Developer: Indie Built
Publisher: 2K Games

Before the launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360, there was a series of exciting games called "XSN Sports" on the Xbox console. It featured games such as Links 2004, NBA Inside Drive 2004, Amped 2, NFL Fever 2004, NHL Rivals 2004, RalliSport Challenge 2 (which I hope makes a return) and my favorite Xbox game, Top Spin. The idea was to bring the power of the Xbox and PC together with in-depth online leagues and tournaments, one of which even boasted a $25,000 prize purse for an "XSN Sports World Championship."

Unfortunately, Microsoft decided to scrap the entire XSN sports series due to a lack of quality in the games. That has lead me to the question: If they lacked quality, why were they released in the first place? Regardless, the majority of the games were seemingly eliminated with the exception of two, one being Top Spin the other Amped. Fast forward to the days of Xbox 360 when the long awaited tennis classic returns as the brilliantly titled "Top Spin 2."

The game was scheduled to be released at the end of January. However, similar to many other Xbox titles, Top Spin 2 was pushed back for apparently no reason whatsoever. The new release date became April 1, 2006. Eventually the day came when I was able to pick up my gorgeously priced 360 game for $39.99, which is about an Andrew Jackson less than any other title out on the market. I eventually popped it in my 360 for a play through.

The Right Kind of Touch

I initially looked at the all-star lineup of tennis studs and studettes, also known as babes. The game featured tails such as Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, Lindsay Davenport and gents such as Andy Roddick, Swiss Mis-ster Roger Federer, racial Australian superstar Lleyton Hewitt, representin' Deutschland Tommy Haas and giant man-beast Venus Williams. After seeing that no one on the list was nearly as pretty as I was, I quickly sorted through the options to "Create a Player" and toyed around with hundreds of customizations to try and find someone as beautiful as yours truly. Sixteen hours later, after finding the perfect look, I made my debut on the court as "Mike Überlegen." Once you have created your player, you are designated a little French coach who will help you master the different skills in tennis en route to becoming ranked #1 in the world and achieving global tennis domination.

You first need to choose what your character is going to specialize in - your specialty is reflected in a star-based system where the more stars you have for a particular part of your game (i.e. servicing, top spin, backhand, volley), the stronger you will be in future practices and matches. If you don't like the Frenchie, you can earn more dollars through training and experience to eventually hire a new trainer who will not surrender at game point... did I say surrender? I meant give up completely. There are different characters to choose from and like the real world, the more funds you have, the more you will get out of your trainer.