Until a few years ago, Sega's Virtua Tennis was the undisputed ruler in the small category of tennis games. Then Top Spin appeared, finally giving gamers another choice. Since its first appearance in 2003, the series has mostly hit Microsoft consoles, but its third installment has now been announced both on Xbox 360 and PS3, with a completely different Wii version to be shown later this year. The core gameplay is still the same, but this time it looks like the development team at PAM is concentrating its efforts in the graphic department.
From Sunday morning tennis to the largest stadiums in the world, Top Spin 3 promises to cover every aspect of the sport in an unprecedented way. Realism is now the buzz word, and this doesn't apply just to character animations. The weather also plays an important role in delivering a believable game experience: not only can it change during matches, as sometimes happens in real tournaments, but it also changes according to where a match takes place in the world. Tropical islands will most likely be sunny, while a cloudy sky will be typical of Northern Europe. The game also features moving shadows that change according to weather and hour and a 3D crowd that promises to far surpass the relatively unanimated audience previously seen in Virtua Tennis.
As for players, developers are giving Top Spin 3 a dramatic change of direction compared to the past. Observing real players, they realized that they don't actually move as much as their virtual avatars do in games. "Players are lazy," we were told, and they run only if they absolutely can't avoid it. Characters in the game will follow this tendency and save energy, rather than running and diving for those balls that they can reach with less effort. Another addition is their behavior while waiting: now they don't stand still anymore, but move very slightly instead, adjusting their position and preparing to hit back.
Facial animations are much more detailed this time, with players showing emotions and fatigue. As a match progresses, they sweat more and more, a nice detail that can also be very useful, since cut-scenes in single-player and multiplayer reveal the degree of fatigue a player is experiencing through sweat on his or her face and shirt, allowing the opponent to decide the right strategy. Another decisive element comes in the terrain, since playing on grass or dirt influences the friction on a player's feet. As a match progresses, it is also possible to see nice details such as spots of mud appearing on a grass field.
Two new features have been added to the core gameplay: timing and positioning. The first one allows players to perform exceptionally powerful strikes if they hit the ball at specific moments. In order to do so, they have to hold a button (it will be different according to the spin they want to give the ball) and release it at the right time. Positioning simply means not to be too close or too far from the net, but it will give experienced players more depth when combined with timing.
Even with more features, Top Spin 3 should be as easy to play as the previous installments, but casual users will still be able to perform standard shots if they prefer. Serves have been reworked, too. This time they use the right analog stick, which has to be pulled down and then moved up. This is enough for the player to automatically position in the best possible place and perform the serve, but those who want to have total control over this feature can also apply an effect. Rotating the analog stick clockwise enables a top spin; rotating it in the opposite direction activates a side spin.
Top Spin 3 will feature single and double matches, both in single-player mode (for over 20 hours of play) and in full online multiplayer mode. Players competing in online tournaments will be able to see their names in the world rankings. Our first look at Top Spin 3 left us with a solid impression, and there's still a lot of potential for further improvements since it's not due out until spring of 2008.
