Top Spin
Players Anna Kournikova, Lleyton Hewitt and Pete Sampras appear on the Xbox cover art
Developer(s)PAM Development
Indie Games
Publisher(s)Microsoft Game Studios (Xbox)
2K (PlayStation 2)
Atari Europe[1](PC)
Platform(s)Xbox
Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 2
ReleaseXbox
  • NA: October 28, 2003[2]
  • EU: November 7, 2003
Microsoft Windows
  • EU: November 10, 2004
PlayStation 2
  • NA: September 26, 2005
  • EU: October 21, 2005
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer

Top Spin is a 2003 tennis video game developed by PAM Development and Indie Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox, later published by Atari Europe for PC in 2004 and by 2K for the PlayStation 2 in 2005. The game is a simulation tennis game in which players compete in singles and doubles matches, exhibition tournaments, and a career mode in which players develop skills and rise through the ranks of an international league. Featuring an expanded control scheme to its competitors,[3] Top Spin features several innovations including 'risk shots', in which players can execute more difficult serves and shots in addition to flat, top spin, slice and lob swings.

Created as a partnership between French company PAM Development and Microsoft Game Studio's Salt Lake subsidiary Indie Games, the developers of Top Spin aimed to create a more realistic and accessible simulation tennis game, building upon the design of previous console titles including Virtua Tennis. The game was developed to take advantage of the online capabilities of Xbox Live, with the game released as part of the XSN Sports brand and supporting expanded online features. Upon release, the Xbox version of Top Spin received generally favorable reviews, with praise directed to the game's intuitive and accessible control scheme and graphical fidelity, with some critiques of the limitations of the game's career mode. The PlayStation 2 port of the game received mixed reviews, with attention directed to the reduced quality of the game's graphics. Following release, Top Spin received several sequels, with Top Spin 2 released in 2006.

Gameplay

A screenshot of a player serving the ball in Top Spin.

Top Spin is a simulation tennis game that recreates single and double tennis matches and exhibition tournaments, in which players compete against a computer or other players locally or online in traditional tennis matches. Players can perform several tennis shots using different controls for flat, top spin, slice, and lob swings. Serves are executed using a 'power meter' affecting the speed of the shot. Players can also use the trigger buttons to perform a 'risk shot', which is more difficult to execute. If the player is able to land the shot in the center of the meter, their shot will be harder to return. The chances of success of a risk shot are increased by an 'In the Zone' meter, which increases as the player wins games throughout the course of a match.[4][5]

Top Spin features several game modes. In 'Exhibition' mode, players can create customized matches by selecting one of sixteen playable professional players or a custom character,[3] and set the match as a men's and women's singles or doubles match, the number of games per set, sets per match, and a range of venues categorized from small courts to Grand Slam facilities.[5] In 'Career' mode, the player is able to create a custom character with a create-a-player interface to rise through the ranks of an international tennis league. In the career mode, the player is able to compete in tournaments, seek sponsorship from companies, and complete minigames in training sessions that improve the performance of the player in skills, including player precision and the ability to return serves, swings and risk shots.[4] Players progress by winning 'coin' from tournaments and sponsorship challenges, allowing them to pay for training sessions and purchase new cosmetic upgrades. The game's tournaments, taking place across the globe, feature an increasing level of difficulty, from 'Minor Pro' to 'Grand Slam' tournaments, with the player increasing in a global ranking based on their performance in tournaments.[5]

Top Spin features local system link play online multiplayer play for up to four players, with the Xbox version of the game featuring enhanced online features under Xbox Live as part of the XSN Sports series. Online matches include 'Exhibition' matches that are identical to local matches that do not affect the player's online ranking, and allow the player to specify the desired type of match, venue and difficulty of competitors. 'Official' matches, supported by XSN Sports, allow players to participate in matches with their custom character against a global ranking for official tournaments. Players can use the XSN Sports website to monitor leaderboards and game schedules, and record and share detailed performance statistics, including the player's ranking, rating, skills and career data.[3][5]

Development

Top Spin was developed by a partnership between French developer PAM Development and Indie Games, the Salt Lake City division of Microsoft Game Studios. Indie Games had previous experience with developing sports Xbox titles, including Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding and the Links series of golf titles. Program manager Matthew Seymour stated that Top Spin was conceived as an Xbox competitor to the Virtua Tennis and Mario Tennis series, with the desire to create an "immersive tennis game" that "would also have in-depth and realistic tactical elements" absent in contemporary tennis titles. The developers experimented with several control schemes in creating the game's control scheme, settling on a "balance between ease of play and depth" by creating a series of 'safe' and 'risk' shots to introduce a tactical element "to make it true to (the) sport".[6]

Top Spin was released by Microsoft Game Studios under the branding of the Xbox Sports Network (XSN). XSN was a series launched in 2003 following the launch of Xbox Live in the previous year with enhanced online capabilities for sports games, including for players to set up leagues, build tournaments and review data on the XSN website.[7] The game was supported by a roster of sixteen professional players, including Tommy Robredo, Jan-Michael Gambill and Michael Chang,[8] with the cover of the Xbox version featuring Lleyton Hewitt,[9] and the PlayStation 2 version featuring Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova.[10] Motion capture technology was used to create a realistic likeness of the players and animate their movements.[11]

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Xbox version of 'Top Spin received "generally favorable reviews", with an average score of 89%,[14] and the PlayStation 2 version of the game received "mixed or average reviews", with an average score of 67%.[13] Several critics praised the Xbox version of the game as the best tennis simulation of its generation and a superior successor to Virtua Tennis,[16][17][21] with GameSpot describing the game as "the most well-rounded, feature-rich game of tennis to be found anywhere, on any system,"[4] and GameSpy assessing the game as the "best arcade tennis game to date".[25]

Reviewers generally praised the game's accessible control scheme and learning curve. Electronic Gaming Monthly praised the game's "easy access", writing that "the game's intuitive controls mean anyone can pick up the controller and play competitively."[16] GamePro similarly described the gameplay as "responding intuitively and naturally right from the start", whilst noting the game "has its own quirks", such as power-up shorts and serves being "more challenging than they should be."[21] GameSpy praised the "smooth and accessible" gameplay and "wide variety of shots", but critiqued the game's risk shots as "not implemented well and too difficult to pull off in comparison to normal strokes".[25]

Critics praised the game's visual presentation and animations. Describing the visuals as "eye-catching" and "one of the game's best features", GamePro praised the game's "slick one-player camera".[21] Game Revolution highlighted the game's graphics, writing that "players look great and move smoothly and accurately", also praising the "realistic" courts and crowd animations.[22] GameSpot wrote that "the look of the game is unmatched", highlighting the "realistically rendered" courts, "clean and realistic" lighting and "fluid" player animations.[4] GameSpy similarly praised the game's "sharp-looking courts" and "gorgeous character models".[25]

Reviewers also praised the inclusion and implementation of online play. GameSpot wrote that the inclusion of Xbox Live support put the game "head and shoulders above the competition", praising the "good number of play options" and XSN Sports features.[4] IGN similarly highlighted the XSN Sports online features for their "leaderboards" and "number of opponents available for play", although wished "some original modes like point challenges" to "make the online component even more fun".[3] Hyper praised the game as an "integral part" of the XSN Sports lineup, stating "it's pretty obvious that multiplayer is what this game as built for."[28]

Critics expressed mixed views on the design of the career mode. Assessing that the "career mode could use a bit of beefing up", IGN found the mode "competent and enjoyable", but lacked the "great mini-games" of Virtua Tennis.[3] Eurogamer noted the career mode "could have been a lot better", citing the limited tournament pool of sixteen players and "lack of real competitions".[17] GamePro noted that the pacing of the career mode was "a bit off as it's easy to train up your player too quickly."[21] Despite finding the career mode to offer a "good amount of entertainment", Game Revolution found the game's skills system found the training sessions to be not "very thrilling", and the cash system to be "sort of useless" in its use to purchase cosmetic upgrades.[22]

Ports of Top Spin, including to the PlayStation 2, received less favorable reviews due to the reduced graphics. IGN noted that whilst the PlayStation title was "wholly the same" as the Xbox release, "its presence on the PlayStation 2 is marred a bit by the PS2's lesser hardware".[29] GameSpy similarly noted that the "excellent animation, lively arenas, (and) lighting" on the original release were "not to be found" on the PlayStation 2 version, with the character models being "just not good", the audience animations being "especially horrid", and the "graphics (hurting) the actual play".[24] Describing the game as a "half-hearted translation", GameSpot critiqued the "bland visuals" of the port and "dumbed down" character models, also faulting the game's "slow" transitions between menus and loading times.[23]

During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Top Spin for "Console Sports Simulation Game of the Year", which was ultimately awarded to Madden NFL 2004.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Atari announces Top Spin for the PC". Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  2. ↑ Justin Calvert (October 28, 2003). "Microsoft serves up Top Spin". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaiser Hwang (October 29, 2003). "Top Spin (Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ryan Davis (October 31, 2003). "Top Spin Review (Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Top Spin: Game Manual. Microsoft Game Studios. 2003. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Top Spin Q&A". GameSpot. October 27, 2003. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  7. ↑ Hong, Quang (August 28, 2003). "Microsoft Debuts XSN Sports". Game Developer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2003.
  8. ↑ Varanini, Giancarlo (March 10, 2003). "Partial Top Spin roster revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ Calvert, Justin (March 11, 2003). "Top Spin gets Lleyton Hewitt". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Federer, Sharapova share Top Spin cover". GameSpot. July 12, 2005. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  11. ↑ Robinson, Jon (November 21, 2003). "Lleyton Hewitt: Top Spin Interview". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Top Spin (pc: 2004): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  13. 1 2 "Top Spin for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  14. 1 2 "Top Spin for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  15. ↑ Edge staff (January 2004). "Top Spin (Xbox)". Edge. No. 132. Future plc. p. 105.
  16. 1 2 3 Greg Sewart; Bryan Intihar; Andrew Pfister (December 2003). "Top Spin (Xbox)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 173. Ziff Davis. p. 228. Archived from the original on December 5, 2003. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 Ronan Jennings (November 11, 2003). "Top Spin (Xbox)". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Top Spin （トップスピン）". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 814. Enterbrain. July 23, 2004.
  19. ↑ Matt Helgeson (November 2005). "Top Spin (PS2)". Game Informer. No. 151. GameStop. p. 161.
  20. ↑ Matt Helgeson (November 2003). "Top Spin (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 127. GameStop. p. 167. Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 Air Hendrix (October 30, 2003). "Top Spin Review for Xbox on GamePro.com". GamePro. IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 Ben Silverman (November 2003). "Top Spin Review (Xbox)". Game Revolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on April 19, 2004. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  23. 1 2 Ryan Davis (October 13, 2005). "Top Spin Review (PS2)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  24. 1 2 Justin Leeper (October 7, 2005). "GameSpy: Top Spin (PS2)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 12, 2005. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  25. 1 2 3 4 Raymond Padilla (November 1, 2003). "GameSpy: Top Spin (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  26. ↑ Angelina Sandoval (October 13, 2005). "Top Spin - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  27. ↑ Michael Lafferty (October 21, 2003). "Top Spin - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  28. 1 2 Shea, Cam (December 2003). "Top Spin". Hyper. No. 122. Next Media. pp. 48–49. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  29. 1 2 Chris Roper (September 27, 2005). "Top Spin (PS2)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Top Spin". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 100. Ziff Davis. January 2006. p. 91.
  31. ↑ "Top Spin". Official Xbox Magazine. Future US. December 2003. p. 130.
  32. ↑ "Top Spin". PC Gamer. Vol. 11, no. 13. Future US. December 25, 2004. p. 109.
  33. ↑ "Nominations Announced for 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards". GameZone. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
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