Out of all Top Spin 4’s modes, Career mode is where you will be spending most of your time. It’s fairly in-depth, allowing you to modify looks, clothes, stance, although it is the only creation tool I’ve used where I haven’t been able to recreate a decent version of myself. The next step you want to take is to dive into Top Spin 4’s character creation mode. The Academy is essentially a fancy tutorial, guiding you though basic and advanced shots and tactics and generally helping you get to grips with gameplay mechanics. Green means you’re raring to go, yellow indicates that you’re slightly winded, orange means you’re heavily winded and red is for “uh oh”.Īs you can see there is a lot to get to grips with, and your opponent will generally force you to mix and match your play style, so a trip to the Top Spin Academy is most definitely recommended. Stamina also plays a part, with a gauge that is on display during a rally. The control shot is the power shot’s counterpart, forsaking power for pinpoint accuracy which may catch your opponent off guard or, at the very least, unsettle them. Once the circle has filled completely you are ready for a power shot which, as the name suggests, ups the power but also decreases accuracy. Holding down any of the shot buttons will see a circle appear and fill with red. Mastered that? Fantastic, now you’re ready for power shots and control shots. Care is needed though, as too much pressure either way will see the ball sail way over the line, along with the corresponding “OUT!” As with other tennis games any shot can be directed to various parts of the court, with the addition of being able to drop it closer to the net or belt it right towards to back line. If you release too soon you aren’t penalised, but too late will see your shot power reduced, or it may even go out. You then have to take into consideration your shot timings, as if you hold and release the shot button at just the right time you’ll get a ‘perfect’, more powerful shot.
Holding R1 will see you rush the net whilst combining it with one of the face buttons will see you serve and rush the net in preparation for a volley. The square, circle and X button are all mapped to various different shot types, whilst pressing the triangle button will perform a lob. Using the DualShock 3 increases accuracy ten-fold, but strips away the simplicity of using the Move. It’s a shame really, as if the precision we know the Move is capable of had been fully utilized this control scheme would have been something very special indeed.
Don’t get me wrong, using Move is fun for a bit of a laugh when you want to pop on for a quick exhibition match, but for those who are serious about progressing far into the career mode the DualShock 3 is what you want to be using.
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