Top Spin 2 (Xbox 360, 2006)

Let's face it... Tennis games are not the most popular of sports' titles. Tennis in particular, is usually liked by real enthusiasts and not by casual observers. Fortunately, Top Spin 2 is really aimed at that crowd because of its highly technical gameplay. The game's strength is in the career mode. Most of everyone will be sweating and swearing when trying to get your tennis pro to reach the number one rank as this is the most challenging aspect of Top Spin 2. You start off with the character creation which is surprisingly deep...comparable to games like Tiger Woods and Oblivion. You can essentially change every facial feature of your player. One of the major aspects of having a successful career mode is the way you customize your character as you progress through your career. I can't remember a game where character customization has such a dramatic effect on how quickly you can climb the ranks. My advice…choose carefully which skills to increase but balance is key. Tennis is a game of precision, power and speed yet, reflexes can't be overlooked. That's about the best advice that I can offer.

Coaches offer you different types of training and for once, I find all of these are really helpful in learning to master the game. Not only does it increase your tennis pro's attributes but, it's a great way to learn the delicate technical aspects of every shot.

Learning the shots and particularly the timing of every shot, is the key to winning. You have the safe shot with the "A" button which is the button you will mostly be using at the beginning. The "X" button delivers a slice shot which I use mostly to slow the pace of the game and to be able to get myself back in position during a rapid exchange against an opponent. The "Y" button is used as a lob shot which is pretty lethal for those who play close to the net. Finally, the "B" button is a topspin shot which is the fastest basic shot in your arsenal. Mastering all of these will greatly impact the number of successful exchanges you have versus an opponent. There are also some risk shots that can be used by pressing the right trigger before you start swinging your racket. These shots are very dependant on the momentum meter and they consume rather large amounts of it. There are also advanced shots that take up less momentum and they are triggered by pressing the left trigger before you start your swing.

Finally, adding to the technical aspect of Top Spin 2, are the different types of courts and how different these play. For instance, you'll notice a major difference of the pace of the game when you play on a clay court versus a grass court.

Opponents? Well, there are some I definitely didn't recognize because they are fictional. The mix of existing Tennis players is adequate but there are some that I feel should have been included: Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters, Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi would have been a good start. Nevertheless, there's enough here to keep most tennis fans satisfied.