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By Keith B (20th Jul 2008)

2K’s Top Spin 3 has been highly anticipated on the Wii, especially since the producers continually promised hyper-realistic gameplay and graphics, as well as a pool of accurately modelled world famous players to choose from. To some degree, TS3 for the Wii lives up to these promises, but overall, it lags considerably behind the other platforms. The Wii version does include tournaments in a range of classic venues as well as a series of real life players to choose from, but if you have a PS3 or any other system to compare two versions, a number of flaws might leave you sorely disappointed.

The game offers a total of 15 professional players to choose from, different types of tournament setting, the option to play with up to three friends in a variety of constellations, a few mini-games, and a so-called “Road to Glory” career-style mode.

Where the Wii version definitely wins out over the other platforms is in the realism of gameplay. After all, here you can go far beyond simply wielding a gamepad from the comfort of your couch. With Nunchuk and Wiimote, you can lunge around your living room and replicate the wide swings and rapid movement you see on the screen. The control system is nigh-on perfect. The console’s sensors accurately pick up on your swings and all the applied modifiers, and with enough practice, you can definitely consider yourself somewhat of a pro. But practice you will need... lots of it, too. Because in true spirit of the Top Spin series, this game is hard. Damn hard, as a matter of fact. So hard that I’m not ashamed to admit that during the first few days of playing, I didn’t win a single game. If the steep learning curve doesn’t frustrate you too much, you will end up having a great gaming experience that definitely leans towards ‘realistic simulation’ rather than ‘arcade fun.’

Swinging the Wiimote is used to serve as well as to hit return balls. A few button combinations are used to modify the way you hit the ball, thus enabling you to perform drop balls, lobs, volleys, top spins, and so forth. In order to do so, timing is of the essence. The accuracy and power of your swings depend on two factors: how long before hitting do you press the relevant buttons, and when exactly do you release them. Sounds simple enough – but during a fast, tough game, you’ll find that it is exactly the opposite. The controls are so precise that in the beginning you will almost certainly make mistake after mistake after mistake. On top of that, you also have to control your player’s movements. This is done with the help of the Nunchuk, an inevitable but problematic method. It makes sense, no doubt, to use the thumbstick for moving your character, and it works very well, too. The problem is that you end up having to play tennis with two ‘rackets’ in hand instead of one, and that they are attached to each other, as we know, with a relatively short cable. Being a tall guy, for me this means that if I want to indulge in a realistic tennis experience and make big, swooping swings with the Wiimote, I’ll find myself constricted by the attached Nunchuk I carry in my left hand.

In TS3, the opponent AI is incredibly aggressive. If you haven’t mastered the controls, there is no way you can win against even the easiest tournament opponent. Combined with the tough control scheme, this makes for quite a bit of frustration. For novices, my advice is to send your opponents running all over the court for while, tire them out, and then put a hard, fast ball in the far corner. It took me a while to figure this out, hence my endless string of lost games. Maybe the problem was that I never properly learned to play tennis in real life. When I had a seasoned tennis player over to join me in some double action, it turned out that she was, indeed, finding it a lot easier.

But once you get better, TS3 also begins to reveal its many flaws. To begin with, in this version it is impossible to create a personal avatar. Instead of giving you the opportunity for in-depth modification of your character (which is a lot of fun in the PS3 version), you have to pick a pre-made player. This is linked, no doubt, to the most unfortunate problem this game has: the lack of a proper career mode. Even the measly DS version has a career mode, damn it! Instead, the Wii version has “Road to Glory”, which puts you through a series of progressively harder opponents and challenges. With their lack of depth, the 11 stages of this mode are not comparable to a proper career mode (there is no way of properly keeping track of your players stats, for example), and this flaw single-handedly downgrades the Wii version TS3 from good to mediocre.

The multiplayer options and included mini-games will confirm this suspicion. Playing with three friends works well and can be a lot of fun – but it doesn’t go beyond that. The mini-games, in their turn, are simply a string of tennis-related challenges, where you will be rewarded for scoring certain types of points or have to fulfil similar kinds of challenges. If it weren’t so awfully hard, TS3 would make for a good party game. As it is, it’s neither here nor there.

As for TS3’s graphics, well, they certainly don’t tap into the Wii engine’s potential. I’ve actually heard rumours that the game is modelled on a modified TS2 engine! Thankfully, the frame rates are high and stable, which is a good thing with all the ultra-fast balls flying all over the place. And with regard to the game’s soundscape… what sound? Except for the bouncing ball, the smacking of the ball, and the crowd’s repetitive reactions, there is little sound or music at all, except for the annoying menu soundtrack. No voice acting, no nothing. Isn't this supposed to be a realistic simulation…

To round it up, TS3 for the Wii is sure to be loved by some and hated by many others. If you are a devout fan of the series, or a good tennis player in real life, this might be for you. If all you want is to go a little beyond what Wii Sports had to offer, I suggest that you stay away from the game. The immensely difficult AI and the tough controls might be too much to take for many. If I could freely pick one famous player to use in this game, it’d have to be John McEnroe – not just because of his hilarious Krusty-the-Klown hairstyles, but also because half the time I feel like throwing the racket or verbally abusing my opponents just like he did. As noted, a series of other flaws render TS3 an all-around uneven accomplishment. The lack of a proper career mode is lamentable to say the least. The mini-games - featuring singles, doubles, and “Invincible Man” modes - are lacking depth and complexity. The long loading times are annoying. No personal player can be created and used throughout the game. The best thing about TS3 for the Wii thus remains its excellent control system.

But then again – the physics of Wii Sports’ tennis control scheme was pretty amazing (and pretty easy), too, so why not stick with that? For a prime-prized game, Top Spin 3 just doesn’t have enough to offer.