Right, where to start, ive been hitting this game hard today to try and get the most out of it and I was very impressed! In comparison to SEGA's "Virtua Tennis4" which was terrible! For you who cannot decide which one is for you here is my review going into much detail about Top Spin 4.
Top Spin 4 is only here now after a switch in developers from now defunct French outfit PAM Development to Mafia II developer 2K Czech. Luckily it seems their aptitude for sports simulation is far greater than for clichéd gangster stories.
The unusual thing about the rivalry between Top Spin and Virtua Tennis is that both are great games and which you prefer largely depends on how seriously you want to take your simulation. Top Spin has always been the most complex and less accessible of the two, but as a consequence also the most realistic.
Top Spin 4 Gameplay: Fedderer vs Williams
Virtua Tennis 4 Gameplay: Fedderer vs Nadal
Compare!
You win no prizes for guess that 2K Czech have attempted to simplify things here, but although different it's not dumbed down. Flat, slice, lob and top spin shots are assigned to the face buttons, each of which can be turned into control or power shots depending on how long you hold down the button - with additional modifiers also available by pressing the shoulder buttons.
This might not sound too complicated but being able to consistently pick the right shot without fumbling the controller like a British hopeful takes some practise. Thankfully plenty of opportunity for this is provided in the excellent Top Spin Academy, which walks you through the basics and then tries to teach you the nuances through a series of trials.
It may seem an odd comparison but the Academy is exactly what we wish Capcom and other developers would include as standard in their beat 'em-ups. The Academy doesn't just teach you what the buttons do, it tries to explain the broader strategies and how to play the game properly.
This excellent training tool is matched by an equally good career mode. As you'd expect it's all based on levelling up a customised character and taking them through a career from nobody to number one seed. But the depth of options and excellent TV style presentation, which even include shots of you hanging around in the locker room, really sells the atmosphere.
And that perhaps is where the game really distances itself from its predecessors, which as realistic and deep as they may have been always came across as a little stiff-shirted and dull.
Of course there's a suite of multiplayer options as well, but the predictable problem is that unless you're playing someone with a very similar level of experience to you matches can be quite unsatisfying. The online modes do their best to filter players accordingly though and the depth of play is certainly worth this small inconvenience.
Although the Wii and PlayStation 3 versions do have optional motion controls Top Spin's controls are much too nuanced for Kinect - unlike the more knockabout Virtua Tennis. Both games have 3D support though and Top Spin 4's new animation system is state-of-the-art.
In Short: If not the best tennis sim ever then certainly the most realistic, and with a training tool that should be the envy of any other game.
Pros: Enormous depth and realism with an all-new control system. Excellent presentation and career mode. Academy is one of the best training systems of its type.
Cons: It still takes considerable practise to play properly, which does impact on the multiplayer. Onscreen displays can be confusing and intrusive.
The game is retailed at 39.99 GBP whereas Virtua Tennis 4 is on sale at 30.00 GBP but it is deffinately worth spending the difference on a decent game !
Thanks
Posted by: Sam Pascall
Twitter: @SammyRascall
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