Ahh tennis, the game of v-neck sweaters and white skirts, of country clubs and riches, of half-naked midnight games on campus… these are a few of the things we think about when this grand sport is mentioned. I have always been a fan of tennis, not just because the ladies are smokin', but also because the sheer 1 vs. 1 nature and ease of play (people from 3-90 can play) makes it popular everywhere. My grandfather used to coach and I recall many a fond memory chasing green balls around the court with my family, my Dad especially, although you could hardly confuse us for diehards.

So needless to say, I was glad to dig into Top Spin. Apparently, this was first seen on the Xbox a few years ago (2 to be exact), and is just a slightly updated version of said game.

Graphically, it does looks a bit behind the curve, as an older port would. Still, you would think a late life cycle PS2 game would be able to eek out some more polygons and smoothness. Character models look a bit too blocky and aren’t very detailed, not good for a sport known for its model-like collection of players - male and female, alike. There are some interesting physics as well. The ball doesn’t seem to fly fast enough or really bounce high enough off the ground. The animations are pretty decent, however, and there are enough of them to keep you visually excited during an intense match. The courts themselves are also pretty solid, aside from the crappy looking crowd; guess they missed the memo on fully modeled fans, all the rage these days. But man alive, the load times are brutally slow, another sign at a missed opportunity to improve upon the Xbox code.

Sound wise, this is nothing special really. You have your share of court sounds like sneaker squeaks, grunts from serves and tough smacks, and other exclamations. The crowd.... well it’s tennis, so don’t expect a lot of noise. It probably gets the nod as the 2nd most subdued crowd next to golf, but it’s more for civility than lack of passion. Overall, pretty underwhelming.

Like most sports games, you have your customary Exhibition Mode, as well as your Story Mode, but what is pretty interesting is the Tennis School that will help you master your swings. The main event is always the Career Mode (Story) and it has a multitude of depth to it in this installment. An interesting feature worthy of note is the inclusion of Eye Toy support. You can take a picture and paste it on your created character, something pretty ingenious, and I am surprised more popular sports titles haven’t followed suit. After you get your persona squared away, you are off, starting at 100 and fighting your way to the top of the rankings. Training, sponsors and more await you as well, building your repertoire of skills and bank account. A host of tournaments and grand slams will challenge you as well, from all around the globe, although you won’t see officially licensed markets like Wimbledon.

The controls and on court action turn out to be pretty solid. A wide array of moves is at your disposal; slices, drop shots, lobs - you name it, you can sling it across. There is also an interesting risk shot, using the R1 button that enables an awesome hit, but an equally awesome fault if you screw it up. This isn’t the best idea to just fire these off left and right; it’s better to play more conservative, work the short game, etc. The controls themselves are pretty snappy and responsive, always good thing in a sports game. You have to really pay attention to timing and position, you don’t want to stay too far back or off-center, you have to react like a jungle cat to errant balls and quickly return supersonic serves. You have to be one step ahead and constantly think about how to finish the match. The action is fun and intense at its best, especially when its 30-30 and you are volleying back and forth. Overall, there isn’t a whole lot to it folks. You go out there, hit the little fuzzy balls, and try not to break too much of a sweat.

Top Spin also has some online options as well. Via Gamespy (a notorious PC based match-making system), you can enter tournaments and all types of events, and the ease of navigation is pretty decent, or so I am told.

Once you get past the funky menus in Top Spin (more on that soon), you face some surprisingly stiff A.I. competition. They will aggressively maneuver for a kill shot, or some other deceptive strike. But overall, as long as you use your risk shot sparingly, maintain center balance, and sneak some drop shots in, you should come out ok. Then throw in some pretty easy points via training, and your tennis lackey will become a pro in no time.

Clunky menus galore! Man alive, talk about some obtuse meandering through the game. Thankfully, I took a few deep breaths, and was able to get into the meat of the game after a few frustrating minutes. However, as I said earlier, the controls are pretty solid, and put you into the white-soled shoes of your respective athlete.

Overall, Top Spin is a fine addition to the small collection of tennis games, with frenetic action, tight controls and a variety of career options. The sub-par graphics, loading times and menu interface are really the only things holding it back from winning a Grand Slam.

“Service!!!!!”