Monday, April 07, 2008 Play vs. top tennis players By Carlo Carrasco Sun.Star Cybercafe Contributor
GAMERS who love tennis will get their chance to play with their favorite stars as 2K Sports recently announced that Top Spin 3 will be released on May 20 for the Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3.
Programmed by Paris-based PAM Development, Top Spin 3 brings back the intense tennis action and fun features that made the franchise a hit with gamers worldwide. Players will be able to create their own tennis characters from scratch and customize his or her own looks and attributes.
The customization options are even deeper this time around as you’ll be able to adjust one of twenty hotspots on your character’s face, adjust ethnicity and more. You can also adjust the player’s specific tennis abilities as well.
When you start playing tournaments, you can win big prizes, choose a sponsor and even take part in special events such as having a private one-on-one match with Maria Sharapova. The tennis venues are more numerous as well, consisting of forty courts that reflect the local community level, the exotic resorts and real-life pro tennis locations.
What will surprise fans of the series, however, is the implementation of a brand new gameplay module that was built by the developers from scratch, primarily to enhance realism and give players better opportunities to make specific maneuvers and shots. As such, the learning curve has been raised a bit but ultimately it will compel you to learn the game’s mechanics in an enjoyable fashion.
As expected, refinements have been made on the audio and visuals. For one, tennis stars have their likeness realistically rendered, facial expressions are improved and the enhanced lighting gives the entire game a more lively look.
Recently, 2K Sports conducted a special promotion of the game with the participation of Maria Sharapova and James Blake.
In front of members of the press, the two tennis stars demonstrated their skills by playing the Wii edition of Top Spin 3 with the Wiimotes used as virtual tennis rackets (see photo).
Ironically, the promo proved that the only console where gamers can play the game in swinging fashion is the Wii. The Xbox 360 and PS3 editions however, sport more detailed graphics.
Finally, Top Spin 3 has 20 real-life tennis stars in its roster, among them are Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Monica Seles. The selection does not end there, though, as 2K Sports is seriously analyzing gamers’ feedback on which players they want added to the game via online updates and downloads.
Watch out for this game this May at your local retailer.
