[tinpanalley]

Some thoughts on the 360 version:

- The balls don't go out but they also don't ever even seem close. Other than during a fault, even when I go out of my way to hit a ball completely out of bounds it finds a way to stay in.
- The game speed is too fast. It's closer to Virtua Tennis than Top Spin.
- Plus... the fact that there seems to be no out of bounds balls means, to me, half the strategy is gone. If it's that easy to keep the ball in bounds then there's no penalty for hitting too hard. Swing away. That's not tennis. Tennis is more often about placement, even in today's power obsessed game.
- The lack of players is appalling. Even Top Spin 4 could get all those historic players AND a whole bunch of current ones?
- I've already heard people complaining about the faces. Really, the faces? Seriously, are people still not over that? I'm sorry but the last thing I'm looking at when I'm playing a game is if players look real. Or even if they walk choppy heading back to the sidelines, which has n o bearing on the gameplay itself whatsoever. I want a good tennis game (once and for all). Does anyone care that you're basically playing with cartoon characters in PS3 Table Tennis? No, cause the game is awesome!
- I can't tell right now, but there doesn't seem to be a limit to the number of players you can create. If that's the case, then we'll be able to create players for years. This will hopefully open up a whole new world of player creators who can strive for creating all the pros as accurately as possible. Very exciting to have the prospect of playing a Major from maybe the 4th round with all players in their actual spots on the bracket.
- The gameplay isn't hurt by the issues above too badly, but Top Spin 4 definitely plays a more nuanced game of tennis.
- No challenges? How can you take what is now an essential part of the game, a part even of a player's strategy (choosing to challenge or not) and just disregard it. And before EA uses the excuse that they couldn't get a license from the Hawk-Eye people... please, you could have called it Eagle-Eye and been done with it the way you called the fictional sports network in NHL 93 "EASN". Everyone knew what you were alluding to. Smash Court Tennis had this on their PSP title years ago and EA couldn't implement it now? It's lazy. Could have been done.
- I don't mind a bit more fun than sim in a career mode but this isn't even very close to a sim experience. Top Spin is far deeper.
- Grand Slam Classics mode is excellent. It's like the old FIFA days when the games came with situations you had to play in and the screen would actually change to black and white playing older games with the different balls they used back then. This mode is fun and a treat for real tennis fans.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.