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Video Game Review: Top Spin 3

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By ROMMIE JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 18, 2008

System: Microsoft Xbox 360

Also available for: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS

Publisher: 2K Sports

Reviewer's rating: **½

ESRB rating: Everyone

Game type: Sports

Kind of like: "Virtua Tennis 3"

Best feature: It looks amazing.

Worst feature: It seems accessible only to serious tennis fans.

The bottom line: For those who can't keep track, Sega's "Virtua Tennis" is the series that features more arcade-style action, and 2K's "Top Spin" is the one that's more realistic.

If you're a gamer, that might make "Top Spin" the boring choice. But if you're a tennis freak, it's probably the game to own.

Rather than spending time knocking over giant bowling pins with your serve, you'll advance your career in "Top Spin" by - get this - actually playing tennis.

Advanced techniques such as lobs and drop shots are not only available, they're more or less required if you hope to hoist the hardware at the U.S. Open, French Open or Australian Open. (Sadly, Wimbledon is MIA.)

But the game isn't easy to master. Early on, your player's skills are severely limited, leading to frustratingly clumsy on-court efforts that you'll be tempted to blame on unresponsive controls. ("The ball was right there! Why didn't I hit it? Gah!")

But as you move up the rankings and your skills skyrocket, lost points become easier to swallow. Especially when you're facing such real-life stars as Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Justine Henin, Andy Roddick and Amelie Mauresmo.

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