However this time I wanted to play a more realistic tennis game so I thought I’d try my luck with Top Spin 4. The Top Spin series has always advertised that it is a much more realistic game experience so I wanted to test this out. And the answer? It most definitely is. Sure it has its flaws as every game has, but it is far far more realistic than the Virtua Tennis series.

To start with there’s no more running about like crazy all match! There’s a stamina system which will gradually limit your movements about the court. There’s also a slight sprint button so you can make a quick dash if you need to across the court. The system works pretty much how you expect. If you run the stamina metre depletes. If you hit the ball it depletes. If you hit it harder then it depletes more. Also the movement is more accurate and realistic. In Virtua Tennis you could be running as fast as you could in one direction and if you suddenly switched direction it would switch straight away. In Top Spin 4 if you’re running really fast and switch direction then it stops for a moment, as to stay in balance, and then goes, which is much more realistic.

Another great thing about the game is the timing. Depending on when you hit the ball will determine how well you hit it. If you hit it too early then you won’t get the best amount of power behind it, hit it too late and you’ll probably send it in the wrong direction. The game can also tell you at each hit whether you’re hitting it too early, too late or just right. Also each type of hit (topspin, slice, lob etc.) has a different timing preference. So topspin might best be hit when the ball is right next to you while a slice might be better if it is further away.

The game has a couple of modes: With the career mode being perhaps the most extensive. You have to create your own person and then you play a maximum of two events per month. The first part of the month is split into either a sparring match or a special event; these could be special matches or things like autograph signings. Your second part of the month is then doing a tournament, with only certain tournaments being available depending on your level. You start off as a rookie and then by completely certain challenges (getting 10000 fans perhaps) etc. you unlock more matches like master tournaments and grand slams to play. There are two things you need to get throughout career mode: Experience Points and Fans. As you gain more xp you can level your character up and choose whether you want them to have more stats for like power or speed or reflexes etc.

The game also has online capability where you can play tournaments and direct matches with fellow players all around the world. So far however this has been rather lacking with extreme waiting times when trying to find players to play with. This may be due to the shortage of players playing the game online however.

Overall this is a rather excellent realistic tennis game. It’s really fun to play and should be considered by all sporting or tennis lovers. 89/100