by:	May 26, 2006

Pam Interactive are certainly no slouches when it comes to tennis games. The original Top Spin was hailed the greatest of all time when it was released on the Xbox, eclipsing that of even Virtua Tennis, Sega’s long running dominant franchise. Now, with the help of 2K Sports, PAM has returned their baseline shot straight back across court, releasing the sequel for the Xbox 360, Top Spin 2.

While nothing revolutionary has happened in the sequel gameplay wise, Top Spin 2 still has managed to give gamers more bang for their buck by offering different gameplay mechanics and all round a more polished game. Top Spin 2 offers a unique tennis simulation style, one that was praised upon in the original game, and one that which follows through in the new version. In terms of gameplay modes, gamers can select from four different ones, all of which offer something different. Exhibition is of course the standard in any sports game nowadays, and this follows suit with Top Spin 2. Players can select from a number of fully licensed areas to play in, anything from small parks to the likes of Wimbledon and The US Open. Also in the new Top Spin is the chance to finally play as your favourite players. Due to issues with the original, gamers were forced to choose players such as Pete Sampras, who at that time was retired from the sport, adding a degree of unrealism to the game. This time however, the likes of World No1 Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and even “Tiger” Tim Henman can all be selected. On the Women’s side, players can choose from Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and Lindsay Davenport to name but a few. Not only will you be able to put these athletes into singles matches, but now mixed doubles are also supported, allowing you to play out your biggest tennis fantasy on the court.

The control scheme and the gameplay have remained very faithful to the original, and is still as intuitive and simple to use as it was then;

-Left Thumbstick: Control Player
-A: Normal Shot/Serve
-B: Top Spin Shot
-X: Slice
-Y: Lob
-Right Shoulder Button: Hold and press any shot button for Risk Shot.