors, get new hairstyles, and more.

The rest of the modes are typical tennis fare. You can participate in exhibition matches, create tournaments, or try your hand online with the 12-year-olds that routinely disconnect or exploit risk shots. There is also a tennis school option, but it consists of short videos on the available shots--no playable mini-games overseen by a coach, no “exam” against a pro player, and no certificate of completion. The school, like the rest of the option list, earns a failing grade.

Wimble-Done

Top Spin should have been a great tennis game. Why the presentation is so flat is a mystery worthy of Veronica Mars, since there are only two athletes on-screen at once (four during doubles matches). Both the Madden NFL and NBA 2K franchises offer more realistic-looking athletes, more dynamic crowds, and more complex controls while Top Spin struggles with two characters, two camera angles, and an announcer that reads the score. Top Spin can still offer some enjoyment if expectations are tempered, but comparing the older Xbox game to this version will have most players uttering words and phrases that would make even John McEnroe blush.