Anyone playing Top Spin on Xbox?

Being a bit of a Tennis fanatic, real-world and virtual, I decided to pick-up a second-hand Xbox console on Friday just so I could play this game. Just in case you're in any doubt about this, Virtua Tennis has officially been shat on from Concorde altitides by this game. It's absolutely the most authentic representation of Tennis on any system - and yes, I've played most of them!

The depth of play is amazing, as is the intricately detailed character creation process, that allows you to tailor every little detail of your player.

Still waiting to try it on Xbox live, but any players out there who'd like a challenge just send me a PM or post back. Thankfully, I'm much better at this game than VF so I should provide a decent challenge /versus/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

I've got it, and played it some, but my MotoGP 2 addiction has come back and I've wound up playing that instead.

 

maximum i tottaly agree with you this game is a killa, I too love tennis with all my passion.Im considering getting an xbox real soon with topspin, when i get xbox live we should have a match together or team up in doubles against other players. This tottaly kicks virtuan tennis 1 and 2 up its arse, I love the way they added diffrent types of shots such as topspin, flat shots, slices lobs etc, rather then out hit your opponent with power you can be more technical and use skill with diffrent spins and i love using drop shots they arejust so beautiful to watch just when you get it right. Another great game for the xbox.

 

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gee_ho said:

maximum i tottaly agree with you this game is a killa, I too love tennis with all my passion.Im considering getting an xbox real soon with topspin, when i get xbox live we should have a match together or team up in doubles against other players. This tottaly kicks virtuan tennis 1 and 2 up its arse, I love the way they added diffrent types of shots such as topspin, flat shots, slices lobs etc, rather then out hit your opponent with power you can be more technical and use skill with diffrent spins and i love using drop shots they arejust so beautiful to watch just when you get it right. Another great game for the xbox.

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I hear'ya mate, it's absolutely incredible isn't it?. I just came offline after a marathon 3-set match with some guy, and I swear the way this game apes the real sport is uncanny. Pretty much any tactic you can use in real tennis works here, and there's no cheap shots or strange unbalanced play that I've encountered yet, unlike Virtua Tennis. One of the things that put me off Virtua Tennis 2 was the fact the receiver seemed to have more advantage than the server, for example.

It's clear the team who made this game have a passion for the real sport and understand ithe game well. As far as I know they're French, which kind of makes sense considering the brilliant clay court game they've engineered into Topspin. You just can't beat a good tactical baseline clay-court match.

Anyways, when you get live feel free to add me to your buddy list. My handle is maximum01

 

do people quit games when they're losing? That's the one part of live that irks me so much.

 

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Jackeh said:

do people quit games when they're losing? That's the one part of live that irks me so much.

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I've never encountered this. One time an opponent quit right at the start of a match (no idea why), and the game credited me with the win and increased my ranking. I guess that fact alone discourages victory-obsessed twats from disconnecting when they're loosing, as normally the kind of person who'd do that would be extra precious about their online ranking.

I've had a few folk resort to cheesy tactics when they're loosing, like repeatedly going for drop shot serves and risk shots. However, the game is so well balanced that you can always find a way of punishing lame tactics like that.

 

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MAXIMUM said:

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Jackeh said:

do people quit games when they're losing? That's the one part of live that irks me so much.

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I've never encountered this. One time an opponent quit right at the start of a match (no idea why), and the game credited me with the win and increased my ranking. I guess that fact alone discourages victory-obsessed twats from disconnecting when they're loosing, as normally the kind of person who'd do that would be extra precious about their online ranking.

I've had a few folk resort to cheesy tactics when they're loosing, like repeatedly going for drop shot serves and risk shots. However, the game is so well balanced that you can always find a way of punishing lame tactics like that.

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This actually sounds pretty good.

But as certain people will testify I really do suck terribly bad at tennis games so I dunno how much I'd enjoy it.

 

though they could of got the celebrity players styles right. hingis 'powerful??????' the gal could barely hit a flat shot let alone hit with power, and kournikova 'technical???' that girl has no technique besdies hiting hard, should of been the other way around.

Is there a mode which lets you create your own charachter like virtua tennis cus that mode on that game alone made it great, the idea of creating your own perfect charachter in your own vision.
Im a huuuuuuuge fan of monica seles so is it possible to hit wtih two hands on both sides, or even better have a weird combiantion such as your created player has two forehands or a singlehanded backhand and doublehanded forehand??????/.

 

oh yeah and the clay court realism is uncanny, sliding and getting to balls that seem almost impossible to reach. I love hitting with topspin and slice as the shots actually have an effect and [slightly disrupts your opponents flow rather then like in VT you hit a slice or hard serve or even a flat powerful shot and its returned immediately.
Sadly i dont have this game yet but 20 mins at my local game and i was hooked ill probably get the special 4 game disk pack at GAME then ill trade in the other 3 games except halo and get topspin. Plus i get 2 months free subscription for the service, so hopefully ill join you as soon as i can.
One last thing i was reading on gamefaqs and people were saying players keep abusing risk shots, how do i get back the really powerful shots if there good at doing them. Or is it there real hard to execute hence the risk name.

 

Sounds like a nice game. I'm a veteran player in VT and VT2 but lately people have stopped playing that game in the arcades so there's really a lack of competition. Playing with other people online is just such a good idea. Do you guys think it's worth getting and Xbox just for that game?

 

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Do you guys think it's worth getting and Xbox just for that game?


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Dunno about that, but it wouldn't do you any harm picking up KOTOR at the same time /versus/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

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MAXIMUM said:

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gee_ho said:

maximum i tottaly agree with you this game is a killa, I too love tennis with all my passion.Im considering getting an xbox real soon with topspin, when i get xbox live we should have a match together or team up in doubles against other players. This tottaly kicks virtuan tennis 1 and 2 up its arse, I love the way they added diffrent types of shots such as topspin, flat shots, slices lobs etc, rather then out hit your opponent with power you can be more technical and use skill with diffrent spins and i love using drop shots they arejust so beautiful to watch just when you get it right. Another great game for the xbox.

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I hear'ya mate, it's absolutely incredible isn't it?. I just came offline after a marathon 3-set match with some guy, and I swear the way this game apes the real sport is uncanny. Pretty much any tactic you can use in real tennis works here, and there's no cheap shots or strange unbalanced play that I've encountered yet, unlike Virtua Tennis. One of the things that put me off Virtua Tennis 2 was the fact the receiver seemed to have more advantage than the server, for example.

It's clear the team who made this game have a passion for the real sport and understand ithe game well. As far as I know they're French, which kind of makes sense considering the brilliant clay court game they've engineered into Topspin. You just can't beat a good tactical baseline clay-court match.

Anyways, when you get live feel free to add me to your buddy list. My handle is maximum01

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I played VT2 extensively at as high a level as I've seen anywhere (aracdes, competitions etc) and I disagree about the serving element. The serve is very powerful if used right especially with the really well implemented vollying game. I wrote alot about the mechanics of the game at NTSCUK.com in a thread called best/faithful sports game that could help you appreciate the game (I might put up a link). It was a VAST improvement over VT1 so there should be a distiction made between those 2. There is quite a bit of depth and balance to the game and the animation is incredible (see Rafter serve and volley).

Im a tennis fan but I haven't played Top Spin yet since I don't have an Xbox or know anyone who has the game. How authentic is the animation? Does Sampras serve with his trademark side on wind up? Is vollying done well?

 

Re: Anyone playing Top Spin on Xbox? *DELETED*

Post deleted by MAXIMUM

 

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Shoju said:
I played VT2 extensively at as high a level as I've seen anywhere (aracdes, competitions etc) and I disagree about the serving element. The serve is very powerful if used right especially with the really well implemented vollying game. I wrote alot about the mechanics of the game at NTSCUK.com in a thread called best/faithful sports game that could help you appreciate the game (I might put up a link). It was a VAST improvement over VT1 so there should be a distiction made between those 2. There is quite a bit of depth and balance to the game and the animation is incredible (see Rafter serve and volley).

Im a tennis fan but I haven't played Top Spin yet since I don't have an Xbox or know anyone who has the game. How authentic is the animation? Does Sampras serve with his trademark side on wind up? Is vollying done well?

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As much as I respect Virtua Tennis series, this game has so much more depth and realism. Being able to choose your ball spin with every shot and have total control over it's trajectory wasn't possible in VT, but it is here. Go play it and see for yourself.

To answer gee_ho's questions: Yes, topspin allows you to create custom characters with vast amounts of detail, and take them online. You can individualise backhand/forehand strokes (one/two handed) and choose a basic class of tennis style that determines the skills you'll learn in the career mode. The options available for personalising the appearance of the player are frankly over-the-top. Pretty much every little detail can be tweaked - nose ramp, eyebrow extension, hair style, ethnicity, ear size, body mass.......the list goes on.

As for risk-shot abuse, I've heard people complaining about this but to be honest I've yet to encounter anyone online who could abuse it. The risk shots are very difficult to pull-off, and more often than not result in an unforced error. Also, there's nothing magical about the direction a risk shot wil travel in, as they're basically more powerful standard strokes - the opponent has to place them in the same was as a normal shot.

And absolutely, if you're a big tennis fan then buy an Xbox just for Topspin, although it might be more sensible getting a second-hand unit like I did. I picked one up for £80. It’s worth it alone for the excellent live implementation.

It was so cool the other night, playing against some dude from Milan in Italy, with no lag. He happened to be a big tennis fan too, and we chattered about our favourite sport while playing Topspin. Great fun.

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shoju i wasnt comparing topspin to VT but to VT2 and i love VT2 dearly but its been about i think over3 years since it came out and is the only game i play intensely on my DC since and ive been hoping for another game to top that expierince since i first played VT2.
I was hoping VT3 would be the successor but since topspin's out id have to go with that instead for now.

There is a vast amount of depth to the game in VT2 but i just feel that topspin's realism and freedom to be the kind of player you want to be beats it hands down. More choices with your shots and styles makes this game the game of choice in my opnion.

 

I've been a big fan of tennis games ever since Super Tennis and this is probabley the first exclusive game to come out on Xbox that I would really like to play. that's the reason I never considered getting one before.

How is the balance of the game? Alot games tend to under or overpower certain areas resulting in repetitive tactics. Of all the tennis games I've played only Super Tennis and VT2 managed to balance out serve, volley and groundstrokes. In VT1 serve was terrible and you couldn't pass a player at the net unless it was with a lob and cross court shots were too weak (AK tennis on PS1 had this problem).

How's vollying? I like to serve and volley cause it ends the point quickly in an attacking thrust (I like watching serve volley players like Henman on TV too) and this is really well done in VT2. Lastly VT2 as in real tennis worked on the element of depth, so the deeper you hit the ball the less time the opp to get power and angle on the ball, so how does this work in TS tennis?

Maximum: where did you get a Xbox for £80?

 

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Maximum: where did you get a Xbox for £80?

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I dunno about Maximum, but you can get a new one for £140 or something with a couple of games so I'd imagine you just have to try your local second hand games retailers to find a decently priced Xbox, or try trading folders such as the one on NTSC-UK.

 

I got the Xbox from a local independent in Edinburgh called Neo-Gen. After checking Ebay for ages and seeing nothing for below £100 I thought I'd phone them and check. I got lucky I guess. It's one of the newer model Xbox’s too, and in perfect order. Fan is a bit noisy but I'm not sure if that's a general problem with Xbox. It’s a big ugly fucker, but I solved that by hiding it behind by telly – the controller leads are long enough to allow this. The live cost me nothing initially as Topspin comes with 2 free month trial offer. I just borrowed a mate's headset and went straight online.

As Jackeh said, you can now get'em for £140 with a few games on the high street, but if you're anything like me that's as good as getting the console with some free coffee coasters. I'm totally particular about what I'll play these days.

Regarding your questions about Topspin, all I can say if buy it and play. You won't regret it I promise. It's just allot deeper and better balanced that VT series and has much better customisation options. Also, consider the live component….need I say more.

 

Id forgotten about the price of playing online. How much does the starter kit cost and is there a usually charge for playing online?

I'll probabley have to wait till the price of Xbox falls through the floor and trade in my GC and DC for a 2nd hand one. Im not willing to part with the GC untill I've played RE4 though /versus/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

 

I think the starter kit is £40 and that's it for a year. You won't have to pay anything until a year after you registered. Downside...you need a credit card.