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slaphead

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Posts posted by slaphead

    Xbox Live

    in General off-topic discussions

    Posted

    Good review of Top Spin.. Top game

     

    The most perfect and well polished representation of the game of tennis ever made for any platform. A must-own for anyone with a vague interest in the sport!

     

    Tennis gamers the world over have been waiting patiently for a game that can match the quality and smoothness of gameplay that Virtua Tennis brought to the Dreamcast over three years ago. Now that Top Spin has landed on shelves everywhere, prepare the Virtua Tennis bonfires, because the new king has arrived.

     

    Never before has a tennis game played so smoothly and flawlessly, and that痴 including Virtua Tennis. Controlling your player is so slick and responsive that you may find yourself wondering exactly how you致e been living without this game.

     

    Certain controller combinations can access slightly differing variations of each groundstroke, which makes on the fly thinking a must once you begin playing against the best of the best. Slice, volley, top spin, and the drop shot are all represented in Top Spin, and the developers added something a little extra, the risk shot. This shot is difficult to pull off, but if you time it just right it will definitely help you to win matches.

     

    The game also features an 的n the zone・bar at the top of the screen for each player. Your bar fills up with each scoring shot you perform, so the better you are performing in a match the higher your 的n the zone・level will be. Chances of pulling off shots like the risk shot or the drop shot greatly increases as the bar fills, so the better you perform in the match the higher your chances of making these shots.

     

    While it痴 quite obvious that Top Spin isn稚 meant to be a simulation, as evidenced by the risk shot addition and the vapor trail behind a ball after a particularly powerful shot, it certainly isn稚 as arcadey as one might expect. It痴 sort of like a hybrid, taking the best aspects of simulations and arcade type games and melding them together into one package.

     

    As far as game types go, Top Spin doesn稚 disappoint. For those looking to get right into the on court action, there痴 the exhibition mode. Here you can choose men痴 or women痴 competition, singles or doubles match, the number of games in a set, the number of sets in a match, and even the difficulty setting. On the next screen you choose a venue from over two dozen offered in the game, ranging from huge grand slam stadiums to small park courts and gymnasiums.

     

    Every court is incredibly detailed and varied, so that the difference between each court is easily seen. Some appear very exotic, like the courts in the Middle East, while others are beautiful in their simplicity.

     

    If you池e more in the mood for knockout type play, there is a custom tournament mode available. You begin by selecting eight players for a singles or doubles tournament, and battle it out until only two players or teams remain.

     

    If you池e ready to dive head long into the depths of the game, then the career is the way to go. You start your career by creating your tennis player with a fairly powerful and flexible creation system. The player can manipulate nearly everything about their character, from their body shape and size, to chin, nose, and jaw shape, all the way down to the way the character痴 ears look.

     

    After cosmetically shaping your on screen avatar you need to choose whether your player is left or right-handed, if your player has a one or two-handed backhand, your player痴 serve animation, and a couple other options. The creation system in Top Spin is unmatched except for possibly the one found in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004.

     

    All this is done in an easy to understand and easy to navigate interface. The European Development Company, Power and Magic Developments, did a fantastic job of keeping the interface clear, functional, and uncluttered.

     

    The career mode in Top Spin borrows heavily from the one found in Virtua Tennis, navigating around a world map to enter tournaments, take training lessons, buy new clothing and equipment, and even get a sponsorship deal.

     

    Sponsorships are important because you acquire money and equipment from them as you complete the tasks they demand of you. The sponsors include some pretty big names, such as Oakley, Prince, Addidas, and Yonex.

     

    Training lessons are available for improving your serve, volley, backhand, and forehand. These training lessons not only cost money, but a star as well. You begin your career with a fixed number of stars, and each lesson you take costs one star, so you need to choose your training wisely to create a player that痴 well rounded enough to win tournaments. The training exercises are all very similar, and can sometimes be hair-yankingly frustrating as you attempt to complete them time and time again.

     

    Building up your character痴 abilities is a necessity since you will only qualify for the bottom rung of tennis tournaments at the beginning of your career. Once you enter tournaments and your ranking begins to climb, you can enter more and more difficult tournaments against far more formidable opponents.

     

    The entire career experience in Top Spin is much more involving and far deeper than that found in Virtua Tennis. There are even a fair amount of stats that are kept during your career for the player that loves to glare at numbers. All this adds up to an amazing experience, and a surprisingly deep career mode. I often found myself glued to the screen for four or more hours at a time, just completely drawn into the game.

     

    As great as all this may sound, it only gets better once you get onto the court. This is really where the game shines the most. The on court action is exciting, the controls are the most responsive ever in a tennis game, and the graphics and sound are top notch.

     

    Speaking of graphics, Top Spin is not only a great looking tennis game, but it may be the best looking sports title ever. Player models are astoundingly detailed, and player animations are so smooth and seamless that it痴 easy to forget you池e looking at a game. Like I mentioned earlier, courts are incredibly well done, and shadows play a huge part in adding that extra bit of realism.

     

    As great as the graphics are, the sound is right up there with them. While music in the game is somewhat lacking with generic rock songs and out of place hillbilly banjo playing, the sounds of the on court action are perfect.

     

    Crowd noise, the crisp voices of the announcers, and even the occasional heckler add a great ambience, but it痴 the grunts, smacks, and cracks of the matches that are truly amazing. The sound of the ball hitting the court differs from hard court, grass, clay, and it even depends on the type of stadium you池e playing in.

     

    If you haven稚 been able to tell up to this point, I致e fallen in love with this game. It is the most perfect and well polished representation of the game of tennis ever made for any platform. I値l even go as far as saying it痴 one of the best sports games ever made. Anyone, and I do mean anyone, that even has a vague interest in tennis should pick this game up. Virua Tennis? Long live Top Spin!

    Do you "behave" better in Japan?

    in General off-topic discussions

    Posted

    I was talking about this with some buddies the other night. Do you behave as you do back home here in Japan? Better? Worse??

     

    Seems coming here changes some people in different ways concerning their behaviour. This rough dude I knew came here and calmed down real drastically.. .. another shy guy landed in Japan and turned into this crazed gaijin monster, making up for his quietness back home it seems.

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