Top Spin 2

After taking a trip down memory lane with Bioshock, I went on a cleanup operation with Top Spin 2. After completing all of the offline achievements, I went back to complete the three multiplayer achievements and add this to the completed pile.

Gameplay wise, the standout comparison to make is to Virtua Tennis. It took me a while to get used to the Top Spin controls but once I did, it was apparent that they were more deliberate and accurately calibrated than that of its direct competitor and it is also a game based more on skill. I used to play it with my friend who was quite experienced with the game and closing the skill gap on him was a real challenge - one I didn’t quite accomplish!

As with all sports games with a low amount of achievements here is a basic run through of what’s on offer:

1. Win first exhibition match – Win a match in Exhibition Mode.

2. Beat all female pro players – Beat all the female players in the game. This can be done in exhibition mode simply by working your way through the characters on the menu.

3. Beat all male pro players - Beat all the male players in the game. This can be done in exhibition mode simply by working your way through the characters on the menu.

4. Win first match in Career Mode – Simply win a match in Career Mode for this achievement.

5. Win first Career tournament – Simply win a tournament in Career Mode for this achievement.

6. Complete first career – Simply finish Career Mode to unlock this achievement. You can simulate the 5 year career but this is not recommended for the following two reasons. 

Missable Achievements

7. Reach #1 World Rank in career – The easiest way to do this and the one below is to make sure that you win the majority of the tournaments on offer. If you build your player character, winning matches should be a breeze for the last three years of the career which should net you more than 1,000 Points and the number 1 rank.

8. End Career with 1,000 points – as above. According to my findings, not a lot of the people that played the game managed to do this but it’s probably because it requires the player to do a lot of the same things. Like play tennis. In a tennis game.

Multiplayer

I can’t really say much about the multiplayer experience because I didn’t have one. Top Spin 2 was released in March 2006. The online community is not existent over eight and a half years after release so my ‘guides’ will reflect this.

9. Win first Ranked Match – to win a ranked match you have to first have a player created character. Ranked Matches cannot be played with the in-game pros which makes sense as everyone would simply play as Federer. After creating your character, you will have two choices. First choice is to find someone else out there who needs the three online achievements. The second is to get a second Xbox360 – these can now be purchased for around £70 (Elite version).

10. Win 25 Ranked Matches – As above.

11. Play 50 Ranked Matches – As above. With a friend you can get both of these in about 2 and a half hours, the key being to forfeit the match at the right time. When I was doing this I forfeited about 20 matches too soon and they didn’t register which meant I had to do them again, which makes me an even bigger loser.

In terms of gameplay, it is probably still the best tennis game out there to date, though I am yet to sample the latest Top Spin or Virtua games. However, with the lack of online activity, it is probably not a recommended buy if you are looking for full completions. However, it is an easy 775 points and cheap if you are not that bothered.

A side note on the two Xboxes method, I am not recommending you go out and buy another console. The only reason I was able to do this was because my original Xbox started churning up discs so I bought an elite as a replacement to the old one. Only do this if you are hell bent on getting full completions – or if you have kids, get them an Xbox 360 and use it for achievement hunts!