Baddar
Registered User
Anyone got/getting this? It was released Friday, and the demo's on the PSN Store/XBOX Marketplace.
I recently posted my initial thoughts on the game on another site, so I'll post the same thing here. I have it on PS3 if anyone wants a game at some point.
I recently posted my initial thoughts on the game on another site, so I'll post the same thing here. I have it on PS3 if anyone wants a game at some point.
It looks nice. Very nice. The character models have definitely been done in a lot of detail, and the play styles/mannerisms look accurate too.
It's also a LOT easier to pick up and play than Top Spin 3, but it's just as hard to master. Hitting winners with perfectly timed regular shots can be achieved on this game, which seemed impossible on TS3, a game which only saw winners come about from your end if you used their "risk" shot, which has (I think) been taken out altogether.
You'll notice that your player doesn't switch sides on screen. I don't know if there's an option to do so, or if you could play with your player at the bottom of the screen at all times on TS3, but I think it's great, anyway. It always used to feel awkward playing at the top, and constantly having to adjust your angles on the analog was a pain.
If you're new to Top Spin, seeing the roster of only 25 players could be a bad thing, but really, if you're not spending most of your time in the AMAZING career mode, then you suck. Career mode puts you at 80th the rankings, and you start from the very bottom; without a coach, mediocre stats and playing against the fake players (which I love doing, by the way - as playing just the real roster would get boring fast) in small tournaments as you work your way up. There's an option to play a "sparring" match with a player close to your stat value, who also plays in certain ways, so that you're able to fine-tune any part of your game that neeeds, well, fine-tuning.
Everything you do with your created character across the modes earns you XP, which progresses your player through each stage, and of course, your stats. The creator seems VERY deep though, one of the deepest I've seen, and you could probably create something resembling yourself if enough time was spent on it. Basically, there's a host of preset faces/skin tones to use, then you can delve into the "Expert Creator" part, where there's about 30 white spots on the face, each one you can enter into and modify your player's looks. There's also an array of gear for your player to wear from all the big brands right from the get-go, so I've Nike'd up my player already.
In some career modes, the difficulty you play with from the start can't be changed - that isn't the case here. It ranges from Very Easy to Very Hard, with Easy, Normal and Hard being the in-between options. I started mine on Very Hard, but was quickly swept aside by one of the game gens 6-0, 6-0 in my first match, so I've turned it down to Hard until I get the hang of it. That's another thing - you can either choose to play your matches in the real tennis format (as I'm doing) or the watered down "Top Spin" version.
A minor gripe during play is the umpire calls from the side - they really should've had someone pronouncing the guys you're facing to add to the realism. Instead, we hear "Game Player 1" and "Game Player 2" depending on who wins. Not a huge issue, but yeah, they could've easily put in some preset call names in.
I've only just finished my 2nd full game, in my 2nd tournament, which I came back from a set and 4-2 down to eventually win 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. Winning 10 games on the bounce was fun. If that pattern continues, I'll quickly revert back to Very Hard. Before I switched off, I earned the ability to hire my first coach - each coach comes with either a Bronze, Silver or Gold rating, with the earlier coaches being bronze of course. These give you set challenges during matches, which I believe earns you XP and the games unlockables, which look vast to say the least.
So yeah, I'm having a blast so far. Tennis games haven't really held my interest in years gone by, but with this one having strong focus on character progression, it could well get me hooked. Oh, and if you're one for Tropies/Achievements, the set looks very good.
I am yet to try out the World Tour mode online, simply because I need to build my stats first, as you can guarantee there's people with super characters playing online just to top the leaderboards already.