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IGN Review of Top Spin 3
True Statement: People don't realize how important a game's frame rate is until it drops. You don't need to go any further than Top Spin on DS to prove this point, as roughly 365 days of time has passed between Top Spin 3's predecessor and the now far, far superior current version, and the difference is monumental. One game isn't worth the inch-by-inch space the cartridge takes up in your cargo pants pocket, while the other is debatably one of the best sports games on DS to date. If you like tennis, like your DS, and at least have a mild interest in the Top Spin series, you're going to want to check this one out.
I had some pretty choice things to say about Top Spin 2 on DS, but they were warranted, and obviously they needed to be said. Top Spin 2 barely ran at all, and try as I might, there was no way to enjoy the product as it stood. 2K obviously felt the same way, as Top Spin 3 now hits the DS with essentially the same core content, but a silky smooth frame rate to go with it. How much does a frame rate really help? I'd say damn near four total points, at least in this case.
I made a point to go over all the specifics of Top Spin 3 in IGN DS's last hands-on with the game, so if you're looking for core information, check the back of the box next time you're in a game store, or – in a more practical manner – check out my lengthy hands-on right here. We'll be moving on to what really matters this time around, which is whether or not the new Top Spin is worth playing.
And it is. You've got a boatload of venues and players, plenty of career mode options, and enough gameplay to warrant about 25 or so hours of single player gaming with Top Spin 3. As with Top Spin 2 though, it all comes down to the speed at which this sucker moves, and Top Spin 3 delivers, keeping the action around 25 frames per second at all times. This means general gameplay is improved, timing for your power and finesse shots becomes manageable, rather than broken, and strategic tennis can be played; plain and simple.
In fact, there's very little that can be said about the game that really does it justice, aside from just stating straight up that it plays, looks, and feels like a mini version of Top Spin. What more are you really looking for in DS sports game? Career mode offers at least a bit of character customization, with new outfits, hairstyles, skin tones, and serve styles over Top Spin 2, and the mini-game count is higher this time around as well. Some of them work better than others – for some reason I had trouble getting the serve target practice points for my created "mini Bozon" – but in general they're easy, quick, and intuitive enough where you'll be rocking training courses one after another throughout the career.
Multiplayer also returns this year, and surprise surprise, frame rate again makes it a much stronger experience. The content is going to be more of the same, so for anyone that picked up 2K's last offering I'd suggest two things. First, return, burn, or pawn off Top Spin 2, and second, pick up Top Spin 3, as it's exactly what you'd expect it is; a working Top Spin game that fits in your pocket.
And while I'll praise the game for running how it should the first time around, and really delivering on something that 2K can be proud of this year, it's also a bit sad to see the audio and visual presentation staying completely stagnant. You'll see the same graphics, hear the same audio (even that ungodly whistling that screeches out after clutch points returns, causing me to again turn down my system after just a few minutes of play), make use of a virtually unchanged main interface screen, and wait through the same "short, but annoying" three second load times before matches. It's far from a perfect game, but it's also playable this time around, and boy, that sure does help.
©2008-07-02, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
I had some pretty choice things to say about Top Spin 2 on DS, but they were warranted, and obviously they needed to be said. Top Spin 2 barely ran at all, and try as I might, there was no way to enjoy the product as it stood. 2K obviously felt the same way, as Top Spin 3 now hits the DS with essentially the same core content, but a silky smooth frame rate to go with it. How much does a frame rate really help? I'd say damn near four total points, at least in this case.
I made a point to go over all the specifics of Top Spin 3 in IGN DS's last hands-on with the game, so if you're looking for core information, check the back of the box next time you're in a game store, or – in a more practical manner – check out my lengthy hands-on right here. We'll be moving on to what really matters this time around, which is whether or not the new Top Spin is worth playing.
And it is. You've got a boatload of venues and players, plenty of career mode options, and enough gameplay to warrant about 25 or so hours of single player gaming with Top Spin 3. As with Top Spin 2 though, it all comes down to the speed at which this sucker moves, and Top Spin 3 delivers, keeping the action around 25 frames per second at all times. This means general gameplay is improved, timing for your power and finesse shots becomes manageable, rather than broken, and strategic tennis can be played; plain and simple.
In fact, there's very little that can be said about the game that really does it justice, aside from just stating straight up that it plays, looks, and feels like a mini version of Top Spin. What more are you really looking for in DS sports game? Career mode offers at least a bit of character customization, with new outfits, hairstyles, skin tones, and serve styles over Top Spin 2, and the mini-game count is higher this time around as well. Some of them work better than others – for some reason I had trouble getting the serve target practice points for my created "mini Bozon" – but in general they're easy, quick, and intuitive enough where you'll be rocking training courses one after another throughout the career.
Multiplayer also returns this year, and surprise surprise, frame rate again makes it a much stronger experience. The content is going to be more of the same, so for anyone that picked up 2K's last offering I'd suggest two things. First, return, burn, or pawn off Top Spin 2, and second, pick up Top Spin 3, as it's exactly what you'd expect it is; a working Top Spin game that fits in your pocket.
And while I'll praise the game for running how it should the first time around, and really delivering on something that 2K can be proud of this year, it's also a bit sad to see the audio and visual presentation staying completely stagnant. You'll see the same graphics, hear the same audio (even that ungodly whistling that screeches out after clutch points returns, causing me to again turn down my system after just a few minutes of play), make use of a virtually unchanged main interface screen, and wait through the same "short, but annoying" three second load times before matches. It's far from a perfect game, but it's also playable this time around, and boy, that sure does help.
©2008-07-02, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved