Topspin 3

The third game in the Top Spin series updates the concept of the previous two tennis titles with some new features. The most important change is that more control is given back to the player, levelling the difficulty. In the previous version the AI took control of timing and positing, players only needed to press a button for shots, and keeping it pressed longer made them harder. In this edition the player controls the power of the shot, the positioning of the player and the timing needed to perform a successful swing. When the player needs to run to reach the ball, it will never be as precise as powerful as when already in position. Most of these changes are gradually introduced in the tennis school, where players are trained to become familiar with the new controls.

There are about twenty professional players, modelled after their real-like counterparts and with signature styles. Famous players such as Roger Federer and Justine Henin are present, along with a few legends such as Boris Becker, Björn Borg and Monica Seles. Not all legends are available at the same time for all three platforms (including Wii). An editor is included to design custom characters. There are dynamic weather changes and the players’ costumes show traces of grass or dirt as the match progresses. In the same vein, the player faces show how they are sweating after playing for some time.

Next to regular matches, there is a full career mode where the player starts with very low statistics. These can be upgraded by training and playing matches, but they can never all be pushed to the maximum. Instead players need to choose to train for some powerful abilities or decide to become a more all-round player. This is mostly reflected in the amount of winners based on forehands or backhands for instance.

Along with quick matches, the world tour is also supported online. The world ranking starts over every fortnight and is not continued endlessly like the previous version. Some of the tournaments are the US Open, Australian Open en Roland Garros, but Wimbledon has not been included. There are various difficulty levels, six camera modes and the graphics are more detailed than the previous versions.