Full Review

3 January 2004 - Top Spin from Microsoft for the Xbox tries to ace Virtua Tennis, but has it got what it takes to out serve the popular and very good Virtua Tennis series. We don our shorts pick up our racket and shimmy up to the base line.

While tennis games aren't everywhere when it games to gameplay they are responsible to spawning an age of computer game playing. After all what do you think Pong was based on. Since 1971 games have moved on a tad and not surprisingly so has the Computerised Tennis game.

All the elements are here; Career, Exhibition, Multiplayer and custom tournament and as a tennis game it will offer you plenty of chance to practice as well as serve your game to your hearts content. Play can be improved in game similar to the model used in most basketball games. The better you play the better you become. Taunt the opposition and that improves your playing capabilities further. Of course whilst this helps you if you are serving well, if won't if you let your opponent get the better of you and breaking the serve on the set point can become almost impossible.

If the computer offers too much competition, then you can always opt for the XSN Online League on the Microsoft servers and this is yet another title that allows you to show off your sporting prowess against other players across the globe.

VERDICT
Tennis games are a funny bunch, the simplicity and gameplay is always of a high standard and yet they never really get a look in when it comes to landing on gamers' shelves. Worst still Virtua Tennis set such high standards when it was originally launched on the Dreamcast that bringing out an alternative version is like remaking a classic movie. Yes some will love the changes and the fact that it is virtually identical to Sega's masterpiece even down to the customising of characters in the career mode. To others though, it will be outrage.